1 . “Why don’t you „act black’?” Since my middle school years, I’ve been asked this question more than any other. It seems to me that too many people have let society ______ into their brains what should be expected of me, a black person, before ever ______ with me. But I believe in being who I am, not who others want me to be.

On my first day of high school, going into math class, two of my classmates pointed and ______ me. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was ______ in my teeth. But as I took my ______, I heard one of the students whisper, “Why is a black person taking Honors?” So my fly wasn’t open. An honors level class had simply been joined by a student whose skin was an unsettling ______ of brown.

Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to ______, or expect me to listen exclusively to “black music.” In seventh grade, a group of my peers fixed their ______ stares on my outfit: cargo shorts and a plain, fitting t-shirt. They called out to me, “Go get some clothes, white boy.”

In one of my music classes, the teacher asked me, “Do you like rap music more?” I replied, “No, rock.” The look of______ on my classmates’ faces made me feel profoundly strange.

I am now in my junior year of high school. I still take all Honors courses. My wardrobe still only consists of clothes that are ______ to my proportions. My music ______ spans from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything   in   between. When it comes to ______ my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best work in   school in order to ______ my goals; and   yet, when I look in   the mirror, I still see skin of that______ shade of brown.

My skin color has done nothing to change my ______, and my personality has done nothing to change my skin color.

2 . At just 14 years old, He man Bekele emerged as the victor of the 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge,___________among nine other finalists with his innovative creation known as the Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS). In___________of his exceptional achievement, this ninth-grade talent is set to receive a substantial cash award of $25, 000.

Bekele’s revolutionary concept___________through a two-minute video, centers on the development of a soap that is not only___________, priced at less than $10 per bar, but also has the potential to reactivate dendritic cells — the body’s natural ___________of the skin — to cope with skin cancer.

Reflecting on his presentation and inspiration, Bekele shared that his childhood in Ethiopia played a significant ___________in shaping his innovative thinking. Having witnessed people work___________under the scorching sun, he couldn’t help but___________how many were aware of the risks associated with long-term sun___________.

“I wanted to make my idea not only scientifically exceptional but also accessible to a broad audience,” Bekele expressed during an interview with The Washington Post. To____________him realize his ambitious plans, he received invaluable advice from Deborah Isabelle, a product engineering specialist at 3M, who____________him with other scientists. Ultimately, the path forward for Bekele’s creation includes obtaining FDA approval.

During his presentation at the 3M global headquarters in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Bekele ____________expressed his vision of turning the soap into a “symbol of hope, accessibility, and a world where skin cancer treatment is within ____________for all.”

Over the coming five years, Bekele is determined to perfect his invention and__________a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering his innovative creation to poor communities, offering hope and a practical solution in the____________against skin cancer.

3 . It was a regular school day, and the air was filled with the usual sounds of chatter and laughter as students prepared for their lessons. Little did I know that this day would soon take a ________ turn, making it an unforgettable day.

As the bell rang, signaling the beginning of our English class, we entered the classroom, completely ________ of the coming danger. The teacher began the lesson, and we were really ________ our literature lesson when, out of nowhere, a loud fire alarm ________ everything.

Panic spread as we understood how ________ it was. Smoke filled the hallway, and a sharp burning smell hung in the air. The neat classroom turned into a mess as everyone ________ to the door, trying to get away from the coming danger.

In all the chaos, I noticed my ________ Sarah looking obviously scared by her desk. I quickly ________ she needed help. Without hesitation, I rushed over, took her shaky hand, and told everyone to stay calm. We went through the thickening smoke together, and each ________ felt like a really long time.

As we reached the door, it felt hotter, and we knew we had to hurry. With hearts ________, we hurried into the playground where teachers and students were making sure everyone stayed sate.

Outside, we took a moment to catch our breath, ________ by the loud sounds of approaching fire trucks. Seeing parts of the building on fire, a sense of ________ washed over us, knowing that we had made it out unharmed.

