2 . She could have just quit. The race was long ________, and it was raining cats and dogs. But Bou Samnang was running for her country—Cambodia—so she kept going, racing ________ on a track. And for that, she is being regarded as a(n) ________ .

“I wanted to show people that in life, ________ we go a bit slow, we will reach our destination ________,” she said afterwards. “So we should not ________. We should try our best.”

Bou Samnang participated in the women’s 5,000-metre race on May 8 at the Southeast Asian Games, which Cambodia hosted for the first time. “I knew I was ________. The rain was so heavy,” she said. “I had the right to ________ the race, but first I have a duty to ________ Cambodia. So I did not quit.” In a video, the roar of rainfall was mixed with cheers and shouts of ________ as Bou Samnang finally neared and then crossed the finish line, almost six minutes ________ the winner. She clasped her hands to express her thanks to the ________, her face wet with tears and rain as she lifted her country’s ________. The athlete said later that she was disappointed to finish last, but also happy to hear people supporting her and surprised that the video attracted so much attention.

Bou Samnang’s ________ has won over fans around the sporting world, ________ everyone that sports are about more than winning and losing.

3 . British rower Helen Glover is preparing for her fourth Olympic Games, pushing herself to the limit. Despite enduring bloodied and blistered hands and pale skin, Glover knows that physical ________ are just one aspect of the intense training required for the Olympics.

For Glover, the real challenge ________ the day-to-day exhaustion and the constant ________ of waking up and training. With two gold medals from the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, her fourth-place finish in Tokyo was remarkable considering her ________ preparation. Just a year after giving birth to twins and four years after ________, Glover made the bold decision to ________ in the Olympics with only six months of serious training. Juggling (尽量兼顾) childcare with her ________ schedule, she managed to reach the starting line and ________ miss out on a medal.

After Tokyo, Glover initially ________ her retirement but later changed her mind and decided to compete in the coxless four (四人单桨无舵手艇) at Paris 2024. This time, her preparation is more straightforward, and her racing experience gives her an ________.

________ on her journey, Glover acknowledges that in the past, her happiness seemed dependent on results and success. However, becoming a ________ has shifted her perspective. Now, even on ________ training days, as long as her children are happy, she finds contentment.

Glover understands that her decision to continue rowing is a personal ________. Her growing success does not ________ her whole life, but she is determined to excel in the sport she loves and give her best.

5 . When handball was first introduced to Sri Lankan schools in 2010, I wanted to bring it to my school, St Anthony’s. I _________ it as a golden opportunity for our village school to _________ a place in a sports competition for the first time.

Nevertheless, it was rather a _________ with the only PE teacher incapable of teaching us and many teachers thinking _________ of it. As a deputy principal, I was _________ to start this game at any cost.

The boys were interested and immediately forty students _________ to join the team. Bob, a member of the Air Force handball team, volunteered to _________ the team in his spare time.

Although handball is an indoor game, we trained outdoors for _________ of facilities in our school. Training started early in the morning before class and continued after school _________ it was dark. The boys loved the game and were enthusiastic about training. “This handball craze will ruin your studies!” __________ some of the teachers in an attempt to discourage the game. Beyond expectation, the boys managed to balance their life with earnest ________ for a whole year.

Their perseverance, passion and hard work at last __________ on the all-island school handball tournament held in Colombo. Our boys played wildly and marvelously but was __________ defeated with the score 39-41 in the final.

However, it was a supreme honor and rare __________ in our heart. The following celebrations sent the whole school into carnival mode. A large banner was hung, firecrackers set off everywhere. For boys, they got a valuable life lesson that nothing is impossible to a __________ heart.

6 . Simply finishing a marathon is a big achievement, but one woman in Thailand didn’t just run all 26.2 miles — she also _________ a little dog, Chombueng!

Runner Klongsanun was _________ a local marathon on Jan. 20th, 2023 when around mile seven, she noticed a seemingly _________ young dog along the roadside.

While other runners reportedly passed by the dog, Klongsanun, a dog lover, decided to pick it up and finish the _________. However, she still had 19 more miles to go. For anyone running a marathon, carrying any kind of _________ for 19 miles can make a marathon even more _________ and tiring. But instead of putting the dog down or _________ it to a looker-on to hold, the _________ Klongsanun crossed the finish line with the tiny dog in her arms.

After the race, Klongsanun _________ to take the dog home. Klongsanun even went back to the area where she first __________ Chombueng to make sure there weren’t any other dogs in need of __________, but she didn’t find any other animals.

“It was __________ a challenge to run almost 20 miles carrying a dog. __________, I did it because he is pitiful,” said Klongsanun. It looks like Chombueng has found a(n) __________ family while Klongsanun has a marathon __________ she’ll never forget.

7 . As Isaac climbed up to the podium (领奖台) and had gold medals placed around his neck, his mum, Emma, and big brother, Bailey, cheered. Emma couldn’t help herself crying _________ tears. The crowd, as they so often do for Isaac, went wild.

Isaac was competing at the Dwarf (矮人) World Games in Canada. Battling and beating the best sportspeople in the worldwide dwarf community, Isaac came home with five gold _________.

In October 2007, Isaac was born. He was such a good baby. But as the months went on, he was quite floppy (松垂的) and seemed to _________ to hold his head up without help. Out of _________, his mother took him to a doctor, and after several tests, the doctor said Isaac is a dwarf and he might never walk.

_________, when Isaac was 18 months old, he learned to walk. As he got older, he _________ his mum with his natural athleticism and _________ nothing more than playing sports with Bailey and his friends.

When Isaac was five, _________ how much he loved sport, his doctor _________ the Dwarf Sports Association(DSA). It is a charity started in 1993 to provide __________ for people with restricted growth to __________ their skills across a variety of sports, and he joined in.

In 2017 he was asked to __________ Team GB at the Dwarf World Games in Canada. His __________ were earned and fought for.

“I know it won’t always be easy,” says Emma. “On a recent holiday people were staring and his little cousin__________ asked why. Isaac said, ‘They’re looking at me because I’m different.’ But he wasn’t sad, just as a matter of fact. He will have to get used to people staring, but I wish people __________ he’s no different to anyone else.”

8 . Hearing the Olympics were coming to Vancouver, I decided to go for its voluntary work. I’d forgotten what it was like to put myself out there to make friends. I was glad I didn’t have anyone I knew with me because I wouldn’t have met Callie ________. Taking the risk of sitting by her started a ________. I still keep in touch with her.

As night fell before the opening ceremonies, I was stationed outside the MMC. Accents from all over ________ my ears. The games seemed to ________ the whole world. Suddenly, I could see people running toward the harbour. I turned to Callie, “Isn’t that the way to the torch (火炬)?” We looked at each other and started to run. My heart pounded as I sprinted. The air seemed to be ________ with everyone’s excitement, like a kind of electric energy pulsing through us. I’d never felt a(n) ________ like it before. Then, fireworks ________ into the air above us. Their bright colors glittered against the dark sky. I had ________ the lighting of the torch many times on TV, but to actually see it ________ was amazing. When the last of the fireworks ________, there stood the Olympic torch unveiled (揭幕) in all its ________ with its flames licking at the night sky.

Even now, I can still remember the heat from the torch. I had been one of the ________ MMC staff to walk underneath it while it burned. A beacon (灯塔) of ________ for the future. I stood for a moment right under it, listening to the ________ voices of my new friends, and I knew I’d made one of the best ________ of my life.