1 . I have the bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book to see how it ends while I’m still in the middle of it. This habit_______ people around me. Often my_______wouldn’t be confined(局限) just to the books I read but also to what others were reading as well. Finally, one day my daughter told me with a little anger. “Dad, please just read a book one page at a time like everyone else!”

At times I didn’t limit this bad habit to just reading books either. I also tried to skip ahead in my life and _______ what to do months and even years from now instead of_______each day as it is intended. I knew that the book of my life wasn’t done yet and that I had many _______ left to go._______ , that didn’t stop me from trying to write the _______half-way through. Time and again, I would_______ jump ahead and try to solve every potential problem before it happened so I could reach that storybook happily ever after ending. Life, however, doesn’t _______like that. It loves to surprise us, and you never know what new problem or opportunity each new day will bring.

Life has often had to ________me to slow down. Recently, when I found myself________to that bad habit of rushing ahead and living in the__________again, I felt a special voice gently telling me, “Live one day at a time.” Then I smiled, and turned the book of my life back to the________page. Each of us has to live the book of life one page and one day at a time. Each of us has to write it________and moment by moment. We have to trust that it will bring our________to its perfect end.

2 . For a teen running in his final cross-country outing before graduating from high school, his personal best wasn’t about marking the fastest time but something more________.

When he came out of the blocks that day, Brandon Schutt knew if his ________ was good enough, he still had the potential to ________ the upcoming state meet. A mile into the 3.1-mile race, though, Schutt felt bad. Instead of risking injury, he ________ to a comfortable pace.

________, Omaha Burke High School student Blake Cerveny was also running. Aiming to beat his own personal record, after a fast start, he continued to ________ himself hard. Suddenly, Cerveny’s legs cramped (抽筋) up and ________ him. But determined to finish, Cerveny rose from the track again and again. However, about 100 meters from the finish line, he lay curled (蜷缩) on the ground. His legs had simply ________.

At this time, Brandon Schutt was at his side to offer a ________. His first attempt to get Cerveny up failed, but like Cerveny, he also refused to________. With a second ________, Cerveny was on his feet. At a measured jog, with Cerveny holding Schutt for support and Schutt helping Cerveny maintain ________, the two completed the race together. Schutt even ensured the injured runner crossed the finish line first, ________ his opponent a faster time.

In today’s competitive world, it was ________ to see that for an athlete like Brandon Schutt, the ________ of true sportsmanship still had legs (会长期受到关注).

3 . I was at the bus stop, on my way to the lab where I was a postdoctoral (博士后的) fellow. It was ________ like any other morning. But something began to ________ inside me as I watched the people around me - headphones hanging from their ears, eyes ________, unsmiling faces. They looked ________. And I realized I was one of them. Suddenly, I could no longer ________my work life and booked a one-way ticket to fly home.

Over the years, I had grown more ________. Those who could have been cooperators became competitors I ________. But the effect of this competition was exactly the ________of what I had hoped for. So I began to feel alone and ________. I became less and less productive in my scientific work. I ________ my breaking point that day at the bus stop. The ________ had to end. I emailed my professors, explaining that I had put the ________ first and myself second for too long.

Back home, I ________ my family and friends about my problems. I also started to receive some emails from my ________ — I guessed they expected me to join them again soon. After a few ________asking how I was, in the emails many expressed their stress of academic (学术的) life. Delicate researchers were ________ their heads out of their shells (壳). I understand that we all ________ sometimes, and that fragility and cooperation can be more ________ than competition. In fact, it can be a________instead of one where one side gains while the other side loses. Working with others and ________ help doesn’t make my contributions unimportant; it means we can all succeed.

7 . In the August sun, it’s unbearably hot in my car. I’m in Vancouver, ________ the Knight Street Bridge as I try to get home after work. ________ is already slowing down and then it comes to a full stop. I’m ________ even before getting on the bridge.

Ahead of me is a heavily jammed road. I stare at the endless rows of ________, depressed. But I stay ________. When the cars do move, I move carefully, making sure not to crash into other vehicles. Finally, I make it onto the ________. The traffic is still ________ forward at a snail’s pace. Tired and hungry, I become very anxious.

Just then, I hear a faint sound ________. The sound gradually becomes louder, until I can ________ it as an emergency vehicle approaching from behind. What do we do? The bridge is ________. There’s no room for us to move.

But I’m wrong. Every single car quickly, yet carefully, moves to the side. Without thinking, I ________. The lane remains open for a few seconds during which the ambulance ________ through.

Afterwards, every car moves back into formation (队形), and we continue our patient ________. I forget my exhaustion and hunger. My anxiety is gone.

How did we do that? Despite our exhaustion, we collectively decided to help the stranger who needed the time more ________ than we did. We drew on (利用) our sympathy and intelligence, requiring no ________. Together we could make the impossible possible.

8 . I was sitting on a long, black, folding medical table. Beside me was a woman _________ the cold change the weather had taken recently. In the corner Christmas music was being _________ as the holiday was just _________.

I took a drink of lemonade so I wouldn’t get too _________. I looked around at all the other people. Each one of us had a _________ in our arms with a long tube (软管) running down from it to _________ a plastic bag below. Each one of us came to give a precious gift to _________ others, make the world a better place, and perhaps even save a life.

It was a blood donation activity _________ by the community. To get there, I had_________ my way across the snowy roads. I tried never to __________________ one activity in the wintertime. Despite all the time it took, I felt __________________ being able to give this gift back to others. I had been __________________ so much in this life; a loving family, many friends, sweet pets…

The gifts were all wonderful, yet the one thing that brought me more __________________ than anything else was giving something back. You see, in this life nothing brings you as much joy as taking your place in the great circle. In this circle you __________________ and you give. The more you give back, the more you get.

There are so many gifts you can give in this life too; a kind word, a few dollars, an e-mail, and even a pint of blood. Each one of them is __________________ and precious. May you fill your life with Love.

9 . The stage lights dimmed, and I took a quick look from behind the heavy black curtains into the audience. Blinded by the lights, I quickly _______. It seems that a great number of eyes were looking at me. I took a deep _______ as the music of my dance began to play. I entered the stage and began my _______ , the graduation test of the classical Indian dance. After a decade of learning this art form, I had _______ been considered ready to take on the most difficult act. The test is the most important event in a dancer’s life as it pays _______ to all the factors in one’s life that _______ the dance form: one’s culture and family.

The performance is undertaken only by the most _______ and determined students. It is a difficult process that requires much _______. For more than six months, I spent two to three hours every day _______ these dances. Many times, I ________ myself to my physical and mental breaking point, but still I would not stop. I could not give up. There was always so much more to do and so much more to ________.

I ________ a lot about myself in those tiring hours. I learned that I was far too ________ to give up, and I was too proud to prove myself ________ after I had set an unrealistic goal. Even with physical pain and mental ________, I forced myself to meet my expectation. Fortunately I made it.