Worth the pain in the end
I used to hate running. It seemed too hard and pushing outside my comfort zone was not something I was raised to do.
In fact, I wouldn’t have become a_____if it weren’t for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive runner for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he missed it.
“So start running again, why don’t you?” I was getting _____ of hearing about it.
So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join him at the track (跑道). Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us both up for a five-kilometer race. I ____about doing it. It was too soon.
But on _____ day, there I was.
The gun went ____.Thousands of runners pushed forward.
The first kilometer was ____.
“I don’t think I’m going to make it.” I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners _____ past me.
“No, you’re doing ____”, said Charles. He was trying to encourage me, to get me focused on something other than my ____.
“I can’t,” I said,_____ audibly (听得见地).
He tried a different way to _____ me. “Just make it to that house and let’s see how you feel.”
After another minute I saw the three-kilometer ____. All I could think of was that I was dying and that my husband was torturing (折磨) me.
Miserable doesn’t even begin to describe _____ I felt. And there was so much _____.
“You’ll be fine. You’ve got less than a kilometer to go.”
I rounded a corner and saw both sides of the street thick with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on. I _____ my legs to keep going.
Then I looked up and saw the clock. The seconds ticking away (一分一秒地过去) gave me an incentive (助力). I knew that if I finished this race, I would have achieved something. So, I straightened up, and kicked it.
I had my arms held higher when I passed ____the finish line. A volunteer put a _____ around my neck.
“You did great! I’m so _____ of you!” Charles was thrilled that I’d _____ it.
“That was AMAZING! I want to do another race. This running stuff is amazing!” I proudly hugged my medal as we started to walk to the post-race festivities.
My lungs and my comfort zone both ____.
1. A.runner | B.traveler | C.racer | D.cheerleader |
2. A.afraid | B.tired | C.aware | D.confident |
3. A.thought | B.dreamed | C.hesitated | D.cared |
4. A.race | B.sport | C.show | D.task |
5. 6. A.long | B.short | C.easy | D.tough |
7. A.brushing | B.walking | C.pounding | D.sliding |
8. A.wrong | B.right | C.great | D.bad |
9. A.disability | B.dishonor | C.disgrace | D.discomfort |
10. A.barely | B.nearly | C.merely | D.roughly |
11. A.advise | B.persuade | C.order | D.force |
12. A.signal | B.symbol | C.point | D.mark |
13. 14. A.sweat | B.anger | C.pain | D.pleasure |
15. A.willed | B.dragged | C.pulled | D.supported |
16. 17. A.ring | B.necklace | C.medal | D.scarf |
18. A.ashamed | B.guilty | C.sure | D.proud |
19. A.done | B.made | C.taken | D.caught |
20. A.developed | B.expanded | C.changed | D.progressed |