1 . It was his father’s dream to see one of his kids grow up to be a doctor. When he was in grade 12, his father told the youngest son that he wanted him to study biology and pass medical exams. His sister, who_______in biology, had earlier tried for Medical Degrees but failed even though she was very_______. In August, he asked his sister to teach him biology. The_______started to give lessons but soon she realized that the guy was not_______for it. She tried to tell the father that the son was no good at biology and that he should_______his dream of making one of his kids a doctor. The father called the guy and in a_______way, he told him to try up to his capacity. The guy_______his father and gave it his best shot. The result was_______in June the next year but he didn’t pass it in that_______.

Just 20 days later the family faced a serious________when the father died suddenly due to a heart attack. The guy was not even 18 and those were________hard times.

He remembered his father’s dream and decided to work on that. For a(n)________guy, medicine isn’t a child’s play. With great________, he studied day and night to fulfill his father’s dream which became his own dream, too.

He________for the medical exam again and this time, he made it. He finally________the top medical college in the state.

2 . We all strive to accomplish our goals before old age catches up with us—but for one San Diego woman, the loss of her ________ is far from a barrier.

Two days after Thanksgiving Laura Simon turns 106, and she’s still setting goals for herself. The secret to her longevity, she says, “is to live as ________ as you can and to work.”

Simon ________ one of her biggest goals when she turned 100: She ________ a book, titled I Am Still Here. Simon’s poor eyesight prevented her from ________ writing, so she dictated her book into a tape recorder over nine years. “I’m very ________ of this book,” Simon said.

The book’s 500 pages are ________ by dozens of black-and white photos. Her paintings are also throughout the book. It was only recently when it was ________ for her to continue that Simon stopped painting. “My paintings come from the very depth of my being,” Simon said. “It gives me life and ________.”

As for her recent ________? She said she wanted to be in the Library of Congress. And Simon did more than ________ it to the Library of Congress. Her publisher ________ her that she is one of the oldest ________ authors with a book in the nation’s library. “The rest of the authors are all gone, from the time of Washington. And my book is with all these great books,” Simon said, beaming. “...as my title says on the book, I am still here.”

Positive attitude about ________ has gotten Simon far. “Although I’m going to be 106 years old within the next week, I’m much ________ in spirit and more active in the depth of my thinking.” Simon said.

3 . An 89-year-old man, Manfred Steiner, has reached a goal he spent 20 years working toward and nearly a lifetime thinking about: earning his Ph. D. And now he is a physicist

Steiner values this degree because it is what he always wanted and because he overcame health problems that could have affected his studies. “But I made it, and this was the most satisfactory point in my life, to finish it,” he said.

When he was young, Steiner wanted to become a physicist after reading about Albert Einstein. But his mother and uncle persuaded him that studying medicine would be a better choice. He earned his medical degree in 1955 and moved to the US soon after.

Steiner studied hematology（血液学）at Tufts University and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became a full professor and led the hematology department at Browns’ medical school from 1985 to 1994. Steiner helped establish a research program in hematology at the University of North Carolina. He directed that program until he retired from medicine in 2000.

Steiner found medical research pleasing, but it was not quite the same as his interest in physics. “It was something like a wish that was never fulfilled, that always stuck in the back of my head,” he said. At age 70, he started taking undergraduate classes.

Physics professor Brad Marston was surprised when Steiner entered his quantum mechanics class. But he became Steiner’s adviser for his dissertation（学位论文）after realizing how serious Steiner was about the subject and how hard he worked. “He has written many papers in medical science, more papers than I’ve written in physics,” Marston said. “One thing that’s really true about Manfred is that he perseveres.”

After the university published a story about Steiner on its website, people across the US contacted him to ask for advice on how to go after their dreams later in life. His advice is: Do what you love to do.

4 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is ______in filling cake orders and updating her website. She ______Kayke Bakery, a home-based business.

Erica started baking out of ______in the year 2021. Her first attempt was a(n) ______.Yet she made more cakes the next day and ______her techniques through teaching videos on a daily basis. “I saw other people’s decorated cakes and was ______to be a cake artist instead of just a baker,” Erica said. After due ______, she asked her parents about setting up her own business. “Seeing how ______she was,” Erica’s mother recalled, “we ______beginning to help her cope with all the legalities for its opening.” Soon, she had ______customers always coming to her for custom cakes. “______dealing with both school and a business is tough on occasions, but I managed to get______.” she said. “I’m glad to be able to do what I love.”

Always considered a ______, Erica finished her senior year with almost full marks. She plans to ______cake decorating after senior high. “I’m thinking about starting non-profit organizations.” In these years, besides learning various techniques, Erica has become more ______ . “I realize I possess great potential and power.”

