1 . Julian is a 26-year-old grassroots artist. With a bold and humorous style, his creations have earned more than 6 million ________ on several social media platforms and sold more than 60,000 pieces on the video platform.

However, Julian’s ________ to art was not easy. He was born in a poor village. At the age of 6, Julian began to teach himself to ________ by using waste bricks to practice on walls due to the unaffordability of art supplies. Despite facing ________, including the disability caused by an injury at the age of 11, drawing remained Julian’s passion.

________ the increased popularity of short videos, he could ________ his works online, gradually gaining success. Julian's life also got improved by selling paintings. His dreams, however, are even ________. “My goal is to share my work with more people and I also want to ________ and motivate them with humor,” Julian said. Many of his paintings reflect his journey of ________ obstacles. For Julian, it seems that the inspiration for creation is ________. In his eyes, any scene or word can be a source of inspiration.

Some media called Julian as “the Grassroots Picasso”, but he modestly rejected the ________, saying he is just a “painting hobbyist”.

Julian hopes to engage in more exciting adventures, including organizing exhibitions at home and abroad to encourage more young people to ________ their dreams. “I always believe that it is ________ to learn to persevere. If you love something, then put in more ________. The experiences we have are ________ the foundation for the future, and we will always leave our mark.” Julian said.

2 . Despite being homeless himself, a man named Steve has dedicated himself to taking care of stray (走失的) dogs. He has adopted 15 dogs in the past 15 years and _________ their daily needs.

This year, Steve believed that a change of scene might help him get back on his feet, so he decided to move to Indiana. He had a distance of 2,000 miles to _________, with nothing but a bike and only $6 in his pocket, but he never considered leaving his _________ dogs behind. So he put the dogs in a shopping cart and _________ it to the bike.

On his way, Steve _________ Alicia, who works at the West Animal Shelter (WAS). _________, she stopped to figure out the entire story. “Having been homeless since 2009, he could _________ them,” she said. Deeply _________ by Steve’s love for dogs, Alicia set up a GoFundMe page for him and _________ his story. Then, many volunteers arrived to help out. They __________ photos on Facebook, raised money and kept searching for ways to get them to Indiana. __________, they met a kind woman who offered them a __________.

They finally made it to their __________. A generous donor gave them a truck to live in, so for the first time in nearly 15 years, they have a __________ over their heads. Today, over $30,000 has been raised and he will continue to help strays.

“It is extraordinary, and his story tells one good __________ leads to another.” Alicia said.

3 . It was a sunny weekend. I had planned to go mountain climbing in the suburbs with Daniel. However, a sudden heavy rain that morning disrupted my plan. Looking out of the window, I couldn’t help feeling a little ________ as the rain poured down.

However, Daniel ________ , “Since we can’t go mountain climbing, why don’t we go to an old ________ in the city? I heard there are many interesting shops and delicious food there.” I thought it was a good idea and _________. We braved the heavy rain and arrived at the old neighborhood. Although the sky was still ________ , the old buildings and unique atmosphere of the neighborhood attracted us.

We walked through the narrow streets and admired the ________ shops on both sides. A retro-style coffee shop caught our attention and we decided to go in and rest. In the coffee shop, we tasted the delicious coffee and talked about our daily lives. ________ , a strange figure walked into the coffee shop. He looked ________ and lost. His eyes fell on us casually and seemed to be looking for something. Out of ________ , we took the ________ to talk to him. It turned out that he was a photographer and he had just lost an important memory card which contained his works of many years. He had been searching for it in the neighborhood for a long time, but still couldn’t find it.

After hearing ________ his troubles, we decided to help him search for it. We searched around the neighborhood and asked many people, but couldn’t find the memory card. Just when we were about to give up, a little kid ________ to us with a memory card and said he had found it by the roadside. We excitedly took the memory card and after checking it was ________ , we gave it back to the photographer. The photographer looked at us gratefully with tears in his eyes. He said, “Thank you very much. This memory card means a lot to me.” We felt happy that we could help him and it added more meaning ________ this unexpected trip.

