1 . 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.”

2 . I will never forget the day when I won the bicycle race for the third time. It was special for me because I set a new _________ . But what made it more special was that I had _______ a tough time getting ready for the _______ .

About three months before the final race something _______ happened when I fell off during practice and broke my left _______ . All I could do was _______ for the injuries to recover. The _______ was that the doctors suggested bed rest for at least two months. A close friend of mine who had just recovered from his leg injury _______   that even if I was able to stand on my feet, I wouldn’t be able to ride a _______ for a few more weeks. It was safe for me to ________ because my leg was likely to be injured again during practice or the ________ .

It was very difficult for me to just ________ like this. My father felt bad, too. He tried to keep my ________ up during my bed rest. My parents gave me nutritious (有营养的) food to keep me ________ . They showed me lots of videos of cycling events to ________ my riding skills. Thus, they were preparing me for the day when I ________ to the track. The most important thing they taught me was that while there could be a chance of   ________ the race, never giving up in such a situation was an example of good ________ .

Two months passed quickly. The doctors were ________ at my complete recovery and supported my participation. ________ , I broke the record.

3 . This is the dream of my running partner: Eduardo. He’s a marathon runner with an eye problem who needs ______ to train and to compete.

Eduardo has been running longer than me, and has more desire than any person I know. ______ , he didn’t like training for a marathon. He ran with ______ , without a clear goal, got bored with training and didn’t train with many people.

Now it has ______ — he has an 18-week training plan where he runs six days a week, and he has realized he ______ running more because he has a ______ — to make a little progress every day. He runs with me, one who loves running so much and with the training group at La Tapia de Madrid. The ______ we share for running is what ______ us.

Eduardo and I run together by a rope-I have to ______ turns, different terrain (地形) and barriers. It’s ______ , but I have never ______ this in the presence of others. The main thing we ______ is to run confidently and enjoy running as a whole.

Now, Eduardo goes running with different people, but with a fixed goal of rhythm (节奏) and ______ . He has taken five weeks of training, but he says he will keep on doing it, because he has understood ______ can be the way to improve his fitness.

Eduardo wants to run sub-3:30 in the Madrid Marathon, and he will do it. ______ , it’s not written in stone, but I’m confident that he’s going to succeed.

4 . Kyle Messier, a 31-year-old bike rider, won a 100-kilometer bike race that took place in Harrington, Quebec. While this is a(n) ________ achievement on its own, what makes Kyle extraordinary is that he had already ________ more than 650 kilometers to the race site.

His ________ from Waterloo to Harrington took him 3.5 days to complete. After his win, he ________ with some pizza, slept for a few hours in his ________, and then rode another 3.5-day back home. What becomes greater is that Kyle ________ to win the race while suffering from a toothache.

So what is the ________ behind Kyle’s success? He apparently ________ a technique known as active meditation to help him. This form of thinking can be done while ________ a physical action, which makes it perfect for cycling. When done ________, the mind will only concentrate on completing that physical action and nothing else.

Kyle has also trained himself to ________ the journey into smaller sections. He tried to ________ the positives he was looking forward to rather than the negatives. ________ the race, he just thought about the pizza he was getting at the finish line. Despite his great achievement, Kyle remains ________. He claims not to know how long the course ________ him to complete, as he didn’t even bother checking his finish time. ________, he simply stayed at the finish line to cheer on other riders.

Kyle’s incredible victory shows the ________ of having the right mind. The next time you face a seemingly impossible ________, try breaking it up into smaller sections, only focusing on the ________ things you have to look forward to. You may not get results that are quite as outstanding as Kyle’s, but it will certainly ________ you!

5 . At 21, Chris Nikic became the first-ever person with Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) to complete the Ironman triathlon (铁人三项 ). The very thought would be enough to_________ people in good physical condition. But by finishing it, Nikic set a Guinness World Record.

This remarkable achievement was made possible_________the loving guidance of Nikic’s dad, Nik. Nik was_________about his son’s sedentary (久坐不动的) lifestyle, so he gave him the_________of becoming 1% fitter every day. And the first step was_________with a single push-up. Now, three years later, Nikic has_________up the strength to really push his body to the_________. Considering those with Down syndrome already have to_________with varying physical and learning disabilities, Nikic’s achievement is a typical_________of how people with this condition continue to cross barriers.

In fact, during the competition Nikic had a slight_________. While it resulted in cuts on his legs, this didn’t_________Nikic from continuing the race. As Nik_________, the achievement symbolized something more_________than an impressive medal. “The triathlon has served as a _________for Nikic to become one step closer to his_________of living a normal life. It’s also about being a role model for other kids and families that face similar barriers, _________no dream or goal is too high.”

Nikic isn’t_________there. “Goal set and achieved. Time to set a new and bigger goal for 2023!” the_________public speaker shared with his followers on social media. _________, with his family and friends, Nikic will continue to create_________.

6 . On Sunday, Tara VanDerveer, Stanford University’s coach, got her 1,203rd victory in a game against Oregon State University at Maples Pavilion. The _________ has helped her set an all-time record for most-wins in the history of college _________ — men’s or women’s. Celebrations had already _________ two days before, when the 70-year-old coach _________ the most-wins record.

Instead of _________ her own achievements, VanDerveer shifted the attention to the players and their _________.

“I just _________ how our teams battled,” VanDerveer told the Pac-12 Network. “It’s just a tribute (致敬) to the _________ basketball teams I’ve taught, the nice places I’ve worked and got so much _________.”

It’s VanDerveer’s latest milestone in a __________ career marked by success. During the 1995-96 season, she took leave from Stanford to __________ head coach of the women’s national team which she led to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta to __________ a gold medal with an undefeated record.

In a recent __________ with The New York Times, VanDerveer reflected how __________ women’s college basketball has gone. “When I __________ Stanford in 1985, we girls had to practice at 7:30 at night because the __________ went from 2 to 7. We just had hamburgers when we returned to our __________ at 9:30 or 10 o’clock at night. We had to __________ our own uniforms and shoes while the boys could get everything free from the school,” she said. “Just to see the __________ the girls get now: They can get equal support from the school. Such treatment is more than I ever could have __________.”