1 . When I had the chance to enter a contest to meet Jane Fonda, I signed up. To my great surprise, I was one of the winners. I thought this was a ______ that my luck was changing. I had always enjoyed Fonda’s ______ and was thrilled to have the chance to ______ her.

Fonda was seventy-five then and looked wonderful ______. She really made me feel special as we discussed one of her films I had recently seen and we ______ for a picture together.

I was thrilled when I received an e-mail the next day. But my ______ turned to embarrassment when I looked at the photo. Fonda looked as extremely good as expected, but I was ______ twice her size. Fonda was thirty years older than me, but she looked better than me, and more youthful, too. Her dedication to ______ had really paid off.

My friend Jon comforted me, saying that anybody would ______ in comparison to a movie star. But that picture made me ______. I couldn’t be as beautiful as Fonda, of course, but at least I could ______ her from her fitness program and start ______.

The next month, I decided to lose weight and get in shape. The way I looked in that photo ______ me to keep on going. I ______ my fitness journey with mall walking and then worked 5 kilometers a day. I began running ______ as I lost weight. My fitness journey led me to lose eighty-five pounds.

2 . Buried deep within the cracks of an old, wooden desk, a worn-out notebook lay forgotten. Its pages, yellowed with _________, were scattered with handwritten notes and drawings, each ________ a dream or aspiration of its owner, Emily Dickinson.

Dickinson, a ________ teacher, had passed away peacefully in her sleep, leaving the notebook as one of her few _________. There were drafts of traveling to foreign places, notes about learning a new language, and even a few ________ about publishing her own book of poems in it.

One ________ sketch caught her children’s eye as they looked through the pages. It was a drawing of a small cottage ________ in the hills, surrounded by greenery and a stream. Dickinson had always dreamed of retiring to such a place, a place where she could find peace and ________.

Her children decided to fulfil her mother’s dream. They found a cottage ________ to the one in the sketch and bought it. They ________ it with the furniture and kick-knacks (小摆设) that Dickinson had treasured and turned it into a ________ to her life and her dreams.

The cottage became a place where Dickinson’s family and friends could gather and shared stories about her. It was a place where they could feel her ________ and be inspired by her firm determination. The notebook, now ________ on a small table in the cottage’s living room, remains a constant ________ of Dickinson’s dreams and aspirations. Her children hope that by keeping it there, they can honor her memory and continue to inspire others to ________ their own dreams, just as she had done.

3 . I am employed in an educational institution. Following the _______ of the students each day, a delightful young woman named Claire often arrives to clean the classrooms and offices. Once a week, I _______ after hours, doing some extra work. So I often chat for a few minutes with her. She always makes me feel good because she’s a good listener and willing to talk about her children. Our _______ are consistently enjoyable.

Last week, she seemed unlike her _______ self. She told me that her husband had been _______, leaving them worried about their financial _______. Later that week, while I was in a department store, my attention was drawn to the shelves lined with sunglasses. After _______ various pairs, I discovered the ideal sunglasses. As I admired my _______, it occurred to me that Claire would look great while wearing them. _______ with my current pair, I purchased the sunglasses for Claire.

Eager to surprise her, I placed them in an elegant bag and ________ put them in her closet for her discovery. The following day, Claire was chatting with a coworker as she ________ the closet. Upon ________ the bag and taking out the sunglasses and a Smile Card, her face lit up with joy. She expressed that it had been days since she had reason to smile and that this act of kindness ________ her spirits.

She penned a note expressing her gratitude for my heart-warming ________. Choosing to gift her the sunglasses instead of myself brought me much satisfaction. I eagerly ________ creating more moments of joy.

4 . I have worked with hundreds of students in my thirty-six years of Spanish teaching at Walpole High School in Massachusetts. Some of them are ________ while some are academically (学业上) at risk. ________ , only one stands out in my memory.

Vincent entered my classroom as a ________ freshman on his first day of high school. His eighth grade teacher had described him as that “ sad, introverted (内向的) boy always lowering his head.” As for his Spanish, he hadn’t had a lot of ________ before.

At first he was shy about ________ questions in Spanish. I told him I could relate to his shyness, but he needed to get over it and join in more ________ about his family and interests. Little by little Vincent became braver. Some classes even saw him not only ________ to answer questions but also share his opinions. I was beginning to view him as a ________ role model for the other students.

Once spring came I recommended he ________ the National Spanish Competition. Much to my ________ , he won the second prize. One of my ________ moments as his teacher was to call Vincent to the stage at our yearly Foreign Language Awards Night to ________ him for his outstanding performance.

Several years later when we ________ in the street, he told me my class was the first one where he had ________ success. It has impressed on me how important it is for teachers to ________ with kids and also reminded me how success produces success.

5 . Some years ago, the General Motors plant closed in our city, causing high unemployment. There was a feeling of _________ and depression. Our youth group decided to breathe some life back into our city by doing something _________ with no strings attached. We planned to buy $25 gas cards and some roses for people who might need some _________ .

Our teens had many interactions as they gave roses and the free gas cards to customers at a gas station. One interaction _________. Our boys spotted a young woman _________ her car at the gas pump. Instead of getting out, she began looking through her purse and under her seat _________. Then she put her hands and head on her steering wheel and began to _________. The students politely knocked on the window. Upon _________ the knock, the young lady wiped away her tears, tried to _________ herself and then rolled down the window. “Here’s a free gas card for you. We just want you to know that God loves you.” The young woman __________ the card, telling them she was a single mother out of job for long but was __________ about the job interview that she was on her way to. She broke down when she __________ that she would miss the interview for __________ of money to fill in the gas.

“You guys make a __________ in my life. Thank you!” Tears of __________ streamed down her face as she began pumping her gas.

6 . A man named Joe in Austin spent several months in order to adopt a dog. Alva is a dog with wobbler syndrome(摇摆综合征), but that didn’t _________ Joe from knowing they would be together.

_________ at Austin Pets Alive in November 2020 at just 5 months old, Alva was _________ , skinny, and in need of a helping paw. She had a hard time _________ and walking on account of the _________ . After almost 24 months of shelter stays, the _________ in her life with wobblers and multiple owners had made her self-protective, _________ , and shy.

Joe had originally seen Alva on APA’s Instagram, and determined to do something to help her. “I just _________ her and said, ‘I bet everyone has given up on you,’” Joe told APA! “‘I’m not going to do that to you.’”

Nor did he, but instead visited her at APA every single day for two months to earn her _________ in the hope that he could welcome her into his __________. Seeing that there was a potential end to Alva’s difficulties, APA staff worked hard to treat and __________ Alva. Alva recovered well during the two months, and __________Joe got what he wished for—Alva was able to move in with him.

He __________ his house with various ramps and carpeted corners to ensure she had a safe, comfortable environment.

“Alva gave me a __________ every time I saw her, and that was: inspiration. It is her infectious spirit that makes her __________, and brightens my days,” Joe told APA!