2004年雅典奥运会之后，相信这位飞人成为了一票人的偶像。不知多少人把当年夺冠的视频回放了N遍，但每一次看还都是那么激动人心。翔飞人给中国体育带来无数感动和希望，雅思口语考试中把他的战绩一一列举一下，两分钟可能都不够吧……
I’d like to talk about Liu Xiang who’s now a retired 110-meter hurdler and also an Olympic gold medal winner. He’s one of the most successful athletes in China and people consider him as a cultural icon. What he did has made history, I mean, he is the only male athlete in history to have achieved the ‘triple crown’ in the event of 110-metre hurdles. He’s the World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion.
I still remember the Olympic Games in 2004, he became the first Chinese man ever, even the first Asian to win the gold medal in track and field, and set a new world record in the 110-meter hurdles. The moment he crossed the finish line, everyone in the stadium and in front of the TV jumped for joy. After the match, he said to journalists, and I quote, ‘I want to change the opinion that Asian countries don’t get good results in sprint races, I want to prove to all the world that Asians can run very fast.’ I believe, I was not the only one who burst into tears of excitement after hearing what he said. At that moment, we were all so proud of him and our country.
People had high expectations of him, and he was the favorite to win another gold in the race at the Beijing Olympics, but he had to pull out of the competition at the last moment because of his foot injury. That was heartbreaking, but he’s still our hero.
语言点解析
hurdler = a person or horse that runs in races over hurdles
icon = a famous person or thing that people admire and see as a symbol of a particular idea, way of life, etc. 例如：
Madonna and other pop icons of the 1980s
a feminist/ gay icon (= somebody that feminists/ gay people admire)
make history = go down in history = to be or do something so important that it will be recorded in history 例如：
a discovery that made medical history
triple crown = the achievement of winning three important victories in certain sports. 例如：
win / take the triple crown.
track and field = sports that people compete in, such as running and jumping
finish line = finishing line = the line across a sports track, etc. that marks the end of a race 例如：
The two horses crossed the finishing line together.
jump for joy = to be very pleased 例如：
I didn't expect them to jump for joy at the news
quote (… unquote) = used to show the beginning (and end) of a word, phrase, etc. that has been said or written by somebody else 例如：
It was quote, ‘the hardest decision of my life’, unquote, and one that he lived to regret.
sprint = to run or swim a short distance very fast例如：
He sprinted for the line.
Three runners sprinted past.
She jumped out of the car and sprinted for the front door.
I sprinted the last few meters.
expectation = a strong belief about the way something should happen or how somebody should behave 例如：
Some parents have unrealistic expectations of their children.
Unfortunately the new software has failed to meet expectations.
favorite = the horse, runner, team, etc. that is expected to win 例如：
The favorite came third.
Her horse is the hot favorite for the race.
AC Milan, the hot favorites to win the Champions League
pull out of = to move away from something or stop being involved in it withdraw 例如：
The project became so expensive that we had to pull out.
heartbreaking = make people have a strong feeling of sadness 例如：
a heartbreaking story
It's heartbreaking to see him wasting his life like this.
作者简介：
朱博，新东方吉林学校雅思口语美女讲师，毕业于985院校大连理工大学，硕士保送一等奖学金。在校期间曾游学美国，任出版社英语出版中心校对四年，工作严谨，活泼开朗，让大家快乐的学习英语。
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