2 . When I was in the fifth grade, my teachers first ________ that I could not ________ read the first grade books. They didn’t think this kind of problem could ________ to me since my father was a famous scientist. My parents sent me to experts, trying to ________ what the problem was.

My IQ was high, but I had ________ problems in learning. They discovered that I was dyslexic (诵读困难的). I was ________ that my parents cared enough to find a way out for me. When my ________ went to Ford Country Day School and sat down with Brent, a teacher in the school, he ________ to help without thinking twice.

My family was not rich and I was ________ to go to school free of ________ because my mother ________ some students to school in the morning in her car. I was ________ of going to school with my difficulties in learning, but Brent’s kind and loving ________ helped me slowly learn to grow and overcome my learning ________.

Ford Country Day School has become the most important turning ________ in my life. I count myself as one of the truly lucky people having been touched by Brent’s caring and love.

4 . My father was a strong fisherman. He loved the sea and would stay out until he caught enough to ______ the family.

When we met ______ weather, he would drive me to school with his old track. And after we arrived, he would bend over and give me a ______ on the face and then tell me to be a good boy. I always felt very shy in front of so many other ______. I was already a twelve-year-old young man, but my father still kissed me goodbye!

Then on a rainy day I ______ to tell him my feeling. When we stopped at the school gate, the ______ big smile appeared on my father’s face. I ______ what would happen next. I ______ put my hand up and for the first time said “No” to him. The smile on his face immediately changed into a ______ look. He looked at me for a long time, and tears began to appear in his eyes. I was shocked. I had never ______ him cry! Then he said, “You’re right. You are a big boy... a man. I won’t kiss you anymore.”

Not long after that, my dad went to the sea on a bad day. Most of the ______ stayed at home, but not Dad, because he had a big family to feed. But after that day, be ______ came back. Later his boat was found with its nets half in and half out. He must have ______ a strong wind and was trying to save the nets.

How I wished I hadn’t ______ my father’s kiss! And from this I have learnt that we should take every chance with our family and friends as the last one in our lives. We can have ______ regrets(遗憾)by doing this.

5 . I was born legally blind. Of all the stories of my early childhood, the one about a ________ is my mother’s favorite. I was only two when the ________ occurred.We had just arrived home from a trip. Mom lifted me out of the car and ________to speak to the driver. I took advantage of my brief ________to dash across the lawn (草坪) and hit a large maple tree! I was running so fast that I bounced off the trunk and landed on my backside. Mom ________me to start crying, but I just sat there for a minute. Then I ________myself up and kept right on going.

Mom loves to use this story as an ________. It reminds her that children don’t enter life ________to take risks or unwilling to ________ again when they fall down. She never wanted me to lose that toughness as I grew older. When I ________ my major life decisions, I was still that little girl tearing full-speed across the lawn. I studied abroad and later moved away from my parents’ home to look for a ________. Through years of ________, I have become a respected teacher in a school serving high-need students.

We are almost certain to get ________ at some point during the process of achieving our goal. When that happens, don’t sit in the grass and ________. Just get up and keep on going. It will all be worth it ________.

6 . We’ve all been there before. You’re driving down the road when suddenly a pothole(凹坑) seems to appear out of nowhere and sends the _________ bumping. Most people think potholes are _________, but artist Jim Bachor sees them as canvases (画布) for his artworks.

Bachor uses the _________ art form of mosaic(马赛克) to create eye-catching and colorful images of famous people or simple every day _________ like food. He even makes less-appealing visuals of insects.

Bachor was a graphic designer for 20 years before he began his _________ in mosaic. He regards an incidental trip to Europe as his motivation for changing his career. While _________ in Italy, Bachor fell in love with Pompeii, the preserved ancient Roman city. A tour guide pointed out a mosaic, mainly made of glass and marble, and told Bachor, “Glass and marble don’t _________. So, this looks essentially the same as the artist intended.” Bachor says, “That kind of staying power just _________ me so much.”

A year later Bachor returned to attend a mosaic class in Ravenna, Italy, to learn the proper way to _________ the ancient technique. Years after that, he mastered the technique. He __________ that mosaic could be just as significant today as the art form over 1,000 years ago. “I just saw that there was a(n) __________ to bring it into the new age as a contemporary subject,” he says.

So, Bachor decided to make a series of __________ for those potholes. He has __________ mosaic art around Chicago, Detroit and New York City.

While he may not get __________ from drivers or passengers, Bachor’s art is __________ a pleasant surprise to discover.

8 . Here’s a story that illustrates the important role teachers play in their students’ lives.

Mary’s silence began after a ________ incident which caused her to believe her words would bring bad luck. Her family also chose to never ________ of the incident again, so Mary hardly receive any ________ and help she needed during those five years.

________, after Mary met her new teacher, Bella Flowers, everything changed. Bella ________ Mary’s problem and gave her individual attention. She told young Mary, “Reading a lot is good, but not good enough. Words mean ________ what is set down on paper. It depends on the human voice to fill up the deeper meaning.” Her words ________ Mary and their relationship grew as Bella provided Mary with new books and increased her ________ to read more, which planted a seed of literature in her heart.

Although, for a long time, young Mary buried herself in the ________, she rejected to open her mouth. Bella ________ Mary’s long silence by telling Mary that she was not really in love with poems until she read them aloud. Mary, ________, read out the first lines and heard the poem come alive from her own ________. Eventually, at the age of 13, Mary began speaking again, and her ________ in literature also had a good start.

“I felt ________ and expected then, and what a difference my teacher has made!” said Mary, now a poet and writer. “It’s my teacher’s support over the years that ________ me and has an impact throughout my life.”