1 . I was ten when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Prior to that, she had been a(n) _______ woman, active to an extent most people found astonishing. As a child, I was amazed by her accomplishments. But at thirty-one, her life _______. And so did mine.

She could do anything, I _______. She won tennis tournaments. She took photographs and held her own exhibition. She _______ as a newspaper columnist, and she cooked Spanish dishes for the family.

Now, she faced her illness with the same _______. Words like “disabled” and “physical therapy” became part of a(n) _______ new world we entered together. _______, I began to help take care of her. And it became routine to _______ her into the kitchen, where she instructed me in the _______ of peeling carrots and potatoes and how to prepare a decent breakfast.

Every accomplishment was a ________ for us both: the electric typewriter, the car with power steering and brakes, her return to ________, where she earned a master’s degree in special education. She eventually founded an activist support group called The Handicappers. One day, without ________ much beforehand, she took me to a Handicappers meeting. I had never seen so many people with so many ________. I returned home, thinking how ________ we really were.

Because my mother accepted her condition with such optimism, I rarely felt sad or resentful about it. Instead, I viewed her drive to look forward to things I ________ as a great mystery and powerful inspiration in my life.

2 . I am a teacher in a famous co-education English medium Secondary School. Our school provides necessary ________for disabled students like a wheel-chair, lift, separate wash rooms and many more. One of our students, Kiran gradually developed “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy”, a severe muscular disease and became completely ________on others.

When the school reopened for its new academic session in June 2017, as class teacher I found that Kiran was not ________for his new session. I ________for one month. Meanwhile, I enquire about his ________with his younger sister and ________that Kiran’s condition became worse than before. With the ________from the school authorities, I ________him at his house along with his classmates and ________him by giving examples of some of the most successful personalities with disabilities. They________even the fully functional people and claimed their ________such as, Stephen Hawking, Hellen Keller and Stevie Wonder. Kiran’s classmates________to help him with his studies.

Kiran now ________his studies with the help of his teachers and classmates. At present, he is among-st one of the favorites for his teachers and fellow students. The boys of his class take ________ to play chess with him. We always try to make him________and bring a smile on his face.

3 . I have to admit I’m an old-school reader. Put simply, I   _______old books.

Alone in a new city to _______my first daily newspaper job, I was feeling vaguely anxious as I dipped into a used   bookstore to_______my   mind. The   shelves, full of the smell of the past, quickly_______me. One of the occupational hazards (职业病) of journalism, my chosen_______, is a desire to stay on top of the Next Big Thing. With their cracked spines (书脊) and yellowed_______, the titles in the shop usefully pointed me toward the longer view. “No_______to get too worked up over today’s headline,” they seemed to say. “ There is not much _______ under the sun.”

Francis Bacon’s essays are always a ready antidote (解药). “Prosperity (繁荣) is not without many___ and dislikes,” Bacon wrote, and“___ is not without comforts and hopes.” For me, that comfort and hope often come from a second-hand____.

Reading deeply from the   past can be   at   least as______ as   following the day’s   news. Don’t _____     missing out on the___ gossip. All matters of fact, which a man did not___ before, are news to him.

4 . Children are naturally curious beings, but getting them to study something they aren’t interested in can be a difficult task. Teachers often find themselves trying to reward in the _______ of stars or threat of punishment. But what if rewards and threats aren’t the _______?

Natural curiosity is sometimes referred to as “internal motivation”. Studies have found that children who see learning as _______ and important are better at it. And it’s easy to understand why — it’s difficult to study something we aren’t _______.

External motivation, things like rewards and punishment, does have its _______ too. Motives for achieving good grades or fear of being punished have been _______ to benefit older students. However, it seems that at an early age, it doesn’t have as much effect. So for this group, how can we stimulate that _______?

According to some experts, the key is to _______ some degree of freedom. Let the child see their learning as their _______ will. If you want to teach a child to read, let them choose which book they use. Whether it’s a comic book or classic literature — the aim of stimulating their desire for reading is still ________. Likewise, ________ a relationship with them as learners — listen to their negative feelings. Explain why an activity is valuable, even if it isn’t ________ fun.

So it seems that the most ________ way of motivating children, especially the young ones, might ________ stimulating that internal motivation. Maybe it’s time to release them from the reigns of threats and rewards, and give them a bit more ________ of how they learn.

5 . I’m a 47-year-old teacher. I am so blessed to work in the greatest ________ for 20 years. Despite the ______ schedule and hard work, I finish each day feeling I have made a ________ . This is the drive that keeps me ________ and passionate. As Christa ‘ McAuliffe said, “I touch the future, I teach.”

When I was named Maryland Teacher of the Year, I received a congratulatory e-mail from a former student who is now ________ Georgetown University and is a leader in the student-run Women in Politics group. Recently, I watched a college basketball game to find another former student ________ up and down the court for Georgetown. Walking through a supermarket yesterday, I ________ encountered a former student, who handed me a business card for the company he started, at age twenty-two. Another student said he is in the ________ of applying for law school at Howard University. Believe it or not, I ________ former students with similar success stories nearly every week.

Seeing their success and knowing that I was able to make a small ________ to their success is the greatest ________. Those glorious moments ________ me to continue hoping to play a role in the life of every child. Sometimes, while I am watching my ________ students working in class, I try to ________ what they will be doing ten years from now. I would not ________ my career for any other. I literally touch the future every day.

7 . If the plant could thrive (茁壮成长), maybe I could too, even with cancer.

After my cancer diagnosis (诊断), my friend gifted me a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl. Despite my physical limitations, ______ the green plant became an achievement during a time when I felt ______.

As a family physician used to ______ care, now I was the one relying on others. The _________ change left me feeling unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, ____me to my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver and be ______.

Through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (化疗), I ______ looking after the plant, and it thrived, so did my ______.

But then, ______, its leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. The ______of its struggles made me frustrated and uneasy. I seemingly related its struggle to my own health, fearing it ______ the return of my tumor (肿瘤).

As my anxiety eased, I ______ guidance online to figure out how to better take care of the poor little thing. Following the   ______ found, I transplanted it to a larger pot, allowing more room and nutrients it required. When it returned to the sunny window, we both began to thrive again!

Now, the lucky bamboo was not just a ______item in my home but a representation of life, and the ability to find ______ even in challenging circumstances.

10 . Feeding wild cats in my neighborhood used to be part of my daily routine. I did it out of compassion (同情心) and ________ for animals.

But last month, my favorite cat named Ginger entered a new ________ of life: She gave birth to a litter of cute kitties! Thrilled and excited, I bought them a brand-new cat ________, food bowls and even a large pack of cat food so that Ginger could take care of her babies with a ________ stomach. I placed the whole package of ________ behind the bushes so that they’d be safe and sound.

________, a few days later I found out that what I bought for Ginger was ________! I started searching for Ginger and her nest right away. To my ________, a property manager (物业经理) showed up and told me something that was hard to ________. “I know what you’re ________, ” said the middle-aged man. “Relax. The cat family is ________, and they didn’t need what you bought for them. ”

My mind was filled with questions and anger, but he seemed ________. “Ginger, if that’s her name, is an ________ creature. She can manage herself with or without you. I understand your ________ to help, but you are not going to keep her as a(n) ________, right? Ginger should take responsibility for herself. However, by providing her with every refinement, you’re making her more and more dependent on human beings. You’ve been making life way too ________ for them — and that’s no good for any wildlife. ”

I ________ his point. For Ginger and her kitties, my care and love are a ________, but they may weaken their ________. As a helper, I was doing too much. I should let them be who they really are. A helper doesn’t ________ have to “help”.