1 . Our church has a way of assisting those who have financial difficulties without making the receiver feel shame or guilt by dropping money into an offering box with only the name of the receiver on the envelope. The envelopes are then distributed to those members without them knowing the _________ of the giver.

There came a time when my husband and I were among those _________. We did not talk about our financial difficulty with anyone. The only reason our _________ knew was because we had to cut back on many things._________, we hoped they were not aware of the extent of our need. We did not want to _________ them with a problem they were too young to do anything to solve.

Our situation wasn’t improving, and just as we reached the point of _________, our church gave us a gift envelope left in the offering box. We were ___________ to receive a big sum of money, enough to help us _________ that desperate time. We couldn’t help but wonder who had given such a generous gift.

A year later, our seventeen-year-old son was applying for a student loan so he could _________ university. It was then that we discovered that his savings account was almost __________.

His father and I were very disturbed by this. From the time he was nine years old, he had worked very hard for his small __________. I asked him repeatedly to tell me where the money had gone. At first he would not tell me, but I would not let the matter __________.

Finally, in tears, and with much __________, my son admitted that the year before he had put his savings in the offering box for his father and me. I stood there __________, tears filling my eyes. It had taken my son years to save that money. He had given it to us __________—without telling us what he had done.

2 . 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.

3 . Dreams are like stars. You may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to success.

My daughter had talent for acting. When Alex was accepted into New York University’s musical theater program, I_________the dress I’d wear to her Broadway debut(首秀). But now she decided to be an exercise instructor. It was_________for me.

“I thought_________at gyms was just to pay the bills until you got your big break?” I asked when Alex_________her full–time job at a gym called Equinox in New York City.

“Acting was my childhood dream.” she explained. “I loved_________,but my adult self wants to help people be _________.

Even after Alex earned her personal training certification, I still couldn’t accept her_________.

When the COVID-19 crisis shut New York’s gyms, and Alex returned jobless to Richmond, my_________of working on her acting website was rejected. Instead, she launched online kettlebell classes and rounded up clients using social media. Her_________took off, and our house became her virtual studio until she returned to Manhattan in August 2020.

One day I signed up for her private sessions. In between dead lift(拼全力一举) sets, I asked, “What are you doing to find a real job?”

Alex pointed to her waist,__________my form. “Mom, this is my__________. I’m growing a business.” And she was. Soon she was making more than what she ever did in gyms and had total__________of her schedule. I was one of many who__________from her patient encouragement. Over time, my lower-back pain disappeared and I could lift a heavy box__________. Through my training, I learned she knew the right__________for her.

4 . Charles has faced a lot of obstacles in his 87 years of life but he is not giving up or slowing down any time. He has always had a______ passion for riding motorcycles, and it is what he passed down to his son, Jack. But a hit-and-run in 2016 ______ to take their shared interest away.

Charles was left disabled, and he spent eleven______ in the hospital. But even an accident this______ could not keep Charles down for long. Upon getting out of the hospital, he started looking online to find something he could ride.

With loads of time, research, and hard work, Jack finally found ways to get Charles back on the______   again. He didn’t just______ there-he went on to help others like his dad with his own______ , which he named Charles Mototrikes,selling adaptive riding equipment.

Charles has confronted even more barriers, his latest one involving cancer.______ ,this incredibly close family has found a way to once again do what they always do:______   the good. One way they’ve done this is by having a fun gathering with friends and family before Charles begins his cancer ______   in the hospital. What______   way to spend their time together than by going on a 100-mile ride______ the Green Mountains in Vermont?

This gathering is also a way to______ what Charles has accomplished and ______   in his life. “Never give up,”

Jack said, “Look at him, 87 years old and still______ . You can’t beat that.”

5 . My parents and I never really saw eye to eye on anything. When I was young it was just the ______ stuff — the length of my skirt or the movies I wanted to watch. _______, as I got older, I found that there was a lot more that we didn’t ______ — my choice of friends or what I wanted to study at university.

I went to university in another city at 17. ______ home has totally broadened my outlook (看法) on the world and has changed my opinions on lots of ______. I’ve encountered many amazing people with different experiences. My circle of friends includes people with ______ beliefs, values, cultures and different ways of approaching life. But the great thing is that we respect each other’s ______. I’ve learnt to question what I’ve been taught and not always agree just because that is what “everybody else” ______ .

When I went home to visit my parents the first couple of times, I found it really hard to ______. I found it hard to deal with not being able to _______my opinions as freely as I did when I was away from home. It was really upsetting. I used to get angry that my parents weren’t in ______ of my opinions. Now, I gradually realize that ______ I want my parents to respect what I say, I have to ______ their views. While it is ______, once I make an effort to respect their values, it is not a ______ to get along with my parents.

6 . “Never give up! Never give up!” chanted (反复唱) my two young kids, Max and Charley, as they _________     barefoot behind their grandmother Mimi. Mimi was leading them on yet another _________, straight off the beach where they had played before. This time, they were _________ the ice-cream truck.

Over the years, Mom taught me just how much one could achieve with a _________ attitude. She has taken the same _________ in her relationship with her grandchildren. Max and Charley were disappointed at missing the ice-cream man that day. That was until Mimi’s eyes _________ and she said, “Never give up!”. She explained that the truck might be gone, but they could hurry to find it at its next _________.

