1 . I’m obsessed (迷恋) with music. As a teenager, I couldn’t leave the house without my ____. My summers were filled with festivals, and my shelves with ____.

But one day last year something changed. I became aware of a faint tapping sound in my left ear. It wasn’t loud enough to be ____, but the next day it turned into a whooshing sound. By the weekend it had started to become hard to ____ in my left ear.

I was then sent to see specialists. They said it was the mitochondrial disease that caused the ____, but they couldn’t say for sure. So ____, I am still undiagnosed (没有确诊). 

I was given hearing aids, but they didn’t work. I’ve signed up for a lip-reading course and am ____ British Sign Language. My friends have been ____, some have offered to learn BSL, but I feel it’s really me who has to ____ this new life.

Other deaf people have warned of feeling isolated (孤立) and I’m determined not to make that my ____. I do get ____ when I have to go out of my comfort zone. Going to a bar and asking for a drink is fine ____ they start making small talk—at that point I’ll declare I’m deaf.

I’ve always preferred to ____ ahead, but since this happened I take life day by day. The doctors have speculated (推测) that my ____ might come back. The future is ____, but I’m at peace with that.

2 . For the first year of our relationship, I didn’t know his name and didn’t welcome his interruptions (打扰), I felt ________ by the unexpected knock on my window, which was necessary to get my attention because my apartment had no doorbell.

________ my annoyance, I secretly named him Kris, because he was a kind of modern-day Santa Claus. He brought me presents and tried to ________ cheer — except his uniform was UPS brown, not Santa Claus red, and I had ordered and paid for the presents myself.

Our relationship started when I moved into another apartment. When I was home, the UPS man would knock until I ________ came to collect my package. I hated small talk, but with him I made an ________, chatting about the weather or other topics. My close friend thought it ________ to spend so much time with the UPS man and warned me to ________ future knocks, but Kris reminded me of my father, so I continued to ________ the door.

COVID-19 changed everything. Trapped in my apartment, I did ________ his visits, He brought what I ordered and would stay for some time chatting with me. He would tell me about his favorite routes and neighbors. I even learned his real name: Dave.

One day in hot July, Dave knocked with a package, and when I answered, he told me that UPS was changing his ________. My heart sank.

“I’m excited for a change,” he said, “but I’ll always ________ my regulars.”

“Congratulations.” I felt ________ what else to say.

He ________ the silence, “I used to ________ what I was doing with my life. My job, this job, just felt so small.”

“What changed?”

“Nothing, ________ my attitude,” he said. “I realized I was delivering people things they needed, things that brought them joy.”

I couldn’t see his smile through his mask, but I could sense it.

3 . I have a lot of Mom’s recipe (秘诀;食谱) in a blue box. Even so, the recipe I treasure most is not there. Actually, Mom followed it all of her life but I was too blind to see and _________ it until her final years.

My mom grew up in a small town in Iowa. She _________ everyone as her friend. She had a cheerful greeting for everyone she meet with. She often asked them questions of some sort that set off an answer and more _________. As a teen, I was embarrassed (尴尬的) every time my mom dealt with strangers.

What impressed me most was Mom’s _________ on the senior bus. The first time she _________ this low-cost bus to a supermarket, there were thirteen old ladies and one old man but not one _________ was spoken. During her following trips, she said, something _________.

“Oh, are you _________ with them now?” I asked. “Of course,” she said, “One day I climbed up the steps of the bus and before I looked for a seat, I gave them a big smile. I said, ‘Isn’t it a wonderful day?’ Then I _________ a few shy smiles.”

Mom didn’t give up. She smiled or said “hello” to them all each time she got on the bus and before long, the whole group was laughing and talking to one another. The bus became more than just __________.

Frequently, I observed as she smiled and chatted with __________. Some of them seemed bad-tempered but once Mom smiled at them and started the conversation, most __________ favorably. My mom didn’t embarrass me any longer. I found myself __________ her.

Mom has been gone for ten years, but she’s given me a recipe for life: It was I who had done the smiling __________ and all those people had replied. My mom didn’t lecture but __________ me the lesson by example.

