阅读理解Finding China's Sporting Passion
Thomas J. Scheuer from the US studies at Tsinghua University. He is also a professional(专业的) table tennis player. Why do Chinese players always dominate (占 领 先 地 位 ) the major table tennis events? Scheuer heard that one of the reasons is that there is a large fan base(基础) for the sport in the country. Almost everyone can play a little. To see whether it's true, he went to a park and visited a club to find out. The result surprised him.
At a park in Beijing, Scheuer saw many old people playing table tennis. A man said that he had been playing the sport for more than 50 years. He plays for two hours every day. He was even named one of the "Beijing Masters" when he was 70. "I've noticed that I'm the youngest player here in the park, " said Scheuer.
Then Scheuer visited a table tennis club. There, many kids were practising. A boy said he hoped that he could be an excellent player one day. A girl said playing table tennis helped her relax after doing schoolwork.
The visit made Scheuer truly appreciate(欣赏) the enthusiasm (热情) that Chinese people have for table tennis.
"Dubbed as China's 'national sport', table tennis is as popular in China as soccer and basketball are worldwide, " Scheuer said.
Scheuer was also impressed to find that Chinese people of all age groups take part in the sport, not just to win, but also to have fun, to socialise(交际), and to live a healthy life. Such a spirit(精神) touched him.
