HSK 4 · Advanced SportsDramaSchool

The Contest at the Table - 桌边的较量

Three boys compete for one squad spot, but the coach believes something beyond speed and sharp eyes will decide who truly belongs.

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tiānháiméiliàng,北京zuò训练xùn liànguǎn已经yǐ jīngliàngliǎodēng一排yī páipái绿色lu:4 sède球台qiú táipáng年轻nián qīngde队员duì yuánmenzàiliànqiú球拍qiú pāide声音shēng yīn不停bù tíngdexiǎngzháowèi头发tóu fa花白huā báidelǎo教练jiào liàn穿着chuān zhuó深蓝shēn lánde运动服yùn dòng fú慢慢màn màndecóng队员duì yuánmen中间zhōng jiān走过zǒu guò

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It was still dark, but the lights were already on in a training hall in Beijing. Beside rows of green tables, young players were practicing. The sound of paddles kept clicking. A veteran coach with graying hair, wearing a dark blue tracksuit, walked slowly between the players.

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tíngzài一个yī gejiào小涛de男孩nán hái面前miàn qián。小涛deyòukuàiyòuhěn一个yī geqiújiē一个yī geqiúde过去guò qù对面duì miànderén根本gēn běnjiē不住bù zhù教练jiào liànkànliǎo一会儿yī huì rdiǎnliǎo点头diǎn tóu今天jīn tiānyàocóng这些zhè xiē孩子hái zi选出xuǎn chū一个yī gejìnduìderén

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He stopped in front of a boy named Xiaotao. Xiaotao hit fast and hard, slamming ball after ball, and the player across could not return them at all. The coach watched for a while and nodded. Today, he had to choose one of these kids to join the squad.

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教练jiào liànpāiliǎo拍手pāi shǒujiàoláiliǎosān个人gè rén。“今天jīn tiān要看yào kànsān个人gè rén,”shuō,“首先shǒu xiānshì小涛,其次qí cìshì阿明,最后zuì hòushì俊杰。你们nǐ men一个yī ge一个yī ge上来shàng lái。”sān男孩nán háizhànhǎoshéidōuhěn紧张jǐn zhāng

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The coach clapped his hands and called over three people. "Today I want to see three of you," he said. "First Xiaotao, second Aming, and last Junjie. Come up one by one." The three boys stood ready, all of them nervous.

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小涛xiānshàngdeshǒuyòukuàiyòu有力yǒu lìqiúde特别tè biéhěn不仅bù jǐnkuài而且ér qiě每个měi gèqiúdōuhěnchóng对面duì miànde队员duì yuán一个接一个yī ge jiē yī gedeshūliǎo大家dà jiādōushuō,小涛deshǒushìquánduìzuìkuàide

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Xiaotao went first. His hands were fast and powerful, and he hit especially hard. Not only fast, but also every ball was heavy. The players across lost one after another. Everyone said Xiaotao had the fastest hands on the whole team.

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教练jiào liànquè没有méi yǒu说话shuō huà。“deshǒuhěnkuài,”guòliǎo一会儿yī huì rcáishuō,“可是kě shìguāngyǒu快手Kuài shǒuhái不够bù gòu。”小涛tīngliǎotài明白míng bai刚才gāng cáide那么nà mehǎo为什么wèi shén me教练jiào liàn不满意bù mǎn yìne

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But the coach said nothing. "Your hands are fast," he finally said after a while, "but fast hands alone are not enough." Hearing this, Xiaotao did not quite understand. He had just played so well, so why was the coach not satisfied?

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接下来jiē xià láishì阿明。阿明de眼睛yǎn jing特别tè biéhǎo对方duì fāngdeqiúzhuàn马上mǎ shàngjiùnéng看出kàn chūlái不管bù guǎnshìshàngxuànqiú还是hái shi下旋xià xuánqiúdōukàndeqīng清楚qīng chuchǔ并且bìng qiěnéngwěnwěn地接dì jiē回去huí qu大家dà jiā又一次yòu yī cìpāi起手qǐ shǒulái

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Next was Aming. Aming had especially sharp eyes; the moment the opponent's ball spun, he could see it right away. Whether topspin or backspin, he saw it clearly, and could return it steadily. Once again everyone clapped.

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kàndezhǔnyòujiēdewěn,”教练jiào liànshuō,“zhèhěnhǎo。”阿明xiàoliǎo可是kě shì教练jiào liànyòushuō:“不过bù guòkàndeqīngháiyàopǎo得到dé dàocáixíng。”阿明dexiào停住tíng zhùliǎo小涛一样yī yàngméi完全wán quán明白míng bai

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"You both read accurately and return steadily," the coach said. "That's very good." Aming smiled. But the coach added, "However, you still have to be able to get there." Aming's smile froze too; like Xiaotao, he did not fully understand.

