1 . There is a big difference between offering to help and helping. Almost all of us are guilty (内疚的) about the following _________: Someone talks about a problem, and we answer with _________ words, “Be sure to give me a call if I can help.” But we often do nothing to help.

Once I was in the situation where I _________ these kinds of offers of help—my son just started studying abroad. During those particular days, all I could _________ was the trouble my son would possibly face. It was a very _________ experience. However, there were very few who offered something really helpful.

_________. I had one close friend who took action rather than just saying to offer help. She called, “I know you must be going crazy. I think you need to get away from your _________.” She had already called a few of our friends and _________ a big dinner out. It was a wonderful night. I hadn’t even known how much I needed that break _________ I was there.

After that ____________, I decided I’d ____________ her example and reach out to others. I’ve been ____________ and even guessed wrong at times. But I was amazed when I cheered people up. So ____________ asking someone if they need help, and offer something ____________ then and there. It is a way to show the power of ____________ in an uncertain world.

2 . The friends of Juliana Palm, a fashion designer, in Rio de Janeiro were opposed to her becoming a Games volunteer. By the time the Games ended, her friends had become supporters.

Juliana came to the Games to ______ creative inspiration for her design work. ______ her experiences after the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony, Juliana teared up as she recalled her interactions with volunteers and visitors. Working with other volunteers ______ her life. She met a girl from Mexico and ______ some inspiration from her culture.

Juliana was also inspired by Olympic ______, and enjoyed learning about fencing, rugby sevens and other sports less widely practised in Brazil. She was particularly ______ by Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva who won the gold medal. “It was ______ — first, because she is a woman, and we don’t have as many sports for women as for men. She showed the world that it is ______ to do anything if you believe in something,” Juliana said.

Juliana was always ______ that Brazil would deliver successful Games, despite the country’s ______. “We have difficulties with education and public transportation. But it is not a problem for us because we can ______ them,” Juliana said.

Juliana also expressed confidence that Rio de Janeiro would continue to ______ from the Games in the years ahead, mentioning ______ the new bus rapid transit links and the new Metro Line 4. Without the Olympic Games, Line 4 would never have happened. It would ______ many people to travel to or from work. Besides, Porto Maravilha was transformed from just a dangerous place into a ______ and beautiful community.

3 . On a Friday evening in December, I lost my job. That was _________. I was excited about the weekend, when my daughter Kristil and I _________ to get our Christmas tree. Then I listened to my voicemail: “We are sorry, but we decided to _________ you.” I was a single mother and my income was survival. The next day, I struggled to be _________ as I eyed the Christmas tree prices.

Over the next week, I applied for _________ like crazy as my bank account grew smaller. On a weekend afternoon, I dropped Kristil in a _________ community for a birthday party surrounded by all the nice things that we couldn’t _________. I drove home feeling sad.

Back at home, I looked out the window at the heavy snow and _________ a woman opening her car door against the strong wind. As she _________, I realized it was my old teacher, Sister Esther. I rushed out and asked, “What are you doing out in this ____________?” She said, “I looked for you at your ____________ and it was said that you had left, so I thought I would ____________.” I made her tea and we talked. Before leaving, she handed me a Christmas card.

Later on when I opened her card, I was ____________. There was a lot of money inside. Tears of gratitude filled my eyes as I ____________. Sister Esther had given me $1,000. In 2020, at age of 91, Sister Esther died, but the ____________ she gave during her life lives on in my heart.

4 . When I was young, Dad often asked me to watch _________ games with him. Slowly, I became interested in the sport. Then Dad started to teach me _________ to hit the ball. Quickly, I became a pretty good hitter （击球手） and began _________ games.

Every time Dad came to my game, I would try very _________ to impress him. I spent too much energy making him happy and paid too much attention to his feelings. _________, I would perform poorly sometimes. Dad also realized he had influenced me negatively. Then one day, he told me that he was _________ with work and couldn’t come to any more games that year. Though I was disappointed, I respected his _________.

