1 . Simply finishing a marathon is a big achievement, but one woman in Thailand didn’t just run all 26.2 miles — she also _________ a little dog, Chombueng!

Runner Klongsanun was _________ a local marathon on Jan. 20th, 2023 when around mile seven, she noticed a seemingly _________ young dog along the roadside.

While other runners reportedly passed by the dog, Klongsanun, a dog lover, decided to pick it up and finish the _________. However, she still had 19 more miles to go. For anyone running a marathon, carrying any kind of _________ for 19 miles can make a marathon even more _________ and tiring. But instead of putting the dog down or _________ it to a looker-on to hold, the _________ Klongsanun crossed the finish line with the tiny dog in her arms.

After the race, Klongsanun _________ to take the dog home. Klongsanun even went back to the area where she first __________ Chombueng to make sure there weren’t any other dogs in need of __________, but she didn’t find any other animals.

“It was __________ a challenge to run almost 20 miles carrying a dog. __________, I did it because he is pitiful,” said Klongsanun. It looks like Chombueng has found a(n) __________ family while Klongsanun has a marathon __________ she’ll never forget.

2 . For the hearing-impaired swimmer Peng Huidi, participating in the Chengdu FISU World University Games, has been a life-changing experience and a ______ journey for the young student who has overcome all the difficulties to ______ her sporting dreams.

When she was 2 years old, her ______ was damaged due to a high fever. She became ______ and dared not speak to others. Hoping to ______ her out of her shell, Peng’s father took his daughter to learn swimming. It was there that Peng discovered her passion and her ______ was spotted by a coach.

“I love being in the pool. When I’m in the water, I hear no ______ . There’s just me charging forward, and me alone. The blue pool in my eyes is peaceful, and it also ______ strength,” Peng said. ______ she cannot hear the starting order during competitions, she uses a light next to the pool as her ______ to start. This means there is usually a(n) ______ of between 0. 2 and 0. 5 seconds in Peng’s dive. In order to ______ the gap, she has to train extra hard.

Years of effort finally ______ . She was invited to the swimming team for the Olympics. “The World University Games ______ me with a very rare and important chance. It has broadened my horizons and allowed me to compete on a much bigger ______ . I prepared for these games for a very long time,” Peng said excitedly.

3 . Dave Player is the founder and CEO of Team BRIT, a car racing team. He wants to_________his team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance sports car race in 2024. He explains,   “If you're an endurance racer, you'll be_________to compete in the race. Attending this famous event is the_________of every racing driver.”

If the team gains_________to the world's most demanding endurance race , they’ll_________the history books as the first all disabled team to do so. Some drivers with_________have taken part in it, but_________as wild cards. “We don't want to   _________them, ”Dave insists. “We want to compete on a_________playing field like others, as a statement that even as disabled racing drivers we__________on the world stage.”

Dave set up the charity KartForce in 2010 as a way for__________retired soldiers to use motorsport for recovery. He went on to start Team BRIT in 2015. Team member Bobby Trundle,   who has__________himself to car racing for years, says,   “Car racing has__________my life. Mentally, it's like relaxation and also I develop deep__________for the excitement. When I'm behind the wheel, my autism (自闭症) doesn't__________me. In fact, I consider it to be a super power of mine.”

4 . Johnny Agar always dreamed of competing in triathlons (铁人三项). The ordinary competition once wasn’t ________ to Johnny, who suffered from a brain disease. This disorder makes it difficult for the 28-year-old to ________. However, he and his father ________ that where there’s a will-and a lot of ________ — there’s a way!

Jeff Agar, 59, is helping Johnny experience life to the fullest by ________ every triathlon together with Johnny. “I’m not ________ of triathlons,” Jeff joked. “This probably won’t be in the top things I’d select to do... I just want to give Johnny the ________ to do it.” When Johnny swims, he pulls; when Johnny runs, he pushes.

Johnny himself never stops ________. In last year’s triathlon, Johnny got out of his wheelchair and ________ to walk the last steps towards the finish line. “You can tell a person thank you ________, but until it was turned into ________, showing gratitude over and over doesn’t mean anything,” Johnny said. “Walking in the race is my ________ of thanking Dad for his love and effort.”

