1 . On March 18, 2018, I was alone at home in San José, Costa Rica, drinking a cup of tea, ________ that my life was about to change. I received an e-mail ________ with the subject “scholarship selection result”.

My heartbeat quickened as I read through it, and I was mad with joy: I had been chosen to receive a(n) ________ scholarship for a master’s degree in conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Finally, I would be able to gain a deeper understanding of the ancient tales of dragons and the old legends of China, which had always ________ me.

Five months later, I arrived in Shanghai, ________ an entirely new world. At the airport, two of my Costa Rican friends were waiting for me and accompanied me to the ________ at Lingling Road.

I remember clearly when I approached dorm building No 3, I was ________ by the sweet melody of a dizi(Chinese flute), which was totally different from all that I used to hear in my ________.

In Costa Rica, I learned the conducting technique well. ________, it was my professor, Cao Tongyi at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, who ________ me in promoting my skills. His teachings ________ not only careful attention to detail but also the art of letting the music flow as gracefully as T’ai Chi.

In my opinion, that’s the ________ of life in China. You can see it on every ________ when you notice how the traffic flows or on the way people walk to the subway, and even on how the delivery system works throughout China. ________, music can surpass the boundary of notation (符号) and paper, ________ from the musician to the audience, enriching the world one note at a time.

3 . One day, a poor boy was begging for a meal at a house. However, he lost his ___________ when a lovely young girl opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of warm ___________. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I _________ you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept ___________ for a kindness.” As he left that house, he felt   ___________ and stronger physically.

Many years later the young girl was ___________ ill. She was sent to a big city for ___________. Dr. Howard Kelly, a famous doctor, was _________ for the consultation (会诊). When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he went into her room and ___________ her at once. He ____________ to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave special ____________ to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle against the illness was ______________. Dr. Kelly looked at her final bill and then   ______________ something on the side. The bill was sent to her. She was ______________ to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the ______________ on it caught her attention. She read those words: “Paid in full with a glass of milk. (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.”

4 . It was 1:20 a.m. I had just gone to bed, a bit _________ after celebrating my 31st birthday. Before dinner, I’d placed _________ outside my garden door and prepared the cell phone just_________. After all, it had been _________ that week, resulting in flood warnings.

I was awakened by the _________ of rushing water. When I swung my legs off the bed, I was shocked to feel cold water already up to my knees and _________ fast.

Shaking in darkness, I _________ my phone and turned on its flashlight. Then by the light I could _________ water was from the garden door. It must have breached (在……上打开缺口) the sandbags. The river, usually such a quiet, slow moving river in my region, had _________ burst its banks. And now I had to __________!

I took __________ action. Any effects of the alcohol before sleep were gone; __________ sobers (使清醒) one up. After I went outside, I learned the river had flooded the neighbourhood. Therefore, if I had woken up just a few minutes later, I would have drowned.

In the end, I think the experience made me __________ and determined to live each day to its fullest. I came very close to drowning that day. But rather than dwell on (沉湎于) what happened, I prefer to __________ what my mother told me afterwards, “Don’t remember the day when you lost everything. Remember the day you __________. That day marked the beginning of a new chapter in your life.”

6 . How long have you been going to the same hairdresser or barber? It’s a question that gets us thinking about the unique friendship we _______ with our stylists over the years.

You have confidence in each other. You have a laugh together and regularly _______ each other’s news. Plus they try to make you look and feel your best. That’s a (n) _______ not only for a great friendship, but also for the perfect relationship with your hairdresser. When you find a good barber, it’s something to _______ .

Many people have _______ experiences with their hairdressers. I’ve had my hair cut by Claire Miller for more than 15 years. She’s taken me through all kinds of _______ , and she’s helped me find a totally new look now during the post-chemotherapy (化疗后) period with dyed blonde hair! _______ hairstyles, there have been communications about the joys and trials of motherhood, the challenges of health problems and _______ in our careers and lives — the stuff of 15 years that we have _______ in the three salons Claire has worked in.

While she cut my hair recently, we chatted about that special ________ that forms between hairdressers and their clients. “You hear so many stories from them, and sometimes you feel like a counselor ________ a hairdresser. You assess their needs, and you know how to react to them,” says Claire.

For Claire, the customer interaction is something she loves about the job and that she has ________ developed throughout her working life. “It’s about being human and ________ about people. A lot of my clients are my friends and like family now: It’s my ________ to cut their hair, making them look and feel good, but I also want them to feel ________ by the experience,” laughs Claire.

10 . My friendship with the students in a primary school in Uganda started on a shaky ground. The ________ of not being understood was hidden within, for they spoke a language different from that of mine and mine too fell on ________ ears.

I greeted them with a broad smile, and they replied with ice cold ________ when I spoke further. A ________ echoed (回响) in my mind: you must live through it to get to them. So I gave it another try. I spoke ________ English with hand gestures and a bit of dancing. If all failed, the smile would ________. Soon we picked up and then the _______ of the learners came into play. At the mention of a name, reddish cheeks and shaking voices were the response I got. I decided to ________ a desk with a team each day during group work to get closer. After school, I ________ them home.

________, we became friends. They were even aware of my favorite fruit, avocado (牛油果). If I didn’t get one on my desk, it would ________ me wherever I was. My slippers were ________. One night I left them out as no one could steal a pair of slippers in that state. The next morning, I was ready to drag my slippers on as usual and I was surprised they had been ________. Wow!

The little things we do for each other bring us great joy and ________. We don’t have a proper spoken language, but we are fluent in the language of ________.