1 . When he was 17 years old, the boy left his comfortable home in a wealthy Midwestern area to live as a foreign exchange student in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in a foreign country. He _________ in an apartment with no elevators and one washer for 300 families. He _________ to wash his clothes by hand in the bathtub and _________ water was so costly, he trained himself to _________ his hair in less than five minutes.

At that time there were no cellphones and the Internet didn’t exist. So for six months he had no _________ at all with his family or friends in the US. He had no relatives there so he _________ to face the fact that his competence in adapting and creating a life for himself entirely depended on himself. At age seventeen his need for friends was _________ and not knowing a soul depressed him and caused him anxiety.

What _________ to his anxiety was that he didn’t speak the local _________ and had no familiarity with the monetary (货币的) system or the transportation system. One more ____________ that he faced was his host family, who spoke the least (or worst) English.

Living abroad and developing ____________ in a foreign language required persistence and ____________. He made many mistakes ____________ the way. Now he has  ____________ his disagreeable memories into his medal of honor. They’re the treasured stories that offer wisdom, provide him with insights into friends and family and provide him with ____________ that he can get over future challenges.

2 . You probably know that doing good makes you feel good, whether it’s volunteer work or something for a friend. I have _______ someone else’s good deed. It also gives me a _______ attitude, especially a random act of kindness from a _______.

My family and friends have done more than I can _______ for me, and I am very grateful. But someone I don’t even know does something nice for me. It’s really unexpected. And that’s what makes my life wonderful.

That is what happened to me on Wednesday night. I _______ the office at 7∶10, almost an hour later than I’d planned, and I was _______ that I would only have time for a short workout. Then I walked out of our _______ onto 34th Street and got hit in the face with little ice. And as usual, I had no umbrella.

I made my way to Park Avenue _______ with the hailstones (冰雹) hitting off my unprotected head. Suddenly a _______ came from my left. “Hey, do you need an umbrella?”

I ________ and saw a guy in his mid­20s, wearing a fashionable jacket, skinny jeans and funky glasses. But he clearly had a kind attitude because he was already ________ his umbrella with me. “That’s sweet of you,” I said, “and I’m okay. I’m just going to the gym across the street.”

“Then I’ll walk you there,” he said. He ________ me to the door of my gym, shielding (保护) me from the hail all the way. He left with his ________ and my thanks. I watched him ________ in the night, my mood light and hopeful again. Why let little annoyances get to me when there’s a ________ world out there with people like my umbrella guy in it?

3 . When I settled in Chicago, my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a problem and had to go to hospital for a(n)____ examination. 

It seemed a thorough small examination compared to the one I was about to face, but things started to go ____ from the beginning. Not having a car or ____ the city, I was depending on a couple of buses to get me from A to B. ____ I’d left myself plenty of time, soon it was ____ that I was going to be late, because I had mistakenly got on a bus that was taking me in the ____ direction.  

I ____ the bus and stood on the pavement not knowing what to do. I looked into the eyes of a ____, who was trying to get past me. ____, instead of moving on, she stopped to ask if I was OK. After I explained my ____ to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my appointment. Sitting there and waiting, I felt ____ that someone had been willing to help. Then, hearing a horn nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend ____ at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a ____ to the hospital.  

Such unexpected ____ from a passer-by was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose ____, for all things are possible.

4 . Growing up, I always hid my thumbs(拇指) in my fists because of their unusual shape._________ they do look more like a big toe(脚趾) instead of a thumb. And from an early age, my thumbs _________ another name “toe thumbs”. 

In high school, I served as a cashier in a grocery store. One day, I was _________ a sweet little old lady and as I counted her change back to her, she suddenly took my hands and said in a thick Polish _________, “You are Polish! Look at those _________ Polish thumbs! They match mine!” She raised her hands and _________ her thumbs to me that although weathered and wrinkled, looked exactly like mine! She _________ my hands again and said, “Be _________ of those thumbs!” 

I’ll never forget that 30-second _________ with a stranger that forever changed my view of a part of me I once was __________ by and now accept. As I was eating dinner with my Samuel tonight, he looked down at my hand __________ on the table next to his and said, “Mummy! Our thumbs __________!” I smiled and answered, “Yes, they do, buddy! Those are strong Polish __________ you have! Take pride in them! Maybe someday you’ll have a little boy or girl who will have the same thumbs!” I hope he’ll be proud of their “unusualness” and the __________ behind them. He carries on a(n) __________ part of me and that for me will always be beautiful!

7 . Dramatic performing is an excellent method of building confidence in children and adults alike. Learning drama allows students to explore their creativity and have fun while leaving their shyness and _________ behind. Drama also works by supporting the growth of _________ and other skills.

Entertainment has become rather passive with _________, television and computer games becoming more popular. These screen-based methods have had a negative effect on communication. They prevent children communicating with others. However, drama puts the children enthusiastic about communication back into entertainment. Children have the opportunity to _________ with others in a more meaningful way _________ drama encourages speech development, awareness of body language and allows children to become more socially aware.

Play and drama are closely linked. When children play a game, they are using their imagination and moving away from reality to _________ their own story. Drama is a vehicle _________ which children can express themselves more freely to make education fun.

Children gain _________ by understanding that there is no final answer in drama and that their opinion and contribution are valued. They are able to _________ to many issues and situations such as poverty, recycling and global warming. __________ and education have a strong link as drama can __________ children to take an active interest in other subjects such as Geography, History and English and so they can have a more rounded education.

As a drama teacher, I have witnessed a child at his first class holding onto his parent’s arm __________ to let go. Then to see the same child running into my class with a smile is a(n) __________ sight. Drama installs confidence in children by allowing them to improvise (即兴创作) and experiment. Everyone is given the opportunity to shine __________drama. Besides learning the history of the theatre, drama __________ dance, music, and directing, etc. These classes are especially designed to be of great fun.

8 . One cold afternoon, Tina saw a newborn bird in her garden. Knowing it wouldn’t make it if left _________, she brought it inside. Little did she know of the _________ the bird would make on her.

The family named the little bird Gracie. As Gracie grew bigger and stronger under the family’s tender loving care, an unbreakable ___________ developed between them. But the family knew Gracie should _________ to the wild one day. One year later, they _________ the bird with tearful eyes fly off to explore its own world, not knowing it wouldn’t ___________ the family.

Years after that, Tina was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. Feeling sad and hopeless, she _______ every day.

But much to her surprise and joy, Gracie _________ on the day when Tina came home from her operation. Though Tina had lost all her hair, Gracie ___________ her and landed on her shoulder, chattering (唧唧叫) to her. Tina was so excited that she kissed the bird ______________.

The house was ______________ again. Tina began to ____________ dramatically. She cried less and laughed more. Two years later, all her test results were ____________! The doctors considered it a miracle (奇迹), but Tina knew it was not. “It was Gracie that gave me hope and strength. Without Gracie’s ____________ during the hard times, things would have been different. We ever saved its life, and it was repaying the ____________,” Tina said gratefully.