It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈) from a(n)_________(21) injury. I had_________(22) whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was,__________(23) for the 3,000-metre run.

“Ready… set…”. The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed________(24) me. I felt_________(25) as I fell farther and farther behind.

 “Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest________(26) I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈)）ahead of me when she  crossed the finish line.

 “Maybe I should________(27).” I thought as I moved on. _______(28), I  decided to to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran _______(29) and decided not to_______(30) in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it, ______(31) my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer--- ________(32) than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around, _________(33) the boys were preparing for theirs.  “They must be cheering for the boys.”

I was leaving________(34) several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.

 “Courage? I just __________(35) a race!” I thought.

“I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”

Suddenly I regained _________(36). I decided to ________(37) track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always__________(38) in medals and victories, but in the _________(39) we overcome. The strongest people are not always the people who win, _________(40) the people who don’t give up when they lose.

The sun was shining when I got on No. 151 bus. We passengers sat jammed in heavy clothes. No one spoke. That’s one of the 36 rules. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to 37 behind our newspapers. People who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newsprint to keep their 38.

As the bus came near the Mile, a 39 suddenly rang out, “40! This is your driver speaking.” We 41 the back of the driver’s head. “Put your papers down. All of you.” The 42 came down. “Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go 43.” 

Surprisingly we all did it. Still no one smiled. I faced an older woman, her head wrapped in a red scarf. I saw her 44 every day. Our eyes met. We waited for the next  45 from the driver. “Now repeat after me. Good morning, neighbor!”

Our voices were 46. For many of us, these were the 47 words we had spoken that day. But we said them together, like 48, to the strangers beside us. We couldn’t help 49. There was the feeling of relief(解脱) that we were not being robbed. Moreover, there was the sense of ice being 50. “Good morning, neighbor.” It was not so 51 after all. Some of us repeated it, others shook hands, and many laughed.

The bus driver said nothing more. He didn’t 52 to. Not a single newspaper went back up. I heard laughter, a warm sound I had 53 heard before in bus No. 151.

When I 54 my stop, I said goodbye to my seatmate, and then jumped off the bus. That day I was 55 off happily.

It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈) from a (n)  1___ injury. I had   2   whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was   3   for the 3,000-meter run.

“Ready…set…” The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed   4__   me. I felt   5   as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest 6_ I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈) ahead of me when she crossed the finished line. “Maybe I should   7  ,” I thought as I moved on.   8    , I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran   9   and decided not to   10   in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it,  _11__ my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer－  12   than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and   13    , the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys.”

I was leaving   14   several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.

“Courage? I just   15   a race!” I thought. “I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”

Suddenly I regained  16_ . I decided to   17_ track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always   18   in medals and victories, but in the   19   we overcome. The strongest people are not always the people who win,   20   the people who don’t give up when they lose.

1. A. slighter                     B. worse                   C. earlier                   D. heavier

2. A. expected                  B. supposed              C. imagined               D. doubted

3. A. late                          B. eager                    C. ready                    D. thirsty

5. A. ashamed                   B. astonished             C. excited                     D. frightened

6. A. cheer                       B. shout                    C. cry                          D. noise

7. A. slow down               B. drop out                C. go on                       D. speed up

8. A. Therefore                 B. Otherwise             C. Besides                    D. However

9. A. with delight              B. with fear               C. in pain                      D. in advance

10. A. play                       B. arrive                    C. race                         D. attend

11. A. even if                    B. only if                   C. unless                      D. until

12. A. weaker                   B. longer                   C. lower                       D. louder

13. A. well enough        B. sure enough          C. surprisingly enough  D. strangely enough 49. 14. A. while    B. when  C. as       D. since

15. A. finished                  B. won                     C. passed                     D. lost

16. A. cheer                     B. hope                     C. interest                     D. experience

17. A. hold on                   B. turn to                  C. begin with                D. stick with

18. A. measured                B. praised                  C. tested                       D. increased

19. A. sadness                  B. struggles               C. diseases                   D. tiredness

20. A. or                              B. nor                   C. and                          D. but