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#命题素材

本文全文摘选自CHINADAILY(2021-07-25)，适合改编为高考“阅读理解A篇”，仅供个人学习交流使用。

Eight times in Olympics; she's a legendary athlete, a smashing mother.

8次参加奥运会;她是一个传奇的运动员，一个了不起的母亲。

Veteran Oksana Chusovitina called time on her legendary career on Sunday night after competing at a record eighth Olympic Games.

After failing to secure a spot in Sunday's vault final, the 46-year-old, representing Uzbekistan, waved to the small crowd inside Tokyo's Ariake Gymnastics Center, made a heart shape with her hands and briefly cried.

"We thank her for her contributions to artistic gymnastics," the arena announcer said while athletes, officials and media workers gave Chusovitina a standing ovation as she left the sport's biggest stage for the last time.

▲ Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan gestures after her final vault at her eighth and final Olympics in Tokyo on Sunday night. Photo/Reuters

Born in Uzbek capital Tashkent in 1976, Chusovitina took up gymnastics at age 7, following her older brother into the sport.

"My mother did not want me to do gymnastics, she was worried about me all the time. I wanted to prove to her that I was not doing it in vain, and I think I eventually succeeded in that," Chusovitina once said of her childhood.

She made her Olympic debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games as part of the gold medal-winning Unified team, comprised of athletes from former Soviet states.

She then represented Uzbekistan, before being granted German citizenship in 2006. She took home a vault silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games for Germany, but switched back to competing for Uzbekistan in 2013. Chusovitina is one of just two female gymnasts to represent three different nations at the Olympic Games.

When Chusovitina's 3-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, she sold her possessions and used any prize money she earned to pay for his medical treatment. Her switch to German citizenship was motivated by the promise of a higher income and better medical care.

After her son's recovery, Chusovitina continued to compete, but this time it was her love of gymnastics that kept her going. "There is no secret. I just love gymnastics and no one ever forced me to compete. I do so with pleasure," she said.

With blue, white and green nail polish in the colors of the Uzbek national flag on her fingers and wearing bright earrings, Chusovitina looked as if she was still relishing competing in Tokyo.

On her first jump, her right foot stepped out of bounds on dismount, scoring 14.500 points. With another error in her landing, she received 13.833 points for her second jump. When her final score of 14.166 and a ranking of 11th was displayed on the screen, Chusovitina buried her petite body in her coach's broad arms as she was overcome with emotion.

She said she had been crying "tears of happiness, because so many people have supported me for such a long time", adding: "I'm just so grateful."

With COVID-19 rules keeping fans out of the venue, Chusovitina admitted the atmosphere wasn't what she had hoped.

"I would have loved to have spectators," she said. "Of course in terms of performance, it's better when it's just you and the apparatus. But every athlete needs this attention and applause."

"Maybe I'll skip Paris (2024 Games), and go to Los Angeles (2028 Games) for the applause," she joked.

In a sport renowned for its youthful champions, Chusovitina has become a global fan favorite thanks to her longevity. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017, and last year was named the Best Athlete of the Decade (2011-2020) in a public vote held by the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan.

She has collected 11 medals at major global championships and has five eponymous gymnastics skills to her name.

Chusovitina planned to retire after the London 2012 Olympics, but changed her mind and returned. She insisted there would be no U-turn on this occasion.

"My son is 22 years old and I want to spend time with him," she told reporters, according to The Guardian. "I want to be a mom and wife."(658 words)

丘索维金娜的奥运参赛史是一部浓缩的现代体育史，也可以说是一位体育名将受国际政治变化影响的命运变奏曲。她在前苏联的加盟共和国乌兹别克出生，成为体操运动员，年少成名，13岁时在苏联青少年全锦赛上获得了全能冠军，被选入国家队。1992年17岁的她首次参加巴塞罗那奥运会时，苏联已经在前一年解体，她代表独联体摘得了女子团体金牌。后来她又代表乌兹别克斯坦参加1996年的亚特兰大奥运会、2000年悉尼奥运会、2004年雅典奥运会。因生计所迫移民德国，为了给身患白血病的儿子筹集医药费，她于2006年变换国籍，代表德国队参赛，2008年在北京奥运会上获得了银牌。很幸运的是，她的儿子身体痊愈，考上大学，成了一名篮球运动员。她此次又以乌兹别克斯坦运动员的身份参加东京运动会，不论成绩如何，都为自己漫长的运动生涯画上一个圆满的句号。丘索维金娜身上体现的不仅是永不言败、不断挑战自我的拼搏精神，更体现了不向命运低头的顽强和博大、无私的母爱。国际体育记者协会（AIPS）如此评价她：“丘索维金娜的英雄事迹来自她家庭的悲剧，但她让全世界相信一位母亲的爱是可以产生奇迹的！”

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