2 . I have been adopted by an American family since I was fifteen months old. Growing up in the second-whitest county in California, I had little interest in my ________ as an adopted Chinese American. After I moved to Tucson, my curiosity about my identities ________ as I was exposed to a larger Chinese population there.

During my four years at Northern Arizona University (NAU), I took two years of ________ language courses, which was a major marker in my adventure to ________ myself.

Through my class, I was introduced to the NAU Chinese culture club, where I ________ my knowledge of Chinese culture and connected with international students from China and students who were deeply ________ Chinese culture.

Then I had an opportunity to study abroad in Hong Kong for a year. Surrounded by mainly people who looked like me, I did not feel like I ________ as I usually do in the US. I became ________ connected to Hong Kong and its ________. The experience ________ me to find beauty and ________ in the complexities (难题) of holding many identities.

After returning from my ________ abroad, I started to volunteer at the Education Abroad Office at NAU. I ________ my experience and encouraged other NAU students to go abroad, as it was such a ________ experience and enabled me to better understand myself. I’m ________ to call myself an adopted Chinese American.

3 . To adapt is to move ahead

That was the afternoon when I knew I would never swim. I remembered how my weak neck _________ and my head slipped under the water, flooding my ears and nose. My _________ didn’t feel like it was mine. I lost control.

Spinal muscular atrophy（脊髓性肌萎缩症）, a genetic disease, causes severe _________ in my limbs. I’ve never been able to stand or walk since I was born, but in the water, I was _________ and could move freely.

Swimming had once _________ a lot to me, but after spinal surgery to try to fight the illness, it became _________ difficult. Visiting the hydrotherapy（水疗）pool was a desperate _________ to return to the water.

When the moment arrived, it was _________. My tears weren’t just because of the loss-they were a（n）_________, too. I made the decision: I was never going back in the water again.

Like other people with disabilities, I often feel societal pressure to __________ myself. __________ that swimming was unsafe and uncomfortable was a tough lesson about accepting the limitations of my body.

I had to find other ways to connect with the water and my loss. Swimming is now __________, but I still take ________ from seeing my family and friends in the water.

Swimming was the first big physical __________ in my life, and I know there will be others. Everyday tasks, such as cleaning my teeth or feeding myself, may become too difficult as the years pass. I’ve learned it’s OK to __________ what my body could do before and find ways to adapt and enjoy what I can do now.

5 . Julia Jarman’s family was upset when she was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. But soon, her grandson Vigil made a plan to fill Jarman’s last days with an unforgettable ________.

When Vigil’s high school prom (舞会) was ________ his sister said, “Why don’t you just take grandma to the prom?” Hearing his sister’s ________, the 17-year-old immediately remembered that Jarman had ________ been to a prom. But his school had a(n) ________ that students could only have partners under 20, so Vigil first ________ the principal (校长) of his school to ask him if he could bring his grandmother. Luckily, the principal gave him ________. Excited, the teenager asked his grandma if she would like to ________ the first prom of her life, and she ________ the invitation.

As other teenagers walked into the prom with girls of their ________, Vigil entered with his grandmother on his arm. At first, Vigil wasn’t sure how his schoolmates would ________ to watching him dance with Jarman. Later, he was ________ to see everyone welcomed her.

The DJ played Jarman’s favorite song. Vigil recalled the ________ moment. “She almost had me crying as she was singing it along with me while we were dancing.”

Vigil’s mother felt proud of him for making a(n) ________ to please his grandmother. The teenager said, “My grandmother is my best friend: I just wanted to do something ________ for her.”

“That night was wonderful.” Jarman revealed

7 . My name is Maggie and I am a big red maple tree in the center of Central Park in New York. Every part of me is _________ shaped. I love seeing all the people _________, stare at me, and say “That tree is beautiful!” Those _________ make me feel special.

One day, I see a big storm _________ my way. I can hear all the frightening sounds nearing, but the most frightening one is the sound of almost half of my bark being torn off. I feel _________. What will people think when they walk up to a worn-down tree in the middle of Central Park? Will they cut me down? This _________ makes my branches ache.

Hours later, when the storm _________, a nice opossum family comes to me and asks _________ they can spend the night in one of my holes. The baby opossum is so cute that I can’t _________. Soon, round two of the storm comes. It __________ another part of my bark, but it doesn’t __________ me as much because I have a distraction: the opossum family. Other animals see my __________ act and come to me, too. Even though I feel great for __________ all the animals, I still haven’t completely forgotten about what people might think about my __________. Beyond all expectations, people love me even more for protecting all those animals from the terrible storm. This serves as a __________ to me that “beautiful” doesn’t always refer to looks.

8 . I’ve had the opportunity to look after my mother a lot recently. I want to _______ the experience, in hopes that others can be _______.

A couple of days ago, my mom had to have an operation to _______ a tumor (肿块), which, _______, is right on her face. With all the _______ I could gather, I stayed with her throughout the operation, and then continued to stay by her bedside for the next two days, as she _______ in the hospital.

She seemed in good _______, despite the pains from the operation. I really tried to keep her _______. We talked happily about funny memories, and I did everything I could to put a _______ on her face.

After the doctor said it was okay for her to return home, I took her home, and have since been taking care of her in whatever ________ way I can - cooking her food, doing housework, and changing her bandages (绷带).

Like a lot of mothers, she ________ that she should do all these things on her own. And of course, I’m sure she can... but I won’t ________ her. I really think it’s good for us to help people close to us, even if they demand to do things on their own and ________ our help.

I’ve learned and grown so much from the opportunity to ________ my mother, and I wish everyone the opportunity to help someone ________ you.

9 . Two friends were walking through the desert. Once they had reached the oasis, they decided to rest and recuperate (恢复) before continuing their journey through the vast desert. During some point of the journey they had a (an) _______, and one friend raised his hand and slapped the other one in the face angrily. The one who got slapped felt _______, but he did not say anything. _______, he wrote in the sand: “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking until they found a (an) _______, where they decided to take a rest and a bath._______, the one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, hoping that his best friend would come to his _______. His friend saved him instantly. After he _______from the near drowning, gasping for breath, he _______ hard on a stone: “Today my best friend saved my life.”

_______ filled the air as the friend who had both hurt and saved his companion observed the ________ actions and reactions. Then he asked his friend, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?” The other friend ________, “When someone hurts us but not in an evil manner we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever________ it.”

And so, their journey continued. Together, they ventured forth, reminding each other to cherish the ability to forgive, to recognize and honor acts of kindness.

Truly, it is unavoidable that ________ religion, color, or race, ________ and arguments will arise in our daily life, but it is ________ to keep it in mind to let the “winds of forgiveness” blow away the hatred, while keeping a heart filled with kindness and gratitude as we continue our journey of life.