1 . For a teen running in his final cross-country outing before graduating from high school, his personal best wasn’t about marking the fastest time but something more________.

When he came out of the blocks that day, Brandon Schutt knew if his ________ was good enough, he still had the potential to ________ the upcoming state meet. A mile into the 3.1-mile race, though, Schutt felt bad. Instead of risking injury, he ________ to a comfortable pace.

________, Omaha Burke High School student Blake Cerveny was also running. Aiming to beat his own personal record, after a fast start, he continued to ________ himself hard. Suddenly, Cerveny’s legs cramped (抽筋) up and ________ him. But determined to finish, Cerveny rose from the track again and again. However, about 100 meters from the finish line, he lay curled (蜷缩) on the ground. His legs had simply ________.

At this time, Brandon Schutt was at his side to offer a ________. His first attempt to get Cerveny up failed, but like Cerveny, he also refused to________. With a second ________, Cerveny was on his feet. At a measured jog, with Cerveny holding Schutt for support and Schutt helping Cerveny maintain ________, the two completed the race together. Schutt even ensured the injured runner crossed the finish line first, ________ his opponent a faster time.

In today’s competitive world, it was ________ to see that for an athlete like Brandon Schutt, the ________ of true sportsmanship still had legs (会长期受到关注).

3 . Don’t Take the Fun Out of Youth Sports

When I joined a private football league a few years ago, the sport meant everything to me.

My coach said that I had lots of potential, and I became captain of my _________. That was before all the fun was taken out of _________. At first, everyone on the team got _________ playing time. Then the team moved up to the top division after winning all its games, and the _________ started. Some parents, who had paid the coach extra so their daughters could have _________ one-on-one training, got angry when she didn’t give them more playing time in our _________. The coach was _________ . The new coach, however, took all the fun out of the game: all we did during practice was _________. I always wished to God that it would rain so we would not have the _________. Of course, all teams run drills(操练); they are __________. But we ran so much that, afterwards, we had trouble __________. Younger people shouldn’t be doing exercises __________ for 18-year-olds. I was very thin __________ I started football, but as a member of this team I wouldn’t eat much, because I was afraid of being too __________ to run. I feared making mistakes, and the added pressure caused me to make more than my usual __________. Is all this pressure necessary?

I __________ up leaving the football team. Four other girls did the same, and two of them stopped playing football completely. That’s __________, because they had so much potential. They were just burned-out with all the pressure they felt from the coach or their parents. I continued playing football at school and __________ my love for it. I joined a private team coached by my school coach. When I started playing for him, he told me I needed to __________ because I looked nervous. After I __________ down, I played better. When you enjoy something, it’s a lot easier to do it well.

4 . Steven loved playing for his basketball team. Last year, they had won the state finals. This year, they were finding things much _______. There were only three _______ left in the season. Steven’s team needed to _______ them all if they were going to the state finals. Near the end of the game, they were behind by six points. Steven had also hurt his _______ when he fell on the court.

“Are you okay to _______?” asked his coach.

Steven looked at the injury on his knee.

“I’ll be _______,” he said.

Steven knew the _______ of his decision. He could risk hurting his knee even more. Or he could choose not to play. He knew that not playing might cause his team to _______. As he rested before the final quarter, he _______ to play through the pain. He ________ that he was going to win this game for the team he loved .

As the quarter began, he caught the ball after the other ________ made a mistake. He bounced (弹) the ball down the court and threw the ball into the hoop (篮球框). Steven ________ towards his coach. They were only four points behind now. Steven kept playing well during the final quarter. He ________ scored a three point shot from the center of the court. With just two minutes left on the clock, Steven’s team was only one point behind. Steven was passed the ball by his teammate. He  ignored the pain in his knee and ran forward. He ________ towards the end of the court. His feet left the ground. He sent his shot into the basket and earned his side two points. The final whistle (口哨) blew seconds after. Steven’s ________ decision had won his team the game.

5 . The competition Michael Stone, a blind man, faced today was fierce. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael faced the most_______day of his pole- vaulting(撑竿跳) career.

As long as Michael could_______he had always dreamed of flying. Michaels mother read him many stories about flying when he was_______. Her excitement and enthusiasm made Michael’s dreams full of_______and beauty.

From the age of 14, Michael_______every day with weights and running. The program was carefully_______by Michael’s father.

All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the_______for his hard work. As soon as he_______on the mat full of air，the crowd stood on their feet in surprise. Without hesitation，Michael_______began preparing for his next attempt. He seemed________of the fact that he had just surpassed (超出) his personal best by three inches and that he was one of the final two________in the pole vaulting event.

When Michael cleared the________at 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. What he needed were constant________and strong determination. As he________his turn and heard the other let out a sigh, Michael knew the other vaulter had________his final jump. He knew it was time for his________jump. He knew it was time to________when he heard the singing of some distant bird.

As he began________, something felt wonderfully different, yet________. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood________.He set a new world record National Junior Olympics record.