Gathering all my strength, I jumped up high in the air and landed in the sandpit(沙坑). “3.55 metres!”, the referee (裁判) _____. The result was my best by then, but I was not ____ with it.

I have been competing in the long jump since primary school, so for me, I was likely to succeed. But this time, ____ seemed far from me. After trying several times, I lost heart and wanted to give up.

As I reached the last round of the jump, my worry and self-doubt built up inside. It seemed that all my ____ had been meaningless. I stood at the starting line, my mind totally blank(空白的) and my hands _____. I heard my classmates’ cheers around me, so I started running. I tried using my arms and shoulders to run faster, _____ my body started to show signs of tiredness.

As the highlight of this term, this long-awaited sports event became my Waterloo. ____ failure was the last thing I wanted. When my best friends came to comfort me, I couldn’t even say a word. They told me I had done a good job and that they were proud of me. These words were like warm wind, _____ away the dark clouds in my heart.

Through this experience, I realize that failure is the most ____ thing in life. We meet different kinds of failures everywhere. Failure makes us better understand ourselves and our _____. And it can make us get stronger. That’s because it not only allows us to get ____ from it, but also makes us improve ourselves. What’s more, I am thankful that I have the classmates who care about me. The courage to ____ is the most important. I’ll practise more and do better next time.

As the Winter Olympic Games continue in China, here are some of the different technologies being used in Beijing.

Different kinds of robots have been used to help visitors and athletes. Some machines are being used to satisfy social distancing requirements related to COVID-19. Robots are also transporting equipment, cleaning surfaces and preparing and carrying food to limit human-to-human contact.

At the Winter Olympic Village, the athletes are sleeping on “smart beds” with sensors(传感器). The devices collect information on things like breathing and heart rates. They also have controls to allow users to choose sleeping positions, including one called “zero gravity”. That setting is supposed to reduce pressure(压力) on muscles and joints(关节) and support higher quality sleep.

These high-tech beds are very different from the lower-tech versions(版本) provided for Olympic athletes at last year’s Tokyo Games. The beds used in Japan were made of cardboard material, which received wide attention for being so unusual.

China’s digital money will be in use at the Olympics in the currency’s first main test with foreigners. Visitors can use digital yuan to pay for food, transportation and other goods and services. Users can get the currency by downloading an app, getting a digital yuan card or by exchanging foreign currency into digital form through machines in Olympic areas.

All Olympic players must use an app, called MY2022, for daily monitoring for COVID-19. The app allows users to send personal health information every day as a requirement to take part in the Games. The system is part of China’s aggressive effort to limit the spread of the virus during the Games.