奇速英语

A 17-year-old student recently amazed millions of people worldwide by ranking 12th in the preliminary round (预赛) of a global math competition. She became the first vocational (职业技术的) school student to reach the finals and the only girl among the top 30 finalists.

Jiang Ping, who is majoring in fashion design at Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Huai’an, Jiangsu province, taught herself advanced mathematics for about two years and then made it to the finals of the 2024 Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition with a high score of 93 out of 120. The Alibaba math competition, which started in 2018, is open to all math lovers regardless of age and background. Tens of thousands of people from across the globe participate in it every year. The eight-hour final round is scheduled for Saturday, and all participants will answer online. This year’s competition will select five gold medalists, 10 silver medalists, 20 bronze medalists and 50 excellent award winners.

Jiang’s keen understanding of numbers began in junior high school, when she was easily able to solve difficult math problems. Most students in China learn advanced math in college. “I lean toward subjects such as advanced math, as they spark my desire to explore,” she said. “I enjoy the step-by-step process of solving the math problems, and reaching the desired result brings me great joy.” 

The teen, who spends most of her spare time solving math problems, keeps an English dictionary handy so that language doesn’t become a barrier when she’s learning from Lawrence C. Evans’ book Partial Differential Equations. All of Jiang’s books are full of notes, as she hopes to go to college someday and further explore her interest in math.

Jiang’s story has also received widespread attention on social media. A hashtag item about her, which read “In a life not defined by others, anyone can be a dark horse”, gained more than 16 million views as of Sunday.