1 . Of all the stories of Olympic medalists, the most touching one is that of weight-lifting champion Oscar Figueroa.

During his athletic _________, the 37-year-old man had the chance to _________ in the Olympic games four different times. But he met with plenty of heartbreak and _________ before he finally succeeded.

In the 2004 Olympic games, Figueroa made his first _________. Because he wasn’t satisfied with his result, he looked _________ to competing in the Beijing 2008 Olympic games to prove himself. _________, just two weeks before the event, his hand was _________, which set him back in his weightlifting and _________ him the chance. By the London Olympic games in 2012, Figueroa took home the silver medal.

In spite of all, he’d already _________, he still aimed higher. In 2016, he headed to Rio to __________ the highest prize and he did. After his final lift, he __________ his shoes and put them on the stage, indicating that he would __________ from the Olympics. Amazingly enough, he took home the gold that year!

No matter how hard he felt, he never gave up, serving as a __________ example of hope, perseverance, and determination. Oscar Figueroa is the __________ Colombian man to have even taken home the gold in his field. He said he was __________ for the whole country in the competition in an interview.

2 . An 89-year-old man, Manfred Steiner, has reached a goal he spent 20 years working toward and nearly a lifetime thinking about: earning his Ph. D. And now he is a physicist

Steiner values this degree because it is what he always wanted and because he overcame health problems that could have affected his studies. “But I made it, and this was the most satisfactory point in my life, to finish it,” he said.

When he was young, Steiner wanted to become a physicist after reading about Albert Einstein. But his mother and uncle persuaded him that studying medicine would be a better choice. He earned his medical degree in 1955 and moved to the US soon after.

Steiner studied hematology（血液学）at Tufts University and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became a full professor and led the hematology department at Browns’ medical school from 1985 to 1994. Steiner helped establish a research program in hematology at the University of North Carolina. He directed that program until he retired from medicine in 2000.

Steiner found medical research pleasing, but it was not quite the same as his interest in physics. “It was something like a wish that was never fulfilled, that always stuck in the back of my head,” he said. At age 70, he started taking undergraduate classes.

Physics professor Brad Marston was surprised when Steiner entered his quantum mechanics class. But he became Steiner’s adviser for his dissertation（学位论文）after realizing how serious Steiner was about the subject and how hard he worked. “He has written many papers in medical science, more papers than I’ve written in physics,” Marston said. “One thing that’s really true about Manfred is that he perseveres.”

After the university published a story about Steiner on its website, people across the US contacted him to ask for advice on how to go after their dreams later in life. His advice is: Do what you love to do.

3 . Matthew Weihmuller, a blind jazz instructor, has been teaching people of different abilities in Tampa for 10 years. He has _________ performance at using his disability as a teaching tool. One of his teaching methods is to take away one of the five _________ , requiring performers to lean more heavily on others.

“Something that I do is _________ the lights. They have to listen and _________ their instrument with their fingers and hands. In this way, the students _________ the material better in the dark,” explained Weihmuller.

Being blind has never stopped Weihmuller from seeking his _________ for music. When he started playing, he _________ braille (布莱叶盲文) sheet music, and pieces would take months, even years to learn. _________, few professionals were capable of providing this music then, so he _________ to “braille” his own, all the way through college. And his __________ paid off. His not being able to see and read traditional sheets of music has allowed him to __________ his other senses, which is one of the main __________ he’s so talented at playing jazz music and the __________ that comes with it.

As an educator with blindness, Weihmuller __________ turning any disadvantage into an advantage. He hopes that he can __________ others to deal with their barriers and challenges in the same way that he has. And when they leave his classroom they’re not only better musicians but better people.

5 . Years ago, Ashley delivered a speech at her high school graduation. She had dreamed of _______ her education to become a nurse, but a health issue arose and she had to _______ her plans. Later, she recovered from the disease she had at age 18, married her sweetheart, and _______ a family.

Eleven years later, Ashley had five children and was preparing to finally return to college when her mother passed away. The _______ of the person she calls the “greatest cheerleader” in her life set her back again. Struggling with sorrow, she felt _______ and couldn’t imagine taking on more responsibilities. That’s when she _______ a Post-It note written by her 9-year-old daughter, Lorelai, which instantly changed her _______.

“Winners never quit, and quilters never win,” Lorelai wrote.

Motivated by her daughter’s _______ in her, Ashley entered Keiser University. She worked hard, and four years later, all her efforts _______ and graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

Ashley ________ her success to the support of her family, without which she could not have achieved her ________. She claimed that the only barriers we have in life are the ones we build ourselves. “There is nothing ________ a person,” she said. “Just ________ yourself with people who love you and you can do anything you want.”

That simple ________ note was all it took to light a fire in Ashley’s heart. We hope this story ________ those who need to hear it!

9 . Sirine Jahangir has been singing, writing and performing music since she was a little girl. She lost all her vision in one eye by the time she turned 5, so now the teen uses her gift “as a way to —not escape, but to help me through.” Not only did her passion get her through some difficult times, but when she was 14 it also brought her to the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage, where she impressed everyone with her performance.

Sirine has a rare condition that left her completely blind by the time she was 10 years old. While her parents and doctors have tried to find treatments for her, there isn’t much they can do. So her parents focused on helping her adjust to her new life, which was when her dad said she was first introduced to music. “I remember one day, we were driving in the car. This is about when she was getting to the stage where she couldn’t look out the window anymore to see things, and I didn’t know what to do. I just put the music on really loud. She started singing in the car, and she was so happy. And then she just found happiness every time I put it on,” her father said.

It didn’t take long for them to realize Sirine has tremendous talent. When she appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent”, she told everyone just how much her passion means to her. “I guess music is my vision,” she said. “That’s just what I live by, and music is my thing.” Then she headed over to the piano, where she played the piano and sang beautifully enough to bring the audience to tears! Unsurprisingly to everyone but Sirine, all four judges voted her into the next round of the competition!

Afterward, she said, “I can’t even say it’s a dream come true, because I didn’t even dream of it at any point... I never thought that would be realistic in my life.”

10 . Until April 2, 2011, everything in my life was perfect. I was sitting tight like every other ________ in the country to watch India ________ the world cup. But this day turned my ________ upside down.

I took the train to reach home early that day to watch the match. I caught the ________ train but got pushed out. Next moment I found myself on the track with my right leg injured and ________ badly. I did not feel pain at that moment, as I think it took time to ________ the “reality”. I was sent to hospital ________. As soon as I regained ________, my first question was whether India won. Hearing the doctor reply yes, my happiness knew no ________. But he also told me I should ________ with my leg.

I always dreamt of becoming a professional sportsman one day. But after this, I was in despair as I ________ it would never be possible with only one leg. Then, I happened to learn about the Paralympics (残奥会). My dream was ________. But it was not easy. When I went for long jump, although I was good at it, I was told I would need a blade prosthesis (义肢) which I could not ________.

I spent a year looking for ________ and approached various companies. To my luck in 2013, I got financial support from the Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre. Thereafter, I began taking my ________ in sports seriously and dreamt of representing India in Paralympics one day.