1 . Several months ago, a tornado fiercely hit our city without any signs before. We hadn’t ___________for it in advance, so we were just forced to go into our___________actions. I happened not to be in the classroom when it attacked. Hearing the alarm screaming, I rushed___________as fast as I could back to the classroom.

Never did I imagine that we would put our regular_________to use. Never did I imagine that my students had ___________against the wall and crouched(蹲) down on their knees. Their eyes were obviously filled with___________as they asked if their parents, pets, and friends would be okay. I, along with other teachers, tried our best to___________them, though we actually didn’t know what the___________would be.

I couldn’t ___________the tornado anymore. However, I’m very proud of my students who performed so well. In such a(an)____________and dangerous situation, they behaved beyond their ages. Never in my life had I seen them ____________instructions(指示) so quickly, without any hesitation. Though some tears were dropping and some hearts were beating fast, the kids were incredibly____________. I’m extremely proud that they struggled to calm down because of their____________in me.

Because of the tornado, I realized that my job as a teacher meant a lot. Behind every well-behaved students are a long line of teachers who have made it their life’s ____________to educate them with safety, courage, calmness and trust. Though the tornado has presented ____________, I’m sure we can handle them one by one.

2 . My daughter and I were swimming in our pool one summer day. This day was like any of the other days, so I had no way of knowing that this one would go down in our family history as a________we cherish(珍惜)and still________from time to time.  

The sun was setting and the night was________approaching. My daughter________it first—a spider was spinning(纺织) her web at the bottom of the freshly painted blue fence(篱笆)that________our pool. It surprised me that she saw this, and it surprised me even more that she wasn’t________of the spider.  

Instead, she________watched as the spider busied herself in the cycle of life. As we both watched this wonder of nature, a very simple thought________me. I had lost the track of________. I honestly didn’t know how long we had been just staying there and________that spider making her web. But, regardless of whatever amount of time had passed, the truth was that we were________having fun.  

What we had done was to spend time together and________the simple things in life. We talked about how precious our________amount of time is on this planet and how we should________to enjoy the simple things in life like the flight of a bird. The simple things are the ________things in life, even when they include spiders and webs.

3 . Agnes Lloyd’s 70th birthday came, but the day went normally. Her husband _______ many years ago. She had not heard from her children for a long time, which was _______.

The last bell of the day rang. She picked up her _______ and walked towards her car planning to buy herself a chocolate dessert although her doctors don’t _______ it for her age. But who cares? It was her birthday, and she _______ it.

The thought made her smile as she _______ her car when a sudden “MRS. LLOYD!” _______ her. Agnes dropped her purse onto the ground. She looked around and was _______ by what she saw.

Her students were standing there carrying birthday signs. She hadn’t _______ they had prepared such a surprise for her. Her student Christian came over, picking up her purse, and ________ her to the rest as they all started singing Happy Birthday.

As the song continued, tears ________ in her eyes. As they finished the song, small pieces of coloured paper began flying all over the place ________. But that wasn’t the best part.

Some of the students parted and her three children stepped out holding a birthday cake with two ________ that formed the number 70. “Happy birthday. Mom!” They exclaimed together, and that’s when Agnes lost her ________ for the first time.

Don’t forget your parents, ________ your life gets busy. We need to act and remind them that they are loved.

4 . My 70-year-old mother was fighting an 18-year battle with cancer. It was a battle I knew she would someday ________. Maybe soon. And it ________ my heart to think about that.

Mom and I had a good relationship, but we just weren’t ________ in the way I was with my daughter. Mom and I never ________ or said “I love you” like I often do with my daughter. Sometimes I felt ________ about Mom’s love for me.

“I’ve set about quilting, and I’ll make one for you,” my mother announced ________ over the phone one day. I tried to ________ her suggestion as it was too tiring for her, but she insisted.

My quilt was Mom’s last one. A month later, I got a call from Dad saying Mom was gone. A great sense of ________ overwhelmed me -- the pandemic took away my last chance to see Mom and show my love to her.

One day, I decided to give quilting a(n) ________ myself for my daughter. I carefully ________ the fabric I thought she would enjoy, and maybe I was still trying to make a ________ between Mom and myself in this way. Sometimes I’d picture us sitting together in the living room quilting together.

