1 . 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.

2 . It was a cool, dry summer’s morning. I had just _________ off my son at a sheltered workshop where he worked two days a week. I was heading home watching the sun going through the clouds and singing along to a song playing in the car. My _________ wasn’t very beautiful, but it was_________.

All of a sudden I _________ two deer up ahead in the road. They were _________ down the mountain to get a drink at the river below. I stopped, smiled, and watched them. They looked back at me, so I gently _________to let them go on. Then I was sure that they nodded (点头) at me before going down the _________.Further on, I saw a _________along the side of the road. It was a man _________ help. He was strong, wore a white sweater, and had curly (卷曲的) white hair. He looked like my father. I __________and let him in. We drove on and __________ happily. I dropped him off at a store in town and got a “wish you happy” as my __________.

I headed back home __________ feeling both better and lighter because the man’s words cheered me up.

It was like all persons passing by were __________ at me and this was the start of a very __________ day.

3 . A group of high school and college students from Connecticut have come together to build something extraordinary: fully-functioning electric carts (电动车) for families who may be unable to afford adaptive wheelchairs. They are part of the local “Go Baby Go”, a(n) ________ that helps kids with ________ receive access to self-governed mobility.

“What this is designed to do is maybe for an hour every day let the kid take ________ of their own mobility,” Connor Boman, one of the students who ________ during the build said.

Go Baby Go volunteers learn how to build special electric cart shaped like cars. Local kids in need are then given the carts ________ for each build being usually funded entirely by voluntary ________. The Go Baby Go in Connecticut finished building custom carts for seven-year-old Kelicia and eight-year-old Mosiah. The day the students completed the carts, Kelicia and Mosiah’s families went to New Britain High School to ________ them out for the first time. When each child got into their brand new cart, their faces ________— it’s the single moment the builders look forward to the most.

Mosiah was shaking his head in ________ at first that he was driving, but he got the hang of it very quickly. He made driving the red jeep look so enjoyable that his older brother wanted to try it out. The students who built the cart let him have a try, ________ the cart was specially made for Mosiah, who is unable to walk on his own.

It took some ________ for the other cart recipient, Kelicia, to get used to the driving, but once she did, she couldn’t stop — and her mom, Kechisa Mathis, couldn’t stop ________. As she ran alongside her daughter, someone was considerate to run up to Mathis with a big box of ________. Onlookers laughed kindly as Mathis kept on ________ for Kelicia through her tears.

They may look like cool, red electric cars, but they’re much more than that — they give disabled kids a way to move around ________ with a huge smile on their face.

4 . Talk to any “successful” person and you’ll quickly realize success doesn’t come suddenly. First comes _________, and it takes perseverance to _________ past the discouragement it brings.

Popular actress Meryl Streep has been winning awards since the 1980’s. Yet, she shares a story from before she _________.

Before she earned herself the _________ of “the best actress of her generation”, she had to _________her own insecurities and setbacks. Meryl says, “I didn’t have _________ in my beauty when I was young.” So, imagine how disappointing it was for a (an) _________ actress to be denied by a major role based _________ on her looks!

It was the mid-1970’s, and Meryl Streep was struggling to make a _________ for herself. Certainly the young actress was __________ excited when she was __________ to meet a major Italian film producer. But as Meryl walked into his office, he turned and asked, “Who brings me this __________ thing?”

Had she accepted this __________ opinion as fact and considered herself “too ugly” to ever succeed in Hollywood, Meryl Streep would have never become a __________ name. “I think the most liberating thing I did early on was to __________ myself from any concern with my looks,” Meryl says. “For an actress, worrying about appearance is a horrible, horrible __________.”

Meryl refused to __________ her dream, and she’s since enjoyed a __________ that’s spanned several decades. The actress has won 2 Emmy’s, 8 Golden Globes and 3 Oscars, among many others, and currently holds the __________ record for the most Academy Award acting nominations (提名).

Meryl bravely chose not to place her focus on her looks but on her __________. Failure is part of life. But when we do encounter it, it’s important to fight on.

5 . Barre is a workout that includes movements from ballet and yoga, and it’s been sweeping the world. But it seems that the trend never quite _______ in Malaysia until a new studio, Rebarre, popped up a month ago. Its _______ Carmen has always been passionate about fitness and dance, having spent 15 years getting trained as a ballet dancer.

_______ she loved dancing, she never _______ pursuing dance as a career. Instead, she chose to study economics in Imperial College Business School and graduated with _______.

Because of this, she was _______ by a top consulting company in London. However, Carmen realized there had always been a _______ within her that she would make her mark in the field of fitness. Despite her strong belief, it was still a _______ decision to quit for passion. Thus, Carmen spent a long time _______ her options. Carmen eventually left her job, returned to Malaysia, and __________Rebarre.

But why barre? To Carmen, the __________ of barre is that there is no __________ to entry to barre; anyone can do it.

Although some people in Malaysia have __________ the barre concept, most people are still __________with it and its benefits. Thus, building awareness about barre continues to be a great __________ for Rebarre.

6 . On the morning of Jan. 21st, 2023, I was taking the subway to work as usual. A quiet subway ride felt like a mini ________ from my busy life. Yet I found myself spending that ________ time browsing my endless messages on the phone.

One day, I put down my phone and started writing ________ notes to people who had contributed to a donation activity I had ________. When I got off the train, I was in a noticeably ________ mood. Then an idea struck me that I could write one for every day of that year. As an organizer and consultant, I had no ________ of people I could write to, so I picked out a different ________ for each month to keep on task. January was “charity”, February was …, and I thought of ________ names right away.

