1 . As she approached 97, Gwen Erickson from Minnesota began raising one of America’s most popular, yet endangered, butterflies — the Monarch. Last year the grandmother _________ to raise 27 butterflies and this year the _________ has gone up to 61.

While some might say that nature should be left to _________ itself, the butterflies’ population is _________ rapidly and is in need of a little extra help. _________, that love and devotion is exactly what the 97-year-old is able to _________ for her little winged friends.

The whole process is a little _________, beginning with collecting eggs from the milkweed leaves that grow in her backyard. Four days after Erickson placed the eggs in jars on her living-room table, the caterpillar (毛毛虫) appeared, and then, within several weeks, formed a chrysalis (蛹). A fortnight later the beautiful butterfly _________. Erickson then released the butterflies into the wild, but a couple seemed a little _________ to leave their loving home and __________ the senior by flying around the house.

When __________ her first attempt to raise the butterflies, Erickson said she hoped it could enable her grandchildren to __________ an interest in these beautiful insects. __________, it’s her who has found the pleasure in raising butterflies in the end.

Normally Erickson doesn’t like to talk about herself and what she does, but she does this time as she wants to __________ others to care for this endangered species. Happily a friend and her son have joined her in her newfound __________ and hopefully we will see a(n) __________ in those decreasing numbers.

This new __________, started so late in life, is a fine example of people __________ the smaller things in life. And it __________ us that it’s never too late to be __________ in life.

3 . My dad is a construction worker. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would _________ great bread, but he is and he does.

I’ve been feeling _________ since I knew I didn’t qualify for the swim team. Now I’ll have to wait a whole year to _________ again; that might as well be a million years.

Dad knew I was feeling down. Last Sunday he said it was time for me to help in the _________. I couldn’t imagine what help I could offer. _________, I followed right behind him. Dad got out the flour and milk and taught me how to make the dough (面团), which took ten minutes and _________ a great amount of energy.

Next came the most difficult but _________ part — doing nothing. We waited for an hour for the dough to _________ swell (膨胀) and double in size. Then we beat the risen dough down to let the air out, divided it into two and waited for another _______ . “Take your time. Don’t rush to put the dough directly into the oven (烤箱), but if you do, the bread will be hard. So learn to be __________,” Dad explained. As the flour dust in the kitchen quietly settled, __________ didn’t seem to matter. The dough was going to __________ at its own pace.

As I __________ what Dad said, I stopped walking around and watching the __________. With a peaceful mind, I started __________ the quiet time with Dad. My father taught me how to bake bread, but I think I learned something more.

4 . Soon after my arrival in Luanda, I realised that I was going to have some free time available. I decided to spend it doing something useful and involving (参与) in the _______ community.

I started my search for volunteering opportunities here and a blog post _______ my eye. It was Ashima’s _______ on how she started her volunteering _______ in Luanda. Ashima has been volunteering at the Foundation for Art and Culture for more than a year. I decided to get in touch with them and soon after I got a very warm and welcoming _______ inviting me to the foundation. The next day as I _______ into the foundation little did I know it would become such a(n) _______ part of my life in Luanda.

I was a bit hesitant at first as I had never worked with children before and my Portuguese (葡萄牙语) then was much _______ than now. But as I slowly started doing some activities with children, there were not any _______. All that you needed was a heart full of love and everyone ________ the language of love.

I found plenty of ________ to do with kids, keeping them busy and having fun. Together we played, sang, learnt new things, ________ new games and reinvented the old. The children coming to the foundation are wonderful, and full of ________ and energy. It is a beautiful place with wonderful projects. Without doubt it is the best ________ I could have found in Luanda, and I am very happy to go there as often as I can. The staff ________ there really make you feel welcome and at home.

6 . When I was a child, I began learning to play the piano, which was my favourite musical _____, but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school so that I could concentrate more on my studies.

It’s one of my biggest _____ to stop practising the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would _____. However, I didn’t keep my promise because I was occupied with my study. _____ I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been _____ that I never returned. I haven’t taken lessons since then but to be honest, I _____ to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn’t help recalling many memories — times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher _____ me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so _____ that I could hardly say anything. But her _____ helped ease my shame. These memories, ______, good or bad, never caused my courage for playing the piano again.

This thought then led me to think that ______ is like music, and that we all try to play different ______ in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch (音准) ______ when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tune. However, we all continue to create our own ______ style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is important that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn’t ______ that I’ve stopped making music.

8 . I was said to be the worst student in my class, and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to_______grade six. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school. 

One day after class, she_______that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a_______conversation. After that day, she gave me particular_______and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that someone believed me, and my_______started to improve in her subject. 

Months later, she moved into a house near my home. We would walk home together after school. Her constant (不断的 ) support helped me,_______in my studies, as I knew she would_______my grades both in her subject and other subjects. I finally _______second in my class. 

Then, after grade six, she started to drift away(渐渐疏远)_______still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in grade seven, we hardly spoke, but by then I had become the best in my class. When I left my school, I was ________with her, as she never answered the ________when I called her. 

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths(路)________again. I met her at a wedding. I could not________asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?” 

“You are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree standing on your own roots, not depending on (依靠)others. Now here you are and I feel________of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to________a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.

9 . Leslie Morissette’s son, Graham, was 6 years old when he was diagnosed with leukemia (白血病). Throughout Graham’s _______ in the hospital, Graham connected with everyone he met, from _______ patients to younger children. “He would lend other sick children his toys or act silly to make them laugh. ” Morissette said. “Graham’s special spirit is what kept me going. He gave me the energy and the _______ to fight with him.” In 1997, when he was 8 years old, Graham passed away.

_______ by how Graham lived his life caring about others, Morissette _______ the nonprofit Grahamtastic Connection in his honor. The organization provides free technology—including computers, iPads, and robots—to children _______ cancer and other serious illnesses.

One of the major goal of Morissette’s work is to _______ kids to their classrooms, which really helps them continue their education despite hospitalizations and days _______ from school.

The robots “transport” children right into the classroom in real time. They can _______ the robots right from their hospital bed or home. If a child is unable to attend school, they can ________ log on to their tablet or laptop and call in to the robot. They can ________ up and down the school paths. They can go to lunch with their ________. The real magic happens between classes, when they’re walking down the hallway with their friends, by robot, ________ their weekend and their favorite foods and other things.

Morissette said, “I believe that Graham’s ________ lives on in the work that I do. And I’m ________ and privileged to be able to do it in his honor.”

10 . An elderly woman is crediting (归功于) her neighbor’s 4-year-old dog with saving her life during last week’s dangerously cold temperatures.

Tim Curfman was _______ his garbage with his dog Midnight when he felt its _______ was unusual. It had its ears held up looking at him. It didn’t _______ do that. Curfman got the feeling that something’s _______. So he observed how his dog was acting and _______ it to a spot on the other side of his house. There, he saw his 87-year-old neighbor, Noreen, _______ in the snow. She was trying to fill her bird feeder when she fell. Curfman _______ she was out there at least half an hour. She could not get up because she didn’t have enough _______ to push herself up, and there was nothing around the corner to get a _______ of, either. The temperature was one degree below zero, but Curfman and Midnight were able to __________ her quickly.

Noreen, who didn’t have serious injuries, was lucky to __________ frostbite (冻伤) even though her clothes were wet. Curfman called his wife and they together helped his neighbor up from the snow and into her __________, where his wife helped the elderly woman get into __________ clothes.

Noreen was __________ to Midnight for saving her life. “A dog like this __________ to be proud of because it’s not every dog that pays attention to things like this,” Noreen said in an interview.