Christmas is no fun when you’re poor. Twenty years ago, I was a young,     1     (struggle) substitute teacher (代课教师) whose calls into work had been few. Money was tight, bills were due     2     my wife and I couldn’t even afford to get Christmas gifts for each other. The only gifts we could get for our children were a few soft toys that I had found     3     (sell) at half price in the supermarket. I opened the door and brought in the gifts I     4     (hide) in our old car’s trunk. Then I handed     5     to my son and daughter. I watched with a sad smile as they did their best to tear off the wrapping (包装) paper. As they pulled out their toys, though, I noticed their     6     lit up and they jumped up and down. My daughter     7     (happy) hugged her toy and then hugged her mom and me as well. I laughed as I watched my children play with their toys     8     hours, and I thanked God for the     9     (great) gift I had ever been given. Till today I still treasure     10     gift of pure love that my son and daughter gave me that day.

Most of us looked up to someone as a role model at     1     younger age. For most of us, that would mean our parents, but we usually find     2    (we) looking up to heroes on television and in films. Maybe we wanted to be Arnold Schwarzenegger or Britney Spears. These were persons     3    seemed to have everything that we thought was good. There are many artists, singers, and writers to be our role models. Once the role models     4    (choose), we’ll take them into adulthood.

When role models play their role the way they’re supposed to, they can provide us with many     5    (benefit). For example, if you want to be a singer, then     6    (see) someone who is successfully living that dream not only gives you an example to follow, but also gives you a template(模板) for how     7    (achieve) that. However, sometimes when your role model performs     8    (badly) than you expect, he would let you down and then you would lose your direction.

So you should realize that your role models weren’t born successful. In fact they     9    (probable) went through a hard time like you did. But if you do find that your role models are making you feel less confident, then consider looking at role models more similar     10     yourself.

Life has become difficult for many villages, and some are disappearing. There are a number     1     reasons for this. Firstly, young people from villages usually want to live somewhere livelier and they often move to the towns and do not return. Secondly, people move to the cities to find work, as there are often very few jobs in the countryside. Sometimes villages remain     2     people from the cities have bought a “second home” in the village,       3    they come and stay at weekends. The price of houses     4    (go) up and people from the area cannot afford     5    ( buy) a house there. Another problem is that it is becoming more and more difficult for farmers to make money from the farms. So they sell their land and find another job.

After I lost my right hand in a car accident two years ago, I began to withdraw     1     myself, believing I would never be able to lead a normal life again. I     2    (equip)with an artificial hand, but it did not feel like part of me. Even simple things like getting dressed were     3    (believable)difficult. Three months ago,     4    , all that changed when I was given the chance to test a new robotic hand.

Scientists have been making great progress in robotic technology in recent years, and their work on robotic limbs has really changed my life.     5       my new hand, I can move my individual fingers and hold on to small things like pens and pencils. More amazingly, my robotic hand is capable of feeling varying degrees of pressure, just like    6       real hand. In addition, it looks very lifelike with special rubber     7    (use)on the outside. Over the past three months I have been testing out the limits of    8       I can do with my new hand, and it constantly surprises me. I have rediscovered hobbies I     9    (enjoy)before my accident. For example, I have been cooking for my family again since I got my new hand. Not only can I do more, but I have also become more confident and outgoing. I’m so grateful for all the new     10    (possibility)my robotic hand has opened up.

I can well remember the first time I was asked to deliver a speech before the whole class. You can imagine how shy I was with so many eyes     1     (fix) on me. Drafting the speech was a piece of cake for me, but the difficult part lay in oral    2     (present). The real moment began when I stood on the stage with my legs trembling and my mind blank. But my listeners were waiting patiently without rushing me. Gradually I found myself back,     3     (deliver) the speech with difficulty. After    4     seemed to be a hundred years, I found my audience applauding — I made it!