1 . Born with a serious brain disease, Wesley Wee, a middle-aged man finds it difficult to   control most of his muscles. He is _______ in a wheelchair due to the language barrier and inability to dress or feed himself, so writing a book seems out of the _______.However, as you can imagine, his_______disabilities didn’t stop the ambitious man from spending five years _______every letter in his inspiring book, Finding Happiness Against the Odds, with just his big right toe.And the book will be _____ later this month.“With my story, I want to tell others with disability not to _______ hope. If I had given up hope, I wouldn’t be here today, ”he said.

Growing up, Wesley faced _______ from his own family who were embarrassed about his condition.His mother would hit him and say, “You are good for _______.It is better you die.”His father forced him to do a one-hour _______ every night, in an attempt to make him walk normally.At one point, life became too much to ________ for Wesley, and he attempted to take his own life not once but four times.

________, his grandmother loved him.She cared for him on weekends and ________ he received an education at the Spastic Children’s Association even though his parents thought it would be wasted on him.

Now Wesley has bigger dreams ________ earning just $1, 000 a month and he refuses to apply for government aid. He wants to ________ his own shoe business and hopefully after making profits he can adopt a disabled child.For now, he is focused on publishing his book and ________ others.

2 . William was one of my students. He adored plants but struggled with his reading. After the mid-term test, William’s ______ showed no sign of improvement. Until the last few weeks of the year, when we ______ the life cycle of plants, William excelled. I'd never seen him so ______ in the classroom.

As a class project, each child planted a sunflower seed in one of the containers and ______ its growth. I did this every year, with varying ______. Planting the seeds was exciting for many of the students, the ______ part much less so. It took too long to see results from daily watering, and most kids lost ______ and interest. As a result, they forgot to ______ their sunflowers-to-be.

But not William. Every afternoon, William made sure all the containers were ______ and nurtured (培育). By the last week of school, the ______ were about four inches tall, which really ______ me. In years past, few seeds successfully produced new shoots. And those that did had never gotten so tall. But these were ______. These were William’s sunflowers.

This is what it means to be a ______. At that moment, I knew I didn’t have to ______ William. I’d seen that special seed planted inside him. Others would too. And, one day, he’d start to ______, mature and shine —just like his sunflowers.

3 . Recently, the dog my aunt had been keeping for almost 18 years died of old age. So _________ was the poor lady that she kept telling others not to raise a pet, saying she wouldn’t have had to _________ this much grief if she hadn’t kept the dog.

For sure, the loss of something precious is in no way a _________ experience. But, despite my _________ for her, I was somewhat frustrated about her nagging (唠叨). By saying her _________ words, she was in fact increasing the _________ rather than reliving the happy hours she had spent with her dog, the heartfelt _________ whenever she would stroke (抚摸) its furry head, her _________ nights when the dog was around, and the many other sweet _________ .

I myself have also had dogs that I’ve lost three __________ . But still, I am now __________ another one. Knowing that I will one day lose him simply makes me __________ the time we have together. Having an __________ to have something special before losing it is a blessing. It __________ us that the things we hold dear will not be with us forever, teaching us to __________ the present moment and to live our lives to the fullest.

4 . My classmate Pratik was always painting on paper in spare time. I really wanted to ______what he was doing, but he ______ kept it secret.

One day, during a ______, only Pratik and I were in classroom. One of our classmates came to tell him that our teacher wanted to see him. He ______ the classroom and forgot to put his paper away. Out of curiosity (好奇) I quickly came to his place and had a look. What I saw had ______me. On the paper was painted a waterfall which looked so real that I thought it was going to make me ______. As I was picking up the last paper, the bell rang. Pratikre turned and I put them back quickly and went back to my ______

After school, I tried bravely to______to Pratik. I praised his paintings and he was______ .He said he wanted to become a famous painter and I shared my dream of becoming a(n)______. He wanted to paint the cover for my ______and I agreed. I always shared with him my______and he always showed me his ideas.

Many______passed and Pratik has really become a ______artist but I’m still an unknown writer. I keep in touch with him all the time and I hope our ______will last forever

5 . I’d love to have been a journalist, but I wasn’t _________ enough. I was always able to write a good letter — I just couldn’t stare at a blank sheet of paper and _________ a story. But I went into advertising after university and _________ fell in love with it.

I always had the _________ of speech. I was schooled at the dinner table. My father used to _________ arguments, saying we needed to learn how to make our case. It could get pretty _________. At school I ended up being captain of lots of things, not because I was the best player but because I could _________ people to do things. I learnt that you don’t have to be the most academically _________, or even the most original thinker — _________ is a big part of the battle. No wonder I felt at home in advertising.

People ____________ to stay in one company almost for life; I was always looking for the next ____________ to learn. I got into the advertising industry at Ogilvy, then went to Grey to ____________ experience on the Procter & Gamble account, and to Y&R to get creative experience. It ____________ me new-business director. Later I started my own business, HHCL, which was an amazing ____________.

My next move will be to ____________ all my skills in pioneering work. I know there is no end to learning. I will live and learn.

6 . I used to be the most determined resolution-maker. Every January 1st, I would dutifully sit down and write out my resolutions for the upcoming year. I always ________ big goals, like: In the new year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon! Oh, and be the best parent ever who never ________ my children!

The problem? I never accomplished those resolutions. I’d start out strong, but by February or March, I’d be out of willpower and I’d ________ quietly back into my old habits. Every winter, I’d feel ________ and ashamed, looking back at all of the amazing things…I didn’t do.

Two years ago, I started experiencing severe stomach pain. The doctors ________ a surgery to go in and ________ it out. But ________ I could have the surgery, I found a lump(肿块) and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I started treatment for the breast cancer only to ________ that the stomach pain was from appendix(阑尾) cancer. That’s ________: two different cancers, with two different treatment plans, at the same time, in the same body. It was a lot to ________, and I won’t lie – the next year was incredibly difficult.

