Four years ago, I felt lucky after escaping one of those terrible 2-mile runs. I hated running; it was just something that   1   came easily to me. At that time, if you had told me that I would one day run a marathon, I’ d have told you honestly that I had a better   2  of winning the lottery（彩票）.
The turning   3   came when I met Mrs. Green. She was fifty years old, going through chemotherapy（化学疗法）for her cancer, and still managed to run 30 miles a week. I thought that if Mrs. Green could run 6 miles at a time, I could run at least two. In February, in cold weather, I started a 2-mile   4   around my neighborhood. Two months later, I   5   the running for the first time. I felt very tired, but I felt happy.
Over the next several years, I continued to push each run for a few   6   minutes, slowly building my endurance（耐力）. I didn’t need to  7   against other runners, for my most important competitor was myself.
After continuing to   8   myself, I knew it was time to step my training up. I   9  I would train for the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon.
The race day   10   came, and I was filled with excitement and worry. It was final time to see what I was made of. The   11   ended up surprisingly. I did   12  through the last few miles, but after my running, there was no doubt in my mind that I’d finished. As I   13   the finish line, I experienced the strongest sense of   14   and happiness I had ever had in my life. I am now a marathoner.
As John Bingham once said, “The miracle（奇迹）isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the   15  to start.”

A．never B．always C．usually D．often

A．belief B．suggestion C．chance D．hope

A．situation B．stage C．case D．point

A．race B．walk C．hike D．ride

A．closed B．changed C．finished D．considered

A．perfect B．extra C．actual D．basic

A．compete B．go C．speak D．argue

A．treat B．interest C．challenge D．enjoy

A．forced B．decided C．doubted D．seemed

A．certainly B．immediately C．frequently D．finally

A．experience B．moment C．walk D．reward

A．look B．live C．travel D．struggle

A．toured B．moved C．crossed D．stopped

A．touch B．pride C．humor D．belonging

A．courage B．ability C．choice D．thought