A Leap(跳跃)to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam(平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola 36 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive, 37 she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t _ 38 how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom 39 that even though she couldn’t see 40 , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the 41 right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more 42 for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her _ 43 stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest 44 _ is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees to beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to 45_ your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go.” says Lola.
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most 46 for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fall 47 the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10—her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be 48 differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision _ 49 _. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her _ 50 attitude.
Lola never thinks about 51__. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her
52 is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to
other kids 53 she grew up.
Lola is 54 of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life
outside gymnastics, too. Her 55 for others is “just believe yourself”.
36. A. runs B. teaches C. trains D. dances
37. A. since B. unless C. after D. though
38. A. tell B. guess C. assume D. predict
39. A. suspected B remembered C. imagined D. noticed
40. A. deeply B. well C. ahead D. closely
41. A. task B. sport C. event D. show
42. A. boring B. enjoyable C. different D. unsatisfactory
43. A. talent B. quality C. nature D. condition
44. A. doubt B. advantage C. challenge D. program
45. A. examine B. express C. open D. trust
46. A. fearful B. harmful C. unfair D. inconvenient
47. A. to B. on C. off D. against
48. A. greeted B. treated C. served D. paid
49. A. pains B. stresses C. injuries D. problems
50. A. positive B. friendly C. flexible D. caution
51. A. defending B. quitting C. winning D. bargaining
52. A. standard B. range C. view D. goal
53. A. until B. as C. when D. before
54. A. proud B. tired C. ashamed D. confident
55. A. plan B. advice C. reward D. responsibility