1 . I had been eating and cooking typical Midwest meals for years, and I had to say there weren’t many different kinds of food at dinner. After I married, my husband told me that it was time I _________ my food comfort zone.

When he _________ to take me to dinner at a nearby restaurant that served a grand buffet, I accepted _______. I thought I couldn’t go wrong, and _______ yards and yards of comfort foods.

We gave the server our drink order and then _______ the other hungry people choosing the buffet. I turned left, and he went right. I filled my dish with salad, topped it with my _________ dressing and returned to our table. Then my husband returned with a dish filled with crab legs.

He smiled across the table at me. “Have a(n) _________ of the crab legs,” he said.

I lifted a crab leg from the plate, and then _________ it. It smelt strange. I looked around, _________ someone would rescue me, but no one __________.They were busy with their own crab legs.

“Come on. It’ll be good for you to try something new,” my husband said.

At last, I plucked up the courage to give the crab leg a __________. I managed to break the shell and cut my finger on the shell. I finally __________ using the tip of my knife to dig bits of meat out of the shell. I’d never had to work so __________ for a meal. __________, it tasted good. I __________ the rich, sweet taste.

2 . Growing up on a farm, Fritz enjoyed watching cows and horses. It was what he _______ in his boyhood that took root in his pursuit of becoming a(n)_______. After completing his university, Fritz _______ work at a famous research center, raising raven and teaching graylag geese how to open boxes. Working _______ with free-living animals was exactly what he’d dreamed of as a boy.

In 1997, the center was given its first ibis chicks (隐鹮). Nowhere near as _______ as geese-and not even close to super intelligent ravens- the ibises frustrated many scientists. But Fritz was _______. He devoted himself to looking after them. After the ibises were first _______ back into the wild 20years ago, Fritz learned that _______ generations in zoo hadn’t reduced their _______ to migrate. What the ibises needed, Fritz thought, was a ________.

Fritz decided to teach the birds a new, safer migration ________ by guiding them himself in a tiny aircraft. And he was ________ he could succeed in this daring plan. When he announced that he’d guide the ibises, he was laughed at. But Fritz didn’t ________. He modified a tiny aircraft so it would travel at speeds ________ enough for his winged students to catch.

In 2004, after some rough ________ for about three years, Fritz successfully ________ the first birds from Austria to Italy, and has since led 15 such ________. Over that time, he has ________ 277 young ibises, many of which then started to ________ the route on to their own young.

6 . Cycling becomes more popular nowadays. Some may argue that it brings tiredness but it’s nothing, ________with the joy of climbing huge mountains or seeing splendid sights. My cycling career of 13 years ended when I was 75. Though I am now no longer________enough to bear the long days and big climbs, I have my ________   .

It was easy to meet different people with ________during the trips, where I got to ________ the very best in people. In 2007, a stranger stopped her car alongside me to make me a most welcome cup of tea. In 2014, a couple ________ me their place to spend the night.

The support and comfort they gave was a(n)________ change from the long hours I had spent alone on the bike. As each trip ________ its end, I gradually forgot the long hours of riding. Happy memories of the trip________ took the place of the pain and failure I experienced.

Meanwhile, cycling gave me much time to ________ sufferings I went through in my life. Time ________ everything. Cycling also taught me to like who I am. I finally realized that I had more courage than I ever imagined, which was ________ in these trips. No matter how far the________was, I could get there without any support.

These were the adventures of my life, and they were ________ memories. With cycling, the success or failure________ not on luck or conditions but on me alone.

7 . Love Is Blind: The Magic of Tabby

In October, 2019, I started my work at a local animal shelter. Tabby was a 14-year-old dog. What’s more, she was blind and deaf. Tabby’s adoption (收养) seemed impossible. After all, we didn’t have many adopters coming in asking, “Can you show me all of your really old dogs who are also _________?” We had all thought that Tabby would live out the rest of her life at the _________.

One day a woman named Loretta came to the shelter. Her son, Gary, had _________ Tabby’s picture and stories on the shelter’s website at home. They were interested in meeting her! It was the only _________ we ever received about Tabby. What could a young child possibly see in a 14-year-old dog who was both blind and deaf? Most boys would want a dog who could grow with them and _________ through grassy fields on summer days. Tabby would _________ be able to do that. But after meeting her, Loretta and Gary decided that she was the right dog for their family. They adopted Tabby!

If Tabby’s story had simply ended with her _________ adoption, it would still have been something very special indeed. _________, it was what happened after her adoption that people might regard as “magic”. Gary _________ seizures (癫痫). Since Gary and Tabby met they became __________. They did everything together. Besides, Tabby could be aware of the coming of Gary’s seizures __________ they happened, giving his family a(n) __________ that one was about to strike. What’s more, Gary seemed to be having fewer and fewer seizures since Tabby’s __________.

How could it be? Nobody could explain __________ Tabby did it. But those of us who were fortunate enough to know her and her family had witnessed (见证) the magic, the kind that has its roots in __________.

8 . I was getting more excited as we got off the train at beautiful Grand Central Station. After tour at the Museum of Modern Art, we _______ Radio City Music Hall and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. In one of the _______ in the area, I found a tiny boxed set of Peter Rabbit books, perfect for my _______. Was there anything like Christmas in New York? Having experienced an exciting and tiring tour, we called a _______ back to Grand Central Station.

On the way home I realized that my handbag was gone -- lost or _______. I had no idea. All the magic of this special day _______. I glumly (闷闷不乐地) pictured a jam-packed Department of Motor Vehicles and all the phone calls that I’d have to make to get my _______ cards replaced with new ones. And I’d never _______ all those precious photos of my daughters.

The days slipped by while I got rides to college and _______ going to the DMV (车管所) at such a busy time of year. Then I got an unexpected ________, a box with the return address of Radio City Music Hall. ________, I opened it and shouted in a joyful ________.

There was my old handbag, with everything ________ good inside — license, cards and photos — and one thing that hadn’t been there ________, a handwritten note, saying, “I found this handbag lying under the seat of my taxi by ________. Merry Christmas!”

9 . I love and enjoy playing the piano. So when the recital (音乐演奏会) was ______, I was disappointed. I had expected it for long and already ______ my best songs.

However, Mom turned this ______ into something worthwhile. “You should ______ at Carriage House Manor. I’m sure the ______ there would really appreciate the music.” To me, this was a win-win situation because not only would I play more songs, but I have the chance to ______ the residents, some of whom tragically didn’t have families.

The much-anticipated day ______ arrived. Stepping into the dining area, I saw several gray-haired people seemingly enjoying a dinner and the ______. Despite on-going conversations at tables, ______ still hung like a dark cloud in the room. After introductions, I sat down in front of the piano, butterflies in my stomach. But my ______ melted away as I played on.

The dinner hour flew by. One woman got up and began to cheerfully ______ about the room to the beat of the ______ while others snapped their fingers (打响指). I was ______ to see how music brought big smiles to their faces.

Calling off the recital was a blessing because it led to us ______ the gift of music with those who needed it most. Go spread ______ whenever possible.