Do you believe in the power of human spirit? Samantha Kinghom is ________ athlete from Scotland now. But her life has never been easy. In the winter of 2010, a large piece of ice ________ from the top of her house and hit her. Poor Samantha lost the ability to walk ________ the age of 14.

Samantha spent six months in hospital. She felt quite sad at first, but soon learned how ________ a wheelchair (轮椅) and get around without using her legs. As Samantha became stronger, doctors discovered ________ she could move in the wheelchair very fast! Later, she got a call from the national center for special sports. Samantha ________ by the working personnel (工作人员) if she wanted to try wheelchair sports there.

Samantha agreed and started training six ________ a week. Her coach found she was truly talented in wheelchair sports. The more she trained, the ________ she became. Soon her first win came at a 10-kilometer wheelchair race in September 2012. In the past few years, Samantha has kept winning in many races and she has already become a national hero.

Many people asked why Samantha chose to be an athlete after she became disabled. She said, “I want to show that people should always go for ________ dreams. Difficulties like being in a wheelchair shouldn’t stop that. Also, I want to know how much I can achieve if I try my best. And ________, I have succeeded in many ways.”

For Junior Three students, learning is just like a long hike in winter. What should we do to go through ________ whole way and achieve our goals?

First, make sure ________ you have enough physical exercise. Health condition is said to be the first important thing. What’s more, a regular daily plan ________. Instead of staying up late ________ night, keeping a suitable schedule of study would be of great importance. It can improve our efficiency (效率) and make ________ more energetic when we are in the ocean of tasks. Get everything ________ in the daily study. Also, it is necessary for us to plan some pleasure time ________ we start. Last but not least, keep positive. All we are supposed ________ is to run towards the sun and never give up halfway. Make full ________ of every day rather than worry about the unknown future.

When we are running towards the end of the hike, the spirit of persistence (坚持) really counts. If winter ________, can spring be far away?

8 . Volunteering is a great way to help others. For example, you can help your friends with their homework or you can chat with an elderly person who feels ________. Helping others can actually help yourself, too.

There is a girl called Jane. She worked as ________ volunteer at the Hillside Soup Kitchen ________ she was 16 years old. She kept ________ there for three years. Different kinds of food, drinks and snacks are served to the hungry families in the soup kitchen. “I like helping other people. And I think I can learn a lot ________ it, too. Volunteering gives me a chance to meet many people ________ helps me to connect with people. For example, I have made many good friends there,” says Jane.

Every Saturday, Jane wakes up early and goes to the soup kitchen after having breakfast. The soup kitchen is not far away from ________ home. It usually takes Jane fifteen minutes ________ there. “The families are very friendly,” she says. “I always say hello politely before I give them food, and they ________ say “thank you.” When Jane sees the smiles on their faces, she feels much ________.

Volunteering increases your happiness. It can give you a sense of purpose, which can in turn develop your self-confidence and make you active.

9 . I started powerlifting (举重) when I was 65. I worked in a bank in New York for about 35 years. When I retired, I decided to lose a bit of _______. A friend’s husband, Art Little, is a personal trainer. He invited me to his gym. The first time I went, he gave me a wooden stick to lift. The next day I told myself I wouldn’t return. But I ended up _______ day after day. After a few weeks, my trainer encouraged me to go to a competition _______ others compete. Seeing all these young ladies, I was really _______. But there was no one of my age. I asked my trainer _______ he thought I could do it. He said, “Oh, sure.” I went to my first competition. There were only three people in my age group. I did three types of lifts. I came first in all three. _______ had been doing it far longer. I just came in after two months’ practice and _______ all of them. After that, I knew this sport was for me. My trainer suggested me going to _______ gym three times a week. I improved so quickly because I followed his advice and never stopped. If I was supposed to be there on Monday, I would be there, no matter what the weather was. I didn’t miss a day. _______ can be challenging sometimes. But whenever I get home afterwards, I feel great. My trainer takes great pride ________ me. I’ve been invited to take part in the world championships every year ________ I started powerlifting. Every year since then, I have won in my group every time. Judges ________ by how much I can lift. I’m 79 now. I tell people ________ are at my age that they can do this, too. They just have to start with ________. You have to build ________ up. If you sit down and do nothing, you turn to dust.

10 . Do you like dramas? Do you want to know about the history of the Ming Dynasty? Recently a TV drama called Under the Microscope (《显微镜下的大明》) has become one of ________ shows in China. The drama shows the lives of common people in the Ming Dynasty.

We’ve seen many TV shows ________ kings and queens. But what were the lives of common people like in the past? The new drama will bring ________ back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to have a look.

The drama tells stories about a young man named Shuai Jiamo ________ loves math. One day he finds a problem with the silk tax (丝绢税) in his country. He tries ________ out what has happened. However, difficulties from many sides ________ for him.

To let people feel closer to the lives at that time, the scriptwriter (编剧) Ma Boyong looked deep into history materials. In ________ drama, he shows how the rules of tax in the Ming Dynasty worked. He also shows the different jobs in the ________ government.

Just as the title shows, the drama puts “small things” ________ “small people” under the microscope. After all, the so called “big” stories in history ________ up of many “small” ones, said Ma. And he is very proud of what he has done.