1 . Julia found some of her grandmother Georgie’s old design sketches (草图) from the 1940s. Georgie told her granddaughter she was proud of the sketches and wanted them to be _________ by more people, for _________ was a big part of her life. “Being alone all day was difficult for Grandma. I think doing something would _________ lift her spirits,” Julia said.

Julia took some pictures of those sketches and made a post. It became _________ overnight. A lot of replies under the post _________ Julia to physically make her grandmother’s designs. Though her sewing (缝纫) skills were _________, Julia decided to figure it out. And she learned the basics soon.

With the help of her grandmother, Julia spent countless hours _________ the sketches and turning them into complete designs. Despite the great interest her followers had in_________ her grandma’s designs, the dresses Julia recreated were not for sale. “We have _________ when we do these projects and we don’t like to take this too seriously. Maybe one day that’ll become a career, but right now we’re just focusing on our __________. I’m glad to put on the dresses and __________ them to Grandma. I __________ that I will re-wear the dresses. So I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible,” Julia said.

“You can have your own __________ and it’s never too late to go after it. You can still follow something __________ in your life at any age. Maybe it won’t __________, but it’s worth taking that risk,” Julia said.

2 . When my doctor was delivering his speech on statistics and survival rates, those cruel words upset me terribly. He might be telling the truth, but I realized there was a need for a special human _________ , especially for a new cancer patient like me. I _________ to do something.

I called my local _________ and asked if I could give a speech to the community, about “What to Say and How to Help When Someone Has Cancer”. The _________ came five minutes later, “... we would be pleased to have you _________ your topic to the community.”

As the day approached, I got _________. What if no one _________ and all the preparation and work was for nothing?

Despite the worries, things went _________. At 6:45 pm on a Tuesday evening, I started my presentation by _________ the first words my doctor said to me, and I saw tears and heads nodding in ____________ as I spoke. At the end of the presentation, applause filled the library hall. Little did they know that I had just finished treatment and still felt ____________ and tired. But somehow giving. the talk helped me stop being a(n) ____________ and start acting like a survivor.

Later, I gave more presentations. I won such great ____________ that I had the privilege of speaking ____________ cancer survivors across the country. And that makes all the ____________, not only to me but also to the world around me!

3 . My friend Wes has cancer. He has_______every other week. He gets chemo (化疗) on Monday, wears a pump and tubes on Tuesday, and has them_______at the end of Wednesday. Usually, I remember the_______, but sometimes I need to ask him whether it’s a chemo week or an off week.

Wes always_______his chemo schedule in a different way. He called his chemo weeks “good weeks” and his off weeks “great weeks”. Every time he called his schedule that way, I would give him_______and tell him, “You really don’t_______to be strong all the time.” I thought he was trying hard to be_______and that he was putting on a brave face. However, he didn’t care what others thought of him.

My opinion of Wes_______when he came to visit me on a Sunday. On that nice Sunday, I was cooking and watching birds. I was_______my life when it hit me: Wes isn’t trying to be________optimistic. He considers his chemo weeks not________at all because those weeks keep him________. Wes is thankful to be still here on Earth.

His words during our meal proved my________. “The chemo weeks let me live to enjoy my life. So I ________those weeks,” he said with a smile. Hearing that, I made a(n)________. I shouldn’t have misunderstood him.

Influenced by Wes, I’m trying to remove the term “bad day” from my vocabulary.

4 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s ________. But when my 6-year-old son opened the door, nobody was there. ________, on the doormat was a box, tied with a silver ________ and a note that said “On the First Day of Christmas...” A mystery.

Sam had died that fall, ________ me the single parent of our two boys, 6 and 8. My sons and I had already ________ to deal with Halloween, and Thanksgiving without Daddy. Still, I was afraid of Christmas. How could December have ________ without my husband?

The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another ________ came, decorated with the same silver ribbon (带子) and ________ the same card reading “On the Second Day of Christmas...”

For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to ________.

