1 . Donna Urquhart is an experienced runner. She ran 1,402 kilometers over the course of 28 days in Antarctica (南极洲), _______ the record for the longest-ever run in a polar region.

Urquhart spent 10 months training for the _______, turning to some unusual training methods. A company allowed her to run in a _______ storage unit where she ran in temperatures below zero. Besides, she ran along the beaches with uneven (凹凸不平的) surfaces that are like the _______ grounds in Antarctica. All those proved useful _______.

The difficulties that Urquhart faced in Antarctica were _______: taking in about 5,000 calories each day, _______ in a tent. Combined with the sound of _______ winds and the continent’s 24 hours of sunlight in the summer months, these were _______ favorable to a good night’s sleep. Urquhart would usually wear four layers of coats and keep ________ her own body temperature while running.

Urquhart launched the Run Antarctica aiming to encourage more women to ________ sport. Though still unsure about what her next running challenge will have, she has set a ________ of raising $1.5 million for charity.

“Confidence is a real issue for females,” says Urquhart. “And a sporting environment provides them with a great opportunity to ________ themselves.” This served as a huge ________ for her to take on a challenge that no other woman had attempted before. “It was actually showing that we can push our ________, and explore what seems impossible,” says Urquhart.

3 . During the early morning journey from the suburbs(郊区), we sat sleepily, with collars standing firm below our ears. Although the group of people are in the same bus every day, we never _______ or talk. Everyone’s face shows the tiredness of waking up early and working.

One July morning, a small grey man, one of the _______ taking the bus to center every morning, loudly greeted good morning to the driver. The driver was _______ and then nodded. _______, then he loudly said to us, “Hello! I’m Charlie, my friends!”

The next day, another old man _______ the bus energetically, smiled and said in a loud voice, “A very good morning to you all!” Some of us looked up, amazed, and murmured “Good morning.” in _______. When Charlie heard the greeting, he came forward with surprise and hugged the _______. Their smiles seemed to _______ the entire bus, sweeping away the cold and awkward atmosphere(氛围) inside. Gradually, we started nodding and _______ to each other.

One morning, Charlie was ________ a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. He turned around with a smile and said to everyone, “Friends, I’m moving next week. I can’t take the same bus ________, and thank you all! The mornings we spent together were ________ experiences!” The other passengers whistled and clapped(鼓掌) at him. Charlie bowed, waved his hand, and then began ________ the flowers to each passenger.

The summer went by, and the ________ was closing in. Although Charlie did not appear on the bus again, the laughter and joy on the bus ________.

4 . Eli walked to school every day, a familiar routine that never failed to bring him a sense of peace. The school day ________ with the bell, and Eli would walk home, his ________ often included a shortcut through a vacant (空着的) lot where beautiful flowers and trees were growing wild.

One particular day, Eli’s eyes were caught by a ________ of blue in the old maple tree on the vacant lot. A blue bird had flown into the tree, ________ loudly as it landed on a low branch. Eli watched as the bird flew up to higher branches and ________ into the distance.

With the bird gone, Eli noticed something ________. The branch where the bird had been sitting wasn’t empty. There was a bright red ________ hanging from it, swaying gently in the breeze (微风). ________, Eli walked towards the tree for a closer look. It was a flat balloon. Eli ________ that balloons were a form of ________ and wondered what if a bird tried to ________ it. He reached out to grab the balloon, ________ to throw it away.

But as he picked up the balloon, Eli noticed a ________ attached to it, which read “these beautiful trees are the home of some special birds. Let’s do our bit to ________ them”. Having seen this, Eli ________ put back the balloon and walked at a brisk pace towards his home.

6 . On little Connor Crites’s very first day at elementary school, something unbelievable happened. The young boy, who has autism (孤独症), found the ________ school day unbearable. Connor, feeling distressed, curled up (蜷缩) in a ________, shedding tears instead of communicating with others. ________, the day took an unexpectedly heartwarming turn, making Connor ________ the school with confidence, all thanks to a newfound friend.

The friend was Christian Moore, a second-grade student with a ________ heart. Christian noticed Connor’s struggle, so he ________ the teary-eyed youngster and offered him ________. With his compassionate gesture, Christian took Connor’s hand and led the way into the ________. Right there and then, the bond between them formed ________ and turned them into best friends.

Christian’s mom, Courtney, witnessed the ________ scene and was deeply moved by her son’s act of kindness. She captured the heartwarming ________ in a photograph. Touched by the gesture, she shared the picture on the social media with high hopes of ________ others, especially kids.

This heartwarming incident is a perfect ________ that extends beyond Connor and Christian. It ________ a good lesson for everyone. The story of the two young friends is a perfect example of kindness, teaching us that compassion knows no ________.

