1 . How Running Helped Me Turn My Life Around
I've never been an athlete. Aside from excelling at all academic disciplines at school, my main goal was to ____ PE at all costs. In my twenties, I went for an occasional yoga or Zumba class, but that was really the summary of all my athletic accomplishments.
That was until the end of 2016, when I was unexpectedly laid off. The chances of getting a new ____ soon were not in my favor and ____ thoughts of not being good enough started to kick in. I was feeling quite depressed but pushed myself to go and ____ for the TCS NYC Marathon runners as the course was going through our neighborhood.
However, while being there, I got phenomenal ____ from all the runners, smiling, applauding and high-fiving constantly. Not a runner myself, I thought maybe I could give running a ____ , just to try, to use my neglected gym membership and see where it ____ me. And so I tried. I went to my local gym the next morning and got on a treadmill (跑步机). I was out of breath by minute five, but I ____ down, walked for a bit and then restarted. I came back the next day, hoping to ____ a few minutes longer. By the end of two weeks, I could run for 30 minutes, which was a huge _____.
While I saw my body starting to look more toned, I also noticed my negative thoughts didn't occur that ____. And it sparked a thought—what if I could set a running ____ and sign up for my first- ever race? I did and races became a new hobby.
In the meantime, I was able to ____ a few freelance (自由职业的)projects. They offered me a good ____ , and, most importantly, the time to work out for the big race. Also, when I was going for interviews, I started to feel very ____ in my abilities, experience and skills.
I got my full-time job ____ at my dream company just a couple of weeks before the halfmarathon. Although I got an ____ from overtraining right before the race, I still went for it and still finished within my ____ time.
I still have a long running ____ ahead of me—I'd love to work on my speed, my technique and I dream of running a marathon outside of the US. Running gives me ____ that I can do anything I set my mind to.
1. A.attend | B.avoid | C.pursue | D.postpone |
2. A.house | B.plan | C.class | D.job |
3. A.dark | B.deep | C.critical | D.random |
4. A.call | B.look | C.cheer | D.stand |
5. A.sympathy | B.pleasure | C.luck | D.energy |
6. A.lift | B.shot | C.break | D.choice |
7. A.meets | B.leaves | C.takes | D.drops |
8. A.came | B.fell | C.went | D.slowed |
9. A.last | B.walk | C.rest | D.function |
10. A.credit | B.impact | C.success | D.opportunity |
11. A.readily | B.frequently | C.normally | D.occasionally |
12. A.goal | B.limit | C.record | D.standard |
13. A.cancel | B.secure | C.approve | D.continue |
14. A.service | B.position | C.future | D.income |
15. A.absorbed | B.interested | C.confident | D.confused |
16. A.offer | B.permit | C.schedule | D.application |
17. A.award | B.honor | C.injury | D.issue |
18. A.leisure | B.expected | C.original | D.spare |
19. A.show | B.routine | C.distance | D.journey |
20. A.faith | B.consideration | C.evidence | D.guidance |