I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of ________, somebody was shining a light our way with a simple but ________ message: “You are loved.” It was such a strange feeling, to be left in darkness on the one hand and drawn so firmly toward ________ on the other. I believe hope will make a(n) ________.

After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to ________ when we approached home on that 12th night. I trusted there would be ________.

5 . Jane had lived her entire life in a small town. ________ she had spent decades dreaming about travelling, she never took action to make it happen.

On her 65th birthday, Jane made a brave decision. She sold all her ________ and with a backpack, she set off. The initial days on the road were ________ --- she felt like she finally lived the life she had always dreamed of.

Yet, after a few weeks, she began feeling ________. With each new step, her legs hurt more and more. ________, she slammed (怒摔 ) her backpack on the ground and sat down beside it with tears. ________ hopelessly into the road ahead, she shouted loudly, “I have nothing left in my life!”

It ________ that a life adviser heard her words while resting behind a tree near her. He decided to help her, so he grabbed her backpack and ________ quickly. Shocked and in complete sadness, Jane cried more loudly, “That backpack was all I had. Now everything is ________ !”

About twenty minutes later, she collected her ________, and slowly walked forward. Then ________, she saw her backpack on the road a short distance ahead of her. She was so ________ that she couldn’t help exclaiming, “Oh, thank heavens! Now I can continue onward ......”

As we journey ________ our lives, we may experience incredible disappointments. During this time, it seems we’ve lost everything. ________, actually, we are holding a backpack of support.

So don’t lose ________. Keep going, and you’ll achieve your dream.

6 . Have you ever been in a position where you were required to participate in music lessons, although you had absolutely no interest?

The _________ was this: My father was a professional music teacher _________ in teaching Hawaiian and Spanish guitar. My mother was an accomplished piano player and, _________, the whole family was very musical. I was the only one who had not been involved, yet, in learning to play a(n) _________.

And, as a lot of _________ do, I was enrolled (注册) in piano lessons _________ I had absolutely no interest in learning how to play it. So, it _________. Lesson after lesson I attended but didn’t play carefully at the time I was meant to practice. Finally, I just quit practicing and my piano teacher told my parents that I was hopeless. Great-no more piano lessons. However, the music _________ didn’t end here. It went on to where I decided what I wanted to learn and that ended up being the drums. I _________ playing the drums and went on to play in several bands for many years after that.

The point here is this: We all make __________ sooner or later but those cannot be forced on you. The other __________ is that you will make your own choices on whatever basis and for whatever reasons when you are __________. Some people take longer than others to __________. This can be annoying to some people but that is the way of life.

Now, that doesn’t mean you just have to sit on your hands. It means, instead, that you __________ to exchange ideas. After all, whether you know it or not, what you say does have a(n) __________. You can influence but you cannot force.

7 . It was Christmas Day. For Antony, this was another day spent in a white-walled ______. His wife and son were enjoying chicken and soup at home. But for Antony, he couldn’t enjoy the Christmas ______ with them. Instead, he was surrounded by flashes of red from arriving ambulances. He was _______ lives.

About fifty years ago, Antony was born in a little ______ in Northern Greece, where religious festivities were upheld with the highest honor. However, he was a boy who _____ Santa. When asked the reason, he laughed out and said, “He was always there, but he never _______ me Christmas presents.” His laugh then turned into a(n) ______ yell, trying to get emotional resonance (共鸣). He continued, “All the other children in the village got Christmas _______ except me.”

When he was a boy, his parents struggled hard to make ends meet and couldn’t ______ to buy him gifts. He was left to think Santa was an ________ magical man who always forgot him. Santa brought the other children presents, but ignored him. People could never imagine what it was like for him to watch all the other _______ open their Christmas presents.

______, when other children in the village played with new toys, Antony passed the time by reading his older brother’s ______ textbooks. His appetite for reading and the example his older brother set _______ him to study hard and become a _____. Antony is now a senior cardiologist. He works ______ at the hospital, close to the village where he grew up.

