1 . After months of unsuccessfully trying to secure a summer job at a newspaper to show my independence, I found myself struggling to prove my capabilities. Despite my persistence, all my attempts were ________. This led me to explore different avenues (途径), and I discovered accidentally a unique position that would eventually shape my career: a ’flag girl’ ________ traffic for a construction company. The turning point came when I decided to take a more active and initiative-taking approach. ________ sending another written application, I drove directly to the construction site. My timing was fortunate; the foreman (工头) was ________ an additional ‘flag girl’ just as I arrived. Seizing the opportunity, I was offered the job ________.

On my first day, I arrived at the construction site on Monday. The foreman gave me a reflective vest (反光衣) to wear and a Stop / Slow bat to hold. My role was to ________ traffic flow by coordinating with an experienced flag girl ________ at the opposite end of the site. The job required careful ________: I needed to flip (使快速翻转) my sign to ‘Stop’ whenever she ________ ‘Slow’, allowing vehicles to pass in turn. It seemed ________, but it was not. By 8:30 am on my first day, I was already exhausted from ________. As the day progressed, the sun’s intensity increased, leading to ________ on my arms. By the end of the day, my bones were aching. Despite these challenges, I decided not to ________ the job, driven by a desire to prove my determination and dedication.

After sticking it out all summer, I actively ________ employment, sending applications to various newspapers and ________ my experience as a ‘flag girl’ on my resume. This unique position caught the interest of a small town newspaper, leading to a (n) ________ and eventually to my hiring as a junior reporter. I spent my entire career at this publication. My employer later shared that he gave me the opportunity because he was ________ to see how a ‘flag girl’ who had studied journalism would perform in the role. He was looking for someone who showed initiative and a willingness to ________ their comfort zone to achieve their goals. My story and experience demonstrated these qualities, ________ I was the ideal candidate for the reporter role he needed to fill. This opportunity ________ the beginning of my long and fulfilling professional journey in journalism.

2 . Nature was Chen Rui’s “childhood home”. The 37-year-old researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology (中国科学院动物研究所) was not able to talk until he was 4 years old because of the way his brain processes sensory information.

This _______ him “strange” in some people’s minds. So, he didn’t have friends who were around his age. This led him to turn his _______ to nonhuman things around him. He became fascinated (着迷) by the world of _______ .

“The _______ time of my childhood was in the farm fields,” says Chen. “I squatted (蹲下) there, _______ the activities of insects, including ants building their homes, grasshoppers nibbling grass and dragonflies flying low. I had so many questions about their activities and was full of _______ about this world.”

These experiences _______ a seed in his heart. Decades later, he’s a scholar who has _______ life-science investigations in nearly 100 countries and regions on five continents. He has found around 100 new _______ , living and extinct, many of which are named ________ him.

“I was a child who was ‘cured’ by ________ ,” he says. “I wanted to grow up to ________ the power of nature with more young people and to popularize understanding of animals, including insects. I wanted to start classes to bring children to learn in the open air and ________ the gifts nature endows (赋予).” These aspirations (愿望) led him to recently ________ the popular-science book, Du Chong Ji (Reading About Insects).

It’s a continuation of a mission he began to act upon ________ a freshman in 2006, when he started a(n) ________ for people interested in insects at Nanjing Agricultural University. He often ________ for members to visit the Zijin Mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to ________ insects. His organization ________ had nearly 600 members.

After graduating in 2010, Chen was ________ to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences to complete his doctorate in zoology. In 2016, he was recruited (录用) by the Institute of Zoology of the CAS.

3 . I stopped my grocery cart and took out the phone buzzing in my purse. It was Julia, my 19-year daughter, calling from the ___________. She told me she was very

She said she had worked very hard but still had zero ___________. She thought she should ___________ major. “You don’t have to ___________ that right away,” I said. “This isn’t the best place for a serious ___________ and I needed to ___________ what to say. I’ll call you back after I load the car.”

I remembered what had ___________ in the past. Julia was a toddler then and her brother was in preschool. Their father and I had gone to a friend’s house to watch a ____________. When there were only five minutes ____________, the Colts were 21 points down. I ____________ we head home immediately. “It is clearly over,” I said.

On my way to work the next morning, I learned that the competition had been ____________ over. After we   ____________, the Colts scored 21 points in only four minutes, tying the score and sending the game into overtime. They won by a field goal. We’d ____________ one of the best comebacks of all time.

The ____________ reminded me what I could say to Julia. I pressed the redial button as soon as I ____________ the car. “Don’t give up,” I said. “____________ doing your best, and you just might be ____________.”   ____________Julia got a B and passed her test later.

4 . As I grew up, I always had my mom by my side. We lived a very ________ life. I never looked at the other kids and ________ why I didn’t have a dad, or why I lived in an apartment instead of a big house. Most of what I ________ was our little Christmas tree in the living room and going to the park very often.

________, when I hit my teenage years, things started to change. I didn’t want to ________ with her as much. I ________ on friends and school. I ________ her out because I didn’t want her to tell me what to do.

At about 16, I ________ an eating disorder. And I felt sad and lost. Soon, I found the reason why I was ________ — I needed my mother. And she was there ________ my mean words, my silence, and my anger. She told me she was ________ there for me, reminding me to relax for a moment and think. I did. And I ________ when the world is sometimes cruel, she will be there for me all the time.

After that day, everything changed. I looked at how she ________ me on her own as a single mom. I looked at the sacrifices and ________ of sleep she endured for me. She got herself through college without ________ by making money by herself, and is now ________ with her own apartment and ________. I honestly could not be more grateful for such a(n) ________ mom. Now, as a 17-year-old ready to leave for college, it’s my turn to ________ her. I thought the least I could do was to get her to go on some dates. I ________ her in every way, and she does the same.

5 . 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.

6 . Brooklyn Andracke is a big fan of her garbage man, Delvar Dopson, who always honks (按汽车喇叭) and _________ when passing her house every Thursday morning. "To Brooklyn, he is our _________ smiley garbage man," her mother, Traci Andracke said.

Brooklyn's interest in Dopson _________ because his truck would drive by their house in Illinois every Thursday right around the time Traci and Brooklyn were _________ the daycare center. When the pair started going outside to see the truck, Brooklyn _________ Dopson driving the huge truck. "It became all about him after that," Traci said. "It wasn't the 'garbagetruck' anymore, but it was the 'garbage man that she _________ to see."

So on April 7, when Brooklyn turned 3, the little girl wanted to _________ part of her big day with him. She patiently _________ outside her home until Dopson pulled onto their street. When Traci waved to Dopson, Brooklyn _________ him with one of her birthday cupcakes.

"As a mom, I can't even describe how __________ it made me that she got to__________ meet him," Traci said.

Dopson was "immediately speechless," Traci said. "I __________ to him that he makes our day every Thursday, and we really __________ the honking and waving, and how special a day it is for us," she added. "After he left, we continued on to daycare. Brooklyn was unusually quiet in the backseat. I asked her if she was okay, and she __________ and nodded happily."

The following week, Dopson gave Brooklyn a belated (迟来的) birthday __________. It was a toy from her favorite movie, "Frozen". In return, Brooklyn made him a thank-you note, which he's since displayed with __________ in his truck.

Traci said her family was __________ by the level of attention her daughter and Dopson had __________. The mom said, "A __________ gesture—a honk, wave, smile—doesn't take much effort. Just do it. You never know who is on the receiving end of that and how it can really __________ their day.

7 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . 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.”

10 . 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 __________.