3 . When Roosevelt was a kid, his doctors claimed that he was too weak to live a normal life like most children of his age. They strongly recommended him to avoid participation in any physical activities, fearing that it could worsen his health condition and potentially lead to his death. Their opinions implied that he would face up to a life full of all kinds of limitations. Instead of permitting their limiting beliefs about what he could do and achieve, he chose to live a meaningful life.

Despite his doctors’ strong suggestions that he remain inactive, he didn’t want to be a carefree observer of the world as it passed him by. He was determined to force himself to be active. Roosevelt had daily adventures in the woods as a boy.

He continued to play sports when he got to college. In fact, he didn’t just play, but he excelled in both boxing and rowing, both of which require astonishing levels of strength and endurance. When Roosevelt graduated from college, his doctors were still not completely sure about his health condition. They still believed that he would be putting himself in serious danger, because his heart problems had not improved. They firmly believed that it would be best to find a desk job for him after completing a college degree. Once again, Roosevelt decided to challenge himself to his physical limits by living an extremely energetic adult life. In about every field he took part, he would aim to push his physical limits. Impressively, he was excellent as an explorer, a hunter, an author, a soldier and a politician.

Eventually, Roosevelt went beyond the mistaken limitation upon him and lived an amazing life.

4 . Four years ago, Rome Leykin was on his way to work when he accidentally fell onto the tracks of Brooklyn's train as a subway was approaching. The incident resulted in the loss of both of his legs.

But surprisingly, with the loss of his legs, Leykin gained a new passion for racing. Before his accident, he wasn't really that athletic. He would just occasionally play basketball. But that all changed after he was introduced to hand cycling. “When I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, this is great. You don't even need legs to use it. This is perfect.’” he said. “So, I got on it, I rode and fell in love with it right away.”

Within a few months, he completed the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, a 40-mile ride through New York City. After that, he did his first marathon in 2021. He fished that race in 2 hours and 11 minutes, placing 12th out of 38.

“I'm going to attend this year's marathon and take on challenges. My hands are on the wheel, my eyes are focused, and I think my time is going to speak for itself.” he said. He's made a significant commitment to training. He hand cycles at least 13.1 miles a couple times a week and spends a lot of time in the gym.

And he plans to keep pursuing his athlete goals. He wants to complete the Abbott Six-the world's six largest marathons. One day, he said, he'll maybe even make the Paralympics.

For those who might be following his journey, he hopes they will take some lessons from his story. “There will be ups and downs but the trend is what's important. Focus on the good,” he said. “And also, take your big problems and split them into small solutions. And then all of a sudden, your big problems turn into many small wins.”

5 . Born in Russia and living in an orphanage (孤儿院) for the first 13 months of her life, Jessica Long had no idea what her future would hold. The little girl born with Fibular Hemimelia would not only go on to be a 13-time gold medal-winning Paralympic champion, but she would inspire others to chase their dreams.

Long was born in Russia, where she lived in an orphanage until her parents adopted her in 1993. Soon after being adopted, she had to have her legs amputated (截肢) at only a year and a half. “It gave me a lot of freedom and movement,” Long said. “But growing up was definitely really hard. From a very early age, I just decided that I was going to be unstoppable and I wasn’t going to let my legs hold me back.” From that point forward, she didn’t let anyone tell her what she was or wasn’t capable of doing. She started doing gymnastics as a kid. Then, in 2002, Long found her sport for life: swimming!

“I was the only girl with no legs on the swim team, ” she said. “There were moments I struggled, but my teammates treated me like a friend. When I look back on my life and I think about anyone on that team, no one made fun of me for having no legs and they were so kind.” Long defied (顶住) all odds and surprised everyone when she qualified at age only 12 for the Paralympics in 2004 in Athens. After four Paralympics, Long has won 13 gold, six silver, and four bronze medals. She has dozens of World Championship medals and has broken numerous world records throughout her career so far. But she didn’t concentrate on winning awards or being famous. “I really just love swimming. It’s important for any athlete to remember just why you started,” she said.

As one of the most decorated athletes in history, Long’s goal is to just keep competing as long as her body allows. “Dream big,” she said. “There are so many possibilities out there, so find your passion, be consistent and work hard. You define your own success.”

6 . A craftsman living with a disability who makes clay figurines (泥雕) has recently made netizens amazed across the country.

In 2003, Mi _________ his hands in a crash. Unwilling to _________ to fate, he gradually learned to eat and get dressed in the year that followed the unexpected _________. After seeing a craftsman making figurines on the street, Mi was attracted to the craft and without _________ decided to learn from him. “The craftsman said he, couldn’t _________ me when he saw that I had no fingers. I _________ and finally wore him down,” Mi said.

