The mermaid of China

“美人鱼”刘湘，不仅是甜美女神，还是实力派运动员！

主题语境: 艺术与体育

词数: 约100词

建议用时: 1'40''

One question before reading: What world record did Liu Xiang set?

Liu Xiang is a Chinese swimmer. She finished the women’s 50m backstroke in 26.98 seconds in the Asian Games in Jakarta. She set a new world record!

Liu was born on September 1st, 1996 in Guangzhou. She is the only daughter of her parents.

At the age of five, Liu started to learn swimming. She works very hard. Every day, she spends a lot of time swimming. Now she is a great swimmer. And her fans like to call her “mermaid”.

刘湘是中国的一名游泳运动员。在雅加达亚运会上，她用26.98秒完成了女子50米仰泳比赛。她创造了一项新的世界纪录！

1996年9月1日，刘湘出生于广州，她是家中独女。

五岁时，刘湘开始学习游泳。她非常努力，每天都会花很多时间来练习游泳。现在，她已经是一名优秀的游泳运动员了。她的粉丝喜欢叫她“美人鱼”。

【考考你】

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

1. How old is Liu Xiang in 2019?

2. What do Liu’s fans like to call her?

Key:

1. She is 23 years old.

2. They like to call her “mermaid”.