After everything happened, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events of that day. ________ it taught me it’s important to stay calm when things get ________ and how helping others during hard times matters. It was a day when ordinary students became unlikely heroes, bound together by the shared ________ to overcome the unexpected challenges.

4 . In the hospital the lift opened and I saw my dad in a stretcher (担架), his eyes closed and an oxygen mask over his mouth. He was fastened (固定) _______to the stretcher so that he would not _______.Then, all I wanted was to_______him, wake him up, take him home and want him to_______me with chocolates and kiss me on my forehead.

My dad had an accident in the building site, which caused _______damage to his spinal cord (脊髓).The doctor told me there was almost no_______that he could ever walk again. I was_______.The thought of the pain from which my father, who was so kind, helpful and caring, greatly suffered during the_______made me really sad.

My dad_______ a lot of weight after the operation (手术) and then he was ________ to ICU. But he was sent back home two weeks later because of our __________ of money. At home he was confined (限制) to his chair and my heart hurt so much __________I saw this.

One day two months later, I heard my dad call my name. I rushed out of the room and was surprised to see him __________there, holding the wall, like a__________.Therefore, just as he taught me to__________ in my childhood, I was teaching him. I supported him and __________him to be brave as I was there. At last he moved the first step with great __________.

With three months passing, my dad got better again and my joy was __________.I trust my father because in my eyes he’s really an iron man who __________loses hope. His spirit of perseverance (毅力) will always be a great__________ to me!

5 . At twenty-three, I had no idea that a summer class I feared would change my life and help me achieve dreams.

The class focusing on literature centered on _________ and illness. A few weeks into the course, I realized I was changing my opinion about it _________ feeling scared. It was _________ me to go after my dreams and stop waiting for tomorrow to work towards my _________. As I drove to school one day, I _________ my wish list and realized l wanted to see my name on the _________ of a published book. Thus, I went home, sat down, and _________ what story I would tell.

Recently, I’d had _________ to several news stories about wrongful conviction (定罪). Inspired by them, l _________ I wanted to write about that topic and explore it more __________. Therefore, I __________ a green notebook, where I set out to write the first page of what would become my first novel. Four years later, my manuscript (原稿) was __________ by a small publisher. The moment I received the e-mail, I told my husband the __________ news, trembling and crying.

Even bigger __________ were brought to life after that. I wrote more books and got picked up by one of the five publishers. Life may bring us a big surprise. Sometimes, the things we fear the most will eventually become the things that change us for the __________.

6 . There are some very pleasant moments for teachers.

After_________, I accepted my first job in Coimbatore. Coimbatore, despite the_________ environment for me, became my second home.

One day, there were some discussions on local food and children’s _________. Most of the students started telling me that their favorite food was Dosa, Roti, Paratha Puri, etc. When the_________of Tina came, she mentioned Bholi. I wasn’t_________ of that dish, so I asked Tina to_________ it. All that I could learn from her was that it was a sweet dish. And I could not ask for more_________ because of the language barrier (障碍).

Two days later, Tina came to my office and _________ a bag. She told me that she had_________ asked her mother to prepare Bholi for me. There was a note from her mother, saying that Tina__________ what had happened in the class and that she requested me to__________   the snack. There was another page about the__________ of preparation.

That really__________ me at that moment. Who said that__________ is a boring thing? Having__________ students like Tina was an enjoyable experience.

7 . Students in our school have one thing in common — an interest in sports. According to their different intentions in doing sports, they fall into three groups.

Many students go to the playground when they feel ______ after a few hours of study. These students put much more stress on their study efficiency (效率) than the ______ of sports. They just want to go back to their classrooms from the playground with a clearer and quicker ______. Thus they don’t ______ care whether they can enjoy themselves on the playground. Most of them choose long-distance running, the kind of exercise ______ few real sports enthusiasts like. So this group of students can be ______ regarded as study-oriented (以学习为导向的) participants.

Students that make up the second group are ______ sports lovers. Sometimes they even ______ their studies for a match. They participate in the sport that ______ them most, not caring whether it is beneficial to their health. They may be called fun-oriented sports participants.

