It was a need that he first _________ back in 1906 when young Dale was a junior at State Teachers College in Warrensburg. To get an education, he was _________ against many difficulties. His family was poor. His dad couldn’t afford the _________ at college, so Dale had to ride horseback 12 miles to _________ classes. Study had to be done between his farm-work routines. He stopped taking part in many school activities because he didn’t have the time or the _________. He had only one good suit. He tried for the football team, but the coach turned him down for being too _________. During this period Dale was slowly _________ an inferiority complex(自卑感), which his mother knew could _________ him from achieving his real potential. She suggested that Dale join the debating team, believing that _________ in speaking could give him the confidence and recognition that he needed.

Dale took his mother’s advice, tried desperately and after several attempts __________ made it. This proved to be a __________ point in his life. Speaking before groups did help him gain the confidence he needed. And his hard work __________. By the time Dale was a senior, he had won every top __________ in speech. Now other students were coming to him for coaching and later they, __________, were winning contests.

Out of this early struggle to overcome his feelings of inferiority, Dale came to understand that the ability to __________ an idea to an audience builds a person’s confidence. And, with it, Dale knew he could do anything he wanted to do and so could others.

I have had the privilege to meet many amazing people, people who have been my role models and my inspirations. But the greatest______was when had the chance to meet a fourteen-year-old girl named Nicole.

I had been______by the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada,an organization that tries to make the dreams of young people suffering from terminal illnesses come true. Nicole had been______with cancer for over two years, and her______to the Foundation had been a simple one:She asked if she could meet me. The foundation agreed by flying her here to Los Angeles, and______our meeting at Universal Studios.

It was______not to like Nicole from the very first moment I met her. Her outgoing personality and great______swept me up and immediately______my spirits.Her positive attitude about dealing with her disease______me. When I mentioned during our initial meeting that I was very sorry that she should have to______something so difficult, she thanked me, but replied that she did not want me to feel bad-she wasn’t looking for anyone to feel sorry for her. A(n)______I had never known before shone in her eyes.

As time went on, I realized how true it was. She didn’t want______she just wanted to hang out and do things that______do together. We ate junk food and shared funny stories. The more we laughed over______things, the more our friendship grew. I began to realize that I was just as lucky as she was to have this opportunity to have her______.I know that wherever she is,or wherever I go, she will always remain in my heart.

Many years ago, I swam the English Channel and people think I’m a superhuman and fearless. Last year I _________ for a 10 km mass-participation swimming race. I _________ last year’s results and calculated that, at my current _________, I would probably have come last. I was _________ about pulling out.

But when January came around, I decided to have another _________. For a few months, I trained hard, but I didn’t get any _________. Then on June 5, the event kicked off at 9:30. As the day wore on, I somehow didn’t mind that, _________, almost everyone was ahead. Certainly, there were a _________ of swimmers still near me, and _________ we shared the same river, we quietly occupied our own spaces. As I __________ doing my own thing, I realized I was enjoying myself.

In the end, it took me four hours and 29 minutes to complete the __________ journey. As I struggled out of water, I was greeted with __________ cheers and applause. I noticed there were many swimmers, behind me, out of a __________ of around 300 event-goers. At that moment, I was just __________, proud and happy to finish. My __________ of coming last gently died away.