Question

A Russian girl, Maria Sharapova, reached the summit of women’s tennis when she was barely eighteen. As you read about her, see if you can draw a comparison between her and Santosh Yadav.

1. Match the following.

something disarming	quickly, almost immediately
at odds with	more calm, confident and in control than people of her age usually are
glamorous attire	in contrast to; not agreeing with
in almost no time	something that makes you feel friendly, taking away your suspiciousness
poised beyond her years	sent off
packed off	attractive and exciting clothes
launched	causing strong feelings of sadness
heart wrenching	started

2. As you read, look for the answers to these questions.

– Why was Maria sent to the United States?

– Why didn’t her mother go with her?

– What are her hobbies? What does she like?

– What motivates her to keep going?

Answer 1

1.

something disarming	something that makes you feel friendly, taking away your suspiciousness
at odds with	in contrast to; not agreeing with
glamorous attire	attractive and exciting clothes
in almost no time	quickly, almost immediately
poised beyond her years	more calm, confident and in control than people of her age usually are
packed off	sent off
launched	started
heart wrenching	causing strong feelings of sadness

2.

Maria was sent to the United States for her tennis training.

Her mother could not go with her because of visa restrictions.

Her hobbies are fashion, singing and dancing. She likes reading the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle. She has a fondness for sophisticated evening gowns, pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

Apart from money, the motivation to become number one in the world keeps her going.