ANCHORAGE, Alaska--The 2004 winner of Alaska’s famous 1,000-mile sled-dog race, the Iditarod, won again at age 53 to become the oldest champion in 2013, a year after his son became the youngest winner.
Mitch Seavey got his dogs to the finishing line first in 9 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes and 56 seconds. His son, Dallas Seavey, now 26, ended up ranking fourth, behind the older competitor, 43-year-old Aliy Zirkle, who followed four-time champion Jeff King, now 57.
Mitch Seavey, who lives in Seward, Alaska, operates a seasonal sled-dog touring business. The race was Mitch Seavey’s 20th Iditarod.
This year’s contest was marked by unusual conditions and unseasonable rain in the northern part of the trail, and conditions that Seavey said helped his team. “It seems like the tougher it is, the better we can do.”
He also thought highly of Zirkle, a New England immigrant（移民）who now lives in Two Rivers, Alaska. “She’s a great musher（赶狗拉雪橇的人）, and she’s going to win the Iditarod sometime, and probably more than once. We just had a little more energy, I think.” Zirkle, one of the most popular mushers, was greeted by shouts of “Aliy, Ally” from the fans as she drove her dog team approaching the finishing line on Nome’s Front Street. “I am pretty happy to be here,” she said. “I was going for it.”
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is one of the few major U. S. sports events in which men and women compete on an equal footing. The name “Iditarod” dates from a local Athabascan term meaning “a far, distant place”. Youthful mushers in the race may have some physical advantages--they can do some things more easily. But more importantly, winning the race needs the experience in dog race.
The year’s event started on Saturday, March 2 with a ceremonial nm in Anchorage. Of the 66 mushers who started the race, 10 had dropped out of competition as of Tuesday night. For his victory, Mitch Seavey will take home $50,400 and a new truck.
小题1:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Mitch Seavey is the oldest competitor in the sled-dog race in 2013.
B．Mitch Seavey, who operates a touring business, is a New England immigrant.
C．Mitch Seavey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2004 and 2013.
D．Mitch Seavey managed to help his son become the youngest winner in 2012.小题2:On which day did Mitch Seavey probably win the champion in the 2013 Iditarod?
A．On Saturday, March 2.
B．On Monday, March 11.
C．On Saturday, March 9.
D．On Tuesday, March 13.小题3: Who ranked the 2nd place in the 2013 Iditarod according to the passage?
A．Aliy Zirkle.
B．Dallas Seavey.
C．Mitch Seavey.
D．Jeff King.小题4: According to the passage, we can learn that ________.
A．the sled-dog race is the most important sports event in the US
B．experience also has a major influence on the result of the race besides age
C．men and women can’t compete in the sled-dog race together at the same time
D．all the athletes in the sled-dog race are limited by age to win the sled-dog race
