11岁女孩刷新一项长跑纪录

Eleven-year-old Australian girl Tilly Williams has broken a world distance running record, beating other girls who were eight years older than her to run 5000m in just 17 minutes and 22.7 seconds. The primary schoolgirl beat the previous record by 19 seconds, making her the fastest distance runner under the age of 19 across 60 countries.

Tilly started running just two years ago and has already shot straight to the top. When some of her friends told her about the international record, she decided to give it a go while competing at the SA State Championships. “Some of my running friends told me about it and I said, wow, it would be crazy if I got that and here I am,” Tilly said. “It’s really crazy, I was never expecting it.” 

Tilly has always loved keeping active, alongside her twin brother Henry and little sister Rosie. “I am the kind of person who really enjoys the challenge,” Tilly said. “I really love surfing and I love bike riding and hiking — all different kinds of adventure and sports.” She started running in 2021 when she joined her school’s cross-country team. Since then, she has run two to three times a week with her dad, Mark Williams, or at the Adelaide Harriers Athletics Club. “Everyone is really supportive and it really encourages me,” Tilly said.“It’s good knowing that my family’s on my side and my friends are on my side as well.”

Tilly said she has been inspired by runners Caitlin Adams, Tara Palm, and her favourite book character, Roald Dahl’s Matilda. “I could really relate to the main character Matilda because she set herself goals and really had to work hard to achieve them,” she said. Tilly has dreams of competing in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. By the way, Tilly doesn’t follow a strict diet, so her favourite food is still on the menu — her dad’s home-cooked pizza. 

1.What was the previous record of 5000m long-distance running?

A 17 minutes and 2.7 seconds.

B 17 minutes and 22.7 seconds.

C 17 minutes and 41.7 seconds.

D 17 minutes and 59.7 seconds.

解析：选C。C 数字计算题。根据第一段的“to run 5000m in just 17 minutes and 22.7 seconds”可知蒂莉跑5公里用时17分钟22.7秒；结合“beat the previous record by 19 seconds”她的记录比之前的纪录快19秒，即之前的记录是17分钟22.7秒加上19秒，即17分钟41.7秒。故选C。

2.What did Tilly mean by saying “here I am”?

A She has started running.

B She has broken the record.

C She is crazy about running.

D She runs for the championship.

解析：选B。B 句意猜测题。根据前文内容可知，蒂莉的朋友告诉她关于这项国际记录的情况；结合“it would be crazy if I got that（如果我打破了记录的话就太好了）”以及“It’s really crazy, I was never expecting it.（太疯狂了，我从没想过会这样）”可知，蒂莉在描述自己打破了记录这件事。故选B。

3.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A Tilly has at least two siblings.

B Tilly has seldom gone cycling.

C Tilly often goes running alone.

D Tilly has been running for 5 years.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。结合第三段第一句的“alongside her twin brother Henry and little sister Rosie”（和她的双胞胎哥哥亨利和妹妹罗茜）可知，蒂莉至少有两个兄弟姊妹；根据“I love bike riding”可知蒂莉喜欢骑行；根据“she has run two to three times a week with her dad, Mark Williams, or at the Adelaide Harriers Athletics Club”可知蒂莉经常和家人朋友一起跑步；根据“She started running in 2021”可知蒂莉跑步不到五年。故选A。

4.Which word can best describe Matilda according to Tilly?

A Strict.

B Skilled.

C Powerful.

D Determined.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中蒂莉对书中角色Matilda的描述“because she set herself goals and really had to work hard to achieve them”（她给自己设定目标，并且努力去实现）可知，蒂莉认为Matilda是“坚决的，意志坚定的”。故选D。