A 12-year-old Chinese swimmer, Yu Zidi, surprised everyone at this year’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. She won a bronze medal, got fourth place in three big races, and became famous worldwide.
International news called her “amazing” and a “very special young swimmer.” One newspaper said her swimming times were “stunning.” Another said she was “only 0.06 seconds from winning a medal.” In China, people online called her “Kid Sister” because she excited everyone at the swimming center. Her name was the top topic on Weibo.
Yu first swam the 200-meter Individual Medley. She came fourth, only 0.06 seconds behind the third-place swimmer. Later, in the 400-meter Individual Medley, she finished fourth again. Then she swam the 200-meter Butterfly. Starting slowly, she moved up from eighth place to fourth, setting her best time ever. She was just 0.31 seconds from a medal. “I didn’t think about winning,” Yu said after the race. “I just wanted to do my best. I felt nervous but excited racing against top swimmers. The result was great—better than I expected.”
People are amazed because Yu is so young. An Australian newspaper pointed out that an experienced Australian swimmer was in the Olympics before Yu was born. A US sports website asked “Who is Yu Zidi?” They said that while young swimmers sometimes show up, Yu is special because at just 12, she’s already racing the world’s best.
Her story started in an unusual way. “I began swimming around age six because summer was very hot,” she said. “My dad took me to a water park. A coach saw me there and said I should train. I just kept swimming.” She loves the feeling of doing well and enjoys the sport. “The hardest times are when you’re close to your goal. You have to keep trying,” she shared. She dreams of wearing China’s team suit and racing for her country, and this dream keeps her going. This young student has shown she is a star for the future.”
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1.1. The word “stunning” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ______.
A disappointing
B astonishing
C confusing
D improving
解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。 根据上下文，国际媒体用“amazing”“very special”等词高度评价她的成绩，由此可推测，“stunning”应表示“惊人的”。故选B。
2.2. In which event did Yu Zidi miss the medal by only 0.06 seconds?
A 200m Butterfly.
B 400m Individual Medley.
C 200m Individual Medley.
D 100m Freestyle.
解析：选C。C 细节理解题。 第三段首句明确说明在200米个人混合泳中，她以0.06秒之差获得第四名。故选C。
3.3. What directly encouraged Yu Zidi to begin swimming training?
A Family pressure.
B Olympic dream.
C The discovery of her talent.
D The desire to escape the hot weather.
解析：选C。C 推理判断题。末段描述她因天气炎热去水上乐园时被教练发掘天赋，从而开始专业游泳训练。干扰项A（家庭压力）未提及，B（奥运梦想）是后期目标，D（避暑）是去水上乐园的起因而非训练动机。故选C。
4.4. What is the main focus of the entire passage?
A Challenges for young athletes.
B A young swimming star’s achievement.
C International media reactions.
D Swimming techniques analysis.
解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。 全文围绕“12岁于子迪世锦赛一鸣惊人”展开。故选B。
