1 . 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.

2 . 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.

3 . 15 years ago, when I was playing basketball in one of Australia’s premier basketball leagues, I remember a sports psychologist we had for the season. As young professional athletes with high egos (自我价值感), the team were not quite convinced the techniques of psychology would ____   performance, especially when it didn’t involve using the physical strength and endurance needed to _____ the weeks of training and games. I, ____ , was interested.

We were trained in a visualization technique used before games. It involved moving ourselves into a meditative (冥想的) state and taking ourselves on a journey into the ____ to recreate the experience of a game, From ____ home, getting to the stadium, being in the change room, walking out onto the ____ and then finally visualizing how we would play and see ourselves ____ . The most important part of the ____ was to bring to life the vivid details of each stage, while also focusing on the ____ that came with it. We were trained to ____ fear, doubt and learned to go beyond them, so that by the time we got onto the court, we were grounded, ____ and ready to play.

What I learnt most from this technique was that winning games was important but how we ____   to play was even more vital. And ____ visualization was a powerful way to see through to the ____ , there were absolutely no ____ in the hard work of getting there.

4 . The competition Michael Stone, a blind man, faced today was fierce. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael faced the most_______day of his pole- vaulting(撑竿跳) career.

As long as Michael could_______he had always dreamed of flying. Michaels mother read him many stories about flying when he was_______. Her excitement and enthusiasm made Michael’s dreams full of_______and beauty.

From the age of 14, Michael_______every day with weights and running. The program was carefully_______by Michael’s father.

All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the_______for his hard work. As soon as he_______on the mat full of air，the crowd stood on their feet in surprise. Without hesitation，Michael_______began preparing for his next attempt. He seemed________of the fact that he had just surpassed (超出) his personal best by three inches and that he was one of the final two________in the pole vaulting event.

When Michael cleared the________at 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. What he needed were constant________and strong determination. As he________his turn and heard the other let out a sigh, Michael knew the other vaulter had________his final jump. He knew it was time for his________jump. He knew it was time to________when he heard the singing of some distant bird.

As he began________, something felt wonderfully different, yet________. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood________.He set a new world record National Junior Olympics record.

5 . Two years ago, Kiah Twisselman was working for the Kentucky Beef Council, when she reached the weight of 285 pounds. Kiah was responsible for their nutrition program, which meant _______ the health benefits of beef and it wasn’t sitting well with her. She had to stand up in front of a group registered _______, a group of influencers, and tell them about the nutritional benefits of beef, and it made her so _______.

While on a flight to a work conference, Kiah read a book by motivational speaker Rachel Hollis. “That book was kind of my _______ call to me that if you want to change your life, it is 100 percent in your _______ and nobody else’s,” said Kiah.

She started _______ Hollis on social media and decided to try her Five To Thrive plan, which _______ her to adopt five simple habits and commit to _______ them every day for 90 days.

Kiah started waking up earlier, _______, began daily journaling, drank water according to the instruction and ate healthily. In just a few months, she lost 25 pounds, which ________ her to keep going, ________ when she hit a plateau (停滞期). She set a new goal: to lose 100 pounds.

To ________ things up, Kiah started trying out harder workout videos. Unlike previously blaming herself for her failure, this time, she started from a place of ________. “When I failed, I was more willing to ________ myself and say, ‘What can I learn from this?’”

Over the next year, Kiah lost 103 pounds and the physical transformation was so ________!

6 . Gidda’s Team

The door closed behind Malik, making Mama look up from the hot meal. “Just in time for dinner. Will you _____ Gidda, please?”

Gidda was staying in Malik’s bedroom. He didn’t _____ giving up his room for his 82-year-old grandmother at first. But then she didn’t leave. Malik _____ over her suitcase on the floor. “Sorry,” Gidda said. “I’m just a nuisance(讨厌的人) here. I’m _____” Malik didn’t answer as he helped her up from her chair.

At dinner, Mama asked Malik, “How’s your _____ with the coach?”