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最后zuì hòushì俊杰。yòushòuyòu安静ān jìng穿着chuān zhuójiàn蓝色lán sèdejiùqiú打球dǎ qiúde时候shí hou看起来kàn qǐ lai几乎不jī hū bù怎么zěn medòngqiú过来guò lái轻轻qīng qīngjiējiù回去huí quliǎo旁边páng biānde队员duì yuán小声xiǎo shēngshuō:“是不是shì bù shìtàimànliǎo?”

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Last was Junjie. He was thin and quiet, wearing an old blue jersey. When he played, he seemed to barely move. When the ball came, he lightly returned it. The players beside whispered, "Isn't he too slow?"

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可是kě shì奇怪qí guàideshì不管bù guǎnqiúdào哪里nǎ lǐ,俊杰dōunéng接住jiē zhùxiàng小涛那样nà yànghěnxiàng阿明那样nà yàng显眼xiǎn yǎndàn一个yī geqiúdōuméidiū教练jiào liànkànzháo眼睛yǎn jing慢慢màn màndeliàngliǎo起来qi lai

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But strangely, no matter where the ball went, Junjie could return it. He was not as fierce as Xiaotao, nor as eye-catching as Aming, but he did not lose a single ball. The coach watched him, his eyes slowly lighting up.

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训练xùn liàn结束jié shùhòu教练jiào liàn大家dà jiājiàodào一起yī qǐ刚刚gāng gangyòng手机shǒu jīpāixiàliǎo俊杰打球dǎ qiúde样子yàng zi。“你们nǐ mendōushuōmàn,”教练jiào liànshuō,“我们wǒ men一起yī qǐlái看看kàn kan到底dào dǐ是不是shì bù shì真的zhēn demàn。”

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After training ended, the coach gathered everyone together. He had just filmed Junjie playing with his phone. "You all say he is slow," the coach said. "Let's watch together and see whether he is really slow."

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教练jiào liàn画面huà miàn放慢fàng màn这时zhè shí大家dà jiādōu看清kàn qīngchǔliǎo:俊杰dejiǎo一直yī zhízàidòngxiǎoxiǎo从来没有cóng lái méi yǒutíngguò每次měi cìqiúháiméidàodejiǎo已经yǐ jīngxiān到了dào liǎo位置wèi zhi

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The coach slowed down the footage. Now everyone saw it clearly: Junjie's feet were moving the whole time, small step after small step, never stopping. Each time, before the ball even arrived, his feet had already reached position.

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原来yuán lái不是bù shìmàn,”一个yī ge队员duì yuán小声xiǎo shēngshuō,“shì每个měi gèqiúdōu提前tí qián到了dào liǎo。”教练jiào liàn点点diǎn diǎntóu。俊杰看起来kàn qǐ lai不动bù dòng其实qí shídejiǎoméitíngde安静ān jìng正是zhèng shì因为yīn wèizhàndezuìduì

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"So he isn't slow," one player said quietly. "He gets to every ball early." The coach nodded. Junjie looked still, but in fact his feet never stopped for a moment. His stillness was exactly because he positioned himself best.

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教练jiào liànzhuàn过身guò shēnduìquánguǎnderénshuō:“一个yī ge真正zhēn zhèngde冠军guàn jūn不仅bù jǐn要有yào yǒu快手Kuài shǒuhái要有yào yǒukuàijiǎo首先shǒu xiān要看yào kàndeqīng其次qí cìyàopǎo得到dé dàoguāngkuàishì不够bù gòude。”大家dà jiā都安Dū ānjìngdetīngzháo

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The coach turned around and said to the whole hall: "A true champion needs not only fast hands but also fast feet. First you must see clearly, second you must get there. Being fast alone is not enough." Everyone listened quietly.

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zhèjìnduìde,”教练jiào liànshuō,“shì俊杰。”大家dà jiādōukànxiàng那个nà geyòushòuyòu安静ān jìngde男孩nán hái。俊杰刚才gāng cáihái以为yǐ wéi自己zì jǐméi希望xī wàng现在xiàn zàizhànzhíliǎo身子shēn zi轻轻qīng qīngdeshuōliǎo一声yī shēng谢谢xiè xie教练jiào liàn”。

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"The one joining the squad this time," the coach said, "is Junjie." Everyone looked at that thin, quiet boy. A moment ago Junjie had thought he had no hope; now he stood up straight and softly said, "Thank you, Coach."

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第二天dì èr tiān早上zǎo shangtiānháiméiliàng训练xùn liànguǎnyòuliàngliǎodēng可是kě shìzhè一次yī cì队员duì yuánmen没有méi yǒuxiānliàn打球dǎ qiú他们tā menzhàn在地zài dìshàngde梯子tī zi格子gé ziqiándeliànzháo脚步jiǎo bù球拍qiú pāishēngháiméixiǎngxiān响起xiǎng qǐdeshì脚下jiǎo xiàde声音shēng yīn

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The next morning, while it was still dark, the lights came on again in the training hall. But this time, the players did not start with hitting drills. They stood before the ladder squares on the floor, practicing footwork step by step. Before the paddles clicked, the first sound was that of feet on the ground.