1 . I grew up in a community of South Indian immigrants. Every auntie I know has a kitchen drawer containing a carefully _______ collection of yogurt dabbas. Dabba is an Indian word for “box”, but it refers to all manner of _______ too.

The reused dabbas _______ storing leftovers, religious offerings and pot-luck contributions. When I went away to university, my mom used to _______ food and send it to me with strict _______ to wash the dabbas and bring them home.

But just _______ every auntie cherished her dabbas, every uncle hated them. Whenever my father _______ about them, my mom would shoot him a look that would surely have killed a _______ man.

Now, I found my way to Halifax, where I’m a physician and have a family of my own. Like my mother, I’m also a(n) _______ owner of an expensive dabba collection, which I ________ with great enthusiasm. No matter how many glass, microwave-and oven-safe containers I have, no matter how beautiful and ________ they may be, I cannot stop collecting yogurt containers.

When I married my husband, an American from Boston, handling cultural differences is surely a(n) ________. The other night, I heard him ________ in the kitchen, and the next morning, I found my dabbas in the recycling bin. I narrowed my eyes a little as I ________ them out, washed them up and replaced them in their drawer. I was practicing my mother’s death ________.

2 . Our son, Andrew, was always very active and loved playing sports. When he turned 10, I noticed he couldn’t run like he_________ . I took him to the doctor but she could not find anything physically_________.

Since then, we began a seven-year_________ for answers. We saw 13 different doctors, but were still left without _________. At the same time, Andrew’s situation was getting_________. He had to_________ the idea of ever playing sports again. Attending high school was even a_________ for him.

One day, we were referred to Dr. Delgado, a neurologist (神经学家), who gave Andrew a few different tests.

A week later, we_________ waited in the exam room, praying for an answer. Dr. Delgado walked in and said he _________ what was going on with Andrew—— I could hardly__________ those words! Andrew had a rare neurological disorder that could be easily__________. Andrew took his first pill that Friday and within 24 hours he was able to stand, walk and run like he had been able to eight years ago. He went to__________ the next Monday—— no one could believe the miraculous (不可思议的) __________ in Andrew!

Because of everything Dr. Delgado did for Andrew, I began volunteering in his clinic. I like to share Andrew’s__________ with the patients, telling them they are in an__________ place and are seeing the best doctor in the world.

3 . 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.

4 . The summer after my freshman year college, I had to get my first job. This was probably one of the _________ tasks I have ever had to do. I had never held a job when I was in high school because my parents wanted me to put all my _________ into my studies.

At first, it was very hard. I filled out dozens of _________ but got no calls back in the first two weeks. It made sense because I had _________ no job experience. All I could _________ was that being a high school graduate and a year of college.

However, halfway through the third week, I finally got a call back from one of the places I _________. We had set up a meeting time, and after my _________, I was more than ready to start working the following Monday. I was _________ at the chance of working for my wages.

When I started, it was very clear that I was not _________. I made mistakes with orders and often __________ sales promotions (推销). My parents made a bet I would not __________ the first two weeks, and I would be back looking for more __________. However, I stuck with it.

After working a while, I got better at orders, and always __________ the cheaper options for customers. A couple of weeks later, I had been told by the manager that I had __________ the award of the best employee of the month. It taught me a lot about responsibility and gave me the __________ of working.

5 . I had a lovely beautiful strange aunt named Margita. She always wore colorful clothing and had a colorful _________ to match. She graduated from The Juilliard School of Music in Manhattan, having studied _________ opera singing. She went on to teach voice at Juilliard and later _________ the world as a member of the Manhattan Opera company.

When I was young, she surprised me with an outing to see the _________ Mary Poppins. We were seated in the front row. Toward the end of the movie, the lead actor sang a cheerful song with _________, “Let’s go fly a kite, up where the air is light...”

After the first refrain(副歌), a background chorus in the movie joined in singing. _________ at this moment, my aunt popped out of her seat, turned and _________ the audience. I instantly slipped down in my seat, unsure of what was happening. Then in perfect _________, she sang along with the chorus loudly in her Julliard trained operatic voice. As she _________ her arms wide open, she graciously shared her gift with all the moviegoers. She __________ and powerfully sang the entire song with the chorus, as though she had been personally __________ to do so.

When the song was finished, the entire audience stood up and gave her a thunderous __________! I slowly slid back up in my seat and cautiously looked around me. My little self was absolutely __________ by her magnificent voice and the crowd’s cheerful response. I instantly __________ from being slightly __________ to feeling immensely proud of her. It was a wonderful surprise, a gift that life sometimes hands us.

6 . When I was little, I spent much time at my grandfather's house, watching him paint all day long. What I remember most was how he _______ painting old ships.

As I grew up, we hardly _______ . I noticed he didn't really _______ much anymore. About a year ago, he had a heart attack. In and out of the _______ for a while, he recovered but was still _______ ,moving around his house in a wheelchair.

