阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It’s well known that the China women’s volleyball team has been the 【小题1】(nation) pride since it first won the championship in 1981. Whenever they had a 【小题2】(compete), people across the country would cheer for them. But few knew how hard they worked【小题3】(make)their success look so easy.

A movie, 【小题4】hit the big screen in 2020, tells us the story behind the team. It shows several generations 【小题5】 volleyball players and their journey of becoming an international powerhouse.

What attracted people most were not only the impressive skills of 【小题6】(athlete) but also the mental strength they showed. To win matches, China’s ladies trained hard, 【小题7】(live) a dull life of never-ending practice. They even refused to quit working even after the stadium lights had gone out.

The road to the championship is not 【小题8】 smooth one. The China women’s volleyball team once fell to the ground. It is their spirits of never giving up and the strong determination that 【小题9】(lead) them to go through ups and downs in the past years. It has 【小题10】(gradual) become a legend in the hearts of Chinese people.