Jesse Owens is recognized as a hero not just because he is fast. Some people might say that they know him for just that reason. However, there are lots of fast people who are not known. Jesse Owens is known because Chancellor Adolf Hitler did not shake the hand of Jesse Owens or even recognize his feat of winning four gold medals, because Owens was an African American.
Jesse Owens owed much of his success to his coach Charles Riley, who probably was the most important one making him have the career that he did. Owens came from a background that required him to work after school in a shoe shop. He couldn’t attend the regularly scheduled track practices organized by his school. However, Charles Riley saw the boy had both a passion(热情) and a talent for running, and so arranged for him to be able to practice before school instead.
Jesse Owens achieved this success despite(尽管) his racial background, which at the time was a huge limitation to him. He could only eat in certain restaurants and sleep in certain hotels, as could all African Americans of the time. He was also never offered a scholarship for school despite setting records for NCAA(美国全国大学生体育协会) championships.
The Berlin Olympics in 1936 is where his star rose as high as it would ever be able to. These Olympics were during the height of Hitler’s rule. It took courage to race in front of Hitler and many other racist(种族主义者). It took time, determination, and perseverance(坚持不懈) to race like him. He won four gold medals at those Olympics. It would take almost fifty years for someone else to walk away from the Olympics with four gold medals. He passed away at the age of 66 from lung cancer.
The underlined word “feat” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “ .”
A.chance | B.happiness | C.success | D.hope |
We know from paragraph 2 that Jesse Owens .
A.did not need to work after school |
B.took part in the regular track practices |
C.did not get along well with his coach |
D.was arranged to practice before school |
Jesse Owens was well-known around the world mainly because he .
A.sets records for NCAA championships |
B.was brave enough to race in front of Adolf Hitler |
C.didn’t want to shake hands with Hitler |
D.is recognized as a hero of the white Americans |
According to the passage, which of the following about Jesse Owens is true?
A.Hitler recognized his feat of winning four gold medals. |
B.He was offered a scholarship for setting records for NCAA championships. |
C.He could only eat in certain restaurants like many other African Americans. |
D.It took him almost fifty years to walk away from the Olympics with four gold medals. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.Sport hero ---- Jesse Owens | B.The Berlin Olympics in 1936 |
C.Charles Riley ---- Jesse Owens’ s coach | D.Jesse Owens’s childhood |