2 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a _____ sport, at times almost painful, and practices really _____ a team’s physical and mental limits. Without trust in my own ability and a strong sense of commitment, I would never have managed to continue after years of hard work as a player, and with countless _____.

In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing _____ that gave me a great sense of achievement. But in the last game of the season, I was seriously injured. I was prohibited from any physical activities for six months. After going _____ a series of physical treatments, I returned to the field as a team captain. I practiced harder than ever to make up for my _____ time.

In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the _____ of the Most Valuable Player.

_____, my skills in football do not magically extend to other sports. During the winter break, I went on a snowboarding trip and seriously injured my right shoulder. I had to have four _____. Since I could not use my right arm for two months, I had to learn how to write and eat using my left hand.

______ life must go on. I knew that my own present efforts would decide my future, so I ______ the strict training program to build up strength and improve flexibility in my ______. After an eight-month recovery, I was back to the field playing football, the sport I ______.

In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson: ______ and commitment make what seems impossible ______. This lesson from football is the one that can be applied to every part of life.

3 . Reggie couldn’t hear a thing. He was a _______ boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well known to everyone in town, and they were all _______ him. Unfortunately, though, he _______ seemed to end up being treated differently from everyone else. Children worried they would _______ him, and that was because he wouldn’t hear the ball being hit in his _______ .Adults acted like he was unable to _______ them, as though he were some kind of baby.

His friend Michael didn’t like this. He decided that things had to be _______ Michael’s father was the town’s mayor(镇长) ,and Michael _______ to convince him that this year, in honor of Reggie, they should offer one day as the _______ to the deaf people. During that whole day everyone would have to wear earplugs(耳塞).

People liked the ________ . The day became known as “The Day of Silence” and when it arrived, everyone stuck plugs in their ________, in a spirit of great fun. That morning was filled with ________ and laughter. But, as the hours passed, people became more and more aware of how ________ life was when they couldn’t hear anything.

On that day nobody was thinking of Reggie as just a deaf person. This meant he could be ________ just like any other boy, and people saw a whole ________ side of him. Not only that, but Reggie had a bright and sharp mind. On that day, using his usual gestures, Reggie was the one who could communicate best with everyone.

5 . I was waiting in a checkout line. A woman and two boys were ahead of me. At the cash desk, a white-haired man had begun to _________ his goods. Then came the question. Sometimes it’s a customer with multiple coupons (优惠券), or someone who forgot to _________ a piece of fruit. Fair enough. One waited.

But today, it was something else. The man didn’t have _________ money. So he began the process of choosing which _________ to keep and which to hand back. He paused over each one before keeping or _________ it. We waited. Longer lines surged ahead.

_________, his _________ came to an end. The man turned back to us as he left, _________ and apologetic. We waved off his chagrin (懊恼). It could happen to anyone.

But I had no idea just how _________ the family of three ahead of me were until their turn came. The woman asked the cashier to add all the __________ goods to her bill as quickly as possible. Then the two boys __________ through the exit with the small bag of groceries. When they returned, it was clear that their mission had been __________.

Then I __________ all it took to witness this flash of __________ was waiting a little longer in a checkout line. I could have caught the bus. But I felt so __________ on my feet that I walked home instead.

6 . “Leave a place better than you found it.” It’s a ________philosophy (人生哲学), but one that William Lindesay holds dear. On April 22, which was also Earth Day, he led twenty _______to help clean up the Jiankou section of the Great Wall.

“He who ________is the owner”, William said in the opening remarks of the cleanup event in 2000. “The Great Wall _________ China, and is also one of the greatest cultural relics in the world. Everyone has a _________to protect it. Every day should be Earth Day,” he said.

During the past three decades, he has spent most of his time _________and exploring the Great Wall and has made his own __________to protect the cultural relic. “It’s a ________thing that people are going out to enjoy themselves and to _________the great history and heritage, but it’s also quite dangerous if they don’t __________how fragile the historic sites are and how fragile the _________is,” William said.

In 1991, his first _________Alone on the Great Wall was published, and he has published another five books about the Great Wall since then. In 2001, he __________ the International Friends of the Great Wall, an organization whose aim is to protect this _________to the past.

His next step is to _________exhibitions (展览会) about the Great Wall as a monument over the last 400 years. The exhibitions are expected to be held in Beijing, London, Paris and Washington D.C.

8 . A businessman had two sons. While he gave the younger son a lot of love and gifts, he neglected(忽视) the elder son. It was completely puzzling (令人费解) and no one knew why.

When the boys ______, they were asked to manage the father's business. The elder son was ______ about the business. From morning till late in the evening, he was busy working. Within a few years, he ran the business very well and ______ expanded (扩大) it. What about the younger son? He didn't have much to do ______ having a good time every day. But the father______ that his favorite son would be a success. If the elder son could be a ______ businessman, surely the younger one, with a higher education, would do much better.

A few years later, the ______ of his decision became clear. Uninterested in business, the younger son continued spending his time enjoying ______. And he went out of business. But the elder son's far smaller share (份额) of business had expanded and he had shown everyone that he was a good decision maker. Being ashamed (羞愧的) at the end of the event, the father met the elder son and was angry with the younger one. The elder son, who was ______ to all this quietly, suddenly said he wanted to set up an independent business and live on his own. “Why?” asked the father. “I blame (责备) one person for my brother's failure, ______ it's not him. You can't blame children for the faults (过失) of their parent, can you? ” asked the elder son.

9 . This morning I was walking with my husband when I noticed an elderly man was unstable(不 稳固的) on his feet. So, he was trying to________himself by holding a tree , but then slowly ________to the sidewalk. My husband and I ran to his side.________ he didn’t hit his head on the sidewalk. A few more of us gathered around, discussing the________. I gave my cellphone to my husband to call 911.

It seemed to have happened________, but there were at least 4 people by the man’s side. Someone took his pulse; another________his own coat under his head to make him more________. Several minutes later, his wife________— she had been walking their dog in the pet area. But she was too________ to do anything.

Once the ambulance got there, I talked to his wife. His medical________was very rough. He had had a triple bypass heart operation(三重心脏搭桥手术) and________from cancer. Their son had ________in the army for many years. This was their last trip here to visit him, who always had no holidays to see them.

Before we all________, one young man, who had been so helpful, asked if I was his family. “No.” I said, shrugging, “but then again, aren’t we all________?” He nodded and smiled in________.

10 . As a young man, Alex was a skilled artist, a potter with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a _______ stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal (肠的) _______, neither Alex nor his wife _______ the condition very seriously. But the boy died suddenly that night.

Knowing the death could have been _______ if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, he always felt he was _______. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Alex could _______, and he turned to alcohol for help.

As the alcoholism progressed, Alex began to lose everything he _______ — his land, house, etc. Finally Alex died alone in a small bar. Hearing of Alex’s death, I thought, “What a totally wasted life! What a complete _______!”

As time went by, I began to _______ my earlier rough judgement. I knew Alex’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most ________, most loving men I have ever known. I saw the love between Ernie and his children, ________ that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.

One day, I ________ my courage to ask him what on earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said ________, “As a child until I left home at 18, Alex came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, “love you, son.””

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what I had been a fool to ________ Alex as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best ________.