2 . This was the big game. The boys were _________ and excited. It was a clear night, and my son, Andy’s baseball team, which had _________ all year, had shocked the better teams by making it to this championship game. The atmosphere was _________: the other team’s slugger (强击手), a big kid, was like a snake, dangerous and ready to _________.

Nervously, I looked out Andy’s way. I was _________ to see Andy looking straight up at the night sky! Obviously he wasn’t _________ on the game. I was horrified that he wouldn’t even know the ball was coming.

“Come on, Andy. _________ out there,” I said to myself.

Thank goodness, a big kid in the other team made a mistake. Andy and I had been _________ and our team still led by one run.

Andy ran up to me at the _________. I was about to ____________ him when he said loudly, “Did you see that shooting star?”

Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with ____________. I paused.

“Yes,” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”

“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his ____________.

I suddenly realized it was nice that my son would take time out to ____________ the wonder and beauty in life. You might be surprised by the beauty you can find when you least ____________ it. Andy hit a triple (三垒打) in that last inning. But I still wish I had ____________ that shooting star, too.

3 . In late 2021, I began to have a little bit of a midlife crisis. When my father was 48 years old, he had a heart attack that nearly ended his life. As I _________ my mid-forties, I knew that I needed to make a change in my life. I wanted to do something _________ to prove to myself and everyone else around me that I wasn’t going to have the same fate.

As I was trying to determine what kind of _________ that I wanted to set, I found a _________ called The Rut. The Rut is a series of races that are _________ in Big Sky, Montana every September. There’s multiple distances, but the 28 Kilometer _________ is the most popular, as well as the most _________ of the entire series. This race is regularly listed in the top ten most difficult races in the world. It involves almost 8,000 feet of elevation (海拔)_________ . This was the type of race I was _________ .

I also did a detailed training __________ . Even if I was traveling for business, I would stick to it and never __________ a workout (训练). And then came race day.

That day, Big Sky Montana, was unseasonably __________ , almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The race is going almost entirely above tree line, which means that you just are __________ to the elements (恶劣天气) nearly the entire time. Many people __________ out of the race halfway. But I finished it. When I reached the finish line, I was greeted by my wife and children, also friends that had traveled with us to Big Sky that day. This was the biggest challenge I had made for myself, but I __________ it.

4 . I was first going into this final day, the Junior Sled Dog Championship. We’d trained two years and wanted to beat Blake. I knelt down to pat Kenai and my hands ______ from nerves and excitement. Kenai tipped up his face to lick my chin. “You are ______, aren’t you?”

Just before the count down started, Blake shot me a _____ grin, hands trembling too. Then I heard, “Go!”______ I could yell   “Hike!”, Kenai leaped forward. The rest of the dogs _____ after. We started last. We flew down the long hill. Then we ______ a corner. I leaned to keep the sled steady. Kenai saw Blake’s team before I did. His tail flew up, and he ______ . Seeing his tongue still flopping forward, I let him go all out. We closed the ______. A bridge later, we inched closer. On the next hill, Kenai drew even with Blake’s sled and then we passed it.

____ our sled hit a branch. The runners caught. I lost my ______ and fell off the sled. Witnessing the sled come to a stop, I struggled through the deep snow to Kenai. I ____. His shoulder was bleeding.

“Kenai! No!” My voice came out a howl. Kenai ______ to stand. He looked at me, his blue eyes______ to keep on. He would do it, too. For one frozen moment I saw myself on the winner’s stand with the trophy (奖杯). But no. I bent and gently ______ Kenai in a blanket.

The race vet examining Kenai, I watched Blake accept the trophy. Kenai squirming in my lap, I leaned over upon him. Just at that moment, I felt a warm tongue on my wet cheek. I smiled and realized that I had the ____ that really counted.

5 . My first goal: try not to look so scared. It took quite a few tries before I could ________ from the mouth open, eyes wide ________ that being on roller skates gave me.

I took up roller skating at the end of 2021, as a way to ________ a difficult year spent in my house. In online skate class, they ________ me to wear protective equipment, to cheer and ________ when someone falls. Falling means you’re trying, and everyone ________ in skating, but having a positive ________ helps.

I learned how to move on wheels and danced alone at home, but the rink (滑冰场) was incredibly ________. Everything moves so fast, ________ in unpredictable directions. What ________ me about the rink is how people create their own sense of   ________ inside the circular movement, so that two awkward dancers might ________ past each other to avoid knocking into each other, all while on rhythm.

Now I’ve made much progress. The other day I skated past an older woman moving ________ in her knee pads (护膝). “My goal is to skate like you,” she said, almost under her breath. I tried ________ my ride. Keep at it! I yelled over my shoulder. Soon, I tripped, fell, quickly ________ myself up, and then kept at it.

