1 His father, Fred Phelps, worked for the Maryland State Police and his mother, Debbie Davisson Phelps, is a middle school headmaster. The two divorced in 1994. Michael, whose nickname1 is “MP” , has two older sisters, Whitney and Hilary. Both of them were swimmers as well, with Whitney coming close to making the U.S. national team for the 1996 Summer Olympics before injuries stopped her career.
2 He started swimming at age seven, partly because of the influence of his sisters and partly to provide him with an outlet2 for his energy. 3 More age group records followed, and Phelpss rapid improvement reached the highest in his qualifying for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Between 2004 and 2008, Phelps attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, studying sports marketing and management. In May 2008, Phelps said he intended to return to Baltimore following the 2008 Olympics, joining Bob Bowman there when he left the University of Michigan, saying, “Im not going to swim for anybody else. 4 Im definitely3 going to be in Baltimore next year.” The club has announced that Bowman is leaving the University of Michigan to become the clubs CEO. Phelps purchased4 a house in the Fells Point section of Baltimore, where he intends to settle down after returning from the 2008 Summer Olympics.
5 He qualified5 to compete in three team and five individual6 events, winning the gold medal in all eight events.
【生词注释】
1. nicknamen. 绰号；诨名2. outletn. 出口；（感情等）发泄途径
3. definitelyadv. 明确地；确切地；肯定地4. purchasevt. 购买
5. qualifyvt.& vi. （使）具有资格；（使）合格6. individualadj. 个别的；单独的；个人的
根据短文内容，选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项多余
A. Phelps represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
B. He stood out as a swimmer, and by the age of 10 held a national record for his age group.
C. In his youth, Phelps was diagnosed with AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder （多动症）.
D. I think we can both help the North Baltimore Aquatic Club go further.
E. He won the gold medal in all eight events.
F. He, an 18yearold guy, graduated from Towson High School in 2003.
G. I think I will become a citizen in Baltimore.
George Bell, 50, is used to people looking up to him. On Thursday, Guinness World Records named the towering 7foot8 sheriffs deputy1, from Norfolk, Virginia, the “Tallest Man in the United States”. The search for the nations tallest man kicked off in August. At present, Guinness only lists the worlds tallest man. But the 2010 edition will include Bell, as well as the tallest men in several other countries.
Bell stands two inches taller than the NBAs current2 tallest player, Yao Ming, of the Houston Rockets. But thats still too short to be the worlds tallest living man. According to Guinness, that honor goes to Ukraines 8foot5.5 Leonid Stadnyk. Next in line is Chinas Bao Xishun, who is 7 feet 8.95 inches.
Bell reached 5 feet 4 inches at 9 years old. In middle school, he reached 6 feet. And by the time he graduated from high school, he was 7foot6. He played basketball in college, and then with the Harlem Wizards and the Harlem Globetrotters show teams. However, Bell became bored with the sport by the time he turned 30 and changed to a career in law instead.
There are plenty of perks3 to being tall, says Bell, who wears size19 shoes. Besides having an advantage on the basketball court, he usually gets free upgrades4 to firstclass seating on airplanes as well. Attendants realize his need for extra legroom5 as soon as he arrives at the ticket counter.
Bell says his positive outlook comes from the encouragement he used to get from his late greataunt, Etonia Johnson. “She always told me, ‘Dont feel ashamed of yourself. Stand tall. Be happy and show your pride.’” The deputys record height was revealed6 on Good Morning America yesterday as part of the 2009 Guinness World Records Day.
【生词注释】
1. deputyn. 副手；代理人2. currentadj. 现在的；现行的
3. perkn. 优点；特权，利益4. upgraden. 提升；改善
5. legroomn. （在飞机、车辆等座位前）供伸腿的空间6. revealvt. 显示；露出
根据短文内容，从A-F选项中选出每段的最佳标题。选项中有一项多余
A. Growing up rapidly when he was a child
B. Getting the encouragement from Etonia Johnson
C. Line behind two now
D. Some privileges for him
E. The tallest man in the world
F. The tallest man in America
