1 . The greatest sports moments often have a wonderful flow state behind the victories or performances. Being in flow refers to the moments where distraction reduces, and concentration ________ .

It was a _______ summer camp ping pong tournament where I was not only down I set, but 7 points behind my opponent (对手), who had only 3 points left to ________ the set, and the tournament. For a comeback, I had to win at least 10 points, without making ________ !

Facing the desperate situation, I could ________ it a day and let my opponent win. Perhaps my opponent had already focused on the ________, but failure wasn’t an option! Thus, I ________ it out, hoping for the best. I told myself, “Let’s just try and win the next point, nothing else.” ________ deep, I stared at the ball with a clear mindset and keen ________. I took it, hit it back and scored!

5 points to go, 4 points to go... My opponent started getting visibly ________ and made mistakes. Point by point I was getting closer to being even.7-8. I was one point away from doing the ________. My mouth was shut and my eyes stayed ________ the entire set. He made another error. 8-8. The comeback was complete. The crowd went ________! Winning the next 3 points, I managed to win that set. In the last set, my opponent turned restless again. ________ the flow, I ended up winning the final set, and the tournament.

Despite a small game, it inspired me a lot. Not being able to control how our opponent plays, we can _______ how to react. Don’t be there, where you are not. Instead, be here and now! Stay in flow! Be concentrated!

2 . Whenever our teachers or parents asked about our hobbies at childhood, my friends and I would always express our love for reading. However, with the development of high technology, our lives are gradually ________ by electronic screens of all sizes. They attract our attention like magnets (磁铁) and gradually ________ us from the world of books.

There was a time when I felt like my life went downhill, and with increased ________ from school, physical tiredness and emotional burdens (负担), I had to watch short ________ to distract (分散) myself from those troubles.

This situation changed when one day I ________ a book called The Grapes of Wrath by a US writer. When I opened the cover and started reading, I felt like being hit ________ on my head. The wonderful story and beautiful writing attracted me. Although the characters in the book face ________ survival challenges, they still try to live in hard times and struggle for their dreams. This ________ spirit deeply inspired me, allowing me to gradually ________ my confidence in the future.

Now I carry this book either at the dining table or during school breaks. As a student who has a (n) ________ of making films, this book also gave me creative ________. The historical scenes described in the book and the deep human nature ________ within opened a door to the hall of art for me, allowing me to understand that reading can not only ________ the spirit, but also cause creativity.

Why should we choose to ignore (忽视) such ________ like this book? Finally, I would like to appeal to my peers to protect our eyes and minds, and make ________ choices between books and screens.

3 . As an elementary teacher, what I had experienced recently touched me a lot. Last week, my elementary school ___________ College Colors Day, when alumni (校友) and fans show their passion and spirit for a certain university. Bailey told me he wanted to wear a University of Tennessee shirt, but he couldn’t ___________ one. We discussed he could wear an orange shirt to show his ___________.

When the day finally arrived, Bailey was so ___________ to show me his shirt. I was impressed that he took it one step _________ to make his own UT’s label. However, after lunch, Bailey came to my office, ___________. He told me some girls had made fun of the label   ___________ to his shirt. Knowing that he used the resources ___________ to him to take part in the spit day, I decided to make it extra special for him.

I shared the story on my social media and contacted UT to buy a shirt, and what happened subsequently was beyond my expectation. Alumni, fans and volunteers ___________ in response to this story. Packages ____________ with shirts, gifts and souvenirs (纪念品) flooded in. ____________, in recognition of the fourth-grader’s spirit, the university decided to __________ a four-year scholarship covering his tuition (学费) fees should he decide to attend UT and meet admission ____________.

Bailey and I were __________ by the love from the extended community. I am sure this unforgettable experience will serve as __________ for Bailey throughout his life.

4 . We had finally decided to join the Thanksgiving Day Parade (游行) with our five-year-old daughter, Kerry. We never thought what Kerry would take away from the ________, or how it would affect our lives.

