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 31 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. 32 she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift(移动） constantly. She often sees double and can’t 33 how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom 34__ that even though she couldn’t see 35 , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the 36 right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more 37 for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her ___38 stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest 39 is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to 40 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 41 for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fall 42 the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10---- her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be 43 differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision __44 _. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her __45 attitude.
Lola never thinks about 46 . She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her 47 is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids 48 she grows up.
Lola is 49 of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her 50 for others is “just believe yourself”.
31. A. runs B. teaches C. trains D. dances
32. A. since B. unless C. after D. though
33. A. tell B. guess C. assume D. predict
34. A. suspected B. remembered C. imagined D. noticed
35. A. deeply B. well C. ahead D. closely
36. A. task B. sport C. event D. show
37. A. boring B. enjoyable C. difficult D. unsatisfactory
38. A. talent B. quality C. nature D. condition
39. A. doubt B. advantage C. challenge D. program
40. A. examine B. express C. open D. trust
41. A. fearful B. harmful C. unfair D. inconvenient
42. A. to B. on C. off D. against
43. A. greeted B. treated C. served D. paid
44. A. pains B. stresses C. injuries D. problems
45. A. positive B. friendly C. flexible D. cautious
46. A. defending B. quitting C. winning D. bargaining
47. A. standard B. range C. view D. goal
48. A. until B. as C. when D. before
49. A. proud B. tired C. ashamed D. confident
50. A. plan B. advice C. reward D. responsibility