1 . Five years ago, I got an email from a well-known professor in my field in March. He invited me to________ for a position in his lab. Things went well and all I needed to do was finish up my thesis (毕业论文) and I decided to ________ it in the following months.

One night, my mother came up to my room, asking softly, “Have you ________ your thesis yet?” “Not yet, Mom,” I ________ , even too busy to look up at her. Then she mentioned that she had some ________ symptoms (症状) in her body that had never been seen before. She wanted to say something more, but my academic (学业的)________ made me hardly take her words to heart.

However, two months later, the doctor announced my mother might ________for less than a year ________cancer (癌症). It was then that I was ________that things became more serious than I had imagined. Before it was too late, I was________to stop my thesis and be there with my mother for her rest life. ________ , my mother failed in the battle and passed away at the end of the year. The next July, I finished my scientific thesis and got the________from the lab.

When looking back today, I feel ________for losing precious time with my mother. The ________ of my mother gave me a new way to think about life: If your loved ones need you, be there for them. Sometimes, just being a listening ear to them can really ________.

4 . My parents always told me that I couldn’t dance, because it was a girl’s sport. But I never gave up my dream of becoming a dancer, I practised secretly, learning from books, movies, and shows. However, without my parents’ support, that_________seemed all but impossible to reach.

One summer, my little sister Maggie was going to dance lessons. I immediately asked my parents for permission(允许) to take her to the lessons. What a_________chance to learn dancing!

One afternoon, I was_________a new dance in my room, when Maggie walked in.

“What’s the matter, Maggie?” I stopped_________.

“Denis, you are a great dancer! Can you help me?”

“What is it?” I wondered.

“There’ll be a dancing performance in my school,_________the boys think I’m slow, and none of them wants to be my partner. Could you dance with me for it?” She looked at me_________.

“You can be a good dancer!” I_________her, “Let’s show those people that they have been_________all along.”

In the following months, we practised every evening,_________from my parents. I was having a fantastic time and soon Maggie improved a lot.

Finally came the big day. I became__________when I heard my parents would come to watch the performance. As the__________began, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. We moved perfectly, shining with pride. From the cheering of the crowd, I was sure we had__________.

My heart was beating wildly when I saw my father coming towards me. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Well done, son. Though it is hard for me to__________it, you really looked like you__________this stage. Go for it and make us proud.”

I’d been waiting for this moment for so long. I knew that the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy, but I wouldn’t__________. I wanted nothing more in life than to dance.

5 . 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 . My teacher Mr Bush is the most positive (积极乐观的) person I’ve ever met. He has the ability to ________positiveness to young students.

He always smiles and never gets ________at students. Once I met some ________because I felt overshadowed (显得逊色) by my brother, who seemed to be doing great in every way. Hopelessness ________me whenever I was in a classroom. But that all ________when I met my teacher for life, Mr. Bush. Having found out about my problems, he just kept ________me. Because of Mr. Bush, my world was filled with ________and power.

A few weeks ago, everyone in my class was feeling a bit ________because of a bad day at school. But things got ________after a close of Mr. Bush’s class. He drew a picture on the whiteboard that ________a half­full glass of water. He then said, “Class, the point of view in which you look at things will ________your feelings. Like this glass of water, some people see it and think ‘What! Only half a glass of water. How ________I am.’ Whereas other people think ‘Wow, I’m so thirsty. Great! Half a glass of water for me!’ It all depends on the ________you think. ”

Mr. Bush’s ________way of thinking always makes me feel glad and ________. I will always remember him.

7 . Every year I’d read over 2,000 college applications from students all over the world. It is quite _______ to choose whom to admit. _______, in the chaos of SAT scores and recommendations, one _______ is always irresistible in a candidate: kindness.

The most surprising _______ of kindness I’ve ever _______ came from a student who had excellent scores and a supportive recommendation from his college counselor (顾问). Even with these qualifications, he might not have _______. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school security _______. Letters of recommendation are typically written by people like former presidents, celebrities, and Olympic athletes.

The security guard wrote that he supported this student’s admission because of his _______. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the names of every member of the guard staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently _______ the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up the classroom after his peers left school ________ nobody was watching. This student, the security guard wrote, had a(n) ________ respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or power.

It gave us a ________ onto a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted”. That student was admitted by unanimous (一致的) vote of the admissions committee.

Next year there might be a flood of security guard recommendations ________ this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much ________ to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that ________.

9 . At 91 years old and with Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默病) disease, Gene McGehee was finding his golden years to be his loneliest. That all ________ one day when he heard the clear ________ of children’s laughter right outside his home.

When Gene ________ outside, he couldn’t believe his good fortune (运气) to discover a group of lively young kids playing. The children, from the daycare centre across the street, were more than ________ to include Gene in their fun. They nicknamed him Big Gene, and a special, long-lasting friendship was ________ between Gene, the kids and Megan Nunez, the daycare teacher.

Gene’s ________ Alzheimer’s disease means he now has only short-term memory. For the last three years, Gene has been ________ Megan and the kids every day for what he thinks is the first time. “Every day, I cross the street, and we stay together,” explained Megan. “I always tell the kids that his ________ is kind of sick, but his heart remembers us.”

Gene’s daughter, Cathy, said he suffered from (遭受) ________ until the kids came into his life and ________ his days. He now gets to just go outside and make new friends on a daily basis. “They have been such a blessing to Daddy, and he lights up,” Cathy ________ shared.

Gene and the kids enjoy their one-hour “playdate” every afternoon. They ________ jokes, stories, laughs and hugs. He sometimes even ________ their games. Even though the day’s cherished memories disappear as the sun sets, something remains in the depths of Gene’s mind. It is that ________ feeling that makes him go outside as soon as he hears the children’s ________ once again.