1 . Exercise and I have never had a good relationship because of my fear of sports.   From a young age, my dad __________ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, __________.

When I entered University of Regina, my dad __________ telling me “You have to find a way to stay __________ ”or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I __________ to give swimming a shot, but I __________ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was __________ to convince myself that “Yeah, that’s OK. ”

The spring semester came.   A friend of mine __________ me one day asking if I wanted to go to Zumba with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically exercise dancing to Latin and pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be __________ .

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my __________ of tea. The instructor would always say: “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my __________ about sports. I didn’t have to be __________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to __________ the music and move. Zumba did __________ me from the Freshman 15, but it also did so much more. It let me make __________ with my unpleasant past with physical fitness, and enjoy staying healthy.

2 . For me, becoming an Olympian was not developing a gift of natural athletic ability, but an act of will.

In the summer of 1979, I started _______ for the Olympic trials(选拔赛) to be held the next year.I felt happy as I made progress towards my big _______. But then in November, an _______ situation appeared. I injured my back and couldn’t move. I had to leave the _______. Everyone felt _______ for me. Everyone but me.

I never believed this would _______me. However, my _______ was slow. With only a few months remaining, I knew I would never make it _______ I did something. So, I started training in the only way I could in my mind.

I bought films of the world­record holders in pentathlon (五项全能运动).Sitting in a chair, I _______ them over and over.I lay on the bed and imagined the experience of ________ at the trials. Some people thought I was crazy, but I wasn’t ready to ________ yet. I trained as hard as I could without moving a muscle (肌肉). I ________ this practice with all my heart.

By the time the trials actually began, I had been ________ enough to compete. ________,as I walked across the field, I heard a voice on the loudspeaker announcing my name.I could hardly hold back my ________ as the announcer said, “Second place,1980 Olympic Pentathlon: Marilyn King.”

3 . Several years ago, when I was in New York, I decided it was time to get my middle­aged self back into shape. The _________ near my house was tiny. I was the weakest person there and I felt _________ as I did my pull­ups (引体向上). However, nobody really seemed to _________ me.

One day, I was on my favorite machine, one assisted pull­up machine that nobody else had ever needed to _________. I had just _________ a set when a huge guy walked up to me and asked, “Why are you always doing assisted pull­ups?” I looked at him, embarrassed, searching for a(n) _________. “Because I can’t do real ones,” I finally _________.

“Yes, you can. You are strong,” he smiled. “Get over here, and I’ll _________ you.”

We walked over to the “real” pull­up bar, and he _________ how to do it. He watched me carefully. Then he told me to come back the next day and try a real one. So I did. “__________ practicing,” he told me. “By the end of the month, you’ll be __________ to knock out four or five.”

After that day, I started to love going there. I was still the weakest one there. But I could do pull­ups: first two, then nine. When I stopped __________ looking foolish, I started asking others questions.

There were __________ everywhere in that gym, as long as I was willing to ask for __________. By the time I left New York, I could complete ten pull­ups and I had been certified as a personal __________, so I could teach other women what I’d learned in that gym.

4 . The day that I will always remember is when I ran my first 10 miles. While putting my toe on the starting ________, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. However, I would ________ my heart, because in running, when you run out of your _____, you just run with your heart.

That day the ________ was cool and fresh, and my courage had set in. The race was about to start. Bang! The ________ of the starting gun ran into the air. I took off running, ________ like the wind. I knew it would be a really great challenge for me. In the first four miles, I felt like a cheetah   (猎豹). I felt ________ and forceful in my pace.

Then came the fifth mile. My legs _______ like jelly (果冻), and I could feel fire burning in my lungs. “Keep going!” the thought ran through my head. Now was the time I had to run with my _____. I had to win although I didn’t know whether I would ________ it. My body really wanted to give up, but my heart told me not to. I think it’s the ________ thing about running. The real run starts when you want to ________.

I saw the finishing line and I felt like an Olympic ________ who was about to win the race. I had ________ been happier, and felt proud too when I had my ________ put around my neck.   As the saying goes, “Running is the greatest metaphor (隐喻) for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.”

5 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a _____ sport, at times almost painful, and practices really _____ a team’s physical and mental limits. Without trust in my own ability and a strong sense of commitment, I would never have managed to continue after years of hard work as a player, and with countless _____.