Johnny and his dad now form Team Agar, using their story to ________ others. “We hope to help people put ________ behind them. Though the result is unknown, we’re sure every attempt is ________,” said Johnny. “Either you win or you learn.”

5 . Hearing the Olympics were coming to Vancouver, I decided to go for its voluntary work. I’d forgotten what it was like to put myself out there to make friends. I was glad I didn’t have anyone I knew with me because I wouldn’t have met Callie ________. Taking the risk of sitting by her started a ________. I still keep in touch with her.

As night fell before the opening ceremonies, I was stationed outside the MMC. Accents from all over ________ my ears. The games seemed to ________ the whole world. Suddenly, I could see people running toward the harbour. I turned to Callie, “Isn’t that the way to the torch (火炬)?” We looked at each other and started to run. My heart pounded as I sprinted. The air seemed to be ________ with everyone’s excitement, like a kind of electric energy pulsing through us. I’d never felt a(n) ________ like it before. Then, fireworks ________ into the air above us. Their bright colors glittered against the dark sky. I had ________ the lighting of the torch many times on TV, but to actually see it ________ was amazing. When the last of the fireworks ________, there stood the Olympic torch unveiled (揭幕) in all its ________ with its flames licking at the night sky.

Even now, I can still remember the heat from the torch. I had been one of the ________ MMC staff to walk underneath it while it burned. A beacon (灯塔) of ________ for the future. I stood for a moment right under it, listening to the ________ voices of my new friends, and I knew I’d made one of the best ________ of my life.

6 . Jacky Hunt-Broersma, a native of South Africa, set her goal in mid-January. And since then she has been running 26.2 miles every day, about the _______of a marathon. On Saturday, she completed her 104th marathon—a (an)_______she expects to be confirmed by Guinness World Records. If so, she would then_______a world record for 104 back-to-back (持续的) marathon runs, two more than her previous_______. The current world record of 101_______was set on April 10 by British runner Kate Jayden. The 35-year-old Jayden does not have a/an_______.

Hunt-Broersma _______ half of her left leg to a rare form of cancer in 2001. “The biggest _______was accepting that part of my body was gone,” she said. “Until five years ago, I was not very_______.But after looking into running, I ________ to give it a try.” The sport ended up being quite________.Currently, she keeps running on a false________made out of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber blade (刀锋) she uses, designed specifically for________, costs about $10,000.

But Hunt-Broersma says her________has been well worthwhile. “Running really________my life,” she said. “It gave me a sense of freedom. I fell in love with the process of________my body further just to see what I could do.” However, she faced both physical and mental ________ .On one recent day, Hunt-Broersma said she felt near collapse (崩溃) at 24 kilometers. In that moment, she felt like her planned goal might not________at all.

Hunt-Broersma is hoping to ________ a single thought in others——“You’re ________ than you think and you’re capable of so much more.”

7 . The judge asked me, “Are you ready?” I looked at Paisley, the Wonder Dog. My_________ was filled with butterflies but this was our moment and what we had __________for. “Ready!” I answered. So began our first obedience __________.

Though it was our first go, we were going to look like __________ . I still remembered my instructor’s words. “If you look at your dog during the exercise, it looks like you don’t_________ your puppy. Look straight ahead.” So I threw back my shoulders, __________across the grass with confidence. We’re doing it perfectly! Paisley is a show dog! In training class, I was used to hearing people’s __________. But what was that sound I heard now? A giggle?

I followed the judge’s ________ . I didn’t look at Paisley, showing that I trusted her. Soft laughter spread through the crowd. What in the world? At fifteen, I was the youngest at the trial. We were an unbeatable team, and I had no time for __________ people.

The judge called a few more moves and said. “Exercise _________ .”

I reached down to give Paisley a well-deserved pat. She wasn’t there.

“Would you like to get your dog?” with a poker face, the judge asked, . ________laughter. I turned to look at her, and there was Paisley, sitting on the judge’s shoes. She watched me do the whole exercise ______ by myself.

My face burned with __________ .“Come here,” I told Paisley. But her whole body_________ uneasily. What? Suddenly, I knew what would happen, and there was nothing to stop it. Horrified gasps rose from the audience as Paisley finished her bowel (肠) business in the ring.