4 . A few weeks ago, my husband and I picked tomatoes growing in my father-in-law’s orderly garden. He had stuck to planting tomatoes for more than 40 years. I have been _________ by his determination, not to mention the considerable _________, as he would prepare for yet another growing season. After placing seeds into soil, he would water, weed, and talk to them every day, waiting with _________ for their progress. To him, the garden is everything.

But this past summer, my father-in-law had to _________the garden. He had become _________, and is now resting at home with serious heart failure. His garden is now _________ and full of weeds. We picked the best tomatoes in August, but now the garden seems to have been _________

A few weeks ago, my husband took the biggest tomato he could find from his father’s garden, squirted (挤出) it free of its seeds and laid them out to dry. His father used to make this _________at the end of each season. The seeds, a way of _________ the healthiest tomato growth, would promise a successful harvest.

My husband paid no attention to the garden before. I know why, after all these years, he keeps these __________. Will his father __________Christmas? Will anyone plant that garden in the spring when he is __________ not here? How much time do we really have with him?

We do not know the __________ but I do know what the seeds will __________. There will be more than just tomatoes. Anything that comes from them — any sauce, any meal, any memory — will always be __________.

5 . It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but there’s something unique about handwritten things. And I’m a real believer in the_______of letters.

When I was about 12 years old, my friends and I wanted a pet mouse. The pet shop wouldn’t_______us one until we had a letter from a parent, so, having the tidiest_______, I faked(伪)one.

My trick was quickly_______. My mum felt that the punishment should fit the crime, so she made me write letters to a few randomly selected_______.

One of them was my uncle who I’d only_______a few times. I wrote along letter_______my life and listing my interests.

My punishment_______, I forgot about this until I suddenly got a reply from him. He told me all about his life and would love to_______about what school subjects I enjoyed. And so started a correspondence(通信)that________for several years.

Then out of the blue, he passed away. My mum was________as they had not really spoken for years. I went upstairs and presented a box of________from him. She comforted herself reading them and knowing that ________she hadn’t been in touch, I had grown close to him by writing to him.

I often think about how that one________childhood behavior led to such an enriching correspondence. It________me-to write to lots of other people, and it’s something I keep up with to this day.

6 . Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines (行为准则) practiced daily and failure is nothing more than a small few mistakes repeated daily.

How true are the above lines! When we don’t practice discipline in life, we don’t build enough confidence to take on new and ________ tasks which are important and matters in life. Our confidence ________ what we think of ourselves and ________ we believe in ourselves. We are all born with special ________ but only a few really realize their true ________ and the others just lead a(an) ________ life. Do you want to be successful?

Success is a fruit which everyone wants to eat but it is not found everywhere and no one can achieve it without ________. Those who want to succeed will find ways, those who don’t will find ________! Success relies upon preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be ________.

Taking a risk is often your first step towards success. If you don’t take some risks, you won’t get the ________ to succeed. While you are trying, you are winning. The more you try, the more ________ you are to succeed. Never get _______: every wrong attempt is another step forward. People that make no ________ usually don’t make anything. Make up your mind not to ________ a thousand obstacles (障碍), but to win in spite of a thousand mistakes. Your mistakes are stepping stones to success and your payments to victory.

Remember: “A Ship is always ________ at shore, but it is not what it is built for.”

7 . Dean’s son Jeff was on the autism spectrum (自闭症). Sometimes even for him to speak aloud to more than just the family was a   _______ . He worked very hard to overcome his   _______   and decided to be part of the Christmas music program at church. The part he had been   _______   was one that required him to sing a verse (歌曲的段落) all   _______   his own.

After a couple of days, Jeff decided to accept the   _______. He would practice until he was as   _______ as he could with his father’s help. For over a month, he and his father practiced together. He built his   _______ , and when the day of the concert arrived, he was certain all would go well.