5 . Johnny Agar had always dreamed of competing in triathlons (铁人三项赛) as an athlete. Unfortunately, he’d been diagnosed with cerebral palsy (大脑性瘫痪) shortly after he was born. This disorder makes it difficult for the now-28-year-old to get around. However, he and his father are proving that where there’s a will — and a lot of love — there’s a way!

Jeff Agar, 59, is helping Johnny experience life to the fullest by entering triathlons by his side. As a team, they’ve completed over 200 races, including a full ironman triathlon that required them to swim, bike and run 140 miles in just 17 hours.

“I’m not a fan of triathlon,” Jeff joked. “I’m doing it not because I love it. This is Johnny’s dream and I’m giving him the legs and the power to do it.” Although Jeff typically provides the majority of the manpower, it was important for Johnny to cross the finish line on his own legs. “Walking in races was my way of telling Dad, ‘Okay, I’m not just going to say thank-you anymore; I’m going to actually put words into action,’” Johnny said.

Johnny and his dad now form Team Agar, using their story and the power of motivational speaking to inspire others. “When we completed that 140-mile Ironman together, it had an amazing impact on many people who had seen our story. We began to see that competing isn’t just about us crossing the finish line; it’s about helping others leave uncertainty in the dust — even those facing greater obstacles than we did.”

Earlier this month, they received some incredible news. They were invited to compete in one of the toughest triathlons: the Ironman World Championship! What made the occasion even more special was a pre-recorded video message from Johnny’s idol, athlete Peyton Manning. “Rumor has it that you’re a big fan of mine,” Peyton said, “I’m a big fan of yours as well! You guys are incredible; you’re a true inspiration.”

6 . Malat Leuth Wei, 25, loves being in the gym, flying across the court in a specialized wheelchair. The games are incredibly ______, with screeching (刺耳的) tires, crashing metal and the impressive teamwork and courage of the athletes ______.

Wei was born in what is now South Sudan and had polio (小儿麻痹症) at age 3. Worse still, his father went ______ during the civil wars leading to the country’s eventual independence in 2011. During those unsettled times, Wei and his mother ______ at a camp in Ethiopia, where Wei remembers crawling around on his arms on dirt roads before getting a ______. When he was 12, they moved to Houston.

He had a tough time ______ in the United States. It was quite late in his childhood to make such a huge move, and he was ______ in sixth grade despite knowing very little English. Some kids made fun of him, but a more ______ group introduced him to the ______ that would change the direction of his life.

Wei went to the park with all the children in the ______ to go play basketball with them. He was the only one ______ from a wheelchair. The fact that they actually treated him as equal and not somebody ______ turned out to be where everything started.

Wei ______ every opportunity to play and compete with them. “It means the world to me just to share my ______ with the world, of what I have accomplished in life, from where I came from, with ______, not knowing how to read or write English.” says Wei.

7 . Matthew Weihmuller, a blind jazz instructor, has been teaching people of different abilities in Tampa for 10 years. He has _________ performance at using his disability as a teaching tool. One of his teaching methods is to take away one of the five _________ , requiring performers to lean more heavily on others.

“Something that I do is _________ the lights. They have to listen and _________ their instrument with their fingers and hands. In this way, the students _________ the material better in the dark,” explained Weihmuller.

Being blind has never stopped Weihmuller from seeking his _________ for music. When he started playing, he _________ braille (布莱叶盲文) sheet music, and pieces would take months, even years to learn. _________, few professionals were capable of providing this music then, so he _________ to “braille” his own, all the way through college. And his __________ paid off. His not being able to see and read traditional sheets of music has allowed him to __________ his other senses, which is one of the main __________ he’s so talented at playing jazz music and the __________ that comes with it.

As an educator with blindness, Weihmuller __________ turning any disadvantage into an advantage. He hopes that he can __________ others to deal with their barriers and challenges in the same way that he has. And when they leave his classroom they’re not only better musicians but better people.

9 . A mother of nine who started medical school when her youngest child was 4 years old graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).

Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. Merrill first thought about going to school part-time to get a degree, but later she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. Speaking of her successfully returning to university, Merrill thought it was credited to her family largely. “When I was accepted at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona,” said Merrill, who is moving to Indiana with her family to begin her residency (实习期) in neurosurgery. “In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.”

Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study for their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched knowing her 11-year-old daughter wants to become a surgeon and overhearing her son tell his friends his mom’s going to be a cool brain surgeon, though he doesn’t understand that really.

Merrill’s next step into a neurosurgery residency will take her into a male-dominated field where only 5% of board certified neurosurgeons are women. Dr. Michele Halyard at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine said Merrill was known as a focused student. Halyard said, “If you can deal with nine children and keep your reason, the residency should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”

Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly specialty, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”