1 . On a hot summer day, little Max and his mother were on holiday in a lake house. Max decided to go for a ________, so he ran out to the ________ lake.

Max swam far without ________ that he swam right into the middle of that lake. Max’s mother ________ out of the window and saw an alligator(鳄鱼) ________ Max.

She ran toward Max, shouting that an alligator was nearing him and asking him to swim back. Hearing this, Max got ________ and made a U-turn to swim towards his mother but it was too ________. Just as the mother reached Max and grabbed his ________, the alligator caught his legs. That began a pull ________ between the two. The alligator was too strong but the mother was too ________ to let her son go.

At the crucial point, a hunter happened to ________ and heard the scream. The hunter ________ toward the lake. He raised his gun, took ________ at the alligator and shot it.

Fortunately, after getting treated for weeks in hospital, Max ________.

A reporter interviewed Max. Max lifted his legs with ugly scars(疤痕). But then, with ________ he said, “Look! I have great scars on my arms too, I have them because my mom wouldn’t let me go.”

2 . Hirikos, a zero—emission car, can travel 75 miles with electricity and can squeeze itself into a small parking spot.

The two—seater is considered as a(n) ________ to bicycles for people who live in urban areas. The car has a unique feature—it can ________ to almost half its size with just the touch of a button—all without ________ the driver and passenger inside. What this means is that up to three and a half of these cute little cars can be ________ in a single parking bay!

The car has no ________. Instead, its windshield doubles up as the doors enabling both the driver and passenger to ________ from the front without any danger of scraping the sidewalk or the one parked in close nearness.

That’s not the only unusual ________ inside this cool car. Instead of the ________ steering wheel and brake, the inventors have fixed a device that ________ an airplane yoke (操纵杆). To speed up or slow down, all the driver has to do is ________ the control stick back and forth.

The best part is that this is not a ________ car, but one that is currently being ________ in Europe. If all goes well, the Hiriko will soon be ________ in Barcelona, Berlin and San Francisco, where the producers plan to sell it to the local citizens. ________, if for some reason its unusual look does not quite ________ you, you can wait for the other two models that are already in pre—production stage!

3 . I have been in love with Yoga for many years. The practice of Yoga can lead to a ________ between mind and body. In the training, there is a ________ motion that has been one of my favorite poses. Each time I participate in this practice, I feel a deep sense of ________ with all those in the group.

Instead of standing alone, the class stands in a ________ close enough for us to hold hands. Each of us gives and ________ trust and support from one to another. As a unit we shift our ________ to one foot, resting the other foot against our ankle or our leg muscle. Slowly we ________ the hand position so that we are palm to palm. We ________ our arms and create a crown (王冠) of hands above our heads.

A slight ________ may start and soon we realize we have the ________ of each person in the circle, trusting them to protect us from ________. We feel a sense of security, closing our eyes knowing we are ________. In time we return to standing on two feet before shifting to ________ on the other foot.

As we finish, there is a moment of silence for us to ________ absorb the love and support we have received. Balance with support makes standing together ________ in community. So much better than standing alone.

4 . There are times in life when we don’t have the energy or faith to solve our problems. We can’t find the way to ______ . That’s when our friends carry us. When we are weak, they become our ______ . When we are down, they lift us up. Friends remind us through their actions that we are not ______ , they stand with, pray for and comfort us. Even when some friends don’t know how to help, they ______ to be there for us.

Author Parker J. Palmer in his book, Let Your Life Speak, shares about the time he was ______ depression at home. He recalls that some people who visited him tried to ______ him up. They said, “It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t you go out and take a walk?” Although he understood their ______ , it made him more depressed. Others ______ him that he was a teacher and writer who had helped many people. They said, “Try to remember all the good you’ve done and surely you’ll feel better.” That advice, too, left him depressed.

