1 . From the time I was seven, I had a dream of becoming a member of the Students’ Union. I always _______ them for taking responsibility for all of us. Years flew by, and soon I was able to _______ the election, praying I would win. But the reality struck — I hadn’t had the _______. I wasn’t pretty. Girls across the school _______ knew me. I just did not have what it _______ to win a school election. I was _______. As I cried in my room that evening, I suddenly took a deep breath and decided I wouldn’t stop _______. I decided that I would join in the election _______ in my final year at school — and I would do my best to win.

I recognized that my _______ had a lot of things in their favour. What were the ________ that would work in my favour? I had good grades, and I was friendly and helpful. And my biggest ________ was the faith I had. I would not allow my ________ appearance to hold me back from putting my best foot forward. That evening, I ________ my election plans a whole year in advance.

I realized that girls would have to get to know me and recognize that I had the __________to represent them. I loved making friends and I liked being helpful, so I decided that perhaps I could use these qualities to work to my ________. In order to learn how to present a great election speech, I also attended a course on effective public speaking.

The day after the election, when the principal announced I won the second highest number of votes, the students cheered. The joy on the faces of all my friends showed me that my victory was also theirs.

2 . I have always been hard­working in school. And I enjoyed gaining new understanding about study. One way was making _________.

Math has always been my favorite subject. During each math class, while _________, I waited for my opportunities to show myself, which were questions. When they came, I would _________ my hand. Answering them _________ made me feel I was great. The only problem was that I wanted to be _________ ——to be right every time.

As it turned out, living up to this standard was _________. In one class, I stood up confidently but gave a _________ answer. Even though I knew this was not my first mistake in life, something different had come at that moment. I thought that my classmates might think I was_________. The beautiful castle that I had built up _________ after my mistake.

In the following classes, I was in low spirits and became silent. Even if I may have known the answer, I was __________ to take the risk of damaging (破坏) my self-confidence any more. Noticing my ________, my math teacher talked with me and learned my problem. She told me that mistakes are an important part of learning ________ they can point out our weaknesses and help us make progress. I should form the habit of __________ mistakes.

From that experience, I realized that I was wrong in my __________ to mistakes. School is not a place to __________ but a place to learn. What I now know is that by holding fast to humility (谦虚) and learning to grow from my mistakes, I can truly learn in a way I could never in the past.

3 . I always knew that I depended too much on my phone. But I didn’t know how much, so I decided to do this _________ to find out.

Every morning since I got a smartphone, I’ve used The Weather Channel to find out what to _________. On the first morning I had to dress without guidance, but _________ I was able to guess that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out of my window.

I couldn’t tell what time it was. I hadn’t worn a _________ for more than a year, because my phone showed the time. So I was late for _________ friends who had been on the bus for two hours from Santa Monica to Rancho Palos Verdes. I was also late for my part-time job. And _________, I couldn’t call people to tell them that I was running late. Getting somewhere was hard, too. I got _________ because I couldn’t use the GPS on my phone. My driving, though, got a lot _________ because I no longer had my phone in one hand checking directions while _________ with the other.

But the number one trouble was not having my contact list. I forgot to write down my friends’ and family members’ phone numbers before I __________ the challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn’t remember my brother’s and my mom’s cell phone numbers. Oh, how I __________ to turn on the phone for just a second to look up phone numbers!

Even with all the problems, however, I found __________ not worrying about missing a text message or an e-mail.

This challenge was a(n) __________ learning experience. It surprised me how I’d taken no notice of even the __________ things like remembering phone numbers. We all should __________ some time to think about how we can depend less on our cell phones.

4 . Jane Jie Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, Asia’s largest online travel agency, connects people with the best ______ the world has to offer—China’s Great Wall, Australia’s outback and Italy’s ancient ruins. She believes cultural experiences can ______ divides and conflicts, strengthen industries and create peace.

While ______ Peking University, Sun was invited to a program in the University of Florida, where she ______ managed to further her study, majoring in accounting. ______ her fellow students, Sun’s life pace was rapid(快速的). She bicycled 6 miles to the campus each morning, taking the ______ classes available so she could spend the rest of the day, and Saturdays, working to pay her education fees.

______, Sun recalls her UF days fondly. “I learned a lot from my experience in the USA,” says Sun.

“Many discussions I had at UF still influence(影响) my style of leadership today.______, I have developed appreciation of ______ other persons’ different arguments over a certain ______.”

“I try to put myself in other people’s shoes,” says Sun. “In a global market, you have to have a very good understanding of different people and ______ different cultures.”

Now as a mother of two daughters, she shoulders the______ as the CEO of what is now a $25 billion company and puts tremendous effort into her work.

“Some people ask me why I work so hard, but I feel that mothers are the best role ______ for children,” Sun says. “I show them that to work is actually to ______ yourselves, but if you double your efforts at work and being a ______, it is doubly rewarding.”

