Stephen Curry,     1     father is Dell Curry, a famous basketball star, spent many childhood hours     2     (play) on the muddy basketball court. He learnt to be     3     (create) and flexible as a player and     4     (develop) his own playing style and shot     5     (accurate). Although Stephen was thought to be too short, too thin and too weak to follow     6     his father’s footsteps, he carried on and would not give up because playing basketball was his dream. As a result, Stephen ended up playing basketball at Davidson College.       7     (select) for the NBA in 2009, Stephen joined the Golden State Warriors. In 2015, he won his first NBA championship and led his team to their first championship since 1975. All his     8     (achievement) were made through his self­belief, perseverance and continuous efforts.     9     we learn from him is that anything is possible if you believe in     10     (you) and work hard.

As an athlete, Mike had been practicing hard. He preferred     1     (play) basketball rather than stay indoors in his free time. His favorite player was Jordan, who was a famous champion. Mike had a strong desire     2    (play) for his team. However, he was the shortest player in the team, so he was usually on the bench, being just a replacement,     3     was really tough on him.

Once two players crashed     4     each other during a game and one of them was badly hurt. The team quickly gathered around and the doctor put on ice pack on his knee. In that case the coach had to let Mike play, so Mike rushed onto the court. All the extra hours that he’d spent practising alone     5    (pay) off. The other team just couldn’t keep up with his energy and speed and the audience couldn’t stop clapping and     6    (cheer). At last, Mike earned his place on the team!

Mike likes many kinds of sports, such as jogging, cycling and boxing. He is in good shape, for he always keeps a     7     (balance) diet. He drinks a large amount of water every day. He also     8     (offer) some tips on sports on his blog. For example, long-distance running has a lot of benefits. It can strengthen your immune system and relieve you of some ache. It also helps you see     9     you are capable of. If you are fed up with your life, do some running! You don’t need some special     10     (equip). Do some warm­up activities before running, which will prevent you from being injured. If you keep it up, you will be amazed at your strong body some day!

Once considered as one of the best and strictest referees (裁判) in the NBA, Javie is now working at a church in America.

Despite coming from a diligent family, sports were in Javie’s blood too. It was sports that really inspired him as a young boy. His father had a career as a football back referee for the football league,     1     his grandfather was an umpire (裁判员) for the baseball league.

In Javie’s     2     (young) days, a famous basketball team had picked him as a possible basketball player, but that was destroyed by an arm     3     (injure). He started as a baseball umpire and then shifted to a basketball referee,     4     (become) an NBA referee in 1986,     5     he quickly developed a bad reputation for his bad temper. In one game, Javie even drove out one of the     6     (announcer), and in another threw out a team mascot (吉祥物).

As his years in the NBA     7     (go) by, Javie developed a good reputation not only as one of     8     most feared referees but also a     9     (respect) one. In 2000, he began suffering     10     an arthritic (关节炎的) knee. So during the season, he was barely working. Surgery could only postpone the terrible situation. As a result, Javie had to change his job as a member of church staff in America.

Ever since he was a young boy growing up in Rosario, Argentina, Lionel Messi always dreamed     1     becoming a World Cup champion. Now, he has achieved this.

On Dec 18, Argentina     2    (defeat) France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This victory has helped Argentina win     3    (other) World Cup after their last win in 1986. For a long time, Messi     4    (compare) with Maradona, an Argentina soccer legend.

With excellent skills and great accomplishments, these two players are both considered the     5    (great) players in their era. Maradona succeeded in helping his team lift the trophy in the World Cup. Yet, Messi hadn’t before.

Messi has won many honors, including FIFA World Players of the Year. While he led the   Argentina team     6    (take) part in World CuIp four times before, his team’s best result was     7    (mere) runner-up in the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Many Argentine fans felt disappointed and even suspected Messi didn’t want to win     8     World Cup for his country.

But now, all rumors are cleared away. With his     9    (persevere) and skills, the 35-year-old Messi completed the sport of soccer by winning the final trophy     10     still excited him.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams are both tennis     1    (champion). Venus is now 11th while Serena has moved up to 3rd in the world. They were     2    (bear) in a poor and dangerous area     3     was full of drugs and     4    (violent). Finally in 1991, their family moved (搬家) to a     5    (safe) area and since then they have never looked back.

The sisters’ father was strict with his daughters,    6    (train) them hard to compete     7     each other. Their mother     8    (teach) them at home so that they could complete high school. Today both sisters have expressed a keen interest in working in design after their careers come to     9    end.

The sisters’ road to     10    (succeed) has been amazing. Venus has won Wimbledon and the US Open twice, while Serena has continued to improve and made fantastic progress. In 2002 and 2003, she was the women’s singles champion at Wimbledon.

On February 13, 2023, Wu Yibing made history, beating John Isner in an exciting three-set final at the Dallas Open to become the first man from China     1    (win) an ATP title.

Originally encouraged by his parents as     2     exercise to lose weight, Wu soon had his talent     3    (discover) by his provincial junior team, starting a journey     4     would change the face of men’s tennis in China. In 2017, Wu Yibing became famous after winning the US Open boys’ tournament at 18. In 2018, Wu won his first ATP Challenger title in Shanghai.    5    , injuries forced him to be away from the ATP Tour for about three years. He made his return last year and won three ATP Challenger titles before qualifying for the US Open.

“    6    (look) back, I feel like I wouldn’t have been here if not for the ups and downs over the past few years. I see all the struggles     7     an asset (资产) that helps me grow up     8    (mental) now. I’m very proud of    9    (I) and especially thanks to all the fans and my team who came here to support. I couldn’t do this without any of you guys. I need to keep going and keep my body     10    (health). I’m sure there’s more to come.” said Wu.

The Chinese women’s volleyball team stood on the top of the podium at the Rio Olympics. People could see Chinese players     1    (embrace), with tears of happiness in their eyes. They     2    (achieve) their another dream. The team     3    (hold) a very special place in the nation’s heart with several major world     4    (title). They have become heroes in people’s minds,     5     they have won honour for the Chinese people. Especially at the Rio Olympics, they painted the     6    (vivid) portrait of the team’s competitive spirit. As     7    (assign) to the “group of death”, they would face several strong opponents and needed fighting spirit and perseverance. Every single member of the team gave their all to the fight. Their perseverance paid     8     with an epic comeback against the defending champion Brazil and Serbia     9    (seize) gold in the final. The Chinese women’s volleyball team has fought their way     10     ups and downs. In this way, the team begins its journey to the next Olympics.