1 . Last week, I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked to pray(祈祷) with us. As we _______our heads, he said, “God ,thank you for the food, and I would thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream...!”

At this moment, I heard a woman saying,” That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today even don’t know how to _______. Asking God for ice cream! Why? I never!”

Hearing this, my son burst into _______ and asked me, “Did I do it wrong? Is God _______ at me?“

As I told him he had done a good _______ and that God was _______ not mad at him, an elderly gentleman came to us. He said, “I happen to know that God thought you were a great _______ .”

“Really?” my son asked.

“I’m sure,” the man replied.

Then he _______, “The woman _______ asks God for ice cream but a little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.

________, I bought my kids ice creams later. My son ________ at it for a moment, and then did something I will remember forever. He ________his ice cream and, without a word, walked over and ________ it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, “Here, this is ________you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good ________ .”

2 . I had never picked up a camera before my freshman year in 2012, when my journey to an artist began. For four years, I ________ G-Star School of The Arts, where my ________ for photography and filmmaking were awaken.

Having seen my first short film, my teacher came over, saying: “You got a good ________. Why not consider doing this as your profession. I think you’ve got a ________ in it”. Then, it clicked. I, therefore, ________ my bank account and bought my first camera.

Since then, I was amazed by the ________ the world has to offer. I have to ________, though: I, shy and chicken-hearted, tended to capture nature-related scenes, ________ anything to do with people.

As I was ________ my way, I started photographing myself, the only one I felt ________ with. The camera soon became my strongest ________, serving as the tool for how I expressed myself. Gradually, I gained enough ________ to start taking photos of other people, greatly touched by how I was able to ________ the best in them through the lens (镜头).

Each year, I would look back on all of the shots I did that year and would ________ them to the first one I ever took in my career. Although the progress seemed substantial, I realized the key to growth as an artist is to never be ________. This allows me to create progressively better work year after year.

3 . I have had no interest in football for as long as I can remember. While my classmates played, I _________ to stay in the library. I never _________ the passion for the game and would throw away the sports section of the newspaper, as if it _________ the rest of it. As I grew up, I proudly wore my _________ .

But occasionally, whether in a taxi or when meeting a friend's father, I found myself faced with a _________ opener like, “Terrible season we’re having, eh?” or simply, “Who do you support?” My heart sank, knowing my response would unavoidably _________ them, despite their good intentions.

I realized that my _________ had closed off many conversations, outings, and even potential friendships I might have _________ enjoyed. Although I couldn't change the fact that I found football boring, I began to regret being a(n) _________ .

Then I became a father. I didn’t want my boy to __________ this valuable social experience, so I took him to watch the Lions play. During those matches, we sat close to the field, surrounded by families who had a genuine __________ with the players. My kid’s questions kept me somewhat __________ in the game. Slowly, I started to__________ for the Lions.

During one victorious match, we even met David, the Captain, who happily __________ for a photo with my son. __________, I had an answer to the question,“Who do you support?”

4 . She could have just quit. The race was long ________, and it was raining cats and dogs. But Bou Samnang was running for her country — Cambodia — so she kept going, racing ________ on a track. And for that, she is being regarded as a(n) ________ .

“I wanted to show people that in life, ________ we go a bit slow, we will reach our destination ________,” she said afterwards. “So we should not ________. We should try our best.”

Bou Samnang participated in the women’s 5,000-metre race on May 8 at the Southeast Asian Games, which Cambodia hosted for the first time. “I knew I was ________. The rain was so heavy,” she said. “I had the right to ________ the race, but first I have a duty to ________ Cambodia. So I did not quit.” In a video, the roar of rainfall was mixed with cheers and shouts of ________ as Bou Samnang finally neared and then crossed the finish line, almost six minutes ________ the winner. She clasped her hands to express her thanks to the ________, her face wet with tears and rain as she lifted her country’s ________. The athlete said later that she was disappointed to finish last, but also happy to hear people supporting her and surprised that the video attracted so much attention.

Bou Samnang’s ________ has won over fans around the sporting world, ________ everyone that sports are about more than winning and losing.

5 . People may see different shapes and scenes in the sky when they look up at the clouds. But you need to be ________ enough to turn clouds into art.

Chris Judge, an illustrator from Dublin, Ireland, sees ________ and numbers when he looks at clouds, and he turns them into doodle (涂鸦) art. He ________ illustrating photos of clouds early in the year and posting these ________ online.

It all began in 2020 when Judge was in his garden. He started taking ________ of the clouds and began ________ doodles to illustrate the art he imagined. They ________ various things from sleeping bears to toothy smiling crocodiles (鳄鱼).

Judge then posted his art on social media and the response was ________ positive. Most followers admired his ability to present nature in a (n)________ way. Since then, he has ________ his cloud art every day.

The cloud art is more than ________ expression for Judge. It also brought him ________ in a very stormy time in his life. “My daughter fell ill at that time. Spending some time ________ something relaxing kind of helped me,” he said.

“Now, I am trying new projects all the time to keep my creative juices flowing and ________ people. I think it’s the ________ of humor, nature, and the universality of clouds that interests people,” said the illustrator.

6 . Every weekend my parents give me $100. I bet you think I’m really spoiled (宠坏的). Think again!

It all started when I wanted a really cool _________. I asked my parents to buy it for me but they said I would have to buy with my own money. “But it’s only $100!” I _________. An hour later, my parents _________ there would be a family meeting at dinner.