In the following games, I managed to perform well. But Dad never got to see them in person. In the final game of the year, I still did well. _________, when there were only ten minutes left in the game, I saw Dad secretly looking out from behind the stand （看台）. _________ after I made a perfect shot and looked for him, he was already gone.

After the game, Dad came up to me and asked me how I did. “Dad,” I said, “I saw you behind the stand.” “Wow, did you?” he said. “What a good shot （击球） you hit! That was the best one you’ve hit.” At that moment, I __________ Dad had been there every time. He secretly watched me and gave me the best chance that I could ever have to do my best.

5 . Caring 17-year-old Lauren Schroeder was inspired to help bring healthy food to needy families in her community. Volunteering at a food shelter helping _______ boxes for households in need with packaged food when she was 14, this Iowa teen felt that something was _______ from the donated groceries: fresh vegetables. So she shared with her parents her _______ to start a vegetable farm on part of their family farm in Dixon, Iowa to support local families in need with fresh produce.

Coming from a farming family, Lauren was _______ agriculture. But the work involved in _______ Lauren’s plan was no walk in the park. _______, while proud of her daughter’s vision, her mother, Katie Shroeder, admitted _______ about the work involved: “I also had a little bit of responsibilities on my shoulder.”

Lauren was one determined young _______, however! She researched plants online, _______ which species needed more shade and how much water was ________. During Iowa’s hot summers, she had to water her crops by hand for around 2-3 hours daily. Thanks to her ________, Lauren planted half an acre of land, with 15 varieties of vegetables in 2022, harvesting about 3,000 kilograms.

In 2023, Lauren doubled the size of her farm to an acre. Discussing her future ________, The Washington Post revealed that Lauren would like to grow another 5,897 kilograms of produce, thus ________ her veggie total to about 9,000 kilograms when it’s time for her to go to college in 2025.

Explaining her ________ to local media channel, KWQC, Lauren said, “I wanted to do something that would impact people. Many people help you out, but it makes more ________ when you help others out.”

6 . Do you think you are too old to do something? Just go online and ________ the video of John Harrison doing the 50m backstroke in 2014.

He ________ the 100-104 years world record by 15 seconds! Yes, you read that ________. The 100-104 years group! A time of 1:29.78. The first ever British man to set records in that age group. The applause (掌声) is long-lasting and heartfelt from all the crowd. A(n) ________ moment.

John loved swimming. He still tried to keep ________ by swimming in his last years before he passed away at the age of 105 in January 2020. Many of John’s friends speak ________ of him saying he was a “wonderful man”.

John was born in Farnborough on 25 July, 1914. And his ________ in swimming was unusual. “When I was five years old, on the way home from school, I came across a small pond,” he said ________, “so I went swimming. It taught me two things. One, to swim; and two, not to drink the water.”

“My parents ________ two years later that I was still doing it. They were ______ at first. But their anger soon ________” when I said, “I didn’t get asthma (哮喘病) last winter. They then bought me a costume and ________ me swimming skills.”

However, John didn’t start swimming ________ until his wife told him to stop teaching swimming and life-saving classes and ________ the sport for himself at the age of 79. From then on, he didn’t look back and was full of praise for everyone who ________ him during his successes.

7 . Henry remembers the day well. It was a day that would change his life. He was sitting at the kitchen table, watching his ten-year-old granddaughter, Sophia, do her homework. She had asked him a question about history and was now _________ him with big brown eyes, waiting for an answer. Henry looked at the kettle and then out of the kitchen window. Henry can still hear himself say, “I’m sorry, my dear. I don’t know.”

Henry had spent forty years working as a librarian in a school. He was now _________ and spent his days looking after Sophia. However, he felt that he should be doing more with his life, though he was in his seventies with grey hair and _________ wrinkles in his forehead (额头). As Sophia continued her homework, he read an article in the newspaper about the health _________ of older people going back to university. The article said that it kept the brain _________ and helped prevent loneliness. He made the _________ there and then. The next morning, he would go to Birkbeck, University of London and take a _________ in history.