I never did show Paisley again, realizing something that day. Some dogs are put into our lives to give us love and companionship. Others are given to us to keep us __________ .

8 . I’ve been a professional athletic trainer for about 16 years. And I’ve worked with a range of athletes from high school students to those of the ________ level.

Recently, as I’ve been seeing the videos of Kobe’s dunking (扣篮) and people’s ________ on the remarkable legacy left behind by Kobe, I activated my Reddit account to ________ one story about him.

I was once invited to Las Vegas to help ________ Team USA for the London Olympics. This was my ________ with Kobe. At first, we had a brief conversation where he got my ________ and I told him that whenever he wanted additional drills he could call me up.

On the night before the first scrimmage (分组对抗赛). I suddenly heard my cell ring. It turned out to be Kobe. I nervously ________. He wondered if I could help him with some conditioning work. I ________ my clock — it was 4:15 am. I ________.

When I arrived at the main practice room, I saw Kobe being there alone, drenched (湿透的) in ________ as if he had just taken a swim. It wasn’t even 5 am. After one hour’s practice, we entered the weight room, where he did a series of exercises to improve his ________ for 45 minutes. After that, we ________ and he went back to the practice room to ________. I went back to the hotel; I was ________.

I was expected to be at the practice room at about 11 am. I woke up feeling ________, and hurriedly headed there. This next part is what I remembered very ________. On the right side was Kobe doing jump shots. Later, I realized Kobe didn’t even stop ________ while I was into my dreamland. It was no ________ that he had always been the most ________ athlete in the league.

Many stories about his ________ all became together and hit me like a train. Yes, Kobe Bryant may be gone, but his Mamba mentality lives on.

9 . Many quarterbacks in the playoffs (季后赛) went through lots of adversity throughout their careers. Even in tough circumstance, Joe Burrow, a talented and determined quarterback, wasn’t_______.

Burrow moved around a lot as a child because of his father’s_______. They first moved to Fargo and eventually, his father_______a job at Ohio University, which brought Joe to Ohio. While it was hard for Joe to constantly make new friends every few years, he got through it by playing_______.

Burrow dreamed from _______of playing in the NFL, but his journey wasn’t easy. Despite getting recruited for football at Ohio State University, he _______got on the field, serving only as a backup for three years. Later, he made a decision. He left Ohio and_______to Louisiana State University so he could play more football. Unfortunately, when Burrow was only in his first season of playing in the NFL, he suffered a serious_______ injury that almost ended his entire football_______. Joe had to sit out the rest of that year and had a reconstructive________. The recovery was pretty________and it was tough for him to do anything by himself. However, Burrow just________getting it fixed and being ready for the game.

With great________, Joe Burrow went at his recovery and then broke the records and________all the major college football awards. Although facing many hard shipsand challenges, he continued to overcome every________to make NFL history.

10 . “Sorry, that’s incorrect.” Never had I thought that, with the simple word “substitute”, I would meet my Waterloo in a ______ competition. With the spotlight shining straight into my eyes, I could do nothing but walk off the stage, my mind was blank.

The spelling competition is ______ the most long-awaited event of the year for many students in our school. To have a wonderful stage debut (首次亮相), I devoted myself to learning English ______ for months. I ______ rather well in the first two rounds of the competition, making it to the final as ______ However, I found that I still had a long way to go. Therefore, I spared no effort trying to ______ as many words as possible before the big day.

Eventually, the day arrived. Seated onstage, holding my pen and paper   ______, I glanced breathlessly at the hundreds of eager-looking faces out there. With the clock ticking away, I felt my heart ______ wildly.

Watching the other contestants (选手) spelling out their words, I waited for my ______. Thankfully, my first word was an easy one. After another round of waiting, it was time for my second word. “Contestant No. 43, your word is ‘substitute’.” So ______ !

I wrote down the first four letters on my ______. “S-U-B-S-I-T-U-T-E, substitute,” I said confidently. But sadly, I didn’t realize the misspelling until the judge said, “ ______.”

Making such a ______ in the competition, I did gain a deeper understanding of the ______ : He who laughs last, laughs best. This experience has taught me that overconfidence might ______ our downfall. Only when we stay humble can we “laugh last and best”.