3 . Hey! You have a hairless spot on the back of your head! " Mom’s alarmed cry hit me like a shock.

I tried to shrug it off. “It’ll grow back.” I worked to sound________.

At first, the loss was minimal. ________the spot with my fingers became the top priority every day. No new hair, smooth as an egg. Weeks later, the spot was a little larger and there was still no________ of any hair poking through the skin. I began to________but continued to try to be cool about it.

As days went by, my hair started to fall faster and more. ________my fingers through it, I would stare at the alarming quantity of hair in my hands, wiling this to________happening to me.

We went to see a doctor, who diagnosed my condition as alopecia (脱发症) . He recommended an injection to try, which would be________to the head skin. I underwent several costly injections over a few months, but in vain.

________the injection began to trouble my sleep, and we finally had to stop the________My hair still didn’t grow back.

I had to wear a wig to school every day, worried it might slip one day and that everything would________Though aware that I should________the fact to my friends, I was scared, not knowing how they would handle the information. ________ hesitantly, I told them what was happening after days of struggle. To my surprise, they all thought nothing of it. This was a(n) ________for me.

I came to realize that what had happened was not my fault, and not something I should feel________of. I am learning that being bald doesn’t change who I am, and if I don’t let it affect my self ________then other people are much more likely to accept me as I am, too.

4 . This fall marks an especially memorable time for one family celebrating three generations walking onto Carthage College together. Samantha Malczewski, 19, the sophomore nursing student recalled. “It was really __________. I didn’t expect it.” However, Carter aged 18, said she had a(n) __________that their mom Amy Malczewski and grandmother Christy Schwan were interested in going back to school.     

Calling herself “Carthage’s biggest fan”, Amy Malczewski has a deep __________to Carthage College. “And Carthage has this amazing __________for the master’s degree in business and design, which is really __________ all the things that I love,” said she.

Meanwhile, when Christy heard of her daughter’s __________, she quickly realized they could __________on the journey together. The 71-year-old __________three years ago after working in employee benefits consulting. Amy said, “I think you ought to __________it too.” And I’m like, “OH, I think you’re right, we should do this __________,” Christy recounted. “It’s helped fill a(n) __________space for me.”

As the four settle into classes and busy __________, the two sisters said they’re __________to accompany them to class, have this little study group, or get dinner together in the cafeteria.

In a statement, Carthage College __________the family and their educational goals. “Spanning three generations, this family reminds us of the power of __________learning,” the school said, “Age isn’t a factor-we can all continue to learn.”

5 . Exercise and I have never had a good relationship because of my fear of sports.   From a young age, my dad __________ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, __________.

When I entered University of Regina, my dad __________ telling me “You have to find a way to stay __________ ”or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I __________ to give swimming a shot, but I __________ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was __________ to convince myself that “Yeah, that’s OK. ”

The spring semester came.   A friend of mine __________ me one day asking if I wanted to go to Zumba with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically exercise dancing to Latin and pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be __________ .

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my __________ of tea. The instructor would always say: “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my __________ about sports. I didn’t have to be __________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to __________ the music and move. Zumba did __________ me from the Freshman 15, but it also did so much more. It let me make __________ with my unpleasant past with physical fitness, and enjoy staying healthy.

6 . MacArthur’s love for sailing started when she was just 4 years old, when she first got the opportunity to have a try on a boat. “It kind of _____ me that this boat had everything we needed to take us anywhere in the world. And as a child, that opened up everything and made me feel the greatest sense of _____,” she explained.

This experience _____ a passion within MacArthur that she wanted to sail around the world. Growing up in the countryside, she had no idea how to _____ it. However, she knew that was what she wanted to do at some stage. So she acquired knowledge and _____ for years to seek her dream in sailing. Having merely potatoes and beans every day for eight years, she _____ could afford the right equipment. By reaching such _____ goals and asking technical questions about _____ MacArthur felt as though she was getting _____ to her ambition.

“The impossible could be possible and _____ high is not necessarily such a crazy thing to do,” she said. And it seemed that MacArthur’s _____ to become a navigator went beyond her expectations. At the age of 28, she started to _____ media attention after winning the second place in the Vendee Globe, a single-handed non-stop yacht (帆船) race that goes around the world.

Four years later, MacArthur chose to sail for 71 days and 14 hours, _____ more than 40,000 miles. This led to her setting a new record. _____ this record has since been surpassed, MacArthur is still considered as Britain’s most successful offshore racer.

So when you know where you’re going, you can actually get there — even if it seems _____ !

9 . Last summer, in my 30s, I learned to ride a bike. When I was a child, I had no one to teach me. When I was teased because I was the only kid past 6 years old who still _________ training wheels (辅助轮), my stepdad _________ them, but in doing that, I lost interest and trust in the activity. I was really _________ — I was quite tall for my age at 7 and I was worried I’d fall off. I thought I was too old to learn too.

Not knowing how to ride didn’t _________ me initially, until we moved to the suburbs, where bicycles were _________. On trips to the convenience store to buy candy with my friends, I was always the last to arrive, _________. By then, I was 12 years old.

In my early 30s, I remember feeling _________ as I watched children as young as 3 learn to _________ on bikes. Among them were my neighbors, whom I would occasionally babysit. Then something _________. The fear within was still there, but something much stronger was taking over.

I decided to join a women’s bike-riding workshop. There, I stood in an urban park, determined to overcome __________. Meeting women from diverse backgrounds, all seeking cycling skills for __________ reasons, strengthened my determination. Before long, I was riding __________.

Embracing (拥抱) the joy of riding, I bought my own bike，not just for getting around but to reclaim lost __________. It wasn’t simply a bike; it __________ the chance I missed earlier. I completely __________ myself in the experience, enjoying the scenery and the breeze on my face.