1 . “I can’t decide!” Carter told his mom. He had a big ________ to make, and he was ________.

“You have to.” Mom took a sip of her coffee. “It’s not ________ for both boys to think you are coming to their parties. I think you should go to Tyler’s party. He invited you ________ and you told him that you were going. ________, it will be at the lake! You love to ________.”

“I know. But, Josh is having a go-kart (赛车) party! That would be ________!”

Four days later, Carter was riding a bike for Josh’s party. He ________ told Josh or Tyler that he would not be ________ their party. They were both ________ him to attend. He ________ to tell Tyler that he wasn’t coming, but he felt so ________ about it. Tyler was his best friend. But go-karts! How could he possibly ________ this golden chance? As he arrived, Josh’s sister, Kayla told him they had already left for the party.

Carter stood at the door, stunned. He ________ the party! It started one hour earlier than he thought. No go-karts! How could he have made that kind of ________? Maybe he could still ________ it to Tyler’s party. Sweat trickled down his sides as he pedaled home. His T-shirt clung to his back. He would have to ________ clothes before he left for Tyler’s house. When he pedaled home, the door was locked. “Mom!” he yelled outside. No ________.

Weary, he dragged his feet over to the porch (门廊) and plopped down. Right now, his friends were ________ racing around a go-kart track or swimming at the lake. He had to wait for his family to ________ home.

2 . I stopped at a local store the other day after a fitness class to buy some food. After I got the food, I got in ______ behind a lady who looked about twenty years old. She had quite a lot of things in her shopping basket. She ______ her credit card to the shop assistant but the shop assistant told her it had been refused. The young lady ______ she had paid it off the day before. The shop assistant replied, “Maybe it hasn’t got through the system yet. Do you want to call someone?” The young lady ______ her cellphone and was looking through it. ______, they opened another counter (柜台) to let me ______ out.

I was walking out to my ______ when I thought, “Okay! You’re always wishing you could help someone. Now it is time for you to do it!” Immediately, I made a ______ to help her. I got out of my car and ______ with my bankcard in my hand. The young lady was still looking through her phone. She looked a little worried. I returned to the counter, handed my ______ to the shop assistant and said, “I will pay her bill.” She ______ her head and took the card.

As the shop assistant_________the card to me, the lady was still looking at her phone. And I didn’t think she had even ______ what had happened! I told her that I had paid her bill and then I left before she expressed her ______ to me.

The bill was about $52. However, the feeling inside me was ______! I realized that helping others did make me happy.

4 . The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat (汗水) was pouring off our backs and faces. We stood still without ______ any noise, all hot and tired. But everyone kept standing as straight as trees.

It was ______ most high schools give to new Senior One students-military training. We ______ four days in a closed environment. Although we couldn’t go home at night and the training was ______ and difficult, our humorous young drill sergeant (教官) with a funny accent was a real ______ of our days. We laughed at his jokes, sat in rows singing different songs and ______ him telling true stories about his life. He gave us the feeling that ______ and sweat were not the only things that military training ______ .

After this journey, we were more ______ than we had imagined and we were much braver than we had ______ . Girls who looked pale rested for a little while, then right away came back to the team. Boys who were being punished ______ to the playground at once and began to run. Sweat flowed down our faces when we thought about how to shout ______ than other classes.

Military training taught us perseverance (不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be ______ on our faces. We shouted so loud that our ______ could be heard across the heavens. With eyes like burning torches (火炬) , we walked into the future. Now the sun is ______ at all of us.

5 . In her 102 years, Sally Lepis has been known for helping her family, friends and neighbors. So when the old lady couldn’t _______ to replace her decades-old hearing aids (助听器) and it became increasingly difficult to _______, a local non-profit was happy to give a _______. Last month, Lepis was presented (赠予) with hearing aids, worth about $7,500, through Senior Dreams Come True, a non-profit program _______ by a law firm.

“Mrs. Lepis has _______ so much of herself over the years to friends, family and those _______ in her community,” said Jennifer Cona, a managing partner at the law firm. Lepis has long been the _______ that’s kept her family together, her niece, Olivia Schmidt, 73, said. When Schmidt was a teenager, her mother, Lepis’ twin sister, died at age 42. Lepis _______ jumped in and raised Schmidt in her Westbury home.

“It’s _______ that she has done so much for so many people and thinks ________ of it,” said Schmidt, who ________ to recommend her aunt for Senior Dreams Come True over the summer.

In July, Schmidt and her cousins wrote letters to the non-profit, ________ Lepis for her lifetime of ________ deeds. Later that month, Lepis learned she would ________ new hearing aids, replacing the ones she had used for the past 25 years, and it is ________ that Lepis will again be a lively presence at her family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

7 . I used to be the shyest person in the world. I hid behind my older sister, whenever I had to speak to a (n) _________ person-including the McDonald’s cashier, or even a distant relative.

_________ asked to speak in class, I could hardly _________, much less speak. Even among the few friends I had, my high, timid (羞怯的) voice earned me jokes-about being a girl.

Then in the seventh grade, my sister suggested I _________ voice lessons. After a little bit of _________, I did-as long as it stayed a secret. I began a series of vocal (发声的) exercising. After exercising a lot, I finally gained _________ in my voice.

A few months later, I was asked to sing for some retired people. I thought I would do better than before _________ the voice lessons. I opened my mouth and -nothing. I couldn’t remember the words of the song! My face turned hot. The _________ pianist whispered a prompt (提示), and I remembered just enough to keep singing.

Then the thought _________ me: I’ve embarrassed (尴尬) myself enough in front of this __________. There’s really nothing else to lose. So in my second song, I just __________ and felt the energy of the song lift me. And I did much better.

After that, I started singing to myself as __________ as I could in my own room. That’s something I would never have done before.

On a recent school trip, I was asked to sing again. It was __________ how much people liked my singing. One classmate __________ said that I should be in the school’s talent show.

I am not a shy person any more. __________ has made me more outgoing. Today, I’m almost a loudmouth. I can meet people without being afraid. I can also stand in front of the whole class and give a big speech. I am proud of myself.