This experience made me realize that life always has unexpected surprises and twists. Sometimes, ________ your plan is not a bad thing and it may bring you a more wonderful experience.

4 . My dad loved everything about Northern Soul music. He _________ in England in the 1960s when the music was popular. He had a _________ childhood there. I believe this music _________ him through hard times in his life.

At the age of 57, he was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. When he was _________ from the cancer, he also turned to his music. The music made him _________ and he wanted to dance. One of the songs I knew he _________ was “Because Of You” by Jackie Wilson. He _________ told me why he liked it, but after listening to the _________ of the song, I believed it was for my mother, who _________ him. But my mom insisted they saved each other.

The song ________   me of the time when my dad and I were sitting in his living room after he was diagnosed with cancer and he told me this was his favorite song. I __________ it down in my note section of my phone because I knew it was __________ to remember it. We ended up __________ it at his memorial service. It also reminds me of how my mom and dad __________. My dad was only 23 and was trying to find his way in __________. My mom was 22 and was also trying to find her way. They helped each other over 40 years.

5 . In a busy city, there lived an old bookseller named Mr. Finch. His tiny shop, hidden amid towering skyscrapers, was a _________ destination for book lovers. Mr. Finch was known for his warm smile and the _________ he could tell from his cherished books.

One summer afternoon, a young girl named Lily _________ his shop. She had a worn notebook in hand, filled with _________ and ideas. With _________ in her eyes, she asked, “Can you help me write a story?”

Mr. Finch nodded and _________ her to sit. They began with a blank page, and as they _________, the world around them faded away. They _________ a tale of an enchanted (被施魔法的) forest, where trees whispered secrets and animals sang lullabies. Hours turned into minutes, and before Lily _________ it, the story had come to life. She thanked Mr. Finch, __________ to return.

Years passed, and one day, Lily; now a __________ author, returned to Mr. Finch’s __________. She handed him her latest book, dedicated to the old bookseller who had __________ her passion for storytelling. Mr. Finch’s eyes welled with tears as he read the dedication. He realized that in helping Lily find her voice, he had also __________ his own purpose. From that day forward, he wrote stories that filled his little shop with magic.

And so, in a hidden comer of the city, among the towering buildings, Mr. Finch and Lily __________ that the power of a story could change lives, inspire dreams, and make even the smallest of places feel extraordinary.

6 . My aunt Mantha loved Christmas. She always went out of her way to make it _________ and cosy for everyone around her. December 2022 was no _________. Mantha drove three hours to visit everyone two weeks before the 25th and to drop off _________ to her friends. We chatted about our plans, _________ and kissed goodbye when it was time to _________.

So when on December 18. Mantha's son called us sadly to tell us Mantha had passed away _________ at home, none of us could quite believe it. So close to Christmas, none of us felt like _________. That was until my sister-in-law, Vera told us about some _________ of hers in the office who were from China had just arrived in the UK.

We knew we couldn't leave them to spend the day by themselves, especially after we heard how _________ they were to experience a proper English Christmas. More importantly, we knew Mantha would have wanted us to throw open our doors and give them a Christmas to __________.

When the day finally came, we __________ them into the house with open arms and tried to __________ our pain so we could give them the full Christmas __________.

It didn't __________ the pain of Mantha's absence but connecting with strangers and __________ our culture helped us get through the day and turned out to be the very thing we all needed.

7 . Things were not going _______ for David McCartney on the evening of Jan.9, 2006. The father of two was running late for a meeting and was _______ for a speeding ticket (罚单). But, as fate would have it, the _______ put him right where he needed to be when Elizabeth Testerman’s car rushed off the road in front of his car. Thinking on his _______, McCartney called 911, kicked in Testerman’s windshield and pulled her from the car. “I got to save a life,” says McCartney. “So it _______ being a pretty good day.”

