In 1950, Jim Thorpe was named the greatest American football player and the best athlete of the first half of the twentieth century. He was also an Olympic gold medal winner and a national hero. But Thorpe had many tragedies in his life. Even his greatest achievements did not make him rich or happy.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American. He was born in 1888 in an Indian Territory that is now Oklahoma. Like most Native American children then, he liked to fish, hunt, swim, and play games outdoors. He was healthy and strong, but he had very little formal education.

Jim had a twin brother who died when he was nine years old. This was the first tragedy of his life, but not the last. By the age of 16, ①[　A　]. Jim then went to a special school in Pennsylvania for Native American children. There, he learned to read and write and also began to play sports. Jim was poor, so he left school for two years to earn some money. During this time, he played on a semiprofessional baseball team. The team paid him only $15 a week. Soon he returned to school to complete his education. Jim was a star athlete in several sports, including baseball, running, wrestling, and football. He won many awards for his athletic ability, mainly for football. In many games, he scored all or most of the points for his team.

In 1912, when Jim Thorpe was 24 years old, ①[　B　]. He competed in two very difficult events: the pentathlon and the decathlon. Both need great ability and strength. The pentathlon has five track and field events, including the long jump and the 1,500-meter race. The decathlon has ten track and field events, with running, jumping, and throwing contests.

People ②[ to / was / both / for / thought / win / it / an athlete / impossible ] the pentathlon and the decathlon. So everyone was surprised when Thorpe won gold medals in both events. When the King of Sweden presented Thorpe with his two Olympic gold medals, he said, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.” Thorpe was a simple and honest man. He just answered, “Thanks, King.”

When Thorpe came home he was an American hero. But all the praise did not last for very long. Less than a year later, there was another tragedy. A newspaper reporter found out that Thorpe had played baseball for money. People who earn money for playing sports are called professionals. At that time, professionals could not compete in the Olympics. Only amateurs were allowed. Officials decided that Thorpe had to return his gold medals. Many people believed this decision was unfair. ③（　　） the Olympic Committee took away his medals and removed his name from the record books.

Thorpe felt very shocked and upset. At first he decided to stop playing sports. But he was an athlete and had few other skills, so ①[　C　]. Unfortunately, Thorpe had another great tragedy in his life.His three-year-old son died of the flu. Many people said that Thorpe never got over this loss.

Thorpe was a very good football player and ④[ to / popular / make / helped / football ] in America. In 1929, he retired from football. He had several jobs and also gave speeches about sports and Native American issues. Thorpe was very proud of being a Native American. Unfortunately, some people did not treat him fairly because of his race. This made him sad and angry. He also never forgot that the Olympic Committee took away his medals. He believed they had cheated him.

In 1951, Thorpe became sick with cancer. By that time, he had almost no money. Some groups who remembered his Olympic performance raised money to help him. Two years later, Thorpe died of a heart attack. He was 64 years old.

Many people tried to get Thorpe’s medals back to him. But it never ⑤（　a　） during his lifetime. Thirty years after his death, the medals were finally returned. Six of Thorpe’s children attended the ceremony. His name was also ⑤（　b　） back in the 1912 Olympic record books.

注）　tragedy悲劇、achievement功績、Native Americanアメリカ先住民（の）、education教育、complete終了する、including~～を含めて、compete出場する、track and field陸上競技、amateurアマチュア、issue問題、race人種、cheatだます、raise集める

ア he became part of the U.S. Olympic team

イ he played professional baseball and football

ウ the Olympic Committee decided to hold a ceremony

エ his mother and father were also dead

ア So

イ Because

ウ But

エ Now

ア sent – happened

イ happened – put

ウ returned – sent

エ put – returned

ア he was a simple and honest man

イ he did it at such a young age

ウ he was a Native American

エ he got them in two very difficult events

ア he never forgot about it for the rest of his life

イ he was proud of returning his medals

ウ he understood why the Committee took away the medals

エ he believed that he was an American hero

ア he wanted to get a formal education

イ he wanted to return to the Olympics

ウ he wanted to help other Native Americans

エ he wanted to get over his son’s death