Kung fu grandma at 99 99岁的功夫奶奶

李绍芬

99歲高龄的张荷仙老人不仅能向外国游客展示她的武术技能，还能当教练指导孩子们练习武术。

A video of an elderly Chinese woman demonstrating her martial art skills at a recent local gathering has quickly become a hit on YouTube， where it was viewed over 440，000 times and given more than 4，500 likes. Even Zhao Lijian， spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China， has taken notice， saying about the video on Twitter， “Kung fu spirit never gets old！”

Kung fu grandma， Zhang Hexian， had already established a reputation by 2017， although in nearly 10 decades she has never left her hometown， the village of Zhangkeng in Ninghai County， Zhejiang Province. Zhang stands about 1.5 meters tall. Her kung fu movements are fluent and her steps are steady. Zhang began learning kung fu at the age of 5 from her father， who was a sixth?generation inheritor of Zhang Boxing， a martial art style found mainly in southern China.

“I started learning the basics： a firm stance. Use your hands to chop and push. Thrust with the palms，” Zhang said. “I used to practice every day when I was young. Now Im getting older and I have less strength than before， but I still have vigor （活力）.” She added， “Kung fu is not for violence， but to protect ourselves and help others when necessary.”

Zhang， a warm?hearted， lifelong farmer， gets along well with her neighbors. Feng Chuanyin， her youngest son， said， “My mother is always ready to help. She would help people who are about to get married in the village， doing needlework and cooking. Her life is ordinary but well?organized. She gets up at 5 in the morning， cooks three meals every day， visits her friends and chats occasionally after lunch. In the afternoon， she practices kung fu.”

Kung fu grandma has passed her fathers style of Zhang Boxing down to her grandchildren， who come to her house on weekends and holidays. Upon learning the news that a primary school in a neighboring town had set up a martial art class recently， Zhang volunteered to coach the children and offered all the help she could. Feng said his mother and family want to pass down the spirit of kung fu to the younger generation， and hope it will help keep them healthy.

[Reading][Check]

1. Whats her purpose of learning kung fu according to Zhang Hexian？

A. To stop violence.

B. To protect herself and help others.

C. To remain young.

D. To practice every day and help others.

2. Which of the following words can describe Zhangs feeling about kung fu？

A. Bored. B. Enthusiastic.

C. Confused. D. Neutral.

3. What do we know about Zhang Hexian？

A. She is indifferent but kind.

B. She is negative but active.

C. She is persistent and helpful.

D. She is ambitious and easy?going.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A. Zhang believes the kung fu spirit never gets old.

B. Zhang sets up a primary school to learn kung fu.

C. Zhang wants to leave the spirit of kung fu to the young.

D. Zhang passes her fathers style of Zhang Boxing down to her grandchildren.

[Language][Study]

Difficult sentences in the text

1. A video of an elderly Chinese woman demonstrating her martial art skills at a recent local gathering has quickly become a hit on YouTube， where it was viewed over 440，000 times and given more than 4，500 likes. 一段中國老奶奶在最近一次当地的集会上展示武术技巧的视频迅速在YouTube上走红，该视频被观看超过44万次，获得4，500多个赞。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，where引导的是一个定语从句，先行词是YouTube。其中become a hit意为“成为热点;风靡一时”。

2. Kung fu grandma， Zhang Hexian， had already established a reputation by 2017， although in nearly 10 decades she has never left her hometown， the village of Zhangkeng in Ninghai County， Zhejiang Province. 尽管在近100年的时间里，张荷仙从未离开过自己的家乡——浙江省宁海县涨坑村，但截至2017年，这位功夫奶奶已经名声在外。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，although引导让步状语从句，其中主句为Kung fu grandma， Zhang Hexian， had already established a reputation by 2017，其时间状语为by +过去的时间，故用过去完成时。句中的the village of Zhangkeng in Ninghai County， Zhejiang Province是her hometown的同位语。