They _________ the meeting with the words, “We’ve been thinking about how to give you more _________ in our family.” They brought up several “new ways” I could “have more say.” One way was to allow me to _________ for the family. Each Saturday, I was to be given $100 — along with a shopping _________. It was up to me to buy everything on it. Whatever money was _________, whether two dollars or thirty, was mine and I could _________ however I wanted — whether to buy toys, books, jackets, or even a bicycle. My parents’ $100-a-week plan gives me real __________ to shop for the best bargains (特价商品). I __________ prices on every single item on my list before I __________ what to put in my basket.

My parents’ clever plan has turned me into a __________ shopper. Now, when I finally save enough money, that cool bicycle doesn’t just ________ a mere purchase; it stands as a symbol of my __________ success.

7 . During my teens, I was the champion of the sports day every single year, and my mother won the moms’ trophy (奖杯) every single year. Why? Because she was always chasing me to _______ me for various “crimes” I had committed, and I was running _______ not to get my ass kicked.

We had a very Tom and Jerry relationship. She was the strict disciplinarian; I was the _______ boy in the whole neighborhood. She would send me out to buy _______ , and I wouldn’t come right home because I’d be using the _______ from milk to play video games at the supermarket. Lost in the games, time would _______ away until a sudden jolt (震惊) of reality arrived in the form of my mother’s belt-wielding (挥舞) presence. Thus began our _______ race.

When I was little, she always caught me, but as I got older and faster, and when speed _______ her she’d use her wits. If I was about to get _______, she would turn to the ________ weapon, the two magical words “Stop! Thief!”. In my birthplace, nobody gets ________ in other people’s business-unless it’s public safety incident, and then everybody ________. So with her yelling “thief”, even strangers would instantly join the ________, mistaking me for a genuine thief.

Reflecting on those exciting days two decades later, I’ve come to understand that amid the ________ of our wild chases, amid laughter and shouts, my mother and I were deeply ________ by our unique, unforgettable game.

8 . Three years after getting lost in an unexpected snowstorm in Sheffield, a cat named Oscar has been reunited with his family.

After Oscar’s _______ in January 2020, his owner Katie Salt checked CCTV (监控) put posters up around the area and _______ the word on social media. They also reported him _______ to Petlog with whom he is microchipped, and contacted various shelters and vets in vain. In a press _______ from the Kennel Club, Katie said, “We _______ concluded he must have died during the snowstorm, but we still scanned our _______ everywhere, whenever we were out driving, and to be honest this never _______ .”

Three years later, Katie received a _______ from a vet to say that they had Oscar—he had been living in a garden just six miles away! The garden’s _______ had been looking after Oscar and when Oscar was ill, this kind man, who possessed the garden, took him to a vet for ________ , where they found a microchip and were able to finally ________ Katie. Now ________ , he has been enjoying warm cuddles with his long lost family.

Bill Lambert, a spokesperson for Petlog, said, “We’re so ________ that Oscar and Katie have been reunited. Their story shows just how important it is for owners to ________ their pets, keep their contact details up-to-date with their microchip database, and to ________ hope no matter how much time has passed.”

9 . I grew up hiking and climbing mountain s a lot. It was my dad who accompanied me and taught me how to hike and climb mountains. On our first hike, our group ran ahead without us. Dad and I ended up _________ the path toward the top. This was the _________ part of the climb, where we had to climb rocks. I was scared not to have the path to tell us where to go. Mainly, I was afraid that Dad would fall off the mountain when he went _________ to seek for the best way for me to climb up. I was grateful for his _________. He always made me feel like I was safe with him — even when he insisted that we should not _________.

When we were close to the top, we _________ some hikers. One of them crouched (蹲) down on a rock, grasping at branches of a bush. His face was _________ and looked frozen, like a statue. Dad asked what was going on. The man _________ told him that he was frightened of _________. In my 7-year-old mind, I thought, “But, you’re climbing a mountain!” Dad always helped people in trouble. He told the man to __________ him while he led him to a spot below that was __________ by trees, with no view of the valley below. Dad told him to wait there for his group of hikers to come back and __________ him up. Dad taught me sympathy and to help others in need whenever I can.

When we finally reached the top and __________ our group, we sat on the highest point, looking at the breathtaking scenery. I was so __________ we hadn’t stopped halfway. Dad taught me, “Don’t give up, especially when you’re almost there.” This has been a valuable __________ that has got me through some big challenges in my life.

10 . When The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern begins, we meet George Pratt the day before New Year. ______, George finds himself on a bridge outside his small hometown considering his life a complete waste. Suddenly, a ______ man appears. The two characters ______, and we learn that George believes he is just an ______ banker with a family doing the same thing every day, and wishes he had never been born at all. Hoping to teach him a ______, the man grants George his wish.

After the man ______, a confused George Pratt travels back to town. Nothing appears ______ until he walks by Hank Biddle’s tree. The tree should have been damaged from the time George ran his car into it. But in this moment, the tree looks ______. Soon, George discovers the town he knows so well doesn’t know him at all.

As George walks around town, he notices he is a ______ to everyone. Not only that, George learns that the lives of his family have taken a turn for the ______.

First George learns that his beloved brother ______ because George was not there to save him. The loss of George’s brother continues to bring enormous sorrow to their ______ parents. Later George finds out that Mary, his wife, ends up in a difficult ______ to someone else.

George realizes these dark changes may stay forever unless he does something. He returns to the ______ to find the man and ______ for his life back. Once again, his wish is granted. The story closes with George racing back home to embrace Mary and their children on the New Year.