3 . There is nothing more comforting than the sound of the Singer, a sewing (缝纫) machine. It ______so many memories of my grandmother and mother. The______of turning different materials into something fashionable always______me.

I began sewing as a child alongside my grandmother, a loving woman who taught me how to use a machine and how to sew my first______. It was a simple pullover blouse (衬衫) made from an old pink and white pillowcase. I wore that with such______because wearing something you______yourself just makes you smile. Then, one day I made a mistake, sewing the inside out, and had to start again. This taught me to be______and focused on details.

Later I received the old Singer from my mom, but it was left to gather dust in the corner.Once Covid-19______, I had too much time on my hands and in my head.I got the Singer ______ and began sewing again.

“Measure twice, cut once" is a Sewer’s proverb. We all hear it and I rarely use it, just like road maps, but it is______. It’s a way of life.

In a time when tomorrow is ______,I found a sense of hope and creativity through rediscovery. Relearning how to sew has______my boredom and made me more patient with myself. It also helps build an emotional______with my older generations through this one thing that we______.That brings me joy. And I’ll______that joy for as long as possible.

6 . Born in the United States, I, with black hair and yellow skin, am an American. Yes, I am a US citizen. Yet I   ________ early in my childhood that I was very different.

It wasn’t until ________ in the early years of primary school that I noticed this difference. Some kids in my class asked me ________ I could speak Chinese. It seemed strange to me that they would be interested in this part of my ________ . I answered “yes” and expected them to say nothing else about it.

To my surprise, they were ________ to hear me say something in Chinese. When I did so, they said, “Wow, that’s cool!” I had always thought of it as just a strange ________ that came from China.

I ________ what had happened that day when I got home. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands as I usually did. I looked myself in the mirror—the same face was ________ from that morning, but it didn’t ________ the same to me. For the first time, I felt different from the others in my ________ .

That day I discovered a part of my life that was ________ — in culture and tradition — from the one I was   ________ .

Now I know that we must all remember our ________ , but we must also continue to explore, realizing that   ________ is different, with our own beliefs, opinions, traditions and lifestyles. Recognizing these differences should   ________ respect for one another.

8 . Many freshmen find their first year of high school frightening. Students feel a(n) ________ of anxiousness and excitement as they ________ their four-year journey. Many freshmen are becoming involved in activities around campus to ________ the new school.

“My first week at Freedom was frightening and ________ .” said Caden Kitchen, “but my sister Avery, who is a senior, ________ me out.” By his sister’s showing him around campus, Kitchen felt more ________ and prepared to begin his year. He joined the golf team and planned to join the hockey (曲棍球) team to follow his love for ________ and meet new people.

Many students have older ________ who are willing (愿意) to show them around campus.

“ ________ upperclassmen helped me make new friends and adapt to this new campus,” explained Madison Clayton. Clayton is also looking forward to playing softball on the Freedom team where she hopes to meet ________ friends.

Sports are a ________ way for freshmen to meet new people and to get involved in the school. Besides making friends, freshman year can still be ________ .

“I seem to be at the ________ of the school food chain (食物链),” Shane Lenoir said. “It looks like everyone else on campus is ________ than me.”

“High school was frightening at first,” Joshua Brant said, “but I’m excited to take on my next four ________ .”

9 . Many years ago, when I was working in the emergency department, I met John, an amputee (被截肢者). John had lost a leg during the war. He was only 24 years old when that happened, _________ he never felt regretful. John said life had been _________ to him. John loved to _________ with the nurses. He loved to tell stories of how his family had come to this country. He really loved people.

When he learned I was injured in a car accident, John came to _________ me. I was walking my dog. As I crossed the street, a man went through the stop sign and _________ me. My neck was fractured (骨折). I was so afraid of the operation, _________ that I may not walk again. When John came, he sensed my _________. He shared his own _________ with me. He transformed (使转化) his own attitude to me and _________ me to believe, walk and learn to ____________ instead of death. He said if he could ____________ it, so could I. He came to see me every day for four whole weeks, until I was ____________ enough to be allowed to go home.

Life moved on. I didn’t ____________ John for quite some time, but we always kept in touch.

My mother ____________ one year ago. On that same day, I nearly lost my own life. I had an adverse reaction (不良反应) to a medication. I was sent to a hospital and ____________ to attend her funeral. John came again. He helped me understand how we feel, how we heal (疗伤) and how we move on. How powerful his presence was to me.

10 . I used to be a very self­centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people _______ I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a _______ person.

I think my _______ started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my degree and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever _______ to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really lonely. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a(n) _______. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I _______ to help. That was really a big _______ for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of them are still my best friends today.

A bigger cause of my new _______, however, came when I took a part­time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer’s disease became my friend. Every time I came into her room, she was so _______ because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never ________ her, so I took her place. She let me ________ that making others feel good made me feel good, too, when she died, I was ________, but I was very grateful to her.

I think I am a much ________ person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not forget these experiences. They have   ________ me to care about other people more than about myself. I ________who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.