That _______ episode led to a yearslong friendship with Testerman and inspired McCartney to continue helping others. In 2019 McCartney, a longtime distance runner, _______ a kidney (肾脏)to a stranger; And since then, his _______ has been to run 50-plus-mile ultramarathons in every U. S. state to raise awareness and educate people about becoming living donors. “We’re trying to get people _______ in all 50 states. It is not a death sentence to donate a kidney.”

Although McCartney never got to meet the person who ________ his kidney, he says he finds ________ in knowing that he saved a life. And he knows he’s ________ others too. His son Elijah,18, now runs alongside his dad for kids with kidney disease. In recent years the pair have ________ nearly 100 races across 16 states and helped dozens of kids. “You’ve got to try to make a difference,” says McCartney. “It’s a big ________. When the sun is shining, we’re ________ the road.”

8 . Britni Ricard, the CEO of her own cosmetics company, became a landlord (房东) when she bought her first investment property. The apartment building has 10 units and many of the tenants (租房) are ________ women with children. That made her think of her own ________ growing up in public housing, and how difficult holidays could be for her mom.

“It was ________,” said Ricard. “My mom was a single woman ________ three children alone. ________ watching her struggle in my childhood, I just wanted to figure out, ‘How can I help?’”

Inspired by her own upbringing, Ricard decided to ________ to support her tenants. In November, Ricard ________ her tenants for a pre-holiday meeting and she delivered a ________ to her tenants: one month of free rent. Ricard also ________ to organize a seminar (研讨会) to help her tenants become homeowners.

Among the tenants touched by Ricard’s ________ was Kedesha Dunn, a single mother raising two boys. Dunn expressed her ________, emphasizing how Ricard’s gift would ________ financial stress and allow her family to ________ the holiday season.

Ricard’s act of compassion and ________ had a deep impact on the lives of her tenants, resonating far beyond the walls of the apartment building and inspiring communities to come together in times of ________.

9 . Eighteen-year-old Terry Fox never saw himself as remarkable. Granted, he displayed an unusual determination to achieve his goals but his ______ was local-family, school, sports and friends. But his cancer diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma (成骨肉瘤) ______ all that. Terry lost his leg, underwent 16 months of ______ and found he could not ignore the suffering he ______ in the wards. He did not let his illness ______ him. Instead, he went on a cross-country run to raise cancer ______ and funds for cancer research. Terry ran ______ to 26 miles a day. He ran through snow, rain, wind, ______ and humidity. He stopped in more than 400 towns to talk about why he was running. Most days he was ______ on the road, and no money was raised. But Terry never gave up hope that Canadians would ______ to his story, to his effort…and he was right. When Terry entered Ontario, the whole country was cheering him on and donating. ______, cancer returned in his lungs and he had to ______ from the journey after having run 5,373kilometers. Before his death, Terry had achieved his once ______ goal of $1 from every Canadian. More importantly, he had ______ the framework for an event, The Terry Fox Run, that would ignite cancer research, raising over $850 million since 1980, and bring ______ and health to millions of Canadians.

10 . Hard luck makes one stronger and India’s youngest para-badminton player, Palak Kohli, agrees entirely. Her left arm has not completely grown—a(n) ______ since birth. This put her in a very awkward position. ______ questions and sympathy were a part of Palak Kohli’s daily routine. However, it never ______ her but instead inspired her to do more.

A chance meeting with a national ______ when visiting a mall sowed the seed of para-sports (残疾人体育) in her mind. Although her teacher insisted she should ______ studies, it only made her more ______ to prove herself. Her intensive research on para-sports ______ her to Gaurav Khanna—India’s national para-badminton coach, the ______ man who had met her before. Palak Kohli visited Gaurav Khanna’s para-badminton academy and soon knew her ______ and destination. In 2019, three years after she was ______ to the academy, she played in the nationals and did extremely well, winning three gold medals. Things seemed to be ______ until she was diagnosed with a bone marrow (骨髓) issue in her ______ and was advised bed rest for three months. Palak Kohli was undisturbed as she was used to ______ hard luck. She was quick to focus on solutions to ______ her body and slowly getting back on her feet again.

For Kohli, para-badminton is her world now. She ______ Khanna for his contribution and support in her career.