Twenty-one years ago，Eric Moussambani became the first swimmer from Equatorial Guinea，one of the smallest countries on the African.continent，to compete in the Olympics.He recorded the slowest men's 100 m freestyle ever in the Olympics，swimming so slowly that he almost drowned，but he left a deep impression on the audience.
   As Moussambani prepared for Sydney，he conducted most of his training in a hotel pool，which was only 13 meters long and fell far short of Olympic level.He spent time in rivers and lakes.Moreover，his coaching came from fishermen，who tried to adjust Moussambani's arm and leg movements to prevent sinking
Upon his arrival in Sydney，Moussambani was struck by the sights of the foreign city and the size of the Olympic Village.But Moussambani was overwhelmed by the Olympic pool，which was surrounded by seating for 17，500 audience. "When I saw the swimming pool for the first time，I was so scared.The pool was so big for me，" he said.
   Of three swimmers，the other two swimmers were disqualified for starting the race too early，leaving a frightened Moussambani as the only man in his race.Although he maintained a consistent speed during the opening section，he couldn't be in a harmonious breathing pattern.In the final half of the race，he struggled to stay afloat so much that those on the sidelines（兩側(cè)場外區(qū)域）considered jumping in and helping him out of the water.Finally，Moussambani touched the wall，stopping the clock in 1：52：72.
   Of course，there was no medal awarded to Moussambani.But he was treated as a celebrity for his inspiring swim. "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning，but taking part.The essential thing in life is not conquering，but fighting well." The description fits Moussambani perfectly.Anyone can be inspired by what Moussambani achieved because we've all been where he was.On his own，out of his depth，and just trying to stay afloat.

（1）What can we know about Moussambani？

D

D

A．He was the first swimmer from Africa.
B．He practiced in standard swimming pools.
C．He accepted training from professional coaches.
D．He set the slowest time in men's 100 m freestyle.
（2）What does the underlined word "overwhelmed" in Paragraph 3 probably mean？

A

A

A．Amazed.
B．Excited.
C．Embarrassed.
D．Disappointed.
（3）Why did people consider helping him out of the water？

C

C

A．He broke the rules.
B．He was disqualified.
C．He seemed nearly drowned.
D．He kept a consistent speed.
（4）Which of the following best describes Moussambani？

C

C

A．Caring and humorous.
B．Aggressive and demanding.
C．Persevering and determined.
D．Generous and hardworking.