1 . Two old beggars (乞丐) were sitting on a busy street corner of a big city. They watched ____ as a lot of people walked by without looking at them. Sometimes, a kind-hearted woman or a small child would ____ a few coins (硬币) in the hats in front of them.

Today was not a ____ day for begging. The men were able to ____enough for a big meal. As it was getting dark, they started to pack their things.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, they ____ a man walking toward them. He was a _____ man-they could tell that from his fine clothes. The first beggar said to the second with ____ , “He’s coming our way!” The man stopped, ____ into his pocket and took something out. What looked like a piece of hard ____ , wrapped (包裹) in white paper, hit each of their waiting hats. The man turned and continued his way.

“He could have easily left us a few ____ or a bill, but he laughed at us with a piece of rock candy (硬棒糖),” said the first beggar. He looked at the offering ____“There’s no way we can eat this-we have no teeth.” With these words, he picked up the thing and threw it away. Then he collected his things and ____ .

The second beggar wanted to do the same, ____ a second thought made him change his mind. “I haven’t had anything like this for ages,” he thought. “How nice of that man to offer me something so sweet!” With that, he opened the white paper. To his ____, there was no hard rock candy inside. ____ , a shiny white pearl (珍珠) worth thousands of dollars fell into his hand.

3 . Silence is important for learning. I got it from my fourteen-month-old daughter Arielle.

One day, she sat on the foor with an old baby doll. Without buttons, it could neither_________nor play music. The whole room was silent. Then Arielle began to explore the baby doll. When her hand touched a tiny_________she used one finger to trace(勾画)its shape. Then she_________one of her own ears and then both ears. She kept tracing the doll’s ear and her own a few more times until,_________, she turned her attention elsewhere.

At that moment I discovered how human_________took place. Something stimulated Arielle’s _________: Is her body like her doll’s ? With no outside stimulation, she satisfied her curiosity by comparing the doll’s body and herself._________, for many kids, experiences like Arielle’s are less and less frequent_________children are surrounded by those so-called_________toys which can talk and move at the push of a button. This__________them to push buttons repeatedly without thinking and may rob(剥夺)children of opportunities to solve problems.

Like adults, children need time that is__________to experience the difference between just reacting to outside stimulation and__________their own ideas by exploring the world.

Indeed, the toys most likely to encourage creative play are not those that make__________or have lots of unnecessary functions.__________, they are simple, quiet and can be used in lots of different ways. So next time, when__________what to buy your child, make a wise choice.

4 . The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat (汗水) was pouring off our backs and faces. We stood still without ______ any noise, all hot and tired. But everyone kept standing as straight as trees.

It was ______ most high schools give to new Senior One students-military training. We ______ four days in a closed environment. Although we couldn’t go home at night and the training was ______ and difficult, our humorous young drill sergeant (教官) with a funny accent was a real ______ of our days. We laughed at his jokes, sat in rows singing different songs and ______ him telling true stories about his life. He gave us the feeling that ______ and sweat were not the only things that military training ______ .

After this journey, we were more ______ than we had imagined and we were much braver than we had ______ . Girls who looked pale rested for a little while, then right away came back to the team. Boys who were being punished ______ to the playground at once and began to run. Sweat flowed down our faces when we thought about how to shout ______ than other classes.

Military training taught us perseverance (不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be ______ on our faces. We shouted so loud that our ______ could be heard across the heavens. With eyes like burning torches (火炬) , we walked into the future. Now the sun is ______ at all of us.

6 . Although the road to your goal is always full of difficulties, everything is for your wish, as long as you are full of passion and determination.

My daughter, Alice _________ some terrible illness in her early childhood. Luckily, after years of regular treatment (治疗), she finally became _________.

Two years ago, while watching the Olympics, a dream _________ into her sweet little head—to be a swimmer. Last summer, she practiced hard and finally _________ our local swim team. From that day on, Alice kept swimming and didn’t _________ a single practice. She had a _________ desire within herself to be the best she could be. My ten-year-old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this _________ human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of _________ of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. Alice was upset to be _________ that she wasn’t a winner-ever. But that didn’t __________ her from trying.

Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Alice didn’t expect any award but was still there to cheer on her friends. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach __________ “The highest honor goes to Alice!” Looking around, he continued, “Alice has inspired us with her __________ and enthusiasm. __________ skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset (财富) one can hold is the heart.”

It was the greatest __________ of my daughter’s life. With all she had gone __________ in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph (成功).

7 . In 1963, my grandfather Erwin decided to build a new house. However, he didn’t know what to do with the old farmhouse. It seemed a waste to ________ it, but something had to be given up ________ it sat where the new house would be. Later he had a compromise (折衷). He hired a large tractor (拖拉机) and managed to ________ it far into a land of trees. That old farmhouse has sat there since then. After my grandparents passed away, I ________ their farm. When my family first moved in, my wife checked the old farmhouse, and said it might bring ________ to our young sons. I agreed and planned to tear it down (拆毁). But before doing it, I thought it was ________ to check out the old house myself to ________ having something valuable left behind. After going through tall tress, I reached the old house. I was surprised by its ________. Its windows were gone. Chairs were broken. I was filled with ________ about the view. In the small house, there once lived nine people, having a ________ time then without electricity or heat in winter. However, they were happy. Then I saw some envelopes in a box. My dad once joined the army and ________ wrote home each month. My grandmother saved all of his letters. I ________ one letter. In it, Dad wondered about wheat harvest at home and his youngest brother's education, which clearly showed his ________ for his family. That day, I decided to ________ the house. The building was ________. It got to stay as long as possible as it was full of family memories.

8 . My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition of the Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had a special _________ for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, develop my character, and support my community.

Firstly, my _________ skills developed when I independently directed each swimmer where to _________ at the platform and _________ each competitor when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were well _________ and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and _________ of each event’s time and location. Secondly, my _________ was greatly influenced. When I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was deeply moved. Their _________ attitudes astonished me, whether they won or lost. This also enlarged my view, offering me the opportunity to _________ people I would normally not run into. Lastly, I was of __________ to my community by lending a hand to this organization. To be a part of it gave me a chance to improve our community and become __________ with the people living in this area. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” The importance of __________ should be stressed throughout our life. __________, through many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged (幸运的) to be __________ in this exciting and important event in these competitors’ lives. I hope to be a(n) __________ again at this event in years to come.

10 . “None of us get out of life alive, so be brave and be thankful for all the opportunities you have.” Those were _______ words said by 18-year-old Jake Bailey, a cancer patient.

Bailey was in the leading position of the students’ union. The young man had planned to _______ at his high school’s end-of-year ceremony (典礼) on schedule. _______, just the week before, he received shocking _______. After several weeks of not feeling well, tests showed that he had a fast-growing form of cancer. Doctors said, without treatment, he would only have weeks to live, so they didn’t _______ him to take part in the event. But Bailey put on his school uniform along with his _______ face and left his hospital bed to give the inspiring speech to his _______. Without doubt, his appearance _______ everyone at the ceremony. Sitting in the wheelchair, he began to _______ his ideas. He expressed that a strong-willed person would not easily ______________, no matter how hard life was.

At the speech, Bailey encouraged his schoolmates to______________ their time. “The future is truly in our hands. ______________ about having impractical long-term dreams. Let’s be devoted to short-term goals,” He continued. “We don’t know where we might end up, or when we will end up, so work with pride on what is ______________ us.”

When the senior ______________ his speech with the school’s motto, “Altiora Peto,” which means “I fight for higher things”, the entire room burst into cheers. ______________, Bailey’s message was heard loud and clear. Bailey then closed his eyes and mouthed the words “Thank you”.