In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing _____ that gave me a great sense of achievement. But in the last game of the season, I was seriously injured. I was prohibited from any physical activities for six months. After going _____ a series of physical treatments, I returned to the field as a team captain. I practiced harder than ever to make up for my _____ time.

In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the _____ of the Most Valuable Player.

_____, my skills in football do not magically extend to other sports. During the winter break, I went on a snowboarding trip and seriously injured my right shoulder. I had to have four _____. Since I could not use my right arm for two months, I had to learn how to write and eat using my left hand.

______ life must go on. I knew that my own present efforts would decide my future, so I ______ the strict training program to build up strength and improve flexibility in my ______. After an eight-month recovery, I was back to the field playing football, the sport I ______.

In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson: ______ and commitment make what seems impossible ______. This lesson from football is the one that can be applied to every part of life.

6 . I’m nine years old now, but I have been_________competitively since I was six. I love it, because it makes me feel good. I have a lot of_________and I can do it by just moving my legs.

One recent Sunday morning, my mum drove me to a 5km race in Minnesota. The starting line was _________because there was also a 10km race. That morning, I was running confidently and feeling_________. Then I came to a fork on the course. A woman who was directing us_________the route I thought I was meant to take and told me to go the other way. I was_________, but I had to follow her_________.

After a while I saw route directions for the 10km race. I was worried, thinking I was_________, but I had to keep going. My body started to get_________. I said to myself, “You’re almost there. Just keep__________.”

__________ I saw the finish line. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know I was running 10km and I __________it. I didn’t do this on purpose. It was a __________. I felt happy and proud. It was the first time that I had run such a(n) __________. It has made me want to compete in more 10km races. I hope my story can __________other people to run too.

7 . Dowell may never be able to drive a car, but she can sail a boat around the world. Dowell is blind and is one of many athletes with disabilities who compete in the C﹒Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta, a(n) _______ she has competed in since losing her _______.

Each year, dozens of sailors with disabilities participate in the event. The _______ is to provide a platform for them to train and compete at a high level. Athletes with various disabilities—_______ from those who have lost legs to those who are blind—are invited to show their _______.

Dowell is _______ sailing so much. She _______ lives on a sailboat with her guide dog. She says that it is always a _______ to live on a boat and that sailing has given her a new beginning. Being part of a team means much to her.

Munden is one of Dowell’s closest _______. Because of an eye disease, Munden went blind. Sailing gives her a whole new world of freedom and self­confidence. Dowell and Munden have ________ many competitions against sighted and non­sighted athletes. They find the sport of sailing fair to all participants ________ physical abilities.

Sailing can be adjusted ________ competitors’ physical abilities. For example, for Dowell and Munden, they compete with the assistance of a sighted guide whose only job is to ________ them if there is a barrier. For other competitors, equipment can be altered to accommodate athletes’ ________ needs.

Everyone out on the water has a different ability. It’s about ________ your abilities and not worrying about the abilities you don’t have. The disability is just an aspect of who we are, but we are sailors out on the water.

8 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.

9 . Paul and I were on our school basketball team, The Lions. We loved basketball and were both huge fans of the NBA. Paul's favourite ______ was Tyrone Bogues, a guy who played for the Charlotte Hornets.

Bogues was only 1.6 metres tall, which made him the ______ player ever in the NBA. Guess what? Paul was only 1.6 metres tall, too! Paul knew that being shorter than other players meant that he had to ______ more. During all those hours of doing jump shots on his own, he used Bogues as his ______. Paul once said, “If Bogues could make it, why not me?”

Our coach was not so ______. Paul had to try out many times just for making the ______ . He was still ______ on the bench, being just someone taking the place, and just an under dog. Everyone knew Paul had real ______, and was someone who worked really hard and had a strong desire to play for the team. However, Paul didn't get a chance.

This week, The Lions were playing our main competitors, The Bears, a team whose ______ this season had been ______ . They hadn't lost a single game. Paul didn't know he'd soon get the chance that he'd been waiting for.

Suddenly, a player and I crashed (碰撞) into each other. My knee hurt badly. The team gathered around, looking worried. The last ______ was about to begin, and my team was ______ by 10 points. I asked the coach to let Paul play.

The coach finally agreed. Paul ______ the chance and rushed onto the court. And ______, all the extra hours that he'd spent practising alone ______. The other team just couldn't keep up with his energy and speed. He made shot after shot, and the crowd couldn't stop clapping and cheering. When the game ended, our team had won by two points.