James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer
and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9.
There, a schoolteacher asked the youth his name.
“J.C.,” he
replied.
She thought
he said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age
13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part
time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten
games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a
year later.
A week before
the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back
hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in
and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the
suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try,
and the results are in the record book.
The stage was
set for Owens' victory at the Olympic games in Berlin the next year, and his
success would come to be regarded as not only athletic (体育的) but also political. Hitler did
not congratulate any of the African-American winners.
“It was all
right with me,” he said years later. “I didn't go to Berlin to shake hands with
him, anyway. “Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone call from
the president of his own country city, either. In fact, he was not honored by
the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens'
Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking
after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks,
motorcycles, and dogs.
“Sure, it
bothered (烦恼) me,” he said later. “But at least it was an
honest living. I had to eat. “
In time,
however, his gold metals (奖牌) changed his life. “They have
kept me alive over the years”, he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That
golden moment dies hard.”
1.Owens got his other name “Jesse” when
________.
A. he went to
Ohio State University
B. his
teacher made fun of him
C. his
teacher took “J.C.” for “Jesse”
D. he won
gold medals in the Big Ten meet
2.In the Big Ten meet, Owens ________.
A. hurt himself in the back
B. succeeded
in setting many records
C. tried
every sports event but failed
D. had to
give up some events
3.We can infer from the text that Owens was
treated unfairly in the US at that time because ________.
A. he was not
of the right race
B. he was the
son of a poor farmer
C. he didn't
shake hands with Hitler
D. he didn't
talk to the US president on the phone
4.When Owens says “They have kept me alive over
the years”, he means that the metals ________.
A. have been
changed for money to help him lie on
B. have made
him famous in the US
C. have
encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life
D. have kept
him busy with all kinds of jobs
5.Which of the following is a suitable title
for the text?
A Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete
B. Golden
Moment—a Life-time Struggle
C. Making a
Living as a Sportsman
D. How to be a Successful Athlete?