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Dolan began swimming at the age of 5,because his elder sister Kathleen was a swimmer." Whatever she
did, I wanted to beat her," he says. While he says he was a" pool rat" as a child, he didn't aggressively pursue
swimming until his freshman year in high school. Golf was his favourite sport then-he played for his high
school team until his junior year.
Dolan grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and his early development as a swimmer was under the guidance of
Rick Curl. At the University of Michigan, he trained under head coach Jon Urabancheck, who helped mold
Dolan into an Olympic champion. During breaks from school, Dolan would reunite with Curl, and in the
lead-up to Sydney, he returned home full time. In April 2000, Dolan told the Detroit Free Press," My whole
career I had gone back and forth, but now I'm spending the whole year with Rick. But where I go and swim,
I'll always be linked to Michigan and to Jon, just as I will to Rick."
Dolan was 18 when he entered the 1994 World Championships. He remembers being near all the big stars
and noticing they were staring at him. He won the 400 IM title in world record time. He successfully defended
his world title four years later in Perth, Australia. Dealing with asthma (哮喘) and poor air quality, Tom Dolan
could hardly breathe at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But as the top world champion and world record holder in the
400-metre individual medley(混合泳),he was determined to win Olympic gold." My legs were burning pretty
bad, and I couldn't get any oxygen. I knew it was between me and Eric, and I just gave it everything I had
coming into the wall," says Dolan. He touched first, just ahead of fellow American Eric, who got the silver.
1. Which of the following can best describe Dolan when he was young?
A. His elder sister swam better than him.
B. Golf became his favourite sport only after he entered high school.
C. He began to be very fond of swimming when he became a new student in high school.
D. Competing with his sister in swimming made him known as a " pool rat".
2. The underlined word "mold" in the second paragraph means _____.
A. guide
B. paint
C. learn
D. tell
3. Dolan owes his success to _____.
A. Eric
B. his sister
C. Jon and Rick
D. his high school
4. It was____ that might have made Dolan win a gold medal in Atlanta.
A. being a world-record holder
B. the 400 IM title in 1994
C. help from his fellow teammate
D. his determination