The third group want beauty from sports. Boys want to become strong and good-looking; girls want to be ______ and graceful. Those who consider sports the only way of ______ weight also belong to this group. They are very careful in choosing the kind of exercise they do, and are afraid that certain sports may ______ their body shapes. Horizontal bars (单杠) and parallel bars (双杠) are the boys’ choice, and the hula hoop (呼啦圈) is now the girls’ favorite. The ______ name for this group may be beauty-oriented sports participants.

No matter which group they belong to, they all ______ sports. If you look around the campus, you will find that ______ have disappeared, and that there are healthy, strong, clever, and lively students everywhere.

8 . While taking a 20-hour train ride along the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in northwestern China, I had the kind of humbling, educational, and above all else, wonderful ________ with a local that all travelers long for. A young Chinese man ________ me on the train. My ________ friend spoke virtually no English, so I happily took the ________ to practice my Chinese.

Over several hours, he would tell me about how he had ________ a two-year professional school to quickly find a job ________ highways in order to help support his family. Perhaps the most ________, however, was the fact that this man spent hours studying every day after hard physical labor. Without batting an eye, he would ________ a translated Emerson passage before asking about the literary influence of American ________ as a whole. ”And what do you all learn about Russian authors?” I ________ him asking at one point.

It would have been easy to ________ my assumptions about this highway builder who had never been more than a few hundred miles from home. But this highly informed, ________ , and admirable person prevented me doing so. In the course of a couple of hours, he ________ me just how much one can gain from ________ with an open mind, and a willingness to ________ with locals from all walks of life.

9 . Being a mom of five children is no easy task, but being a single mom of five children and graduating law school with honors? Well, that’s absolutely remarkable.

Ieshia Champs is that mother, appearing in her local news, for her _________ story of going from growing up in foster care(抚育院)to becoming a _________ mother to five children to graduating with honors. Champs’ story is full of twists and turns: she herself had a(n)_________ childhood, growing up in foster care, with no stable family, _________ from home to home. At one point, she _________   school and was even homeless in 8th grade. At the age of 29, she had her 5th child and then, a series of _________: her mother died, her children’s father _________ from a deadly cancer, house was burnt down, and she was in despair.

In 2009, at the _________ of the church members who were always supportive, she achieved her GED (General Educational Development) and then, kept going. Although making it through her degree program was a _______________—her kids __________ hearing her cry and working together to make meals so she could have time to keep__________—she kept going.

When she graduated from law school, Champs posed for pictures with her __________, all displaying chalkboard signs that __________ the big day. Champs’ chalkboard read “I did it!” while her children announced different ________ messages that reflected the journey the entire family had been on, like “I helped!” and “We did it!” and “Me too!” The __________ quickly went viral online, sharing her story with the rest of the world.

10 . Years ago, I began to take a job in a small hospital’s emergency department. On Christmas Eve,________wanted to work. As the________member of the group, the night duty went to me.

At 9 pm, the ambulance________a man in his sixties who was having a heart attack. His condition was________, but I did my best and he also hung in there. Before I________ in the morning, I stopped to see him. He had________the night and was sleeping.

The following year, I got Christmas Eve duty________because I remained to be the newest member of the________. At 9 pm, the ward clerk told me there was an old couple in the hall who________ to speak with me. The man________himself as Levin and said, “You probably don’t________me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my________. Thank you for the year you gave me.” He and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift, and left. I was very________ and touched.

The following year a new ________joined the group, and my family was.________that I could stay home on Christmas Eve. ________ , I wanted to see if Mr and Mrs Levin would return. This time, I ________for the shift (轮班).

Once again, the Levins appeared at 9 pm. We all smiled, and Mr Levin said he’d come to see me every Christmas Eve, and that________he didn’t come, well, I would know that it just wasn’t his year.

The last year I saw him, he brought me a package. I________ unwrapped the package and found a beautiful bell inside. On it was written a single ________: friendship.