2 . “Ding... ding...,” the bell rang. The English teacher came into the classroom with test papers in his hand. All the students shouted. The teacher_________with a smile on his face, “I know there are too many tests for you these days, but the test today is very_________.” After hearing the teacher’s words, all the students sat up straight and _________for the test to begin. The teacher started to_________the test papers to each student._________he finished handing out the test papers, he asked them to begin.

There was not a question but only a small black “X” in the middle of the paper. The students were very_________to see that. The teacher _________ the students’ surprise. Then he said, “I would like you to_________about what you see there. You must finish it all by_________ .”

All the students thought about it hard and then wrote down their answers quietly. At the end of the class, the teacher collected their papers and read the answers. __________ of them described the black “X”. The next day, the teacher said, “Everybody only paid attention to the black ‘X’, but __________ wrote about the white paper.” The whole class listened __________ , because they worried that they might fail the exam.

Then the teacher said, “Don’t worry about the __________ of this test. I just want you to think about your life.” Everyone smiles. The teacher added, “The white paper is like our whole life and the black ‘X’ in the middle of the paper is just __________ problems in our daily life. Do you have some more thoughts?”

Then the students discussed and expressed __________ opinions actively. Finally they understood the teacher and this special test.

Our life is a __________ given to us by God, with love and care.________, we just care about the problems like illness and hunger, and never see that these problems are much__________ than everything else we have in our life.

We should try to take our eye off problems and __________ each moment life gives us. Only then can we start a nice   __________   and find true happiness in our lives.

3 . I sat and waited for Kathleen to speak. “Annie, ” she said, “A food bank that serves the elderly is asking for ________ . I’d like you to organize the event”. “Well, errr....sure.” As I stuttered through my ________ , all I could think was, “What? Why me?”

I walked back to my office wondering where to ________ . This was a time when the economy was ________ . The rise in unemployment forced many of my coworkers to ________ to survive. How could I ask them for more?

That evening I drove home with negativity. Then I remembered a time when my father was out of work. Mom wrote a note to Jim, the milkman, asking him not to ________ any more milk. Two days later Jim picked up the   ________ and left four liters of milk. He wrote his message, which read, “Kids need milk.” The milk delivery ________ as usual and Jim never collected a cent ________ us.

The memory of Jim’s kindness ________ my enthusiasm. Perhaps I’d be in for a pleasant surprise.

The next morning I ________ signs about our food drive all over the cafeteria and on every notice board I could find. Each sign said, “Food drive to support the poor elderly! ________ of non - perishable (不易腐的) foods are greatly needed.”

Within a few days I had to locate empty office space to ________ the massive number of contributions we had   ________ . One of my coworkers, Maggie, made the rounds with me every day from one department to another to pick up the canned goods and other ________ . Though over sixty, she pushed our food trolley around with the ________ of a woman half her age.

I asked her where she got all the enthusiasm. She said, “With the unemployment rate touching 10 percent, I can’t think of a better way to be ________ for keeping our jobs when so many have ________ theirs. Sure money is   ________ . But when isn’t it? People need food.”

As I listened to Maggie, the milkman’s words ________ in my ears, “Kids need milk.”

4 . It was a hot summer day. The sun was shining brightly and all I could think of was _________ down with a scoop of my favorite ice cream. I decided to make a quick _________ to the newly opened ice cream store close by for a mid-day_________.

As soon as I arrived there, I _________ my ice cream in a fancy cone and asked the server to _________ two tubs of chocolate ice cream for folks at home. While waiting for my take-out, I was halfway through my icy treat and was enjoying the view of the two colorfully _________ ice cream flavors, sitting pretty one next to the other. Now that my to-go order was _________, I headed to the payment counter to settle the bill. Surprisingly, the cashier had forgotten to _________ my ice cream, _________ only for the two tubs.

The next few __________ passed by as I __________ between doing what was easy — clearing the bill and moving out, and doing what was right __________ the error. I knew if I didn’t bring the error in the bill to his __________, my ice cream would be charged against his __________. That moment, my decision was made and I went and told him what he had __________. He looked at me in __________ and thanked me profusely for telling the error. Had it not been for my __________ telling the error, he would have been __________. The smile of relief on his face made me smile, too.