They walked block after block. Not knowing which direction the truck had taken, they had to make a(an)_________ guess about where to search. My kids’ tiny legs were tired, but they moved on, continuing to chant, “Never give up!”.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Max began to _________ his faith in the mission. He wondered out loud, “Maybe we should give up. We have been walking pretty far and haven’t seen the truck yet.” Charley yelled, “No __________ ! Never give up!” and continued her chant with Mimi. Somewhat doubtful Max __________ without protest.

Just two blocks later, they found it. Mimi threw a triumphant(展示胜利的) fist in the air, and Max and Chariey screamed with __________, “Never give up!” At that moment, my mom had done for my children what she had done for me countless times. __________ though it was, that phrase has become our battle cry for the challenges we face. Whatever setbacks they __________, I know I can always look at Max and Charley and say, ^“Never give up!” Upon hearing those words, they are instantly __________ to a positive state of mind—where the next ice-cream truck is just around the corner.

7 . Driving on the mountain road where I live can be both a delight and an adventure. Yet, you should also watch for deer and squirrels _______ the road as well as fallen trees and rocks that may break loose from and _______down the side of the hill.

I _______ upon one big rock just the other day. I saw a car just ahead of me narrowly turn around it. But the stone was _______ there, which might cause traffic accidents. I turned round and then _______ over to a wide spot. I knew a rock of this _______ would break parts of a low riding car like mine if the driver didn’t see it _______. So I walked over and moved the huge stone. It must have weighed 50 pounds, but with all my strength, I removed it. I felt relieved and walked back to my car.

The happening reminded me too of an old _______ I had read once: In a faraway land, a king had placed a huge rock on the way to his palace. Many nobles walked by and surrounded it, complaining that the king didn’t keep the road up better. Finally, a _______ farmer pulling a cart (马车) of vegetables arrived. He ________ and pushed the rock off the road. Then he saw under it was a bag of gold coins that the king had left for the one who ________the path for those who came after. Later, he was not as badly off as before.

Now while there wasn’t any ________ under the rock I moved, my heart did feel more ________as I was driving back home. Maybe the real ________ is the joy we spread, and the ________ we share.

8 . January 23, 2007 became a nightmare for Jessica Bachus. Her second daughter Kenzi _________ at just 24 weeks. “When Kenzi passed away, all my hopes went away, too,” Jessica says. The Colorado-based mother was overcome with emotion, _________ she eventually decided to channel her grief into the _________ of Kenzi.

Jessica knew that even if she couldn’t give dolls to both of her daughters that year, she could still make the holidays _________ for another girl. With the help of her husband, Kyle, and their daughter, Bailey, she _________ 150 dolls to gift underprivileged girls in the community.

“When I saw a family _________ a doll we donated, I cried tears of joy for the first time in almost a year,” Jessica says. So, she _________ to collect dolls and founded the Dolls for Daughters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to _________ financially-strapped families in Colorado with toys, food, school supplies, and more.

Now going into its ninth annual _________, the Dolls for Daughters operates five toy shops in Colorado on the first Saturday in December. Parents are able to choose at least one new gift for each of their children free of charge.

“Most families in our __________ make less than $15,000 a year,” Jessica says. “Many children are used to getting hand-me-downs — this is one time we guarantee that what they get is __________.” Since the establishment of the Dolls for Daughters, more than 48,000 children have been __________ and more than 323,400 items have been gifted to the families.

Jessica and her husband now have four children — Bailey, Kam, Karson, and Kenzi. “We talk about Kenzi all the time. Last year our goal was to serve 10,000 kids since she would have been ten. It was a big __________ and we surpassed it,” Jessica says. “For our living children, volunteering is a great way for them to __________ back, honor their sister, and learn that even from the greatest tragedy can come something __________.”

9 . We all know that “Practice makes perfect (熟能生巧) ” is a very popular saying both in Chinese and English. It means that if you want to learn ________, you have to practice (练习) it many times, and then you may remember

________ you learn. Also we can say the more you know something, ________ you can do it. No matter (无论) what we do, those words are very ________ to us.

We can take English study ________ an example. If we want to learn some new words by heart, we must learn them and read them again and again ________ we can remember them. Sometimes it will ________ a lot of time for us to remember, but once we remember, we can use them freely. If we ________ our best, we will do it very well. When you take an English exam and ________ some meanings and usages (用法) you don’t remember, how will you feel

________ that time? You must feel sorry. So English study means that you ________ practice (练习) more and more.

We can look at ________ example in learning. When we read the same story for many times, we can remember it ________ well that we can tell it to others. At the same time, we can also ________ some stories from what we have heard. So in our study and life, we should keep the sentence “Practice makes perfect” in our ________. In this way, we can study well and live a better life.

10 . Last year my school tried a new way to get students to behave better in class. It’s called the “secret student”, and the idea is to _________ good behavior. If your class gets enough _________, they’ll get a prize at the end of the year.

Here’s what _________. Every morning the class teacher chooses a _________ student at random — by picking a name from a box. The person _________ the class all day. In every lesson the teacher _________ him or her and gives a tick for good or a cross for bad behavior. At the end of the _________, the class is awarded a point if the secret student has got more ticks than _________.

The _________ thing about this system is that if you were the secret student you wouldn’t know, so everyone has to behave well to __________ the class gets a point. The teachers only __________ the identity of that day’s secret student if they get a point.

The __________ makes everyone feel their behavior has an __________ on the whole class. It also means students encourage each other to behave well. The teachers also warn students who start behaving __________. In the end everyone becomes more responsible and it brings the class together. It certainly worked in my class. Our __________ was much better and we got enough points for a day at a theme park, where we had a great time.