1 . Travelling can be dangerous. At least that’s what you hear when you turn on the TV. ______, the actual people who are travelling the world have an important message to tell—People are good! Wherever you are, you will probably find someone willing to help you, if you are ______.

When I was teaching English in China, a big news story about a heavy rain came out in the paper. A few days later, after I left my apartment to go to work, it started to pour with rain. I didn’t have an umbrella or a raincoat and I had no ______ but to struggle ahead to the university I was teaching at.

I was ______ a busy road when a middle-aged woman______ to me and put her umbrella into my hands. I tried to refuse it, but she shook her head ______ and hurried away. It was a(n) ______ without any wordy exchange and really took me a minute to ______ what had happened. By that time she had already ______.

It was such a brief moment but such a powerful one that ______ the kindness of strangers. It also served as a symbol of a bigger picture that I may have been an outsider in China but as a ______ in her country, this woman took my well-being to heart, even at the ______ of her own. Would it have mattered if I had gotten wet in the rain? No. But sometimes it’s the simplest ______ that mean the most and make all the difference in building inter-cultural ______. It’s certainly a moment I will never ______ without thinking warmly of the country.

2 . I started my cycling adventure early. The morning ride was _______ , the gentle breeze (微风) was pleasant and the road was free of traffic. The path was lined by colorful flowers. Gazing at the mountains, I felt like I was _______ through a painting. Looking down, I _______ fallen leaves on the track. It was the first time I realized leaves could be so rich in color. I came to understand the true _______ of autumn is found in these subtle, often overlooked details.

Of course, this journey was also a challenge. Each time I endured a lengthy uphill climb, I _______ myself somewhere ahead lay a (n) _______ downhill section. It became a kind of reward. I was thirsty and tired. I pushed my bike up the incline, which helped stretch my muscles.

I passed by a woman selling oranges. I wanted to buy some. However, the woman _______ my money and encouraged me to help myself, _______ the oranges were from her own trees. I was deeply _______ .

After eating two, I crouched (蹲) by the roadside, gazing at the uphill stretch ahead. A young couple in a car ____________ to buy oranges. I asked if they could give me a lift. They ____________ and even offered me bread and water. I learned they were from Suzhou and had driven here for the weekend. They ____________ I visit Suzhou for an around-the-lake ride of Taihu. About 10 minutes later, I said goodbye to them and continued riding.

My mood was ____________ transformed. A team of cyclists approached, giving me thumbs-up. I was incredibly motivated. Cycling 144 km in nine hours was a (n)   ____________ . However, as I reflect on the beauty along the route and the kindness of the people I met, I am still full of   ____________ and I am glad came.

4 . When I first read the wonderful book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I was in Grade 9. I came to know about it from my sister. When I came to Grade 10, I started _______ what I learned from the _______ to my daily life. I have many _______ in my life, and my biggest one was to be a member of our school football team. So I started _______ the scene of being allowed to join the _______ that I had been dreaming about.

Then the day came that my first round to _______ the football team was going to happen. The result came out but _______ I did not succeed in the first round. I was feeling a bit depressed (沮丧) due to much time I spent preparing for it. But, soon I tried to find a(n) _______. I waited for the second round. Deep inside my mind, I was quite sure that I was going to be a _______ because I had always ________ one particular teaching from the book. That is when something bad happens, something ________ will surely happen.

After six months, the second round was ________ and it became the best day of my life because I had ________ my dream.

From my ________, the really important things to be noted are to hold on to your dreams and you must have ________ in your ability.

6 . This morning I was reading a book outside my favorite beachside coffee shop when an 18-year-old boy sat down next to me and said, “The ______   in your hands is great, isn’t it?” I closed the book and we started ______ .

He told me he was getting ready to ______   high school next week and then started his college life in the fall. But he had no ______ what he wanted to do with his life.

He asked me many questions, and I ______ them as well as I could, trying to give ______ advice with the time I had. And after a half-hour conversation, he thanked me and we parted ways.

But on my way home I realized the ______ I had with that 18-year-old boy was ______ quite nostalgic (令人怀念的) . He made me ______ the time when I was his age, more than twenty years ago. I had so many ______ back then. So, I started thinking about his questions again, and I began remembering all the helpful little things someone told me ______ I was 18.

The ______ is that you’d better do your best, one ______ , not all at once. And above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t ______ when everything develops. Life is short, yet ______ . Enjoy the ride!

7 . One year ago, I received the most heartbreaking letter a senior high school student could read. Reading that letter brought me a mix of _________: shock, anger, stress, and sadness. Over the past year, I have thought a lot about what made the month of waiting so _________. The answer for me was fear of the unknown. How much I hope for a quick and _________ answer!

For many 17- or 18-year-olds, this may be the first time that something is completely out of your control. When you hand in your application, you are putting your hopes and _________ into someone else’s hands. That’s a feeling which is _________ to be harmed.

This was a bad time for me. I’m not going to _________. I felt so bad when seeing my _________ going to their first choice schools. However, this gave me a lot more _________ at the same time. I believe I am quite able to succeed in college. And that is what helped me to _________ this bad time. In the end, I was __________ by another university, which is as good as my first choice school.

I am so __________ that I got that rejection (拒绝) letter one year ago, because I grew more from that experience than I ever thought I would. I __________ how to be happy for people who got what I wanted. I learned how to fit in what I hadn’t __________ for.

Being rejected is a terrible feeling, but there is so much __________ that comes out of it. You can take your time to be __________, but be grateful for being where you are. Please believe the better is coming.

10 . At Bookmark, we want every single child to read. Many children in the average class in the UK are not _________ to read well when they leave primary school. We need more reading _________ to help us change this. With Bookmark, you can truly make a ________ to the futures of primary school children. One Bookmark volunteer has _________ her story.

Claire began reading with Zach in 2019 at a local school. Her ________ as a Bookmark volunteer taught her more than she expected. During their sessions, Claire _________ Zach to see reading as fun. _________, he asked Claire why anyone would read in their spare time. Seeing this as an opportunity, she ________ to him that there are books out there on all his favorite hobbies.

As their sessions continued, Claire noticed a _________. When packing up in their final session, Zach __________ a book. It was a more advanced ________ than those he’d been reading, but he __________ said that he was happy and confident to give it a go at home. At that moment, Claire started to _________ her impact as a Bookmark volunteer.

Enjoying reading is a powerful tool for a primary school child. Reading for _________ provides a route into learning and opens many opportunities. For young readers, this joy __________ confidence both in the classroom and at home.