On August 25, an 82-year-old Chinese man named Ding Ming made history in Daegu, South Korea. He won the 80-meter hurdles final at the World Masters Athletics Championships. His time was 15.99 seconds, and he broke the Asian record in his age group of 80 to 84. The silver and bronze medals both went to Japanese runners.
Ding’s story is not only about winning. He fell in love with hurdles when he was a student in Tianjin. Later, work kept him busy, and he could not train every day. But he never gave up his love for sports. After he retired, he returned to the track. In 2019, he won four gold medals at the Asian Masters Games. In May this year, he won the national title in the same event.
What can we learn from Ding Ming? First, age is not a barrier to dreams. Many young people say they are too tired to exercise, but Ding shows that a lifelong habit of movement keeps both body and mind young. Second, he reminds us to be realistic. He says, “Don’t compare with others. Just stay active. Exercise step by step and avoid injury.” He warns people not to push themselves too hard all at once.
Ding’s story touched many people in China. Some young netizens joked that they could not even run as fast as an 82-year-old. But his real message is simple: find something you love, keep doing it, and enjoy it for life. Passion, not age, decides how far we can go.
Words to know:
- hurdle (跨栏)
- title (冠军头衔)
- record (纪录)
- retire (退休)
- barrier (障碍)
- realistic (现实的)
- injury (受伤)
- passion (热爱)
长难句拆解 · 动名词复合结构与 not…but…
① Many young people say they are too tired to exercise, but Ding shows that a lifelong habit of movement keeps both body and mind young. 主干是并列句 Many young people say…, but Ding shows that…（许多年轻人说……，但丁明表明……）。前半句 said 后是省略 that 的宾语从句，too tired to exercise 是「too + 形容词 + to do」结构，译作「太累以至于无法锻炼」；后半句 shows 后是 that 引导的宾语从句，从句主干为 a lifelong habit of movement keeps both body and mind young，keep 后接宾语 + 形容词作宾补，表示「使……保持……」。
② Passion, not age, decides how far we can go. 主干是 Passion decides…（热爱决定……）。两个逗号之间的 not age 是插入语，起对比与强调作用，把它拿掉句子依然完整；宾语是 how far we can go，由疑问词 how 引导的名词性从句，作 decides 的宾语，译作「我们能走多远」。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
题干从不照抄原文，全靠同义替换改写。做题时先在题干里圈出「信号词」，再回原文找它们的同义变体，定位速度会明显变快。本文可迁移的替换组：
- made history → wrote his name into the record books
- broke the Asian record → set a new Asian mark
- fell in love with hurdles → took up hurdles with enthusiasm
- never gave up his love for sports → never lost his passion for sport
- age is not a barrier to dreams → age is no obstacle to one’s ambitions
- not push themselves too hard → avoid overexerting themselves
- keep doing it → stick with it
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Ding Ming won four gold medals at the Asian Masters Games in 2019.
- 简答（不超过 6 个词） — What was Ding Ming’s time in the final?
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Ding Ming believes runners should compare with others to improve faster.
参考答案与解析
- T — 原文「In 2019, he won four gold medals at the Asian Masters Games」，年份、奖牌数、赛事名全部一一对应，属原文直述。
- 15.99 seconds. — 首段「His time was 15.99 seconds」，用 time 与 final 定位，答数字加单位，不要漏掉 seconds。
- F — 原文引用本人原话「Don’t compare with others. Just stay active」，题意正好反了，属典型的「偷换态度」式干扰项。
中文译文
8月25日，一位名叫丁明的82岁中国老人在韩国大邱创造了历史。他在世界大师田径锦标赛80米栏决赛中夺冠。他的成绩是15.99秒，打破了80至84岁年龄组的亚洲纪录。银牌和铜牌都被日本选手夺得。
丁明的故事不只是关于夺冠。他在天津求学时就爱上了跨栏。后来工作繁忙，无法每天训练，但他从未放弃对体育的热爱。退休后，他重返跑道。2019年，他在亚洲大师运动会上夺得四枚金牌。今年5月，他又在同一项目上夺得全国冠军。
我们能从丁明身上学到什么？首先，年龄不是梦想的障碍。许多年轻人说自己太累不想运动，但丁明告诉我们，终身运动的习惯能让身心都保持年轻。其次，他提醒我们要脚踏实地。他说：「别跟别人比，保持活跃就好。循序渐进地锻炼，避免受伤。」他告诫人们不要一下子把自己逼得太狠。
丁明的故事打动了许多中国人。一些年轻网友打趣说，自己连82岁老人都跑不过。但他真正想传达的信息很简单：找到热爱的事，坚持去做，并终身享受它。决定我们能走多远的，是热爱，而非年龄。