The learning process was _________. In the beginning he could only make two roses in an afternoon. And his arms were often _________ after the practice. However, because of his _________ for the craft and his eagerness to earn a living, he never thought about __________. Mi has been making these clay figurines for 15 years. It now __________, him only several minutes to make a figurine. After __________ clay into a ball with his elbows, Mi holds the ball between his arms to put it on a stick, and then adds smaller parts and __________ to the ball.

Mi is not only able to make a __________ by making clay figurines as he had hoped, but he feels __________ about what he does. He doesn’t set prices for his figurines. __________ asking people to give a certain amount of money for the products, he allows them to __________ as they like. In this way, each figurine is sold at about 20 yuan on average, which is cheaper compared to __________ products sold elsewhere.

Mi’s story tells us that we may have __________ no control over what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. If we choose the right __________, we can rise above whatever challenges we face.

7 . A mother of nine who started medical school when her youngest child was 4 years old graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).

Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. Merrill first thought about going to school part-time to get a degree, but later she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. Speaking of her successfully returning to university, Merrill thought it was credited to her family largely. “When I was accepted at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona,” said Merrill, who is moving to Indiana with her family to begin her residency (实习期) in neurosurgery. “In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.”

Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study for their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched knowing her 11-year-old daughter wants to become a surgeon and overhearing her son tell his friends his mom’s going to be a cool brain surgeon, though he doesn’t understand that really.

Merrill’s next step into a neurosurgery residency will take her into a male-dominated field where only 5% of board certified neurosurgeons are women. Dr. Michele Halyard at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine said Merrill was known as a focused student. Halyard said, “If you can deal with nine children and keep your reason, the residency should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”

Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly specialty, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”

8 . A Virginia third-grader has won two national awards for her exceptional skill in handwriting. That’s pretty remarkable on its own. But what makes the girl’s _________ extra special is that she accomplished it _________ having no hands.

On April 26, 9-year-old Anaya Ellick was named the _________ of the 2018 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. The award _________ students with special needs who develop a great skill in handwriting. All participants have a mental or physical _________.

Anaya was born without hands on either arm. _________ she was fitted with prosthetics (假肢) for a time, she decided she was better off with her _________ ones and removed them. Instead, she has learned to _________ a pencil between her arms to draw and write. Two years ago, she made _________ across the world when she was named a winner in the contest’s print category. For 2018, she __________ again for her cursive writing.

Tracy Cox, Anaya’s teacher, said Anaya is a role __________ to other students. “Anaya does not let anything stand in her __________ of reaching her goals,” said Cox. “She is determined and independent. She has the best __________ in her class. Her classmates see her doing the __________ tasks and they are often __________ that she can do just as well, sometimes even better.” Anaya’s dad Gary Ellick said Anaya had always been __________. “It was always like ‘I can do it.’ I’m proud to see that hard work does __________,” he said.

Anaya was __________ at school on Wednesday, and the school shared photos of her with her new award and examples of her writing. But another __________ doesn’t mean she’s slowing down. When asked what’s __________ on her plate, she said, “Sports.”

10 . Jen is a 39-year old community dancer with Down’s Syndrome(唐氏综合征). She is the founder of Dance Syndrome, a nonprofit organization that brings together _______ dancers and make them feel equal to everyone.

Dancing has always been in her veins. As a young girl, Jen seized every opportunity to dance with full _______ both in the morning and during her 10 minutes of _______ before bedtime. The dynamic workout would keep her _______ all day long.

Life hasn’t been straightforward for Jen. She was _______ by a number of dance clubs in primary school and encountered numerous _______ while pursuing her passion for dance. Despite these challenges, her ambition to share her love for dance and _______ disabled individuals in the art grew stronger.

After leaving school at 18, Jen spent over 10 years searching _______ for opportunities to be trained as a dance leader. Eventually, she had to give up and decided to try her own way, not knowing where it might lead!

Despite the _______, Dance Syndrome was established in 2009. Jen and her fellow disabled dance leaders took ________ of the charitable organization, working alongside non-disabled dance artists who helped them work more professionally.

Over the decade, Dance Syndrome has ________ thousands of disabled dancers, cultivating an environment where every person is recognized as equal, ________ and accepted for who they are. The year 2019 witnessed Jen ________ for the third time as a member of Shaw T rust’s Disability Power 100. She is a living proof that ________ can come from unexpected places and that disabled individuals can ________ society in extraordinary ways.