What a blessing to be alive in a wonderful world of unlimited possibilities．After contracting Hodgkin's disease at seven and being given six months to live, I recovered．I’m not dying of cancer．I’m 1 with it． 2 what comes my way, I don’t have to be afraid any more．
In the second year of high school, the class was scheduled to run the 3 ．Due to the swelling and 4 from surgery on my leg, for two years I hadn't worn shorts and lived in 5 ．Yet that day, I was ready－shorts, heart and mind．When the coach yelled, “Ready．Set．Go!” I ran faster than anyone else for the first 20 feet, 6 to finish first．As we came around the first of four laps, there were students all over the 7 ．By the end of the second and third laps, many of the students had already 8 and were on the ground breathing deeply．By the time I hit the fourth lap, I was 9 ．Then it hit me．I realized nobody had given up． 10 , everyone had already finished．I cried．12 minutes, 42 seconds after starting, I 11 the finish line．I fell to the ground, 12 ．
Suddenly my coach ran up to me and 13 , yelling, “You did it, Manuel．You finished, son．”He looked me 14 in the eyes, waving a piece of paper in his hand．It was my 15 for the day, which I had forgotten．He read it aloud to everyone．It simply said, “I, Manuel Diotte, will finish the mile run tomorrow, whatever 16 come．No 17 or frustration will stop me． 18 capable of finishing, and with God as strength, I'll finish．”My heart 19 and tears went away．It was then 20 I realized winning is not always finishing first．Sometimes winning is just finishing．
Perhaps some people in the world ever write to Big Ben．They even 1 birthday presents．In fact, Big Ben is not a 2 ．It's a clock!
Big Ben is the great clock 3 up in a tower of the Parliament(议会)building．This is the building in London 4 laws are made．The people of London like to see Big Ben's four friendly faces．They like to hear the chimes(钟声) 5 15 minutes．They like to hear the bell 6 the hours．Bong! Bong! Bong!
Big Ben's story started in 1834．In that year the old Parliament building burned 7 ．Its clock tower crashed to the ground．There 8 to be a new building and a new clock．
Plans were made．They 9 it “King of Clocks, the biggest and best in the world”．So the clock had to be big．And it had to 10 very good time．
In two years the big clock was made．Five more years went by 11 the clock tower was finished．Then the four 12 for the chimes(击钟装置)were brought into the tower．And at last the giant hour bell was put in 13 ．It 14 out for the first time on July 11,1859．
This great bell had to have a name．A meeting of Parliament was called to pick 15 ．“This clock is the King of Clocks,” one man said．“Let's call the bell Queen of Bells．”
“Then why not Victoria?” said 16 ．The talk about names went 1 ．Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak．He was a big man that others liked．By this time they were all 18 ．Someone shouted, “Why not call it Big Ben and be done 19 it?
Everybody laughed, and the meeting 20 ．But from then on, Big Ben was not just the bell but the whole clock．
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