1 . 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.

5 . When I first saw the Boston Marathon in 1964, I just fell in love with it. I _______ to be part of it, but I didn’t know if I could do it.

In February, 1966, I sent my _______ to the Boston Marathon and they wrote back, saying, “Women are not physiologically (生理上) able to run a marathon. ”When I read the letter, I thought if I could prove that this was a _______ view about women, it was going to open up the discussion of what else we thought women could not do. So I took the bus to Boston and got there the day before the race.

When I got to the starting line, I knew the most important thing was that I should not be _______. To avoid being arrested or pulled off the course, I had a blue hooded (带风帽的) sweatshirt pulled up over my _______ with my hair tied back. Then, there was the bang, but I waited until about half the pack left—then I _______in.

Even though I was disguised (伪装), the other runners _______ very quickly that I was a woman. Fortunately, they were very _______ . I told them that I was _______ I would be thrown out if officials saw that I was a woman. But they said, “We won’t let that _________. It’s a free road. ”That’s when I ________ the hooded sweatshirt and everyone could see I was a woman. Then people went ________. They started shouting and clapping, “Way to go, girlie!”

Finally I ran into Boston and ________ the race in 3 hours and 21 minutes.

I went back to Boston and ran again in 1967 and 1968.1 hope to be a (n) ________ of someone who follows what they love and what they’re good at. I think everyone came to this world to ________ something.

6 . My mother turned ninety. I knew I needed to find a senior _______ center. Not for her — for me. If I were at her age, I would want to stay in shape to _______ life, getting a lot of pleasure. Yes, walking in local parks was my _______, but I wasn’t so active as before.

I called a nearby center, “Do you have aerobics (有氧运动) classes _______ for seniors?” “Sure. Come and check us out! We start at 10 am,” the receptionist (接待员) replied and _______. The next morning, I went there. One part of me was _______ that the class was too easy, not doing me any good. The other part feared it was too hard for me to _______.

When I came into the room, a woman _______ me, “Oh, you’re new. Welcome.” Then the music started. The hour-long workout woke up the muscles I didn’t often _______ in daily walks, suiting me fine. I became a member there. My classmates ranged in age from fifty to ninety. Most gave the exercises their own ____________, doing as much or little as they could. ____________ no one kept score. Soon I learned physical well-being wasn’t the only ____________ there. During breaks, people chatted happily. Whenever some people were ____________ we asked around. Were they busy? Were they in hospital? Moreover, we signed cards for those who were ill.

I ____________ to be in good shape now as I’ve hoped. Still, I’m grateful for things more valuable from the class — close friendships and new social ____________.

8 . As she waited at the edge of the ice for her music to start, Peggy took a quick look at her father standing nearby with a group of parents and teachers. He smiled at her. Then she _________ out at the audience, _________ to see her mother. These two, Albert and Doris Fleming, had driven all the way from California more than 2, 000 miles away, to see their _________ compete in this sports meet in Cleveland, Ohio.

The music _________ and Peggy moved onto the ice, letting the music _________ her along into her turns, and she began skating with much _________ in herself. The cold fear she always had in the _________ seconds before skating onto the ice was gone. She was feeling the movement of the _________ and letting it carry her. She skated _________, then did some jumps, a final turn and her performance was finished.

The crowd loved it and cheered as she __________ off the ice. “Nice job,” said one of the other __________. It was the remark that always came after a free-skating performance. But what should the __________ say? Standing beside her father, Peggy __________ for the scoring to be finished. On all sides were other young skaters, some waiting __________ alone, others with a parent. Shortly before 10 o’clock the results were announced. The new United States Women’s Figure Skating Champion was Peggy Fleming of Pasadena, __________.

9 . 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.”

10 . Yesterday, my daughter had to go to work earlier than usual. Since the gym where I work out is not far from her ________, I decided to take her to work and then go to the gym.

At quite an earlier ________, the gym was already full of men and women of all ages, working out. I ________ go to the gym at this early hour, and was________ to see so many people. It seems that many go to the gym before going to work.

I know how difficult it is for most people to start ________. Most people know it is good for their body, but they are too ________ to go to the gym, ________ in the morning. They prefer to spend an extra hour in bed before starting their_________. In the afternoon, they are too tired after work, and want to stay at home or go out to meet friends.

If you’re one of them, you need self discipline (自律) and ________ your laziness. If you ________ going to the gym and exercising, you would start to like it. This usually ________ when you see that you’re losing weight and you feel stronger.

It is the same in every other area of life, when you study a foreign language or when you make up your mind to ________ your dreams. It is ________ at first. But when you start to see ________, everything becomes easier because you have special ________.