We caught the dawn train along with hundreds of other excited crowds. As the train pulled into the terminal (终点), everyone stood, ________ waiting to leave it and head toward the parade route. As we walked up to the entrance to the terminal, Kerry ________ a homeless woman sitting in the shadows, ________ to all except my curious daughter.

“What's that?” she asked. Linda and I ________ each other, caught off guard (措手不及) by the ________ to explain something ________ from the happy scene we were about to ________. We gave a simple explanation and continued with the parade.

The following year, we decided to ________ the parade again. “Can we bring some sandwiches for those people?” she asked. We knew immediately whom she ________. This was a golden opportunity to ________ Kerry's sense of charity; she was teaching us an important lesson. That night we prepared and ________ two dozen sandwiches.

The next morning, we took the train again but there was a different kind of ________ in our family. There was a ________ man sitting in the same spot. Kerry handed a sandwich to him. Then we were off to the parade, stopping along the way to hand out the rest of the sandwiches, ________ one for each of us.

Somehow, no giant Thanksgiving sit-down feast ever tasted as good as those sandwiches.

5 . When I was five, my parents began to place me in a variety of different sports. The first ________ was gymnastics, which was a complete ________. The second was track and field. Track was fun at first, I actually liked to run and I was pretty fast. When I joined the team, the ________ was going to begin soon, only giving me three weeks to ________ for my first track meet.

I ________ for a while and then the day of the track meet arrived. Arriving at the stadium I was ________ to see how huge it looked. Before my race I did my warm ups while watching the other kids run their races with a few hundred audience. The ________ of the stadium was something I never felt before.

While ________ the starting line to run the 400m dash, I started to feel ________! At the starting line, we sat there silently waiting for the gun to ________. In that silence I continued to ________ myself and I felt like I was going to win. The gun finally shot and racers began a(n)________ dash to the finish line. The first 100 meters I was doing great. Then came the 200m mark, and my legs were dying. I was slowing down still trying to run. Alone ________ I was on the track, I still walked to finish line. When seeing my mother, I burst into tears. That race was probably the most ________ one in my life. Even though I gave up running track and field, I am grateful for what I experienced when I was 5 because it ________ me who I am today.

6 . Usually, someone would come up and ask, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” This kind of question is often raised when we have _________ with families as children.

Well, it started out being a cowboy or super hero. Later it was fireman, policeman, lawyer... As I grew older, my dreams of the future _________. Before I was in college, I was asked, “What will you _________ in?”

By then, I had my heart set on _________ a teacher as my father. So, I studied and prepared for that life. I _________ nearly full time on my career. Although my physical disability after an accident prevented me from working full-time, I still insisted (坚持) on _________. I am content that I could realize my dream and perhaps have a(n) _________ influence on someone’s life. My kids are now on the way to _________ their goals, which makes me delighted.

However, for many, there is a “thief”, which goes around _________ our dreams. Sometimes, the __________ will come as a parent, a relative, a friend or a co-worker, but the greatest thief is, so many times, just __________.

We find ourselves just about reaching our __________, and a “small voice” inside says, “You’ll never make it,” “You can’t __________ do this.” “Very few have ever done this successfully.” And on and on the “small voice” predicts (预测) some kind of __________. Failure, though, is exactly how dreams are realized. It is one of the most important tools we have, because it teaches us __________ lessons. And, when we learn these lessons well, we are ready for success.

7 . Dreaming of photographing the world’s beauty, I wrote a travel wish list and hung it on my wall, not expecting to actually go anywhere. However, a local photo contest gave me a _________. I chose the Grand Canyon, one of my bucket list places to visit, since I got my first camera.

The journey was _________, with unique touches like aspen trees towering and lizards (蜥蜴)rushing about. After a day’s _________, I decided to have a good rest and start fresh the next day for the mission to _________ the Canyon’s grandeur.

