2 . My daughter went in to a big public school from a small homely pre-school last year. I acted happy for her but inside I was _________ . My daughter did not _________ anyone at her new school and I wondered how she would get on with making friends.

The first few weeks were _________ for her. She would often come home and tell me that she _________ walked around by herself during recess (课间休息) and most of the kids didn’t _________ to play with her.

I wanted to _________ this problem. I’d been the one helping her through so many moments, _________ this one was more difficult. I couldn’t be there holding her hand and _________ her to other little kids. _________, after a few weeks, she slowly started to make friends.

This year my daughter went to school as a confident Year Two. She was __________ no matter how her class changed, she would be OK. What __________ me was her experience in Year One would influence her in a positive way.

“I __________ some Year One kids today,” she told me recently. “It was their first day and some of them looked __________ so I thought I should go play with them. I __________ what it was like walking around not knowing any one.” “And maybe,” she continued.“ If I do this for them, they will do this for the __________ Year One kids next year and no one will feel they are not __________.”

My heart was full of __________. I realized it was probably a __________ thing that I wasn’t there to hold my daughter’s hand anymore.

Starting a new school is a time of great __________ — not only for children but for us parents too. One __________ for parents is learning to let go, little by little.

4 . Alone in my office one afternoon, I unpeeled (打开) the wrapper from a square of chocolate with a deliberate curiosity. The words printed inside the wrapper _______ “Accept a compliment.”

I would normally not say yes to _______ from strangers who work in the marketing department of Dove Chocolate. But they aren’t _______ in their advice: Come on women. Quit being apologists. _______ accept the compliments you deserve—without any self-deprecation (自我贬低) or changing of the subject. Until this point, I would have responded to a compliment with half _______ and half distraction—“Thanks, but…”. However, a simple “thank you” was not my style, I decided to _______ it.

Walking home from work, I _______ a neighbor on the street. I smiled and waved as we neared each other. She waved back and shouted, “I like your dress!” I assumed this was an opportunity to _______ the new way to accept compliments and simply said, “Thank you.”

An awkward _______ followed. When we started again, Her eyes acquired a(n) ________ look. “It’s appropriate,” she said. “I like it when people dress appropriately.”

“Oh. Ugh,” I was ________ for words and continued my walk home, embarrassed. What had I ________ by failing to add a remark about how old or inexpensive my clothing was?

The answer: a coded linguistic (语言的) invitation.

Up until that candy wrapper advice, I hadn’t ________ the purpose of. compliments. According to experts, two-thirds of the time, people ________ to compliments with something in addition to “Thank you.” We   ________ credit( “My mom picked this dress out for me.”), make a historical comment ( “I bought it on sale.”), or question the complimenter ( “Hmm; you think/so?”). Other times we ________ the compliment ( “This thing is so old I was about to give it to Goodwill.”), or treat the compliment as a ________ ( “You want to borrow it?”) ________ , the compliment is a coded invitation to chat, and “Thank you” linguistically slams the door in the complimenter’s face.

In trying out the supposed right way to accept a compliment, I learned what such a pleasant commentary really signals for people: connection and ________ . I have since returned to my previous ways, which is to add a little P. S. after saying “Thank you.” ________ , I would be missing the big point of small talk.

6 . I was born without arms. My parents bought me a full-length _______ when I was a baby so I’d get comfortable with the way I looked. They never let my _______ hold me back, and it never did. Before I started school, they helped me _______ with holding a pencil in my mouth, but I _______ to use my left foot. At school, I used a desk my grandpa had _______ for me. It was _______ so I could write with my feet. The other kids quickly _______ to me and I made lots of friends.