After four years, Henry got his degree in history. “_________ the course has given me such a sense of achievement,” he says. “It has also made me _________ about doing all the other things that I’ve never had the courage to try before. It’s __________ too old to learn.”

8 . Time magazine named its choice of the 100 “Most Influential (有影响力的) People in the World” on Wednesday. On the _________ were Barack Obama; Mitt Romney; Hillary Clinton; Warren Buffett; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Pippa Middleton; Tim Tebow; Jeremy Lin and Matt Lauer.

Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks starting point guard, is a person that many _________ can take as an example, according to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who _________ the ball player for being one of the world’s most _________ persons. In the article, the secretary of education said kids can learn a great _________ from the injured Knicks point guard who is a _________ of Harvard University.

“Jeremy Lin’s story is a great lesson for kids everywhere. In life, there are many prejudices (偏见) that _________ hold children back. However, Lin’s success can show that these prejudices are _________. For example, in the past, many people didn’t believe an Asian-American could _________ in the NBA, but Lin has proved them wrong - and he’s shown that it’s ______________ to be a world-class athlete on the court as well as a(n) ______________ student off the court.” Duncan wrote.

“It’s great to see good values and the right attitude ______________ in professional sports because that doesn’t always happen,” Duncan said in the Time report. “Often it’s the selfish sportsman that gets celebrated - not people who play for the ______________ and work together to achieve a goal bigger than themselves.”

We spoke to Lin’s ______________, and they seemed to be proud of the young basketball star and praised the amazing effect he’d had on their team, but Lin stayed ______________ about the recognition, and reacted on Twitter by saying “Now I’m blushing (脸红).”

9 . Even our good friends may sometimes hurt our feelings. What should we do, hold on to the _________ or forgive (原谅) and move on?

It was an afternoon in March. Several weeks ago, I finally _________ my favorite novel Pride and Prejudice. It _________ a special edition (版本), which my mother had _________ online. I showed the book to my best friend Yu Xin _________ on our way home. When she asked _________ she could borrow it when I finished reading, I _________ it to her right away, _________ I knew she also loved the novel.

However, the next day she lost the book. She was reading it on the bus and must have dropped it as she was _________ . I was so angry. How could she be so __________ ! I had been expecting the book for weeks. What was __________ , she couldn’t understand why I was unhappy, saying it wasn’t a big deal.

I didn’t speak to her for the following two days. On the __________ afternoon, she apologized to me. She said she was sorry for losing the __________ and understood how I felt.

__________ the tears in her eyes, I knew she felt really bad about hurting my feelings. A friend was much more __________ than a book. I held her hand and told her it was OK.

10 . There are lots of children across the US who are living in residential treatment facilities (疗养中心). Many of these young people have _________ serious trauma (心理创伤) in their lives.

“People seldom know that they’re there,” said Mike Ball, whose nonprofit, Lost Voices, works with these teens. Bal first _________ this population of youth in 2005 after he was _________ to speak about his writing career at a college.

As a writer and music lover, Ball knew songwriting could have a _________ effect on these young people. He had other local musicians _________ for the project, and Lost Voices was born in 2007. The organization _________ weeklong programs where musicians go into residential treatment facilities to help children to write songs and find their voice.

“I’m often _________ by the songs they write,” Ball said. “Sometimes they’re silly, but heartbreakingly real.” Ball has been writing and playing music since he was a child. He made a career out of his _________. He’s known the power and freedom that comes from _________ personal stories. “Expressing yourself is really essential,” Ball said.

A key __________ of the Lost Voices program is the trauma-informed care approach, which Ball and his team are specifically __________ to carry out. They create a nonjudgmental space where kids from all walks of life can __________ express their thoughts and work through difficult __________.

The program has __________ more than 2,500 kids. For Ball and his team, working with these populations can be demanding at times, but he said it’s __________ to do it.