The next morning, I woke up early to capture (拍摄) the _________. Reaching the overlook, I found an elderly man alone on a bench. After exchanging _________, he noticed my camera and _________if I’d captured any favorites. I _________ shared a couple of photos, not anticipating any further conversation that followed. He _________, revealing that he and his late wife, Betty, visited the Grand Canyon annually for their anniversary. Her __________the previous year marked his first return without her and he spent each sunrise reflecting on their treasured __________. His heartfelt tales __________ me deeply, as I, too, had experienced a recent loss, making the moment __________.

Returning home with numerous photos, I __________the best from my adventures for the contest. This journey taught me the value of chasing dreams, embracing challenges, and __________with others through shared moments, making it a truly enriching experience.

8 . One of my major life-turning points happened during my exchange study in Finland. At the University of Economics in Prague where I studied it was extremely _________ to get on an Erasmus exchange trip abroad since the demand was _________. Everyone wanted to go!

Regardless, I decided to sign up early for my last semester, just to see what the process was like to be better prepared for _________ again in a year. I did make it through all the three rounds and _________ got a spot at a University in Turku, Finland! I was _________. The success brought its own _________, but once you set your eyes on the goal, nothing can stop you.

And I had the time of my life in Finland. I met the most amazing people, traveled a ton, partied a lot, and _________ with friends from all over the world. _________ I was one of the few people there who really needed to pass all the courses and additionally write the papers, I _________ to run on an impossible sleep schedule of four hours per night. But I __________ it! My study in Finland opened up my __________, too.

After the exchange study, I __________ my life in Finland. This adventure led me to choose a life of __________ made up of remote work and plenty of travelling. I couldn’t have asked for a better __________. And it gave me one of my favorite __________ that I can now share with others.

9 . “If after the first 50 pages of a book you don’t get engaged, you’re allowed to stop reading and try again later when you feel ready for it,” my father told me.

My father holds this ______ responsible for his lifelong love of literature. As a busy labourer, he has regarded reading books as an almost sacred ______. He feels a strong, perhaps, irresistible ______ to read frequently and a lot.

I don’t think my father ______ to hand the advice down to me. He’s not the sort to give advice and I’m not the sort to ______ it. But I find it’s the advice that’s delivered ______ that.is most likely to be listened to.

I like this advice “reading first 50 pages”, for the generosity and respect it extends to a book’s ______ and their craft. A reader, it suggests, needs a little ______ to adapt to a book’s particular tone and voice. Meanwhile, this advice gives a person permission to ______ reading. Nobody, it implies, need force themselves to struggle through a book they’re not ______.

I particularly like the ______ advice to return to a book “when you feel ready for it.” It’s a ______ that reading is naturally relational and that the readers need time.

Even when I’m more than ready to stop reading by page 50, ______ the exercise feels worth doing. Just like stopping swimming halfway makes the muscles in my legs ache ______ it uses them in a different way from cycling. But in both cases, it’s a satisfying kind of hurt because it’s a ______ of getting stronger.

10 . “Anybody has a bandage (绷带)?” a voice echoed (回荡) down the dorm hallway.

In the first week at college, we were all _________ some “forgetfulness”. I _________ to bring snacks for late nights. A poor girl in the dorm _________ forgot bandages. We all felt _________, more or less.

Several months before, I sat at my high school graduation party admiring my _________: sewing items, desk supplies, etc.—all well-intended and well-received. They would demonstrate their givers’ _________ over and over during my college life.

But one gift struck me as _________. Medical package? When I _________ it, a small packet of pills and creams lay within the wrappings. I frowned (皱眉头). Who would give that as a present?

I barely thought about that _________ until “anybody has a bandage?” rang out in the dormitory hall that day.

“Actually, I have one.” I __________.

As I __________ the kit, my new dorm-mate struck up a conversation with me.

Soon, more __________ from my dorm-mates for medicine for mosquito bites or a slight headache and so on came. As cold season approached, many needed cough drops. Each girl __________ for a few moments.

The little gift I had __________ initially now led me toward new friendships. As it broke fevers, it also broke the ice, allowing me to meet and __________ many in the dorm building.