Four years ago, I received a call from the headmaster. He asked me to speak to the group.

After receiving the call, I was so ________ that I couldn’t sleep the whole night. Finally, I decided to give the speech. I thought that the school would never invite me to any of their programs again if I ________ this chance. The next day, I got to school. Before it was my turn, my whole body was shaking and my mouth was dry. It was on that day that I ________ my greatest weakness — public speaking.

After my speech, I met with the headmaster and explained what happened to me. He told me that it was very ________ and most people experienced it. He suggested that I try again the next week. I ________ it and spent a whole week practicing the speech. This time I became more relaxed but still not ________. I was not sure whether I did my best.

A few months later, the headmaster invited me to give a talk at a meeting attended by more than 100 headmasters. I ________ it day and night. This time it went very well and won the hearts of all the audience (听众).

After giving this speech ________, I said to myself, “If I dare to speak in front of so many learned audience, like headmasters who ________ others, I can now speak in front of others too.”

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Everything is possible if we have the ________ to take the first step.