The experience completely changed my perspective on my life— especially about what I consider “success” and “failure.” Before, I always felt like I was ________ somewhere, but now ________ being alive and with my family felt like a huge success.

I understand the ________ of having a new beginning, but I learned that you can take the opportunity to start over at any time. January 1st is just a day, and it’s not ________. You can make the day you decide to be a better person a special day, regardless of what the ________ says.

7 . As I had grown up in Belgium, going to university in the UK made me feel _________ and lonely. Although I was struggling, I felt unable to share how I was feeling with anyone and didn’t know where I could _________ for support.

Things were getting harder and harder, and one day I was on my way back to _________ when I had a sudden thought that _________ my life would be a way out. I was in my own world when a lady standing nearby came up for me and said: “Are you waiting for a _________? Are you OK?”

_________ I didn’t say much back to her, the little conversation was all it took to interrupt my thoughts of ending life. I got the next train back to university. The small talk was a wake-up call and made me _________ it’s OK to reach out for help. I spoke to my university and they provided me with a teacher to help. I also shared my feelings with my loved ones. By seeking some timely and useful help and being _________ about what I was feeling, I created a strong support network that I could _________ when I needed to.

When I started working at Network Rail in 2012, I heard that Samaritans provided __________ for staff working in the rail industry on identifying and helping people who may be vulnerable (脆弱的). __________, I knew I had to sign up. I wanted to turn my __________ into something useful and positive, and to equip myself to help others who might be feeling like I did back then. The training was fantastic and interestingly shone a light on the fact that everyone has the __________ to save a life.

So, if you __________ someone who you think might be struggling, try talking to them. You already have everything you need to save a life. Take it from me, starting a __________ can be all that it takes.

8 . I take cold showers. Several years back, the water heater in my house broke, and for weeks, bathing in freezing water was my ________. Although it took some getting used to, I discovered that there was something ________ and energizing. Moreover, the cold shower has changed the way I ________ life.

The worst part about showering in cold water is the moment right before ________ into the water. As soon as you hop in, though, your body quickly ________ to the temperature, and it’s not so bad the rest of the way. For me, stepping into the cold water means ________; it’s getting over the hesitation that comes from knowing I’m about to do something ________.

One of my first “cold shower'” moments came one day in my high school, when I ________ an internship after a career day presentation. One of the speakers was a manager at a large Silicon Valley venture capital firm. The more she talked about her job, the more I became ________. Since I had an interest in economics as well as technology, working at a venture capital firm seemed like the ________ place for me. So, I decided that I was going to ask the speaker if her company hired interns.

As I approached her, however, I was a bit upset. After all, why would a successful business woman offer a job to an ________ high schooler? Still, gathering up my ________, I walked up to her, and introduced myself. We ended up having a wonderful conversation, and even better, she ________ to interview me for an internship. That summer, I ended up having the ________ to work for her firm. My “cold shower” experiences these years have ________ me that good things happen to those who are willing to step out of the comfort zone and challenge themselves for more possibilities.

9 . I devote myself to music because of my grandmother. My mum and I lived with my grandparents from the time I was two until I was eight. And even then, I was at their house before and after school every day while my mother was _______. 

Grandma loved music. It was she that first _______ me to Elvis Presley as a very young child, and once I heard his music, I was truly in_______with it. Most five-year-olds ask for toys for birthdays, but I wanted Elvis’ albums. I would play them non-stop and _______ to the music in my grandma’s family room though my movements didn’t look_______. 

Grandma played the piano and _______ me to sing “America the Beautiful” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. I finally started playing music on the piano, and soon grandma was paying for me to take piano lessons from a lady living in the _______. I would come home from_______ and walk there for my lesson. I _______ took about nine months of lessons, but it was enough to give me a foundation and allow me to continue to teach myself. 

Last month when I came home to visit grandma in the hospital, I brought along my guitar with me. She was in great pain, but the music seemed to__________ her soul. She had me sing some songs and when I started to sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, her weakened voice__________ in with mine for a few lines. That experience was one of the most __________ of my lifetime and one I will certainly cherish forever. I told her of my music career and she was very __________ and said, “That’s wonderful!” I __________ to play for her throughout the week I was home. 

My grandma passed away two days ago. In my opinion, part of her will live on through every __________ I write or sing for her in my life.

10 . When I first heard from my doctor that I was allergic to hay (干草), it weighed pretty heavily on my mind.

I grew up _________ around big open fields and playing with the animals on my friend’s farm. There were no limits set on me as a child.

After I _________ about my allergy, I felt that a kind of _________ had been placed on me. I could never get a rabbit or a pig, since hay is the main component of their diets. I remember that _________ feeling in my stomach when I realized I was so seriously allergic to something that I’d always need to keep the pill within _________.

Disappointment at this _________ was the first feeling that sunk in. With time, _________, I began to see my allergies as a gift.

I was the kid that tried never to _________. I was okay with enduring a six-hour drive in a(n) _________ car with my knees to my chest. I was okay with eating burnt or under cooked food. But this allergy finally let me feel __________ saying “no”. I finally felt free to refuse to go places or do things where my allergies would act up. I didn’t have to apologize for or explain my __________ at the smell of grass clippings. I didn’t have to __________ myself for not wanting to sit on the grass with my friends on summer days while I got bitten.

Yes, my hay allergy __________ some activities, but it’s also given me a broader appreciation for experiences I actually like and want more of. I’m __________ to be getting a dog instead of a bunny. Let’s be honest, a bunny brings you more trouble.

I ought to thank this allergy for giving me the space to be __________.