Malik was captain of school soccer team, and he had to discuss a fundraiser with the coach. They’d have to raise hundreds of dollars to _____ their old shirts, and that seemed unlikely unless Malik came up with a(n) _____ plan.

Unwillingly, Malik said, “It’s just team stuff.” Changing the _____, Malik turned to Gidda. “Do you want to go sit outside after dinner?”

Gidda agreed. In the soft warmth of the evening, Gidda settled herself beneath the enormous fig(无花果) tree. “Feels like home,” she said. But Malik _____, “It drops figs everywhere.” Right then, a fig landed on his head. Gidda laughed, picked it up, and took a _____. “Perfect. Pick me a bunch. I’ll make fig cakes.”

The next morning, Malik found Gidda making fig cakes in the kitchen. She offered him one. Malik, hoping it wasn’t too awful, put it in his mouth. His eyes _____ as he chewed. It was delicious. He eyed the tree in the backyard. How many fig cakes could it _____?

Malik grabbed his phone and started _____ in a rush of excitement. An hour later, most of the soccer team gathered in the kitchen, and ate up fig cakes.

“Gidda’s Fabulous(极好的) Fig Cakes!” Malik said. “We’ll _____ them! Gidda said they were easy to make; she’ll _____ us how.”

At dinner that night, Gidda shared their plan with Mama, smiling _____ as she repeated the title Malik gave on her, “Team Grandmother.”

The next day, the kitchen was full of _____. Walking slowly among the excited boys, Gidda taught them to make fig cakes. Soon the fig cakes piled up.

As Malik _____, Gidda’s Fabulous Fig Cakes were a huge hit and they were quickly sold out.

When the new _____ arrived just in time for the opening game, Coach Garcia invited Gidda to watch. She arrived early, and waved at Malik. Then she turned _____ to show off her shirt. On the back were the words Team Grandmother.

7 . In the World Cup, the U. S. and England aren't traditionally rivals. But, off the field, a different type of ______ has dominated for more than a century: what to call the world's most popular sport.

To Americans, it's soccer. The most of the rest of the world (including England, the birthplace of the modern sport), it's football. But what most people don't know is that the word "soccer" is not ______ an American invention. On the contrary, it was a(n) ______ from England, and one that was commonly used there until relatively recently, when it became too much of an Americanism for British English to bear.

At least, that's the ______ made by Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sports economics at the University of Michigan. In a paper from 2014, Szymanski writes that "soccer" ______ late 19th-century England, as a way of differentiating between variants of the game which at the time did not have a commonly ______ set of rules.

In the early 1800s in England, football and rugby existed as different ______ of the same game. But in 1863, the Football Association was ______ to standardize the rules of football so that nobles boys from different schools could play against one another. In 1871, the Rugby Football Union followed suit. The two sports ______ became known as Rugby Football and Association Football.

In England, Szymanski writes, noble boys ______ the shortened terms "rugger" and "soccer" to differentiate between Rugby Football and Association Football. To support this argument, he cites a letter to The New York Times, published in 1905: "It was a ______ to Oxford and Cambridge to use 'er' at the end of many words, such as foot-er, sport-er, and as Association did not take an 'er' easily, it was, and is, sometimes spoken of as Soccer."

And the term, Szymanski says, was widely ______ in England through the first half on the twentieth century. It became even more popular after World War II - driven, he suggests, by the number of American soldiers in the country and the ______ with American culture around the world that came after the war.

But by the 1980s, Brits started to ______ the word, as soccer became a more popular sport in the United States. "The penetration of the game into American culture," Szymanski writes, "has led to backlash against the use of the word in Britain, where it was once considered a(n) ______ to the word 'football'".

8 . Cali Scores a Goal

It was the last game of the season. Cali had been playing soccer all summer. She really enjoyed __________ around with the other players in her blue uniform, chasing the black and white ball across the grassy field. As much as she tried, __________, Cali still had not scored one single goal.

“Don’t give up,” said her coach. He showed Cali and her team how to pass the ball to each other and take shots at the goal. Cali was pretty good at passing the ball, but she couldn’t kick the ball __________ the goalkeeper. She wondered if she should __________ soccer.

