Skipping to victory

Zhou Qi is a 17-year-old student from Hangzhou. Zhejiang. Last September he broke the Guinness (吉尼斯) World Record for the most single skips in one minute, with a result of 374. The record had stood unbroken for ten years. Daisuke Mimura from Japan held it with 348 skips in 2013.

Interestingly, Zhou’s new record is not even his personal best. “My best performance was 396 times in one minute. That was done in the 2nd Primary and Secondary School Students’ Rope Skipping Championship in 2020. My coach said I had already broken the world record. It was at that time that I made up my mind to apply for the Guinness World Record,” Zhou said.

However, the road to success was far from smooth. For years, Zhou practised with a special steel rope designed for competítion. It’s light and strong. But because of the rope he used, his first Guinness application was considered invalid (无效). After online communication with the records management team, Zhou quickly changed to a common rope recognized (认证) by the Guinness World Records. He soon got used to it.

Whatever kind of rope Zhou used, his strict training stood him in good sporting condition. Zhou has been in the school rope skipping team for seven years. He has jumped rope for about four hours each day. He would also run around the playground to improve his physical strength.

Now a high school student, Zhou said he’ll put his studies first. But he won’t stop training and still hopes to beat his own record one day.

1.1. When did Zhou Qi break the Guinness World Record for the most single skips?

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解析：选Last September。定位原文第一段 “Last September he broke the Guinness World Record...”，直接提取时间信息，符合词数要求。

2.2. What is Zhou Qi’s Guinness World Record for the most single skips?

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解析：选374 times in one minute。依据第一段 “with a result of 374”，补充 “in one minute” 明确纪录维度，答案完整且未超词数。

3.3. Why was Zhou Qi’s first Guinness application considered invalid?

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解析：选Because of his special steel rope。第三段指出首次申请无效的原因是 “使用了特制钢丝绳”，精简表述为 “Because of his special steel rope”，契合题意。

4.4. Which English saying will you use to describe Zhou Qi according to Paragraph 4?

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解析：选Practice makes perfect。第四段强调周琦七年严苛训练（每日 4 小时跳绳 + 跑步练体能），对应英文谚语 “Practice makes perfect（熟能生巧）”，符合语境。

5.5. What is Zhou Qi’s dream?

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解析：选To beat his own record。最后一段提及周琦的愿望是 “打破自己的纪录”，提炼为 “To beat his own record”，满足题目要求。