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.

2 . Dowell may never be able to drive a car, but she can sail a boat around the world. Dowell is blind and competes in the Regatta, a（n）___________ she has competed in since losing her ___________.

Each year, dozens of ___________ with disabilities participate in the event. The ___________ is to provide a space for them to compete. Athletes with various disabilities---___________ from those missing legs to those who are blind---are invited to show off their ___________." They have done very well." Regatta president, Judy said. "That you may not have a leg or you have a disease-driven issue doesn't ___________ that you are not a whole person inside." Dowell is ___________ sailing so much. She ___________ often lives on a sailboat with her guide dog. She says that it is always a ____________ to live on a boat and sailing has given her a new beginning. Being part of a team is huge for her.

Munden is one of Dowell's closest ____________. Because of an eye disease, Munden ____________ blind. She found sailing six years ago. It gave her a whole new world of freedom and self-confidence. Dowell and Munden have ____________ many competitions against sighted and non-sighted athletes. They find the sport of sailing to be equal for all participants. ____________ physical ability.

Sailing can be adapted ____________ competitors' physical abilities. 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（改动）on the boat to consider an athlete's ____________ needs. This is the ____________ for Sarah, who was paralyzed（截肢）from the waist down.

"I will be sitting in a scat that keeps me in the boat when sailing," Sarah said. "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 another aspect of who we are, ____________ we are sailors out on the water."

3 . I first played tennis when I was 5 years old. I went to my local community center to ______ a tennis camp there. It was so much fun because I learned about tennis and got to spend a lot of time with my friends. Learning to play tennis was a bit ______ at first and it took a lot of ______ before I was able to even hit the ball ______ . Even though I loved playing tennis at the ______ ,I decided to take a break from it to do other ______.

When I was ten years old,I ______ to start playing tennis again. This time I ______ more often. I've been playing tennis ever since. When I was 10,I took ______ to learn how to score and get the ball in the lines and I even joined an actual tennis ______.

When I was in the 6th grade, I ______ both doubles and singles in the tournaments（锦标赛). Doubles is when two people play together against two other people ______ singles is when one person plays against the other person. Playing tennis tournaments helped me become a ________ tennis player because being competitive showed how to focus. Learning how to fix my ________ has helped me with things besides just tennis such as homework and volunteer work.

I'm so ________ I tried tennis when I was five. If I hadn't,I may ________ have met all the amazing people on my team and I wouldn't have ________ all that tennis has taught me. Playing a sport has kept both my mind and body ________ and is really fun. That's why I ________ everyone to go out and do something you love;it can ________ you in the long run!