Doctors are especially needed, and Antony is not relying on Santa to deliver. He is at the hospital, like Santa, faithfully ________ the greatest gift of all. Antony teaches us that we can rise from _______ beginnings. His story shows us that though we may not grow up having what others do, with the right _______ and hard work, we can do something _______.

8 . It was November. The sky was gray with dark clouds and a freezing rain. My mood ______ the day. Thanksgiving was coming soon and then Christmas but after that was a long, dark, cold winter and I wasn’t ______ it.

The older I got, the less it seemed I ______ the winter months. When I was a boy, they meant ______ in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and then sitting with my dog by the ______ and reading my favorite books. Now they just ______ watching the days get shorter, driving on slippy roads, and feeling the cold wind bite my face every time I went outside.

I lay on my bed, hoping I could sleep under the covers until ______ . Just then my little dog climbed onto my ______ and looked at me with her big, wet eyes. She appeared so sad and miserable. “Is that how I ______ right now?” I thought, knowing that she often ______ my moods. I smiled and patted her until she smiled too.

I feel grateful for having this loving, little dog. She ______ me that the whole world around us is our mirror. We can either be a reflection of ______ or darkness. We can either give the world kindness and joy or fear and ______. Life truly is what we ______ it and we can reflect our warmth, love and light even in winter’s ______ days.

9 . It was July 2019 and Mum had taken me on a 120-km mother-and-son walking holiday as a treat for my birthday. Although I was still on my first special ________, I’d love to see some ancient civilisation.

“Why don’t we go to Egypt?” I said. “It sounds ________, but I’m not paying for it,” Mum smiled and replied.

“I’ll save up my pocket money, and get a ________,” I said. I started saving my $10-a-week pocket money and washed my parents’ car for ________ cash.

In 2020, we moved to Perth. One day, I ________ a brochure in the letter box which was advertising a job delivering catalogues (目录). I applied for the job, and ________ I got it a week later.

On a Monday, a mountain of catalogues were ________ at our house. It took me nine hours to sort through them, and then I ________ them to 430 houses. At first, I used my bike and ________ the catalogues in my backpack, but this wasn’t very ________ so I bought a trolley (手推车) which improved my speed. As time went by, people started ________ me and saying hello on my rounds.

After three and half years, I’d ________ a massive $6,500, and in January this year I flew to Egypt. I had a good time visiting the powerful pyramids at Giza, ________ local food and sailing down a river. I fully ________ that nothing can stop a person from following his ________.

10 . I started my cycling adventure early. The morning ride was _______ , the gentle breeze (微风) was pleasant and the road was free of traffic. The path was lined by colorful flowers. Gazing at the mountains, I felt like I was _______ through a painting. Looking down, I _______ fallen leaves on the track. It was the first time I realized leaves could be so rich in color. I came to understand the true _______ of autumn is found in these subtle, often overlooked details.

Of course, this journey was also a challenge. Each time I endured a lengthy uphill climb, I _______ myself somewhere ahead lay a (n) _______ downhill section. It became a kind of reward. I was thirsty and tired. I pushed my bike up the incline, which helped stretch my muscles.

I passed by a woman selling oranges. I wanted to buy some. However, the woman _______ my money and encouraged me to help myself, _______ the oranges were from her own trees. I was deeply _______ .

After eating two, I crouched (蹲) by the roadside, gazing at the uphill stretch ahead. A young couple in a car ____________ to buy oranges. I asked if they could give me a lift. They ____________ and even offered me bread and water. I learned they were from Suzhou and had driven here for the weekend. They ____________ I visit Suzhou for an around-the-lake ride of Taihu. About 10 minutes later, I said goodbye to them and continued riding.

My mood was ____________ transformed. A team of cyclists approached, giving me thumbs-up. I was incredibly motivated. Cycling 144 km in nine hours was a (n)   ____________ . However, as I reflect on the beauty along the route and the kindness of the people I met, I am still full of   ____________ and I am glad came.