1 . For a teen running in his final cross-country outing before graduating from high school, his personal best wasn’t about marking the fastest time but something more________.

When he came out of the blocks that day, Brandon Schutt knew if his ________ was good enough, he still had the potential to ________ the upcoming state meet. A mile into the 3.1-mile race, though, Schutt felt bad. Instead of risking injury, he ________ to a comfortable pace.

________, Omaha Burke High School student Blake Cerveny was also running. Aiming to beat his own personal record, after a fast start, he continued to ________ himself hard. Suddenly, Cerveny’s legs cramped (抽筋) up and ________ him. But determined to finish, Cerveny rose from the track again and again. However, about 100 meters from the finish line, he lay curled (蜷缩) on the ground. His legs had simply ________.

At this time, Brandon Schutt was at his side to offer a ________. His first attempt to get Cerveny up failed, but like Cerveny, he also refused to________. With a second ________, Cerveny was on his feet. At a measured jog, with Cerveny holding Schutt for support and Schutt helping Cerveny maintain ________, the two completed the race together. Schutt even ensured the injured runner crossed the finish line first, ________ his opponent a faster time.

In today’s competitive world, it was ________ to see that for an athlete like Brandon Schutt, the ________ of true sportsmanship still had legs (会长期受到关注).

3 . When I was in my college, I have a full class schedule and a part-time job. I ________ had time for exercise. On top of that, my lifestyle as a starving college student lent itself to many a fast-food run. Undoubtedly, I was ________.

After graduation, I decided to go to the ________.Together with a friend, I began to work out ________. I was very satisfied. My friend, however, became ________. One day, he suggested that we take up a sport.

Me? Sports? No way. I was not ________, and no one was going to change my mind. However, after a few weeks, I stepped onto an outdoor racquetball court (球场) unwillingly. I hit the ball, sending it flying in every direction (方向) except for the direction that I had ________.

But just as I was beginning to feel comfortable.my friend suggested we play tennis ________. Tennis? I can’t play tennis! I was ________ against his new suggestion. However, weeks later, I found myself standing on a tennis court.________.I ran after every ball that he served to me, completely ________ about ninety percent of them, and hitting the rest into the woods and the other court.

The first few months were quite ________. But one day, as the ball came flying toward me, my racket and the ball finally met in what tennis players consider as the “sweet spot”. I watched ________ as my return landed powerfully on the other side of the court, almost exactly where I had aimed. I had finally learned how to play tennis properly (正确的)!

Obviously, if I hadn’t stepped outside of my comfort zone (区域), I would have never ________how much I enjoyed tennis. I began to try new things willingly, with a sense of ________.

6 . On the night of the speech contest, I was worried about the shy girl. My heart _________ when I knew the boy on stage previous to her, _________, was fairly successful with his humor and personal style. The whole audience burst out a wave of _________ almost every 30 seconds.

My palms(手掌)began to _________. It was the first time that she had been on the stage, so I couldn’t blame her for any _________. The strong spotlight made her so insignificant that nobody _________ she had been on the stage.

But the moment that _________ me occurred. I clearly heard a   _________ voice, “Now, your   _________, please!” The whole audience fell quiet. Small and thin as the girl appeared, the   __________ look on her face instantly caught everyone’s eyes. Then her speech was on, logical and well-organized. Words of power   __________ freely out of the girl like magic. When her speech   __________ , a thunderous applause sounded from the audience. When the competition was concluding, all of us waited   __________ for the winner’s name to be called. Tears of joy __________ my vision when the host announced she won first prize. Holding the medal tightly, she gave me a brilliant smile. I __________   her into my arms, too excited to say any words.

7 . I’m not athletic. In high school, for example, I joined the soccer team for a year, ending up as a ____.

In 2020, I was in a difficult stage of life and wanted something to fight for. Therefore, though I’d never run even 5 kilometers before, I entered the lottery (抽签) to run a marathon, a ____ where only a small number of people are randomly selected. Somehow, my name was ____.

I figured the only way to finish the 42 kilometers was to start by running just one. But even one kilometer proved too hard, so I adjusted the ____. I ran several minutes at a time, and then walked to catch my ____. I repeated that for months. Besides, I read books, talked to friends and found coaches. Step by step, I became a ____.

