ALeap（跳跃）toHonor

Leapingonanarrowbalancebeam（平衡木）isnoteasy.ButLolaWalter,a13-year-oldgymnast,isanexpertatit.

Toperfectherskills,Lola1 forfourhoursaday,fivedaysaweek.AtthestatechampionshipsinMarch,shefinishedseventhoutof16girls.

That’sespeciallyimpressive,2 sheislegallyblind,bornwitharareconditionthatcauseshereyestoshiftconstantly.Sheoftenseesdoubleandcan’t3 howfarawaythingsare.

Whenshewaslittle,hermom 4thateventhoughshecouldn’tsee5 ,shewasfearless.Sohermomsignedherupforgymnasticswhenshewasthree.Shelovedthe6 rightawayandgymnasticsbecameherfavorite.

Thoughlearninggymnasticshasbeenmore7 forherthanforsomeofhertournaments,shehasneverquit.Shedoesn’tlether8 stopherfromdoinganythingthatshewantsto.

Shelikesthedeterminationittakestodothesport.Herbiggest9isthebalancebeam.Becauseshehasdoublevision,sheoftenseestwobeams.Shemustusehersenseoftouchtohelpherduringherroutine.Sometimessheevencloseshereyes.“Youhaveto 10yourmindthatit’lltakeyouwhereyouwanttogo,”saysLola.

Tobeatop-levelgymnast,onemustbebrave.Thebeamisprobablythemost 11 foranyonebecauseit’sfourincheswide.Atthestatecompetition,Loladidn’tfall12 thebeam.Infact,shegotan8.1outof10----herhighestscoreyet.

Loladoesn’twanttobe13 differentlyfromtheothergirlsonherteam.Atthecompetitions,thejudgesdon’tknowabouthervision14.Shedoesn’ttellthem,becauseshedoesn’tthinktheyneedtoknow.Hermomisamazedbyher15 attitude.

Lolaneverthinksabout16.Sheispresentlyatlevel7whilethehighestislevel10ingymnastics.Her 17istoreachlevel9.Shesaysshewantstobeagymnasticscoachtopassdownwhatshe’slearnedtootherkids 18 shegrewup.

Lolais19ofallherhardworkandsuccess.Shesaysit’shelpedherovercomeproblemsinherlifeoutsidegymnastics,too.Her20 forothersis“justbelieveyourself”.

A.runs

B.teaches

C.trains

D.dances

A.since

B.unless

C.after

D.though

A.tell

B.guess

C.assume