B
On 6 May 2025, a 28-year-old Chinese snooker (斯诺克) player named Zhao Xintong made sports history. He defeated Welsh star Mark Williams 18-12 in the World Snooker Championship final. This was China’s first world champion in snooker.
Zhao’s path to success was full of stories. In 2023, he had to stop playing for 20 months because people said he did something wrong in a match. In September 2024, he came back. He started from the early qualifying games (资格赛) and played nine matches. He won 111 frames (局)! In one game, he even beat seven-time champion
Ronnie O’Sullivan 17-7. He had an 80 per cent success rate on long pots and made 18 century breaks, equalling (等于) Ding Junhui’s record in 2016!
The final against 50-year-old Williams was very exciting. Williams was the oldest player to reach the final. Zhao was ahead 17-8, but Williams tried hard and won four frames one after another. Then, in the 30th frame, Zhao stayed calm and made an 87-point break to win the game. When he got the trophy (奖杯), he held the National Flag of China high.
Ding Junhui, China’s snooker pioneer who once came second in 2016, said, “Zhao Xintong did what Chinese players had hoped to do for many years.” This win is like when Yao Ming made basketball popular in China.
Zhao’s story is about standing up after failure. His win changed snooker history and told us: never give up! Even big problems can lead to success.
(
B
) 39. Who did Zhao Xintong defeat in the final?
A. Ding Junhui. B. Mark Williams.
C. A British player. D. Ronnie O’Sullivan.
(
B
) 40. What is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
① Zhao beat seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
② Zhao was stopped from playing for 20 months.
③ Zhao started from the qualifying games.
④ Zhao won the game 18-12 against Mark Williams.
A. ②→①→③→④ B. ②→③→①→④
C. ③→②→①→④ D. ③→①→②→④
(
A
) 41. What did Zhao Xintong do after winning the trophy?
A. He held up the National Flag of China.
B. He celebrated with Ding Junhui.
C. He thanked his coach and family.
D. He introduced snooker to China.
(
A
) 42. What can we learn from Ding Junhui’s words?
A. Zhao realized Chinese players’ dream.
B. Ding will play in the next championship.
C. Chinese players didn’t hope to win before.
D. Winning the world champion is too difficult for Chinese players.
(
C
) 43. What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. Practice makes perfect.
B. Actions speak louder than words.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.
