1 . Sometimes you may find that you are not happy in your life, although everything is going well. Most of the time you have to _______ this kind of unhappy life, since it is really hard to make changes and move on to a new business, which often involves taking _______.

My father, however, was a quite different example. When I was about 9 or 10, he told me that I should be whatever I wanted when I grew up, so long as I _______ it. He said that if I were not feeling _______, I should try to change my life to make it more delightful, and I would find real _______ as a result. From him I learned a great lesson on the _______ of doing one’s favorite.

My father got into the insurance industry when he was very young, and he was very _______. He became one of the company’s top salesmen, even though he was only 25 years old. Soon he became one of the first independent insurance salesmen in our state. _______, he decided to leave his successful _______ and move on to other fields. You might ________ why he did so. The answer was simple: he liked to do something challenging, something that ________ his strength and ability, especially in a way that is interesting. My father just wanted to have a try, and so he did. After leaving the insurance company, he worked in social media and then in digital technology, which really ________ him. Of course he wasn’t successful in everything he tried, but he told me for ________ that he did something he liked, and that he had the ________ of doing what he enjoyed.

________ one’s comfortable life is not easy. I’ve learned this from my father, and I can say no matter whether the ________ is good or bad, it is ________ doing one’s favorite. When we do something we love, it gives us extra ________ to meet our goals, which are associated with psychological well-being and health. As long as we have no ________ and give it a try, we are forced to push against ourselves. After all, we all want to be where we are ________ ourselves.

3 . Fifteen-year-old Michael Platt is the owner of Michaels Desserts. Born with an incredible love for _________, he became interested in baking when he was nine years old._________, Michael was learning about income inequality and childhood hunger from his parents. He felt inspired to _______ those injustices. Since he was diagnosed _________ severe epilepsy(癫痫)at the age of 10, Michael has been homeschooled by his mother.

With his activities limited by his _________ condition, Michael threw himself into baking. His parents once bought him a pair of TOMS shoes, _________ business model gave him a(n) _________. For every pair sold, TOMS gives another pair to a _________ individual. Supported by his parents, he _________ Michaels Desserts. When a dessert is sold, he donates another to someone __________ homelessness or hunger.

Michael sells about 170 treats a month. There are various __________, and the most important item on the menu is the “Freedom Fighter” cupcakes created in honor of historical __________ like Martin Luther King. Stephanie Gerstenblith, one of his __________, says that Michael’s cupcakes are not only delicious, but also have inspired her to “__________everyone with sweetness”.

__________running his bakery, Michael hosts bake __________ for the non-profit No Kid Hungry. Jessical Bomberg, a leader of fund-raising for the campaign, says, “Young heroes like Michael prove that everyone can __________ in society.”

It is Michael’s __________ that everyone should undertake the responsibility to take care of others. “When I see people starving, I want to __________ them something,” he says. “It’s my way of telling them that they haven't been ________.”

6 . It was when I first started college. People in my dormitory “warned” me about a(n) ________ character that would randomly appear around campus. She would wear a teddy bear costume and hug ________. No one had any clue as to her ________ or why she was doing it.

One late night when I was ________ my dormitory, and right behind a building, a teddy bear head popped out! I was full of ________, and she started to jump into the air and ________ at me! Then she stretched her arms out for a hug. Not quite knowing how to ________, I reached my arms out, and she ________ me like we were best ________! She then waved goodbye and skipped away into the night.

Then, one night, I was out and ________ a figure running across a parking lot. Moments later, I heard sickening crying; ________, someone was ________. I made my way over to find the girl lying on the ground, ________ injuring herself. I helped her up and ________ for an ambulance and as we waited, I eventually ________ her to take off the costume. She looked like any ________ girl in her late teens to early twenties.

When I called the police a few days later to make sure that she was okay, I was told that she was actually ________ throughout the local police department. As it turned out, she suffered from a mental illness, and to ________ some of her pressure, she gave people hugs and it made her calmer. She chose to dress up in a teddy bear suit to make herself look less ________ to other people. No one saw her again after that. I chose to keep that encounter and her identity as a (n) ________ to protect her.

