1 . American runner Isaiah Jewett took a deep breath. Entering the final stage of the men’s 800-meter semifinal race. Jewett _________ to finish in the top two and make it to the finals. And he was in the best possible position to achieve his aim.

“I was like ‘Okay, there’s a _________ to do this. Let’s do this,’” Jewett said.

That is when something unexpected _________. When Jewett got to the turn, Botswana runner Nijel Amos tripped (绊倒) him from behind.

“It was _________. I didn’t even believe it was me even though I was on the ground,” Jewett said. “I felt so _________.”

For Jewett though, showing good sportsmanship was more _________ than winning a medal. Growing up, he was exposed (使接触) to the world of anime (动画), which taught him valuable _________ such as never giving up and always finishing a race.

That is exactly what Jewett did with Amos.

“I just _________ that he was sad, and I shut off how I was feeling. I knew I couldn’t help him in any way but I _________ to do the best I could.” Jewett said.

After the __________, Jewett got up and helped Amos to his feet. Amos apologized for his __________, and Jewett put his arm around his competitor.

“Hey man, let’s __________ this race together; we’re not done yet,” Jewett told Amos. __________ , they crossed the finish line.

“It’s okay to compete but it’s also important to show that you’re a __________. That’s the way you show your heroism by __________ each other along the way and finishing the race together,” Jewett said.

2 . Being in the right place at the right time can mean the difference between life and death. A ____ named Zhu Keming despite the bad weather pulled six runners to ____ in a 100-kilometer cross-country race in China’s Gansu Province.

The day of the race started with mild weather. Zhu was ____ his flock (羊群) as usual. Then in the space of a few moments, everything ____. As the temperature dropped quickly and freezing rain and snow began to pound the land, Zhu took ____ in a small cave he’d been using for years to ____ emergency supplies.

It was from this point that Zhu ____ that one of the runners appeared disoriented (迷失方向的) and in pain. Zhu brought the man back to the cave to ____ him up. After lighting a fire, Zhu returned to the mountainside, ____ five additional runners to the cave. There’s little ____ that he finally saved their lives. ____ for the sudden change in the weather, most racers were wearing lightweight clothing that was no ____ for the coldness. The threat of hypothermia (体温过低) was all too real.

“I want to say how ____ I am to the man who saved me,” runner Zhang Xiaotao posted on Sina Weibo. “Without him, I would have been ____ there.” While Zhu is being praised as a hero in his homeland, the ____ shepherd doesn’t see the reason for all the fuss. He says he’s just an ordinary person who did a very ordinary thing.

3 . I once heard a story about a little boy whose father gave him a baby cow. The boy was ________ to feed and clean the cow, and then to ________ it over his head once every day. As the child grew, so did the cow who became ________ each day. By the time he was 15, the young man could ________ lift a full-grown cow.

There has been a ________ story in my own life. Ever since my son Ivan was five, he had been my only tennis ________. One day when we were playing, a local tennis coach ________ and said, “Your son really hits well.”

Though I told Ivan about the coach’s ________ for him, I had no idea what exactly the coach had ________ in Ivan’s game. Ivan had been telling me about his rapid ________ in school tennis and how he’d ________ some kid who was a country-club champion. But to tell the truth, I really hadn’t seen much ________.

Then a strange thing happened. Last week, I had a tennis game with an old friend who used to beat me but I________ easily this time. On the way home, I figured it out. It was Ivan! As his ________ had improved, so had my own, just like the boy who lifted the cow. All the time, it was Ivan who ________ me to go further.

4 . It was an overwhelming Friday afternoon. There were hundreds of students, who _________ to cheer their favorite team up.

I have always loved running, but my_________to compete for a long-distance race was terrible for me. I was_________to compete in a four-hundred-meter race, yes, it was indeed _________. When the competition finally began. I found my nervous self _________. I ran with my strength, but still did not make_________to the top three. My teammates, whom I have expected to comfort me_________to doubt my ability to compete in the next event. They never wanted me to be in the next track game. This belief motivated me to_________more.

I wanted to prove myself._________I decided to work more on my endurance(耐力)skills. As soon as I noticed my time__________were getting better. I signed up for the next track game. This time I not only __________to be one of the top three competitors, but also earned a medal for my team.