I came out of the ice cream parlor feeling really __________ about myself. I knew that day how wonderful it feels to do what is right __________ what is easy.

5 . On my first trip to Ireland, I was drawn by its wonderful scenery and the hospitality (好客) of the people. More than that, I also felt a sense of _________. When leaving Ireland, I made a prayer: Please show me a way to live here.

Once home, I made a vision _________ with the title “Irish love”, which included pictures of the Irish countryside along with a handsome Irishman. I also chose an _________of a butterfly as my personal symbol and placed it in the center.

Back then, I was in my mid-thirties still _________ with a nice career. I had never lived outside of a five-mile distance from where I was born, so this _________ to live in Ireland was pretty big. Whenever I saw the images, I would _________ myself living in Ireland with the lover of my life.

One year later, I returned to Ireland. _________ and perhaps a little bit of hope led me to the small town of Lisdoonvarna County Clare, where the traditional matchmaking (相亲) festival was taking place. Early Sunday evening, _________, I found myself in a small pub. I was standing against the wall _________ I noticed a man entering the pub. It was just like in a movie: He was tall and dark-haired with the golden light of the setting sun __________ around him. It wasn’t long before I felt a __________ on my shoulder and came face-to-face with the man himself—Mike. Eventually, we kept __________ for hours, laughing heartily. This was the beginning of our relationship.

After getting married, we moved to the western Ireland and __________ there. The first day I stepped into the hallway of my new home, I was __________ by three butterflies flying around, which immediately reminded me of the vision board from years ago __________ my dream to live in Ireland.

6 . I wrote my first novel when I was 22. It was a mess. I didn't know how to properly make a dialogue or _________ a plot. Those were all _________ I planned to work out later. I gave the book to my father to read, and within a day he left me a voice mail saying that it was _________ and that I was going to sell it for $300, 000.

_________ , and rather quickly, the book was refused by every publisher in New York. If there were a literary prize for Most Rejections (拒绝), I would have won it. I was _________ , of course, but I knew better than to _________ - writing wasn't an easy job, and if this book wasn't my ticket in, maybe the next one would be. I got back to work.

But the same thing happened again: I wrote books *** and then they wouldn't _________ . Still, my father's faith in me never shook, even _________ I worked a host of other jobs. Some of the jobs, like being a bookseller, were great and _________ to my writing life. Some, like selling overpriced jeans to 12 - year - olds, were only good as far as they were material for future __________ . And they were - because it finally __________ . I sold a book !

I completely agree with a motivational speaker and author John Maxwell's worlds, “Successful and unsuccessful people do not __________ greatly in their abilities but in their desire to reach their potential.” Life's not __________ . It never was, it isn't now, it won't ever be. But do not fall into the trap of feeling you are a loser, you are not. Get over it and __________ with it. And yes, most things are more __________ when you break a sweat to them.

8 . I first heard about several cases of coronavirus infection(冠状病毒感染) in January, but I did not expect the outbreak to affect the rest of the world. Starting in March, it was _______that we should take all the final exams online. It was unexpected, and all university staff and students were _______ .

Due to the disease, most of the school events have been _______ to be held online. I have had a lot more _______ time than before. To _______ time, I learned to follow recipes(食谱) to make _______ dishes. The period of quarantine (隔离) has become a _______ when I can learn some new life skills. Besides cooking, I have been _______ a new hobby—playing puzzles. At first, solving a puzzle was just a way for me to _______ endurance(忍耐) and patience. Then I realized that I learned much more than that. When I ________ 1,000 pieces of a puzzle on the table, I ________ not buying a simpler one. I suddenly realized how ________ I was that I couldn’t even focus on such a simple task.

However, during that time, playing puzzles ________ me how to enjoy simple tasks while staying away from electronic devices(设备)and how to solve problems with shortcuts(捷径).________, I slowly forgot all the madness and boredom of the daily life. Every time I got one piece in the right place, I was mentally awarded by such a minor ________ and I was________ to keep on solving. The touch from my fingertips made me extremely ________. It was surprising and unexpected for me to receive so much ________ from focusing on solving puzzles. I ________ you to put your devices away when you want to improve your mood and relieve stress, and try ________ instead!