In July, my “________” month, I had become good at getting my memories back and ________ people to send my notes to. On the top of the list was Jenny, a(n) ________ chef. She had cooked at my favorite restaurant (It is now closed down). I thanked her and specially mentioned her biscuits ________ into the Roman number Ⅵ for our sixth wedding anniversary.

________, I received a note back from her, ________ “I have never received such a touching letter before. It was ________ expectation and unbelievably thoughtful. And so needed at a time when I’m ________ professionally. Your letter was a fantastic reminder that ________ back is a good motivation for moving forward.”

Part of the ________ of what I did was ________ with people like Jenny — people, who weren’t ________visitors in my life but made a lasting impact. And I wouldn’t have known if I had not reached out.

7 . Once there was a girl named Rose. Rose always felt _________ because she lived in a colorless village where life was black and white. She _________ for adventure, but her life was as plain (简单的) as a brown paper bag.

One day while walking down the street, she saw Eric, a former classmate, in a red car, and he _________ her eye. He looked very _________. He stopped and said, “Come in. Let’s enjoy ourselves!”

Rose was a little _________, but Eric’s infectious spirit and the sight of the car’s shiny red appearance _________ her. They drove off into the sunset and found themselves in a city that was lively and full of _________. The buildings were painted with all the colors of the rainbow.

After Eric drove Rose home, she suddenly realized that she _________ to stop running after rainbows and add some color to her _________ life. She decided to live her life in full color.

The next day, Rose took a walk in the village. She ____________ that the trees were green, and the flowers bloomed (开花) in different colors. She realized that her village was not as boring as she had ____________.

Rose noticed a shop that sold paint, so she bought some and painted her house with the brightest color she could find, She was ____________ the result. Her neighbors were amazed at the ____________ and decided to paint their houses bright colors, too. Rose realized that ____________ things in a different light had made all the ____________.

8 . As a single parent of two, Carolyn had always been inspired to get her bachelor’s degree (学士学位). However, the day-to-day life had ________ in the way. Luckily, her son, Immanuel Patton, continually encouraged her to ________ her degree as he was working towards his own. It _________ they could graduate from university together.

The ________ to graduation wasn’t always easy, with Carolyn ________ that completing her degree on top of working was a _________ at times. Immanuel also faced ________ challenges of his own, at one point ________ a 1.0 grade point average and being placed on academic probation (留校观察).

“I had a meltdown (崩溃), but I got back on ________. My son says: ‘If I can do it, you can do it, too,’ ” Carolyn recalled. The two encouraged one another and ________ completed their degrees.

The ________ graduation came almost 20 years after a promise Immanuel made to Carolyn while he was in ________ to get their degrees together. On ________ day, the Pattons celebrated their joint achievement, standing for photos with the UMGC president, Gregory Fowler.

________ what life looks like after graduation, Carolyn says she hopes to use her bachelor’s degree to ________ a pay raise at work. Immanuel says that he is now looking for a job, possibly in academic advising.

9 . High school is a time filled with memorable events such as graduation proms (舞会). For Josephine, her high school experience ________ due to financial difficulties, before she had the ________ to go to prom in the tough 1961. However, her grandson, Michael Ganczewski, decided to give her a magical ________ during his own senior prom.

When Michael asked Josephine to be his prom partner, she initially ________ his idea, ________ saying she was too old for a prom and Michael would have many young girls to choose from. She was not going to the prom, but she was just ________ for feeling loved. But for Michael, his grandmother was the perfect ________, and then he ________ her. On prom night, Josephine wore a beautiful dress.

Though ________ about her dancing skills initially, she soon discovered that the true ________ of the evening lay in simply being with her grandson.

Josephine admitted she wasn’t too ________ with this generation’s latest dance trends, but she ________ to do her best. Her grandson’s desire to make her feel cherished ________ her deeply. As she remarked: “For the rest of my life, I will never ________ that he wanted to show me a good time. That to me is very ________.”

As if the gesture itself wasn’t ________ enough, Josephine’s prom night ended with a ________—Josephine was crowned (加冕) prom queen, fulfilling a(n) ________ she had waited for since 1961.

This wonderful night, filled with ________ and joy, just showed the importance of the ________ between a grandson and his grandmother.

10 . Hundreds of medical students crowded into a lecture hall in the Bronx, New York on Feb.26, 2024. Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a 94-year-old honorary professor at their college,_________ that she would donate $1,000,000,000 to the college—the _________ donation ever made to any medical school. She said, “Starting from August this year, Einstein Medical School will be tuition(学费)_________.”

Then enthusiastic cheers _________ in the hall, and the students jumped up and _________wildly. The tuition fee of this college is $63,000 per year, and many graduates _________over $200 , 000 in debt at the beginning of their _________.

The college stated that _________ Gottesman's donation, all students in the school will no longer need to _________ any fees starting from this term.

David Gottesman is the __________ of First Manhattan, a Wall Street investment firm, and a close friend of Warren Buffett, the stock god. The __________ between the two began in 1963 and lasted for decades. Under Buffett's guidance, Gottesman __________ a significant amount of valuable shares.

In 2022, David Gottesman passed away at the age of 96. Ruth was __________ shocked to learn the exact size of money __________ her husband died. "I was surprised to find that he left me a large fortune," she recalled. The will left by her husband is very __________: "Use it to do anything you think is right."__________ with this huge money, she hardly hesitated and decided to donate it all to Einstein Medical School. She said that all her children supported her __________.

She also expressed her hope to __________ outstanding students who were __________ hesitant to apply to Einstein Medical School due to financial reasons by __________ tuition pressure.