“Don’t give up,” said her teammates. ”You just need to keep trying and you will get __________ .” So Cali stayed on the team and did her best.

“Don’t give up,” said Aunt Lisa. But it was half-time, and Cali was feeling __________ . She was trying! Every time she got a(an) __________ to kick the ball, it would go in the __________ direction or a player from the other team would take control of it.

The break was over and the referee(裁判) blew her whistle to __________ the game again. The two __________ walked back onto the field, both __________ to win. Cali heard her aunt whisper in her ear. “Look for an opportunity to get the ball. You can do it.”

Cali took a deep breath. __________ she didn’t get one goal all summer, she knew that she had tried her best. She dreamed she’d leave her team after the game was over. Suddenly, she was woken by some __________ that was the sweet, happy jingle of the ice cream truck. It was driving right beside the soccer field, playing its music loudly to attract __________ .

The players on both teams turned to __________ at it. A few girls pointed to it and cheered. The soccer game had nearly stopped. Cali looked around and saw the soccer ball close by, __________ by the nearest player from the other team. Cali dashed over to the ball. She dribbled(带球) it between her feet, moving forward toward the net of the yellow team. By the time the other girls had __________ , Cali was positioned right in front of the net. The goalkeeper was __________ to one side, looking at the ice cream truck. She turned back __________ to guard the net as Cali kicked the ball hard.

The keeper __________ out her gloved hand. The ball touched the tips of her fingers as it swooshed past, right into the net. “Goal!”

9 . When my dad finally finished the triathlon（铁人三项）in Montauk, the crowd cheered. It showed me how his hard work paid off and it_______my curiosity. I wondered whether a small boy of my size could_______something like that. I found myself_______this out loud and my father overheard me. He_______me and said I could train with him.

Training with my dad turned out to be very______.We would get up early for a morning jog, or go for a swim in the pool after school. After a few weeks of_______, I signed up for my first triathlon. Before the competition, I nervously waited for the_______.When someone fired the gun, I was_______, swimming towards the distant buoy（浮标）that marked my turn. I_______the half-mile swim and ran towards my bike. I was dripping wet, trying to________it. Once on my bike, I experienced an excitement specific to________. I went through the transition zone（转换区）again and________my running shoes. At the start of the run part of the triathlon, my________already felt like they were made of cement（水泥）.

For me, the real competition began during the run,________now I could see each competitor as a target. No matter my________in the field, each racer was either following me or being followed. The run part of the race boiled down to________tolerance. "Shut up, legs", one of my favorite quotes, kept me from________the burning feeling. Then I crossed the finish line. I took a breath and then began a(n)________with the other finishers. The sense of accomplishment was there for all of us.

Looking back, I________the small boy on that day in Montauk who thought he couldn't________it. Now, that same boy is not only a huge fan, but also a training partner.

10 . How much do you know about athletes? Many people regard watching sports games as a form of _________. But for athletes, they are challenging the _________ of human beings and breaking boundaries. Intensive training is a task which they do every day as a matter of _________. On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister, who ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, _________ the whole world’s attention. People believed that it was _________ imagination for a person to run a mile within 4 minutes. Bannister made a（n）

_________ in what people believed was impossible. In the years since, more and more athletes have overcome the four—minute—mile _________. Today, the record—held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco since July 7, 1999—_________ at 3 minutes and 43. 13 seconds!

Records are _________ at a lower and lower rate in both running and other fields. When new records are set, they're changed by a small proportion of a（n） __________ . The decimal point（小数点）,set at one- tenth of a second for Bannister's record, now __________ one-hundredth of a second. __________, we'll have to go to a third decimal place, and then a fourth.

The closer athletes get to being __________, the harder it is to make improvements. Even though they are __________ the best performances of human beings, excellent athletes can still __________ proportions of seconds off existing records. They have a real __________ to break records. The gaps between new and old records decrease __________. Athletes are getting closer and closer to physiological __________ performances all the time. It will be tougher and tougher __________. However, excellent athletes never __________ trying.