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 school teacher asked the youth his name.
“J. C.” , he replied.
She thought he had 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 (體育的) 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, 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 (煩擾) me,” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living had to eat.”
In time, however, his gold medals (獎(jiǎng)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.”
小題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
小題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 |
小題3:We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the U.S. 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 |
小題4:When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years”, he means that the medals ________.
| A．have been changed for money to help him live on |
| B．have made him famous in the U.S. |
| C．have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life |
| D．have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs |
小題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 |