Nothing was more__________ than the medal I won at that moment. I was appreciated by the members of my team, who__________rejected my wish to compete on that game. I learned that whatever one puts their__________to do, that person will__________be the best at what he is aiming for.

5 . Kenyan runner Abel Mutai was leading the cross-country race, only a few meters from the finishing line. But he got _________ about the signs and stopped, thinking he had _________ the race. Spanish runner Ivan Fernundez was _________ behind Mutai. Realizing what was going on, he screamed at the Kenyan, “Keep running!” Not knowing Spanish, Mutai didn’t _________ him.

At this moment, Fernundez had to _________ Mutai to the finishing line. A reporter asked Fernundez why. He replied, “My _________ is that one day we can live in a community where we help each other _________ .” The reporter said, “But you let him win the medal.” Fernundez replied, “Actually, I didn’t let him win. Mutai was faster and he _________ to win. What would be the _________ of this medal if I took advantage of his mistake to win?”

What a noble __________ ! In schools, at home and in our society, we are __________ told that chances come rarely and we need to __________ them in order to stand out. We always try every possible means to __________ . How many times have we ever helped our __________ to succeed? But Ivan Fernandez showed us the real success. It is not just about strength and skill; it’s also a test of __________ .

6 . In the sport of track and field, athletes compete not only with one another but against themselves to achieve a new personal best. Aiming to ______ his own record, Cerveny pushed himself hard. However, his legs cramped(抽筋)and ______   him with only 200 meters to go. Determined to ______, Cerveny rose from the ground and continued on, only to fall again after another 50 meters.

______, his coach asked Cerveny if he wanted to stop. He didn't. With great ______ Cerveny pulled himself up and with a(n)   ______ pace, moved forward for one final push. ______, it wasn't enough. 100 meters from the finish line, his legs simply ______ .

Before his coach could ______ him, another runner- Brandon-was at his side to help. His first attempt to get Cerveny up failed, but he   ______ to quit too. With a second pull, Cerveny was ______. At a measured jog, the two completed the final 100 meters of the course, with Cerveny holding Brandon for ______ Brandon even made sure Cerveny crossed the finish line first,securing his______a faster time

In today’s ______ world in which the emphasis in athletics is so often put on breaking records, it was ______ to see that for an athlete like Brandon, the value of true sportsmanship still had legs.

7 . As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games.I____for victory as much as they did. However,a dramatic____happening after I refereed a game____my view on victories and defeats.

The game was between New Rochelle and Yonkers High. It was well played and __ contested. When there were only 30 seconds left, Yonkers was____by one point. When Yonkers ___their last shot, New Rochelle recovered the ball, and tapped (补篮) it in for what looked like___. The clock showed the game was over, but I hadn't___ the final buzzer (蜂鸣器) because of the___ noise.

Not having got help from the other official, I____the young timekeeper. He said, "Mr. Covino,the buzzer went off as the ball rolled off the rim (篮筐), before the____tap - in was made. "Coming up to New Rochelle’s coach O’Brien, he added, "I'm sorry, Dad. The time ran out before the final___."

Suddenly, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, Coach O’Brien's face ___. He said,"That's okay, Joe. You did what you had to do. I’m____of you. "

Turning to me, he said, "Mr. Covino, I want you to meet my ___, Joe. "Then they walked off together, the coach's arm around Joe's shoulder.

8 . My husband Larry and I have always had our basic values in common. However, our_________are so different; I love the arts, and he's really_________sports, especially hockey (曲棍球). There have been times I've been wanting to sell my season ticket online, but I'd_________do that. Instead, if Larry wanted to go, we_________.

When the game started, I would take out my_________. Most of the time, I'd be texting or daydreaming. Sometimes, my texting would be interrupted (打断) when the home team_________. I knew they scored because everyone jumped up and_________, even the women. I started to wonder. Why was I the only one NOT_______ myself? Would I like this sport if I gave it a_________? What if I tried to change my__________?

I decided to__________have a try—for my husband's sake, if not for my own. It took a few games, but soon I__________who our latest player was, who had been traded and from where. When the other team scored, I felt__________with the rest of my crowd. Soon I was asking questions like “What’s a hat trick?”

My husband couldn't__________it when he saw me getting involved (参与). I was surprised myself! We went to the next game and__________going often. Today, one would never guess I hadn't grown up with hockey.