6 . I had just started my second year studying at the University of Cambridge when I was faced with the news I had never expected. A lump in my neck turned out to be cancer. I would ____ six months of chemotherapy(化疗). 

After the shock, I was struck by this thought: my ____ didn’t have any room for cancer. I had so much I wanted to achieve and so many goals I wanted to chase. 

I was faced with the ____ job of telling my friends and family. Then, I had to decide whether to ____ in Cambridge and take five exams at the end of the year. My doctor advised against it, and so did my parents and teachers. 

My doctors and teachers tried to convince me that taking some time off to ____ and relax would be the best thing for me. I could not think of anything ____. I did not want to ____ a year of my life receiving pity from those around me. 

Together with my parents, I tried to persuade the university to ____ me to stay at Cambridge and study only half the courses. At the end of the year I would take two exams. It was really a ____ to persuade them to agree. 

Treatment began and I was up and down from Cambridge to London every other week. It made me feel ____, but to a much lesser degree than I had expected. I was able to read, eat and socialize exactly as I used to. I slept a lot and rested a lot, but I also worked hard at my studies. It gave me focus, and it also gave me purpose. Completing my ____ at the end of the term was really a great personal victory. 

I took a ____ of continuing studying while undergoing treatment, and it ____. I was successful in my exams — and more ____, I made a full recovery. 

Every person facing a disease like cancer must make the ____ that are right for them. I am proud that I made the decision that was right for me.

7 . Vinod Menon, head of the physics department at the City College of New York, was going through his office mail. He opened a package, only to find it contained $180.000. Piles of $50 and $100 notes _________ in paper bands, a letter, and a return address that in the package _________   to “Head of the Physics Department”.

“I’ve never seen so much cash in my dreams. _________in real life,” Menon said. “That really _________ me, so I just did not know how to react.”

The sender obviously had unshakable _________ in the U.S. postal system, and desired to send the cash to _________ students looking to pursue physics and other _________. “ Supposing that you are a bit curious as to why I am doing this, the reason is very _________, ” the letter read. It continued to explain that many years before, its generous writer had _________ the excellent educational opportunity, available at City College to study physics and pursue a rewarding scientific __________.

The return address was to Kyle Paisley, a name __________ from the college’s graduation registers, at a house in Pensacola, Florida, whose owner __________ had no idea of the donation. The money was first__________, but after the two-month-long research which had found nothing linked to illegal activities, the college decided to keep the __________ . Menon stated that the gift would provide fully-funded scholarships for students who couldn’t __________ the expenses of schooling for a decade.

8 . A fifth grader at Shreve Elementary in Ohio created a Kindness Closet to help students in need.

Anderson “Andi” Musser said a friend told her that she ________   she had some girls’ clothing to wear to school.“I went to my ________ and got the clothes and shoes that don’t ________ me,” Andi told The Daily Record. “I gave them to her at school the next day.And she was really happy.” 

After ________ clothes to her friend,Andi couldn’t help thinking about how great it felt to help someone in need. 

“She realized what a difference that ________ for her friend,” said Jessica Musser,Andi’s mother.“That was so ________ to do.She asked, “ Can we do this for more people? ” She took the initiative (倡议) at that ________.” 

So, Andi ________ her principal with her idea to ________ a Kindness Closet, a place where ________ students can visit during the school day to “shop” for a new coat or ________ worn garments.

She came to me, and having knowing what she thought, I said,“Great, let’s do it, ” Principal Adam Stein said.

________, Andi doesn’t have enough clothes.She came up with an idea and asked local stores for ________.

“It’s great for Andi to see her vision ________,” Principal Stein said.“It’s part of our ________ here at Shreve and Triway.It’s what every principal and parent would want for their kids to do — to put others first.”

9 . The disease had slowed me down. Then my granddaughter sent a cat to me. Honestly speaking, I fell in love with the cute little thing immediately when I first saw her.

“I’ll _______ you Rainbow,” I said with a smile.

The next day I _______some cat food and two toy mice in a pet shop. Rainbow went crazy over those _______: she got them stuck under the desk or the sofa. Then she wouldn’t stop meowing (喵喵叫)_______ I got them back for her. She’d bring the mice to me and demand that I throw them for her over and over again- she never felt bored. She couldn’t feel the pain in my _______.

Rainbow always got into troubles. She kept knocking over my plants or _______ my cups. I had to deal with the “_______”. My back _______ with all the ups and downs of trying to keep up with Rainbow. But what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t bear the _______ of sending her away.

One day, I felt there was something wet on my cheek. Rainbow, licking me, wanted breakfast. “OK, I get the ________,” I said. I tried to lower my body to put her ________ in the bowl on the floor, expecting pain to spread from my back through my body. But it didn’t. I felt ________.

After she finished eating, I bent down and picked up her bowl without having to hold on to the desk. She looked up at me and meowed, as if to say, “See? I’m ________what the doctor ordered!”

Three years later, Rainbow still kept me moving and I began to ________ her play. I didn’t want a cat, but someone knew I ________one.