Then one friend named Bill asked Parker’s permission to drop by his ______ in the afternoons. Bill would sit Parker in the chair, ______ his shoes and socks and for half an hour, massage (按摩) his feet. Bill would simply do that and almost say nothing. When he talked ______ , he would not offer any suggestion but ______ Parker’s feelings. That simple act of ______ was what helped Parker ______ his dark time.

We are thankful to the friends who stand by us in uncomplicated ways. And we are thankful for the opportunity to be the ones who are ______ for our friends when they are in need.

5 . In 2017, Hurricane Harvey destroyed larger areas of southern Texas and Louisiana. Heavy rains _________ on Houston, resulting in around $125 billion of damage. Nearly 40,000 residents became homeless. The _________ weight of the floodwater caused Houston to _________ two centimeters.

On the morning of August 27, Jim McIngvale got ready to go for work. But the businessman was _________ to see the enormous damage as he made his way through water to his furniture store. McIngvale was _________ to help his community. He invited residents to his Gallery Furniture store for food and _________. He also arranged for his trucks to rescue around 200 residents who were _________.

But that was not the _________. When Thanksgiving came around, McIngvale hosted dinner for the _________ of surrounding communities. Hundreds of volunteers prepared around 5,000 pounds of turkey and ham. Up to 6,000 meals were __________ that day. McIngvale also __________ a group of rescue workers in that hurricane to fly out to Los Angeles and watch the Houston Astros play in the World Series.

McIngvale has used his __________ for many good deeds over the years. The 68-year-old has raised awareness of mental health __________, funding a related hospital, and __________ furniture to local schools. The core of living is __________. That’s McIngvale’s simple motto.

6 . Mum-of-three Alli Smith ________ her heaviest weight of 125 kg after three difficult pregnancies caused her to rise to a size 20. She wasn’t ________ with herself, and she wasn’t living life to the fullest. She didn’t want to go to events because she didn’t have any clothes that would suit her.

Most of the time she was ________ herself with diets. However, snacking on nearly two blocks of ________ a night, the 27-year-old factory worker chewed doughnuts (甜甜圈), chips and biscuits throughout the day. Apart from that, she was ________ chocolate and was into it mainly for the taste.

She tried every diet under the sun and was spending all this money on all these ________ to just fail every time.

________ to change her ways, Alli saw her doctor, who recommended she conduct gastric (胃部的) sleeve surgery to prevent health complications (并发症) in the future ________ her size.

She soon ________ her nightly chocolate habit and has since dropped 35 kg in just seven months and ________ her sugar heavy diet for fresh fruits and salads.

Now, Alli also has more ________ to play with her children with Henry, four, Kate, two, and George, one. “I’m more energetic, I run around with my ________ and they’re enjoying it,” says Alli. She feels more ________ than ever in her new 90 kg frame, recently wearing shorts outside the house for the first time in six years. She delightedly says, “My son said to me, ‘Mum, you look so pretty.’ And now I wear what I want, not just what ________. I’ve finally ________ in losing weight and am on the road to where I want to be.”

7 . Today’s birthday gift was to my friend Oscar in Portland who is unhoused. I got him a $50 Kroger _______ so that he can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Oscar and I have been talking a lot about his health and how important _______ is. It’s really _______ for Oscar to get good food. Most of what is _______ to him are not fresh foods. As he has an immune (免疫的) disease, these kinds of foods are really making it _______. Now that spring is here, _______, he can get fresher produce.

I _______ him to the book called Fiber Fueled. After reading it, I started learning to make meals just from plants. The more I learn about plant-fueled eating, the better I feel about this decision. And this book is specifically about _______ the body’s capacity to cure itself. So my friend _______ the book from the library and it will come in soon. He wants to learn about this too since he has serious immune issues. That’s how he lost his job and then his ________.

I want him to ________, and find a job and a home again. And I won’t stop helping him until that ________. Once my social security checks come in, I plan to make sure he gets Kroger cards every time I get paid so that he has plenty of fresh produce.