Then the ____ day came when I showed up at the starting line with other competitors. Did I win? Certainly not! Did I run 42 kilometers, cross the finishing line joyfully and receive my medal proudly? ____!

Last year I decided to ____ my own business: a performing arts training centre for kids. I’ve always loved kids and arts, but I was ____ of business. Nevertheless, because of the marathon, I had a model for how to ____ it—step by step.

So, again: I read books, talked to friends and found ____. Through it all, I became a successful entrepreneur. I keep my Marathon medal above my desk not to____my achievements but to remind myself every big goal can always be ______ into individual steps. When you combine enough steps, you will ____ to the finishing line.

8 . While many grandmothers would be content to stay home and enjoy a relaxed retirement, Nancy is taking a vastly _______ approach to her golden years. Three days a week, she heads to the _______ where she usually warms up with a walk before turning to her favorite sport of all:_______.

You read that right. This powerhouse is 75 years old. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. There’s no _______ for Parkinson’s, and the condition generally _______over time.

Nancy wasn’t about to _______ and wait for her symptoms(症状) to increase. “My doctor said one day, ‘you’re discouraged from sitting down’,” she explained. In a(n)_______ to “move, move, move”, Nancy headed to a gym to research _______ that might help her _______ her disease. As soon as she ________ non-contact boxing, she enjoyed it very much!

Non-contact boxing means Nancy never takes hits from her opponent, so it’s a(n)________way to get exercise that stimulates her brain as well as her body. Since she started her boxing________, Nancy said her symptoms have ________, and that she feels better immediately after working out!

When she first stepped into the gym, everyone turned around to stare at her in boxing gloves. Once they got over the ________, her gym friends, who are “gentle from the heart”, became her biggest supporters.

These days, she’s a ________ customer in the gym and has no shortage of partners.

9 . Several years ago I started riding a bike. At first, I thought it was only a ______ ride. But as I built up strength, my friends encouraged me to try some longer ______ . The first one to come along was a 150-mile journey, an event held every year that raises money to fight cancer.

The ride began on a Sunday morning in the Georgia countryside, and for the ______ few hours I felt wonderful. This was just the ______ I had imagined, and my spirits were ______ . But by the end of the day, I felt tired. I was sure I’d have to ______ .

As I topped the hill, the nice sunset ______ me going for a few minutes more. Then in the distance, I ______ a rider riding very slowly. I ______ that the person looked different in some way, but I couldn’t tell why. I managed to ______ . There she was, riding slowly but steadily, with a determined smile on her face-and she had only one ______ .

My focus ______ at that moment. I’d been doubting my ______ for a whole day. But now I knew—it wasn’t the body, but the ______ that would help me reach my goal.

It rained all the second day. I never saw the one-legged biker again, but I pushed on without complaining. And at the end of the day, still feeling strong, I ______ the 150th mile.

10 . I’m a professor teaching people how to think more creatively.________, this lifetime passion was awakened by a casual contest when I was a child.

At a family picnic, children used to have the handkerchief-throwing contest, which I realize now, was not meant to show any real ________, but simply for laugh. But it stirred my love of thinking outside the________.

The host gave each child a cloth handkerchief and told us the winner would be the one who threw it the farthest. The first little throwers took ________ strength, but the cloth opened and fell to the ground. Then, one kid after another tried ________ to throw much farther. Finally, it________ me that the secret was actually to keep the cloth from ________! Suppose I hid a rock in the cloth without tying it. The rock would ________ the cloth at least farther than the others, and when they separated, people might not notice a small rock ________ in the grass. I had a good chance of ________with it, but I didn’t want to win by cheating. I had to make the handkerchief fly like a rock.

I began tying the handkerchief around itself to make it ________ . When I approached the line as the final contestant, people were already laughing. I took a long ________ , and the balled handkerchief rocketed off maybe 60 feet away. The laughing ________ suddenly. The host stared at me and then ran to check if I’d cheated the crowd. “It’s just the handkerchief,” he declared. The adults applauded and I felt ________.

This is how I learned the secret to creative thinking. I wanted to continue looking________what things seemed to be.