1 . Do you think you are too old to do something? Just go online and ________ the video of John Harrison doing the 50m backstroke in 2014.

He ________ the 100-104 years world record by 15 seconds! Yes, you read that ________. The 100-104 years group! A time of 1:29.78. The first ever British man to set records in that age group. The applause (掌声) is long-lasting and heartfelt from all the crowd. A(n) ________ moment.

John loved swimming. He still tried to keep ________ by swimming in his last years before he passed away at the age of 105 in January 2020. Many of John’s friends speak ________ of him saying he was a “wonderful man”.

John was born in Farnborough on 25 July, 1914. And his ________ in swimming was unusual. “When I was five years old, on the way home from school, I came across a small pond,” he said ________, “so I went swimming. It taught me two things. One, to swim; and two, not to drink the water.”

“My parents ________ two years later that I was still doing it. They were ______ at first. But their anger soon ________” when I said, “I didn’t get asthma (哮喘病) last winter. They then bought me a costume and ________ me swimming skills.”

However, John didn’t start swimming ________ until his wife told him to stop teaching swimming and life-saving classes and ________ the sport for himself at the age of 79. From then on, he didn’t look back and was full of praise for everyone who ________ him during his successes.

2 . In 2005, Rachel O’Neill, of Rockwood, Michigan, was working full-time as an assistant in an engineering company. While _______ in a local charity, she’d never done any global volunteering. But after a travel in Africa for her fiftieth birthday, followed by a trip to Malawi, she said, “I felt I had to do something more.”

She was struck by the heavy work done by girls to _______ their families. “I wanted a way to honor them,” she says. She _______ a few women at her local church to make 1,000 simple _______, which were _______ to girls in Malawi.

Rachel _______ her goal that first year. As word spread, donations _______ in. “Dresses started coming every day from all over the country!” Rachel says. In 2008, without any _______ , she started a nonprofit organization called Little Dresses for Africa, with a goal of getting simple homemade dresses for girls(and pants for boys)in _______ communities, where people hardly change their ________ for a year.

So far, more than 10 million dresses have been donated to children in 97 countries, including the United States, though Africa remains a focus. The nonprofit runs a distribution center in Malawi and works ________ with community leaders there to distribute donated dresses and pants, which have proven the key to keeping girls in school.

“Nearly half of Malawi’s population is under age 14,” Rachel says, “We are ________ meeting their needs. For dress designs and donating information, go to littledressesforafrica.org. We only ask people to make high-quality, colorful clothes. ” She also asks for money to ________ shipping costs, estimated at $2 a dress. ________ donations have allowed Little Dresses for Africa to address other needs, including building more than 85 wells and two primary schools. “I couldn’t have done any of this on my own,” Rachel says, “But when you step out in ________ , miracles(奇迹)may happen.”

3 . My first job was at a fast-food restaurant called Carroll’s in my hometown. One spring day my next-door neighbor _________ me to apply for work with her there, and I agreed to have a try.

One little _________ was that I wasn’t 16 yet, so I just changed my birth date on the application from July to _________. Luckily, they didn’t ask for any ID to prove my _________, because there were few applicants for the job. Both of us were _________.

The pay was _________, only $1.60/hour with no tips. I worked at the _________ and only boys were allowed to work in the kitchen. I got a chance to make milkshakes, though, which I considered kind of fun. I also _________ the relationships with all the other workers, who were mostly easy-going teenagers.

It was great to _________ different diners. The restaurant was located on a __________ entryway into town, so all kinds of people came in. One day a man in plain clothes __________ but ordered many signature dishes. When he came to my counter to check out, I was __________ to find he was my idol.

Besides __________ about my age, I also failed to inform the manager that I was leaving in June to attend summer camp, so my first job only lasted a few __________. It has been long gone, but the __________ in the restaurant remains a sweet memory of my life.

4 . Jenny Johnson felt so lucky being a city girl and living near a riding stable (马场). She had always ______ horses. Her favorite one there was called Star because the horse had a star on his head.

One afternoon, Jenny found her father sitting on the sofa, looking very ______.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” she asked.

“Nothing, honey. Your mom and I were just making some plans.”

“Plans for what?” she asked. “Well, sweet heart,” her father said. “We’ll start a ______ life together. You see, we are moving to a small town in Michigan in about three ______. I’m going to have my own business.”

“But that’s so far away from...”Jenny said.

“From your ______--true,” her father cut her off. “But you can have your new friends.”

“But ... what about Star?”

“There will be other horses, Jenny.”

Since it was already ______, Jenny said no more. In the following weeks, she never went near the riding stable because she thought she was ______ to see Star. It was quite a shock (震惊) when she ______ got there to find the horse gone. Soon it was the big day - the Johnson family moved out of their house and Jenny never ______, just ahead. When the family arrived at their new home, Jenny couldn’t believe her ______. There were many trees around the house and a little dog was waiting at the door. Jenny’s room was so large. She looked through her window and saw two cats in the backyard. So many ______!

Then she noticed a barn (畜棚)! ______ she walked towards the barn, she heard a sound. She listened again, and ______ ran as fast as she could in the direction of that sound.

Star! She ______ to see her parents standing right behind her. “Mom, Dad,” she shouted excitedly. “My Star, he’s here! You brought him here, didn’t you?”

“You are right, Jenny. Now ______ new life will really be complete.”

8 . I nearly dropped the phone._________listening to my daily complaint, my friend suggested I try practicing more gratitude. Hadn’t she_______ what I’d said?

She told me to _______a small notebook, the kind used for writing grocery lists or daily tasks, number each page from 1-10, and write down ten things I was _______ for. She also warned me that I might have difficulty finding ten in a single day at first, “Just _______ it,” she said.

I had exactly the sort of notebook she _______ , so that evening, I numbered the first page and tried to _______ten things I could honestly be thankful for. She was _______ . It was hard at first. I was _______to run out of blessings halfway through.

The next night, I had to ________ and list ten more. My first notebook ended up with big ________ between dates though I struggled to fill them. My friend’s ________ for focusing on each day’s experience gave me a framework to use. Rather than list “big-ticket” items, I began to search for small, specific pleasures I had ________ noticed.

More than seventeen years have passed, I still write out my daily blessings. I start my list with these simple words, “Tonight, I am grateful ...” Tonight, my list will include the chance to share this ________ for possible publication, knowing that someone who reads it may be ________ to start gratitude lists of their own.

9 . Ever since I was young, my parents and older brother have always cheered me on―whether it was at a dance competition, piano recital(独奏会), or an academic _________. They were there even when I _________ 1 of 10 sports, only to later realize I just wasn’t that _________. Point is―they never _________ to tell me I couldn’t do something or to quit. They _________ me every step of the way. They went the extra mile to be the parent that was the _________ soccer coach. They sometimes would _________ their busy schedules for my passions and growth.

My family became a(n) _________ value through these childhood moments, and are also _________ to every other value I hold important―whether it’s learning persistence(坚持) or __________ for others. They have instilled(灌输) in me this sense of __________ from a young age, and continue to help me __________ it. At every major __________ point in my life whether it’s choosing a college or a full-time job, I __________ them for their advice, and consider how to __________ this value while being away. In 5 years, I know family will be of equal importance to me and will always struggle to make it known to them that they are my greatest value.