7 . I was never a fan of football, or any sports for that matter. At primary school, my classmates spent lunch break ______ on the playground, while I was in the library getting pleasure from ______ . In Games lessons, to fit in, I ______ to be interested.

As I got older, I ______ trying to fake (假装) it. Instead, I showed off my dislike for football as a sign of ______ “It’s only a silly game!” I’d tell Dad, as he ______ me to watch a match.

But, sometimes I’d find myself ______ an opener like, “Cor, a terrible season we’re having, eh?”, or ______, “Who do you support?”, and feel my heart sink, knowing my reply would surely ______ .

And then I became a dad, and I didn’t want my boy Harvey to ______ this desirable social skill. So I bought him ______ to watch our local team, Boreham Wood. And, because he kept asking me what was going on, I stayed relatively ______ on the game.

Almost without noticing, my ______ of support when “The Wood” scored a goal were actually real, as were my sighs when “we” missed a penalty kick (罚球).

Harvey was ______ , and we’ve since returned to Meadow Park five times, each time feeling a ______ connection with the team’s supporter community.

8 . Greenwood has been playing ball games since five years old. She is a catcher (接球手) for UR Baseball Team, and has recently been _________ by the USA Baseball National Team Development Program.

As a college girl, her goal is to _________ to the top 20 for USA Baseball Team, which will allow her to participate in worldwide _________ like the Baseball World Cup.

Greenwood described the _________ she feels when playing baseball. For many, she may be the first _________ player they see at a high level game, so each time she _________ on the field, she admits definitely feeling high expectations, knowing that if she makes a mistake, it may influence people’s _________ on how women in baseball look like. So she _______ hard, trying to get to an advanced level.

Besides playing and training, Greenwood also travels across the country,_________ with other women in baseball, and shares her stories and experiences with them. At one of the first camps she went to, 30 girls attended, which was a ________ experience for her. Before that point, she had __________ seen girls play baseball. Now, Greenwood is __________ to see a growing number of girls __________ involved in the game and trying to walk on to the UR Baseball Team.

“It’s been cool to know that I’m having lasting __________ and greatly changing these girls’ lives for the better and showing them that they can __________ their dreams and passions.”

9 . For the hearing-impaired swimmer Peng Huidi, participating in the Chengdu FISU World University Games, has been a life-changing experience and a ______ journey for the young student who has overcome all the difficulties to ______ her sporting dreams.

When she was 2 years old, her ______ was damaged due to a high fever. She became ______ and dared not speak to others. Hoping to ______ her out of her shell, Peng’s father took his daughter to learn swimming. It was there that Peng discovered her passion and her ______ was spotted by a coach.

“I love being in the pool. When I’m in the water, I hear no ______ . There’s just me charging forward, and me alone. The blue pool in my eyes is peaceful, and it also ______ strength,” Peng said. ______ she cannot hear the starting order during competitions, she uses a light next to the pool as her ______ to start. This means there is usually a(n) ______ of between 0. 2 and 0. 5 seconds in Peng’s dive. In order to ______ the gap, she has to train extra hard.

Years of effort finally ______ . She was invited to the swimming team for the Olympics. “The World University Games ______ me with a very rare and important chance. It has broadened my horizons and allowed me to compete on a much bigger ______ . I prepared for these games for a very long time,” Peng said excitedly.

10 . The title of “Aaron’s younger brother” was earned when I had won the second place in my first tennis tournament at the age of six. Whenever I ________ onto a tennis court, it was as though a gluey name label, which had been ________ stuck onto me.

I wanted to ________ Aaron, my older brother, whose fame had reduced me to a ________ tennis player. Then came a big tennis match against Aaron. As I shook Aaron’s hand at the start of the match, I stared at him and focused on how this match was going to ________ everything.

The tennis court seemed to stretch out further than usual, but I could still ________ the confident look on Aaron’s face. He knew that my honor ________ in comparison to his. Finally, we were down to the last set, neck and neck in points. That was when the setting sun cast his figure over me, ________ me that I would always be walking in his ________ if I did not prove myself.

I prepared myself for the finishing blow, ________ of Aaron’s past matches flooding through my mind as I ________ the weakness of his smash (扣球) the ball would always fly towards the left of the court. I extended my arm to the left in anticipation of where the ball was going to land. The ball made ________ with my racket and was lobbed over Aaron’s head successfully. He could do nothing but ________ his undefeated status as champion being removed by his younger brother.

While I was still enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of ________ minutes after the match was over, a man, whom I vaguely recognized from a ________ tennis club, approached me. “What is your name, son?” he asked. A smile spread across my face.