1 . For over a year, Dianne’s reality has been a daily 5-mile trek (跋涉) to work and back on foot. Her broken-down car was a constant _________ of her financial restrictions. Regardless of the weather, Dianne’s _________ never changed. She didn’t _________ the walk; it was the missed moments with her daughter and grandchildren, the school events she couldn’t attend, that weighed _________ on her heart. Yet, late January presented her with an _________ opportunity.

On a particularly cold day, Dianne paused at a local gas station to _________. That was when she _________ something unusual — a ziplock bag (自封袋) on the ground. Full of _________, she picked it up, immediately realizing it contained _________. The exact amount was unknown to her, but the thought of keeping it never __________ her mind. Dianne approached the gas station cashier, requesting she call the police. When the police __________, they discovered the bag held over $ 14,000, alongside wedding cards — gifts meant for a newly-married couple.

Dianne’s __________ was appreciated, and she thought that was the end of the story. Little did she know, her act was about to be rewarded. __________ by Dianne’s actions, the wife of the officer who responded to the call started a GoFundMe campaign in Dianne’s honor. The fund-raiser collected $ 82,000, a(n) __________ to the power of collective kindness. Thanks to the __________ of strangers, Dianne became the proud owner of a new Jeep Compass. The joy of mobility restored, she eagerly anticipated attending her granddaughter’s gymnastics competition.

2 . One day, we had a family dinner. While the adults were busy with their serious talk outside, I was left alone in the ________ to help my grandmother wash dishes. ________ my grandmother would tell me stories about her childhood.

Born just before WWII, my grandmother ________ an entirely different childhood lifestyle from mine. She did not have a chance to go to ________. Like in typical families, where boys were ________ much more than girls, my grandma had to stay at home to do ________. The only opportunity (机会) she could seize to ________ was when her brother was having Chinese ________ with the family tutor. She would sit quietly at the far end of the long dinner table, listening ________. This training taught her to read and write her Chinese upside down — a skill that has turned out to be quite ________, especially whenever we share the newspaper. On most weekends, my grandmother, a young girl then, and her brother would go to the ________. There, they would walk through deep water, sit down cross-legged underwater and hold their ________ while they watched all action going on around them. This is something I ________ — her ability to open her ________ underwater and still sit comfortably on the seabed.

My childhood is quite ________ compared with hers. I am ________ that I did not need to ________ the hardships like she did. I've never faced the problem of ________. I guess our different childhood background is what makes my grandmother such an amazing person to ________ to: her stories always make my history textbooks ________.

3 . When I decided to buy a house in Europe ten years ago, I didn't think too long. I liked traveling in France, but when it came to picking my favorite spot to _______, Italy was the clear winner.

During my first visit to Italy, I _______ to ask for directions or order in a restaurant. But every time I tried to _______ a sentence of   Italian together, the locals smiled at me and _______ my language skills. That encouragement helped me to get through the language _______. After I made Italy my permanent home, I discovered how _______ Italians are. Neighbors will bring me freshly made cheese and will come to my door to _______ me to close the window in my car when rain is coming. It's these small _______ of kindness that make a new country feel like home.

As a foodie, the way to my heart is through my stomach, and nowhere fuels my _______ quite like Italy. Each town has its own traditional ________, and every family keeps a recipe passed from one generation to another. Families ________ for big meals on Sundays, birthdays, and whatever other excuses they can ________. These meals are always ________ by laughter and joy. Whatever ________ life in Italy might have, the problems are ________ once you sit down to a big meal with friends and family.

4 . I’ve been motivated — and demotivated — by other folks’ achievements all my life.

When I was a teenager, a neighborhood friend ________ a marathon race. Feeling motivated, I started running ________, but then two things happened. First, a girl I met one day told me she was ________ for a “super,” referring to a 52.4-mile double marathon. Then, the next day I went on my longest run — 15 miles. To be honest, I ________ it! Between the girl making my ________ seem small and the pure boredom of jogging, I decided that the only ________ I’d ever run again is if a big dog was running after me!

So I ________ cycling. I got a good bike and rode a lot. I ________ of entering cycle races until I flew to San Diego to visit my sister. While she was at work one day, I ________ her bike and went for a ride. The ________: the roads there went through large valleys where I’d be riding uphill for miles at a time. I’d never faced such ________. That day, I got ________ by about 100 “local” bikers who were used to such roads. When I got back home, suddenly riding my bike didn’t seem quite as ________.

I’ve ________ a lot since then. I’ve come to accept that whatever ________ I set for myself, they just have to be my own.

9 . The teacher asked, “Is everybody ready?” I _________ wasn’t ready. It was the early 1980’s. I was in my high school typing _________ and totally confused.

I had taken it as a (n) _________ course because taking French or Spanish language seemed too difficult. _________, I wished I hadn’t chosen it. I was on _________—my fingers were shaking and my heart was beating wildly. I had thought we would just be learning to touch type (盲打), not be tested on speed and accuracy. Besides, I was the only freshman in the class, and the other students were _________ to me. My young body felt too nervous to be typing so quickly and _________.

The teacher said, “Hands on home keys. Eyes on books. Ready, type!” Suddenly, the room was alive with 30 electric typewriters’ keys _________ on. I tried my best to _________, but it was obvious that being a secretary wasn’t in my future. While I didn’t __________ many errors, my typing speed was horribly slow. And I knew I wasn’t going to get a good __________ on this test. I really __________ taking this class and wished I could be learning French instead.

Now years later, I’m a novelist. I’m so happy that I took that class and learned how to type. It has helped me write countless __________ flowing through my mind and into my __________ through keyboards. It has helped me to write e-mails full of kindness to __________ with friends and family. It has helped me to do what I should do and share what I was meant to share in life.

10 . I once worked on a farm. One day, a powerful wind slammed (猛推) me against a post. My left arm got totally _________, and it was later cut off.

Back home after an operation, I found everything a(n) _________. My husband tried to help me, but I wanted to be _________. I called my left arm “Stumpy” and tried to _________. I learned to squeeze toothpaste; I developed a technique for pulling the toilet paper.

“Mom can do anything,” my daughter said _________. The one thing I really wanted to do, though, was get back into _________. First, I tried to swim. When I swam with Stumpy, there was no forward motion. _________, I kept going and finished the lane at last. Then I tried the triathlon (铁人三项). I _________ how to balance the bike with one arm and start running. Within a year, I became an _________ athlete, winning a silver medal at the Paratriathlon World Cup.

In 2020, I decided to do New Zealand’s __________ event. Competitors have to run for 36 km, cycle for 140 km, and kayak (皮划艇) for 70 km. I __________ hard over the next six months. Then the big day came. After kayaking for a long time, my legs felt like jelly. “Don’t __________,” I told myself. In the last few kilometers, I heard loud __________. Many people came to support me.

Life in __________ for me, but I choose to change it. “Just because you’ve got only half a wing doesn’t mean you can’t __________ to achieve your dreams,” I said to myself.