Then, I started _______ his house and we began to talk more. We discussed life and our interests. Every time I _______ , he wanted to talk a lot. I figured he was lonely and enjoyed the _______ . Wondering why he didn't start painting again, I made it a point to casually (不经意地) _______ it when I came over, telling him often that he should paint again.

It ________ ! He started sending me to buy paint and poster boards. He asked me about colors and ________ me his paintings. I loved the way he painted the ________ ships. He looked happier. Painting seemed to have brought back some ________ part of him.

Cleaning for my grandpa has brought us closer. Despite his seventy-five years of age, I ________ to discourage him from painting. Days like these are ________ , and I enjoy the little moments.

7 . My wife, Hannah, and I don’t usually keep houseplants. Anything in pots gets either overwatered or underwatered. But after my diagnosis with a brain cancer, with a forecast of merely a year to live, I loved the _________ of having something new and green around.

My friend Mitch gave me what he said was a _________ bamboo plant in a pottery bowl. We placed the plant in the living room window across from the couch where I _________ much of the day.

I told Hannah I wanted to care for the plant myself. Caring for the plant gave me a sense of _________ at a time when I sometimes felt useless. My cancer _________ my ability to walk, and the treatment left me exhausted. As a family physician, I was used to being the one who provided care, not the one who _________ it.

Since my diagnosis, far too often, I had to _________ help from other people. The enormous change left me feeling aimless and unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was,   _________ me to a central part of my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver. Soon, it had nearly doubled in height and its leaves were shiny and lush. Both the tree and I were _________.

Then, __________, it began to show signs of stress. I increased my watering, then decreased it. I fed it plant food. No matter what I did, the leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. I grew more and more __________ and uneasy.

Hannah __________ me that we’d seen houseplants die before.

“If my lucky bamboo dies,” I blurted out, “I might die too!”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the plant had become a(n) __________ of my health. __________ the tree was struggling, I felt increasingly fearful. Its drying leaves, I worried, might signal the end of my life.

Thanks to my wife’s constant comfort, my __________ lessened and I transplanted the bamboo to a larger pot as instructed. I am convinced that if the plant outlives me, it will comfort Hannah and remind her that our large community will continue to nurture her after I am gone.

8 . 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.

9 . I live in a town near Prague(布拉格), the capital of the Czech Republic. Besides cars, bikes are the most important _________ of transportation(运输). As it _________ you to go almost anywhere you want, cycling is a big _________ for Czech people. On weekends, you can see cyclists _________ through the towns wearing helmets (头盔) and cycling clothes.

Some people _________ that living in a town is inconvenient (不便利的), including me. _________, I find life in towns much more _________ than that in big cities after living here for a while. I was _________ given a bicycle by my host family. _________ it is only an ordinary bike, I was still __________ and couldn’t wait to take a cycling trip alone.

One sunny Sunday afternoon, I took my first cycling trip to a village nearby. I cycled for a while, alongside a river. But then, something happened: One of my tires __________. There was no choice but to __________ my bike back home, which took an hour.

I didn’t give up though: One week later, I __________ again. This time, however, there was__________ wrong with my tires. It was a very beautiful town, with a typical Czech castle and a park full of peacocks. People were taking part in a marathon that day. There were also stands selling __________ Czech foods and drinks, such as potato pancakes and beer.

It was already sunset when I __________ to head home, and I saw almost no one on the way back. As the warm breeze softly stroked (轻抚) my face. I felt very __________ and happy.

I believe many of us need a(n) __________ like this to take a break from our __________ life sometimes. So, I really do encourage all of you to take a cycling trip alone, even just to a nearby village. Just look around you, and you’re sure to __________ some hidden beauty.

10 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to college. ________ when her father died in a car accident, leaving her mother to support three daughters on a ________ income, paying for college became out of the question.

________ going to college, Steph found a job, and tried to________ what to do with a life so different from her plan. The ________came from two pages from her English teacher, Dorothy Clark. One afternoon she walked into the classroom carrying a stack of papers titled “Mrs. Clark’s Book List.” It wasn’t homework, the teacher announced, but it could be a road ________ .“Some of you might not go on to higher education,“ Mrs. Clark said, “but you can ________ to learn.”

“I was determined to ________ myself,” Steph says. She studied the ________ and so it began. Each of those books sparked her ________ to learn more. “Reading books is like a treasure hunt,” says Steph. “What am I going to ________ ? How will my heart change?” That made her look for other books that weren’t on the list, hoping to ________ her knowledge.

When the original list ________, she typed up a new copy. And then another. Over the years, the family moved around a lot. Through it all, the reading list was a ________ in Steph’s life, traveling with her even on vacations. Now Steph is 70, and she never did get to college. But she has only four books ________ to read from the list. She expects to complete them sometime in 2023.