8 . My wife and I owned two dogs that we had owned before we met and brought into the ________. Her dog was a pit bull named Zack, and he ________ me. When our daughter was born, I was worried that the pit bull would be dangerous to be ________ our young daughter. I warned my wife that the dog would have to go at the first ________ of trouble. I said, “If he nips (啃咬) at the baby, he’d go. ”

We brought our daughter home in a car seat, and both dogs sniffed and licked her, tails wagging. I had to ________ Zack away from her because he ________ stop licking her. Zack immediately became my daughter’s ________, and when she was lying on a blanket on the floor, he always had to have one foot on the blanket.

Zack loved my daughter ________, and when she became a little older he always walked her to bed, and then slept on the bed with her. He ________ knew whenever it was time to go ________, and he would wait at the ________ of the stairs for her, and then follow her up to bed.

Zack was poisoned by some neighbor kids, and we had one of the worst days of our lives.________ my daughter say goodbye to him as he lay ________ on the kitchen floor, my wife and I were both sobbing.

At 8:00 that night, my daughter walked to the stairs to go to bed. At that moment, all three of us realized ________ was about to happen. My daughter looked at her mother and me with a look of horror and ________. It was at that moment ________ my dog, Sam, which loved my daughter dearly, stood up, walked over to her, and ________ her with his head. He put his foot on the ________, and looked up at her. They walked up to bed, with my daughter holding his neck ________.

For the next six years,________ he died, Sam waited for her by the stairs each night.

9 . When I was 15, I joined an exchange student program. I was sent to Germany alone and lived with a host family. Many people might think how _______ this girl is! Well, the moment I decided to join the program, I didn’t _______ a lot. Actually, it was my curiosity that _______ me to say yes to this adventure. At first, I thought it would be a very nice and _______ trip, while my lack of knowing about the challenge of the trip made it even more _______.

The first day I went to the local high school was a huge _______ for me. I thought that my special background would _______ many people who would come over to talk to me or even just to _______ me. However, the _______ was that no one came, and I remained alone for a very long time. Soon, I felt especially ________, and I wondered why I had come to this __________

Had my mother and host family not helped me, I wouldn’t have ________ from the bad mood I found myself in. As soon as my host family found out that I had no ________ in school, my host mom came and talked to me. She gave me some ________ on how to make friends, such as ________ a sports club and inviting my classmates to watch a movie.

Surprisingly, all of the tips she gave me worked! ________, after three weeks, I made some good friends. She also told me that I could ________ my culture to my classmates. Then, I started to prepare a PowerPoint and a short ________ for my classmates.

My teacher gave me an hour to present it. To my astonishment, they all loved Chinese culture and had a good ________ listening to my introduction. After those experiences, I’ve learned that everything may be ________ at first, but when I face a problem and try to solve it, I’m halfway to success.

10 . When I suggested my 13-year-old try tennis, she quickly shot me down. “I’m not _________, so stop trying to get me to do sports,” Julianna said. I suggested it because some of my recent happiest memories were of playing ping-pong with her. Tennis seemed like a natural _________ from ping-pong and a great way to _________ some of her growing teen worries on a larger playing field. But my suggestion was always met with _________.

Still, I was undiscouraged. I was convinced that _________ some physical energy would help Julianna. I’ve seen how sports help deal with stress. It _________ for me when I was a teenage girl.

Midway through summer, we stayed at home one afternoon, really bored. “Do you want to play tennis?” I asked. “Sure,” she said. Arriving at the _________, we set down our bags, picked up our rackets (球拍), and _________ towards our sides of the court. The net felt like the visual representation of a growing _________ between us —I desiring a connection and my teenage daughter longing for independence.

I started by hitting a ball over the net, and Julianna took a big swing and __________. We repeated this several more times. I resisted the __________ to tell her she was __________ the racket too close to the neck or to step more into her forehand. We just repeated the __________ of me hitting the ball and her missing it a few times before she finally got it back over the net. “This is fun,” she said with a mixture of surprise and joy and then she smiled __________.

Now we always find time to play tennis. We’re both eager for an activity that can __________ tensions between us in daily life. It’s nice to have a place where both of us can release our __________ feelings and let them go.

Playing tennis together has not only improved our __________ but also brought new dimensions to our relationship. It has become a way for us to connect on a deeper level, __________ just the surface conversations. As we continue to practice and play together, I see Julianna growing in confidence and skill. This __________ activity has become a source of joy for both of us, a time when we can __________ our differences and simply enjoy each other’s company.