Finally, I got the quilt Mom ________ me. I opened it and what I saw caught my ________. It was exactly the same fabric I had chosen for my daughter! Yet something far more difficult to ________ at last became clear. Mom, in her own way, had silently said those three beautiful words “I love you” I was ________ to hear.

5 . Exercise and I have never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “ You have to find a way to stay _______” or “ You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester. Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that “ Yeah, that’s OK.”

Spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me one day asking if I wanted to go to Zumba with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically exercise dancing to Latin and pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say: “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ about sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just need to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, but it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past with physical fitness, and enjoy staying healthy.

6 . Every month, Zhang Lingling holds a party with her friends in a KTV room. At the party, all the people wear hanfu — a _______ type of dress worn by the Han people — and sing songs that are _______ by ancient poems. “I’m _______ by the clothes, songs and games based on the culture. I’m not buying the items just because they are Chinese — they just _______ my aesthetic (审美的) needs.” She _______ China Daily.

Like Zhang, there are many young people who have a _______ for traditional Chinese culture. _______ the reason behind this fascination with traditional culture, Ji Fangfang, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it’s _______ traditional culture is the best way for young people to _______ their national identity (身份).

________ some prefer inheriting (继承) traditional Chinese culture, others are creating on it to be more ________ to the young generation. Pop culture ________ Yu Yang is one of them. When he made a(an) ________ of products featuring the ancient God of Fortune, the god wore ________ shoes and a cap, and had a microphone in his hand. “Pop culture is a universal language. I hoped more people would accept and love my work and ________ Chinese culture through my art pieces,” he said in an interview with China Daily.

7 . Rebecca Glass was born blind, who is a musician now. The childhood years were challenging in Rebecca’s memory, Some teachers would ______ her and suggest an other place, as they hadn’t taught children with _______. She didn’t get her sheet music translated into braille(盲文) which was ______ for her poor family. Then she had to learn by studying _______. That people identified her by appearance was the most upsetting part when she was young, but now it _______ happens on Rebecca. Despite the difficulties, Rebecca held on. And now with a doctor’s degree of musical arts, she has ________a professional musician.

Her love for performing music _______ her girlhood. When Rebecca was at a wedding, she ______ her flower girl duties and went straight for a piano instead. A photo caught that moment. So tiny is the girl that she doesn’t touch the _______ but she’s sitting tall at the piano. “Since Rebecca first ______ the piano, she had worked over eight hours a day. I could see she had a real _____ for music,” her mother said, “In addition, I noticed her talent soon she learned musical instruments so quickly.”

Rebecca loves chamber music and sees herself as a(n) ______ in the future, teaching children about classical music. Influential teachers also inspire her to ______ the next generation of musicians. She’s trying to ______ a summer camp program, too. And to every child, regardless of physical ability, the camp will ________ .

10 . Today I had lunch with Cynthia, a former student of mine. The go-to restaurant that I use for _________ like this is Merit Vegetarian. It’s a good _________ to vegan (纯素食的) food and everyone I’ve brought there has loved it.

As I was waiting for Cynthia to arrive, I _________ someone saying they needed to go to their car to fetch cash in order to pay for something. When a man of them stepped outside, I spoke to the staff and _________ to pay their bill. As it turned out that it was just for a piece of cake, I asked them to just add it to my _________. I _________ the cashier a Smile Card, asking them to give it to the man. When he came back with his money, the man was _________ surprised.

I thought I had done a good deed, but there were more _________ to come. Cynthia and I were seated enjoying a conversation and our lunch when Bill, a _________ at the restaurant, approached us. He explained that the couple on Table 1 had paid for our lunch, including the pie. Bill didn’t understand why, but I guessed it was just tiny waves of kindness __________.

When we were getting ready to leave, I asked Cynthia to __________ a table so that we could keep the journey of kindness going. Although they all looked __________, she chose one. I called Bill over and said I wanted to pay for their lunch. He was beside himself with joy, smiling from ear to ear. I don’t think he had ever __________ anything like this before.

So far I’ve been able to__________ so much generosity and kindness in action. Whatever the reason, it’s not a coincidence. I really appreciate it and sincerely hope that the act of kindness could be __________.