When it was finally time for Jeff to sing, _______, his little face grew pale and he seemed to get smaller as each note played out. The pianist played the cue (提示) again, but still nothing   _______ . The pianist started over again, and when the cue came, a low voice   ________   the air. It was Dean, singing the song in his son’s ________. Magically, with each word his father sang, Jeff stood a little   ________ .

The   ________   came back to Jeff’s face. He   ________   his mouth and began to sing, his little voice growing stronger with each word. When he finished his verse, the show ended to thunderous applause. He ________ !

8 . The caller said she was in trouble and that he could help. Mom________it and lost thousands of dollars. It took us months to recover her money and her________.

One April morning, my mother’s phone rang. The man that greeted her sounded________“Someone has____to your bank accounts and can take all your money.” The warm voice was exactly what she badly________during her isolation from the community due to COVID-19. The man said he needed information to ensure the money was safe and she tried to follow his________though her brain injury made it rather hard.

He explained slowly what to do and hours later, she said she had to relieve herself. “OK, but Stay on the line_________we will lose our progress.” Then she________the phone on the shelf in the bathroom. Suddenly the phone buzzed with a text-it was my father, checking in. She typed back there was a problem, but she was ________it. Then she________out her worn, printed-out packet of passwords from a pile of books and entered them.

My Mom thoughts he had labored for hours protecting her family. ________, the scammer (诈骗犯) had taken away her personal information and money. After learning the truth, my mother sought to________the conversations with the scammer but just said, “I can’t remember. I don’t know what to do. This was so stupid.”

I tried different means and________got the money back. We didn’t blame her as the internal shame my mom felt could turn into something more________depression and even suicide.

The other day my dad mentioned, “You know, another scammer called your mama. She did the right thing, though. She hung upon him and called me.” My mom was smiling at me and I knew she was________.

9 . Mrs. June P. Garrett was my seventh-grade English teacher. Back in 1968, she had a major_________ on my life.

When I was in seventh grade, my father _________ me to play sports. Unfortunately, I did not have any of what might be called “_________ talent.” But I wanted to make my father _________, if not proud. So, I _________ the junior high school football team.

In the meantime, I _________ a post on the junior high school newspaper. I even created a parody (拙劣的模仿) advice column called “Dear Gertrude.”Mrs. Garrett, also the advisor for the newspaper, _________ my unconventional (非常规的) writing. One day, while grading a homework assignment, she wrote this short but _________ note: “You will make a living as a writer someday.”

From that point on, I _________ what I wanted to do with my life. In fact, in 8th grade, when it came time to write that “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?” essay, I no longer wanted to be a doctor (which is what my four brothers all became). __________. I wrote these words:

Now my mind wanders to a __________ thought. To be a writer is my search.

I got a B+ on that paper, and my path in life was __________.

Soon I ________ playing football in 8th grade and focused the rest of my school years on __________ !

We all have talents. Fortunately, I had just the right teacher at just the right time to help me __________mine.

10 . I was eating breakfast at home in Hampshire in March this year, scrolling through (滚动浏览) social media on my phone, when a story ______ my eye. It was about a 9-year-old dog, Charlie, considered as the ______ in Britain. He had been in a rescue center in Somerset for more than 500 days.

I ______ the link, and straight away, these huge, sad eyes stared at me. I fell in love with it at first sight. My husband Sam felt ______ the same way. We ______ our time with the application, and a few days later, we received an email asking us to visit him. We were ______.

Before we arrived, we didn’t know what to ______. We hadn’t been told much about Charlie’s condition, but ______ he hadn’t been placed with a new owner for so long, we thought there might be problems. But the dog that ran in was full of ______ and energy. He came straight over to us, quite ______. He wagged his tail and even jumped on Sam’s lap as if they’d been ______ forever. We were delighted when they said we could take him home.

Charlie is a dog who knows exactly what he wants, and that’s to be with us ______. If you give a dog love, they’ll give you a number of wonderful things ______. Now we get out every day on walks and we’re more ______. He’s always so happy to see us when we come through the door. We spoil him and enjoy his ______ so much. Charlie was once the loneliest dog in Britain, but he’s not alone anymore.