AMBITIOUS PLAYER.docVIP

AMBITIOUS PLAYER 　　Zhang Shuai fought her way into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on January 25， becoming the third Chinese to do so following heavyweights Li Na and Zheng Jie. Although she lost to Britains Johanna Konta two days later， her performance in Melbourne made history. 　　Before this years Australian Open， Zhang ranked 133rd worldwide in singles， having lost all 14 of her previous first-round matches in Grand Slam events. She had even thought of quitting the sport， an idea that she has shrugged off. 　　Zhang， 27， hails from the northern port city of Tianjin and started playing tennis at age 6. She first came to prominence in 2009 when she became the lowest-ranked player to defeat a reigning world number one―Dinara Safina―at the China Open in Beijing. 　　 Lack of Education Hampers Poverty Reduction 　　Economic Daily January 21 　　In order to realize the goal of lifting all of its rural population out of poverty by 2020， many localities in China have stepped up poverty alleviation efforts. However， in some remote mountainous areas in west China， the low education level of the locals has seriously impeded poverty reduction. 　　Some of these people are unwilling to relocate for fear of being unable to adapt to a new living environment； some refuse to make a living through their own efforts but would rather depend on relief to sustain a low-cost and low-quality life； others would rather stick to unprofitable traditional industries. These mentalities have become obstacles for poverty relief. 　　Moreover， its hard for rural people with little education to master new skills. Currently， many places are modernizing agricultural production. In the past， farmers without much education can rely on past experience to tend to the farms. However， modern agriculture requires farmers to grasp a number of technologies. Without education， this wont be accomplished. Furthermore， an inability to use the Internet will hinder farmers from selling agricultural products o