Oscar’s page on Twitter is @MyHomelessMeals. More than anything, he shows ________ for every single person who helps him on a daily ________. He always shares what we send if he can, too. He recently joined Service Space because he said their mission statement is ________ with his values. He’s quite an exceptional young man.

8 . My parents, siblings and I took our first camping trip to the Lake Houston Wilderness Park recently.

We had finished putting up the ________ when it suddenly started to rain. Luckily, we had ________ our tent on a high flat ground where water could not pour in. Mom got some snacks and drinks ready for us while we played games and ________ about our daily life, which made wet-weather camping fun. How ________ it was camping under the sound of the rain! We were gathered around in the center of ________ and it was a nice feeling. Even with the rain, I had never been so ________.

The rain died down before dark and the sky turned clear. Soon, Mom ________ a big meal over the fire for the family. I sensed that a hot meal and good ________ would warm us right up. While we ate together, Dad ________ at the stars and told us about his childhood. As we laughed and ________ on our days, the stars shone like diamonds at night.

The following day, we had a good time ________ the rocky trails around our campsite. ________ hiking in the forest, we had a lovely late afternoon boating. It was amazing to see the ________ changing rays of the sunset behind the pine trees. That evening we packed up our ________ and headed home.

I am very grateful for this camping trip, which has left us unforgettable ________.

9 . I had just finished washing the lunch dishes when my three-year-old daughter Becky rushed in with _________. “Mama!” she cried. “Come see my new doggy!”

I followed her out into the bushes and _________ the branches. A sudden _________ froze me! There she was, sitting on her heels and held in her lap was the unmistakable head of a wolf!

“Becky,” My mouth felt _________. “Don’t move.” I stepped closer. Pale-yellow eyes narrowed. Suddenly the wolf _________ and bared its teeth.

“It’s all right, boy,” Becky _________. “Don’t be afraid. That’s my mama, and she loves you, too.”

Then the unbelievable thing happened. As her tiny hands patted the great shaggy (乱蓬蓬的) head, I felt a bit relieved to see the _________ and relaxed movement of the wolf’s tail.

“Honey,” My throat still tightened. “Put his head down and come to Mama. We’ll find _________.”

_________, Becky got up and kissed the wolf on the nose before she walked slowly into my arms. Sad yellow eyes followed her. With Becky safe in my arms, I ran to get help.

My husband, Bill, and our vet (兽医) came to see the wolf and they found his ____________ was really bad — his leg was wounded by bullets. With the assistance of Becky, the vet ____________ him carefully.

Becky named him Ralph and carried food and water to him every day. The wolf’s recovery was not ____________. Seeing the way he ____________ his injured leg, we knew he ____________ great pain, but not once did he ever try to bite the hands of those who cared for him.

Four months later, Ralph finally stood unaided. As his ____________ grew, Ralph followed Becky all over the farm. Together they wandered around the grassland, the golden-haired child often stooping low, sharing with the great lame wolf whispered secrets of nature’s wonders...

10 . I have been helping my wife through some difficult medical procedures. After my wife's 6-hour surgery, ________ her in so much discomfort, pain, and suffering, I couldn’t express my ________ beyond words to the point. I ________ wanted to be able to share some of her pain.

During the first 3 days, after knowing that her ________ didn’t allow her to eat a single morsel (块) of food, it really ________ me just how long we can go without food and not damage our health. I decide to give her some ________ support by not eating for 3 days. Not that she said one word of ________ in that time but that I knew it would ________ us to be in this together. To be honest, I did ________ one small salad every day. I had to take care of myself, so that I could continue to have ________ to be there for her.

The best is that I’ve realized what we really can do for each other. The ________ I can take on for my wife has made me ________ how much we could take on for ourselves. We ________ to avid pain, discomfort and difficult situations even when we know it would be better for us to go through the hard times. If we will go through so much because of our love for another person, couldn’t we do this for the ________ of ourselves?

The next time you ________ to take on a big challenge, do love yourself enough to do this to make your life better.