Many of us have heard of the saying: everything is possible if you can just believe. But few of us really know the power of faith and perseverance(坚定). South African swimmer Natalie du Tiot embodies(体现)those virtues. Du Tiot, 24, became the first swimmer to compete in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics (残奥会)in Beijing. Although she finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the able-bodied Games, she has collected three golds in the Paralympics so far. One of the most successful disabled athletes of all time, Natalie du Tiot was already a promising swimmer when she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, at just 17. “There are a lot of dark moments,” she said, “There are some days when I cry. But I try to remember that better days are ahead. You just go on.” Within a few months, she was back in the swimming pool. She still completes and still succeeds. The only difference is she has switched to longer events—from 200m and 400m individual medley to 800m and 1,500m freestyle—to make up for her loss of speed with only one leg. But she made no adjustment to her mental look(精神面貌). “Going out in the water, it feels as if there’s nothing wrong with me. It doesn’t matter if you look different. You’re still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.” She is the owner of many world records, and she also won gold when competing against able-bodied swimmers in the 1,500m freestyle at the All African Games in 2007. But there is no magic recipe(秘诀) for success. It all comes down to hard work and determination. “She is stubborn, which is good and bad,” said her coach Karoly Von Toros. “Good for the swimming, but bad for the coach.” There is a poem that hangs on her wall that reads: The tragedy (悲剧)of life does not lie in not reaching your goals; The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for. 小题1: Natalie du Tiot is a vivid example that____________________.
a. She won gold at the All Africa Games. b. She finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the Olympics c. She adjusted herself to long events. d. A motorcycle accident disabled her.
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