赤胆忠诚，胜战尖刀

李全忠

刘近是忠于职守的中国人民解放军中的一员，也是“最美新时代革命军人”的代表之一。

1A ground forces unit of the People's Liberation Army in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region introduced a star to the media. The interview room in a military camp was crowded with reporters， all eager to interview Major Liu Jin， a 36⁃year⁃old battalion （营） commander and model soldier. Liu's wife and mother⁃in⁃law also attended the interview， with reporters peppering the excited family with questions that they were eager to answer. The atmosphere became so noisy that Liu was later asked to go to a separate room to continue the interview.

2During his 18 years of service， Liu has won many awards during drills and many medals from military competitions. A skilled member of the special forces， he is also a role model in the military. “We have to train harder in military exercises and drills so that one day， if we have to go to war， we will be better and stronger than our enemy，” he said. “Therefore， I always want to challenge myself， both in military practice and in my life.”

3With his achievements continuing to gain recognition in the military， he has been invited to take part in more competitions. Liu has been selected to represent the Chinese army in various international military competitions and has earned many medals for the country.

4“In 2012， I was in a military competition held in Pakistan， and one of the events was called ‘survival in the wild’. Before the start， the examiner asked everybody how we were going to survive if there was no food. I immediately grabbed a handful of grass and ate it in front of him，” Liu said. “He was surprised， but I knew that actions always speak louder than words.”

5“As a Chinese saying goes， one's loyalty to the country and filial piety （孝道） cannot exist at the same time. I owe my wife a lot， and I hope I can make it up to her after retirement，” he said. “But until then， I will continue to do my best in the military， and one day， if I am sent to war， I will be the bravest soldier on the battlefield.”

Reading Check

Ⅰ. Choose the best answers according to the text

Detail 1. How did Liu's wife and mother?in⁃law feel when being interviewed？

A. Careful. B. Nervous. C. Excited. D. Puzzled.

Gist 2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about？

A. Liu's military exercises. B. Liu's achievements.

C. Liu's strong will. D. Liu's life stories.

Inference 3. Why did Liu grab a handful of grass in front of the examiner according     to paragraph 4？

A. To prove his survival skills.

B. To obey the military rules.

C. To do as he was told.

D. To show his intelligence.

Inference 4. What kind of person do you think Liu Jin is exactly？

A. He is outgoing and generous.

B. He is serious and ambitious.

C. He is professional and kind.

D. He is courageous and loyal.

Ⅱ. Discussion

Do you want to be a soldier like Liu Jin？ How do you understand the saying that one's loyalty to the country and filial piety cannot exist at the same time？

Language Study

Ⅰ. Discover useful structures in the text

1. so... that... 意为“如此……以至于……”，引导结果状语从句

The atmosphere became so noisy that Liu was later asked to go to a separate room to continue the interview. 氣氛变得如此喧嚣，以至于后来刘被要求到一个单独的房间继续接受采访。

2. with+名词+分词，with的复合结构作状语

With his achievements continuing to gain recognition in the military， he has been invited to take part in more competitions. 随着他的成就在军队中不断获得认可，他被邀请参加更多的比赛。

Ⅱ. Memorize some text⁃centered chunks

be crowded with 充满;满是

role model 榜样

so that 以便

go to war 打仗

gain recognition 获得认可

take part in 参加

in the wild 在野外

a handful of 一把

make it up to 弥补

on the battlefield 在战场上