7 . Everyone deserves healthy meals. However, unfortunately, not everyone has ________ to fresh foods, ________ those in poor communities.

A teenager named Lauren Schroeder ________ this when she volunteered at a community food nonprofit. All vegetables for families in need came in cans and boxes, rather than straight from the fields. ________ to make a change, Lauren set out to grow produce so she could donate it to ________ families.

“I wanted people to get the nutrition they needed from fresh vegetables,” Lauren said. This ________ her to start a garden on her parents’ farm. While her mom was supportive, she made her ________ of how much work it would take-still, the teenager ________ the challenge.

To kick-start her project, Lauren got economic ________ from the National FFA Organization, which ________ agricultural education, to pay for seeds and gardening supplies. Then, the ________ work began. Since the summers in Iowa are very hot and dry, she had to water them daily. Lauren added, “I did a lot of research online and every day, it took about two or three hours.”

But all her efforts ________. Her first harvest resulted in 40 pounds of produce. “It was really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get the ________,” Lauren said, “I knew that I wanted to keep going.”

So far, she has spent over 1,000 hours working in the garden, producing 7,000 pounds of vegetables. “I want to ________ community members. It makes a(n) ________ when you help other people out. That’s what makes me happiest,” Lauren said.

8 . Liu Ziqing fell in love with ballet as a little boy. But he never really got the ______ to practise it himself. Growing up in a poor family in a village, his main focus was always on helping his family and putting ______ on the table. Dancing was a ______ he could not afford. He ______ becoming a farmer but also worked as a street cleaner to make ends meet. But he never got over his love for ballet, and at age 53, he ______ to become a ballet dancer.

Most people in their early 50s call themselves lucky if they can lightly jog a few times a week without ______ any pain, but ballet requires a degree of fitness and ______ that are almost impossible to ______ at a certain age without a lifetime of training. But Liu Ziqing wasn’t going to let a small thing like age ______ between him and his dream.

“I had been ______ dancing all those years. One day, I saw a ballet basic training course on TV, which inspired the idea that I should try to learn to dance,” Ziqing   ______.

Becoming a ballet dancer at age 53 wasn’t a(n) ______ thing, especially since most of his friends just didn’t ______ why he put himself through this hard training at his age. But Liu Ziqing ______ them all with the help of his family, who have always been very ______ of his passion.

9 . My mom loved to pass her wisdom to me: ”Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.” She was referring to her bitter-taste foods like dill pickles and rhubarb (大黄叶). But I was not a big fan.

Three years ago, I finally decided to ask if I could ________ out her rhubarb while weeding the garden. “________ not!” Mom gasped, throwing me a(n) ________ look. Clearly, I had underestimated her________ for it. However, as I continued ________, I thought about how rhubarb is one of the first to appear in spring. It ________ the snowy ground before the arrival of other plants. How can anyone fail to ________ it? When those first sprouts (嫩芽) appeared, Mom would count them like a ________ counting a newborn’s fingers and toes.

When I was a kid and my mom gave me that pie, it made me ________ to try. In my teens, it made me complain about the bitterness. Even ice cream or candies did not ________ the deal for my young taste buds (味蕾). Rhubarb was something to be ________ at all costs.

Then, last summer, I came across the ________ for her rhubarb pie in an old drawer. So I decided to give it a ________. A few attempts later, I served rhubarb pie to family and guests. All agreed, including me, that it tasted incredible.

Since then I’ve come to a ________ about rhubarb. Rhubarb’s taste may be lost on children, but adults can________ it. Like my wise mother, I now understand that “Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.”

10 . Triplets (三胞胎) Sierra, Kassidy, and Haley have faced a range of challenges throughout their lives. At just three months old, they _________ their mother, and their father was missing too, leaving them in the _________ of their grandmother, who didn’t prioritize education. _________, they didn’t attend school until they were eight.

The triplets’ lives took another _________ turn when their house was on fire early one morning. This _________ led them to move in with their grandparents on their mother’s side. There they faced further neglect, _________ adequate food, clothing, and other essentials.

Despite these _________, the sisters showed incredible resilience and determination. They _________ jobs, including babysitting and working at Albertson’s grocery store, to support themselves. Their daily _________ was a tiring cycle of walking to school, then to work, and back home, often late at night.

Remarkably, all three girls maintained a 4.0 grade point average, __________ them full scholarships to the University of Las Vegas. Their __________ achievements are a testament to their perseverance and dedication, despite the overwhelming odds they faced.

The community recognized their efforts and __________ them with additional support on their graduation day. Each sister received a car, a year’s worth of free car insurance and gas, and $5,000 for books and other __________.

Throughout their journey, the triplets maintained a(n) __________ outlook, which they believe was crucial in __________ their challenges.