In Year 2011 I swam in the inter-house carnival and a coach encouraged me to join his squad. It _______ a passion in me for swimming, _______ I kept up when I went to the university to study business and law. By then, I ________ lived with my parents, but I did most things on my own. I drove a car with my right foot on the steering wheel and cooked meals using my feet. Meanwhile, I started doing ocean swims and I got the ________, doing bigger swims. This peaked in me ________ a 10km swim around Old Woman Island, Qld, in April 2022. I swam freestyle with fins and rolled to breathe. I had an amazing support crew but it was seriously ________ going. When my feet ________ the sand again five hours and 11 minutes later, my family ran to hug me and we both ________. The swim ________ $13,000 for special schools on the Sunshine Coast, Qld. If it goes some way to enable ________ with a disability to feel how I felt after that swim, then every metre, every kick was ________.

I’m ________ do it again this year! My disability has never ________ me. I have a wonderful life, a job I enjoy and a goal to reach. I just happen to have been born without arms.

8 . Emily Bhatnagar’s love for books runs deep. “Growing up, I was really shy, so I always __________ books,” she told TIME for Kids. “Books became my closest companions during times when I felt alone.”

In 2019, when Bhatnagar was in her second year of high school, her dad was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. The news was __________ for the family. During this challenging time, books became an even bigger source of __________ for her. This personal experience led her to think about other families in similar __________.

When her father recovered, she __________ a plan to help others. “The idea came from deep gratitude towards the doctors who performed such a (n) __________ to cure my father,” she says. “I hope kids who are __________ challenges of illness can be cured by books.”

ln her hometown, Gaithersburg, Maryland, Bhatnagar started a book drive (图书捐赠活动) __________ “For Love & Buttercup,” aiming to gather books for children being __________ for cancer in local hospitals. Her father was not surprised by her plan. “She loves books, and she always __________ to do things for the neighborhood,” he says. Since the start of the book drive, Bhatnagar has collected more than 10,000 books.

Bhatnagar had no idea how much __________ her work would get. She started by __________ on social media, asking people in her __________ to donate.

“I was __________ maybe two or three responses from neighbors,” she says. “But hundreds of neighbors ended up __________ offering to support the book drive,” especially after it gained media attention. “The public response has been super great,” her father says.

Bhatnagar has contributed books to several places, including The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, where Aisha Campbell serves as the director of resident services and family programs. Campbell notes, “__________ such as those from Bhatnagar open up a window to the world for the children and families , offering them experiences they might miss out on __________ their medical treatments.”

Bhatnagar continues to __________ the book drive, supported by her parents who assist with transportation. She hopes to one day expand the project to __________ more kids. Recalling the first time she visited children who’d received her books, she was __________. “It was the best day of my life,” she says. “I am determined to do this work forever.”

9 . I used to be shy, but in the past two years, I’ve changed. I stepped out of my comfort zone and _________ new experiences. I’m happy that I am becoming a _________ person.

I think my _________ started with a trip through Southeast Asia. At first, I was hesitant and worried about traveling _________. I had always been comfortable in _________ surroundings and liked being surrounded by family members or friends. However, I decided to challenge myself and start this journey.

During my trip, I _________ lively cities and met people from different cultures. I tried delicious food, immersing myself in local traditions, and learning basic phrases in different languages. Each day brought a new adventure and a chance to embrace the _________.

One of the most significant changes occurred when I joined a _________ program in a rural village, helping to build a school and providing support for the community. It was a(n) _________ experience that opened my eyes to the challenges faced by others and the power of collective effort of volunteers. Through this experience, I developed a deep appreciation for the importance of __________ and making a positive impact.

As I continued my journey, I __________ that pushing my boundaries and seeking new experiences brought me immense personal growth. I took part in __________ activities like zip-lining (滑索), scuba diving and trekking to breathtaking viewpoints. Each adventure helped me overcome __________ and embrace the beauty of the world.

Now, I am __________ for the person I have become—open-minded, adaptable, and eager to __________ change. Stepping into the unknown has helped me to __________ the diversity and richness of the world.

This is a journey of exploration and __________. Life is more than __________ routines and playing it safe. Embracing new experiences and seeking __________ have brought me fulfillment and expanded my horizons. I have gratitude for who I was, but even more excited about the person I am __________.