1 . When Chandra saw his baby girl, Karunia, for the first time, he wept. But as he looked upon his little daughter’s face and hands, the dreams and hopes he had prayed for came _______.

The girl’s fingers were formed together into a club (一团), where there had five _______ tiny fingers and nails because of Apert syndrome (综合征), which _______ hands and feet while there is no cure. He wrapped the baby in a blanket to cover her feet and hands before handing her to his wife with a(n) _______ smile. Then Chandra called his friend to help break the news of their daughter’s _______ to his wife, Angelina. “I just cried and wondered why,” said Angelina.

Neither Chandra nor Angelina had a good education and they _______ to care for the baby girl who needed _______ care. But help came from the local Compassion Survival Program when the girl was a year old.

_______, the couple had a better understanding of their baby’s disability. Their fears and anxieties _______, and they accepted her condition.

Early intervention and monthly ________ checkups helped Karunia to become healthy. Staff helped the family to ________ a government program for low-income earners that funded a special surgery to create fingers on her right hand, while the program ________ the costs of her medicine. A second surgery ________ to provide her with more ________ in her right hand.

“She is our own flesh and blood, and we have to ________ her for she came into our life,” said Angelina.

2 . On September 16, 2023, just weeks into the school year, two groups of boys fought across the courtyard at Southwood High School in Louisiana. In a _________two days, 23 students were in police station, one of whom was _________ with threatening an assistant principal.

When gang violence _______, concerned dads at this high school said “Not on our _______.”That’s how Dads on Duty was born and they began patrolling the campus every day.

Around 40 men organized into six-person _________. Some are fathers who sacrifice their own schedules and _________, while others are men who don’t have a _________but wants the youth to know they have an entire community behind them.

Now, anyone who wants to enter the school with rage (狂怒) and a closed _________ have to face tough papa bears. They are _________ Southwood, making sure every student feels as if someone __________a lot of time and energy in their safety and has an adult to turn to in times of crisis.

Besides, their presence is meant to be more __________ than reactionary. For instance, one day after school, Morgan noticed an odd student __________ outside without friends. Morgan suspected he was lying in wait for an attack so this cautious father got the student out of the area, likely avoiding a violent incident. It was a situation requiring more delicacy than law enforcement (执法部门) and security __________ have offered.

Since Dads on Duty arrived on campus, gang battles have stopped completely. The Louisiana dads have already __________ with fathers in other parts of the country, who have followed their example. They’d like to start new __________ of the campaign throughout the country.

3 . Chris, a 21-year-old young man from Maitland, Florida, completed an Ironman triathlon (铁人三项). An Ironman ________ a 112 mile cycle, a 2.4-mile swim and a 26.2-mile run. While this is an amazing ________ for any human being, it is especially ________ for Chris Nikic who has Down Syndrome. ________, Chris Nikic did the impossible!

His ________ to this amazing and inspiring accomplishment has been anything but ________. Chris had open-heart surgery when he was just five months old. He needed a ________ when he was three and did not even walk on his own until he was four years old. Throughout his childhood, he and his parents were told that he could not do many things that other kids could do. For years they got ________ to and accepted these limits.

Until in 2017, he sets his ________ on competing in triathlons. His training starts with one pushup as well as an amazing commitment he ________with his dad to get 1% better each day. ________, Chris trained four to eight hours each day for a whole year to prepare for the ________.

Chris’s amazing perseverance (毅力) is an example for not only children with Down Syndrome and other special ________ but to all kids around the world. Chris is now trying to ________ as many people as he can with his story which he is ________ through public speaking, presentations, and a book he is working with his father.

4 . At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comǎneci made history. She performed a routine ______ on the uneven bars (高低杠), scoring a perfect 10. She pursued perfection in her practice, which led to remarkable ______ in the game.

Perfectionism is generally appreciated as a good quality. Therefore, it’s not ______ that perfectionism in society has been on the rise for years. And it is more common in certain ______ like top athletes and medical specialists. Perfectionism can be seen as a behavioral ______. Perfectionists usually set extremely high standards for themselves and others. According to researchers, such behavior is rooted in insecurity. Many perfectionists ______ that if they don’t pay enough attention to ______, it will hurt their performance. So they ______ their perfectionism even when it’s self-defeating.

Aiming for a high degree of success isn’t necessarily ______ as long as you behave reasonably. People with adaptive perfectionism work hard to meet ambitious goals, but are also able to ______ mistakes, changes, and problems that they didn’t anticipate. When encountering barriers, they stay flexible.

Maladaptive perfectionism, which involves an intense ______ for others’ approval, and a high level of concern over mistakes, is unhealthy. It tends to ______ individual confidence and affects relationships and overall well-being. To overcome it, it’s crucial to ______ your mindset. Start by being ______ and gaining a broader perspective. Give yourself permission to loosen up a bit on certain matters, enabling you to ______ what truly matters. Transformation can be challenging, but it is indeed attainable.

5 . I found a brown bag outside after our move. “Grass Seed,” it said in big letters. My husband and I _________ the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. “I have no idea if they will _________,” I told him, “but it’s worth a shot.” Just like our _________ to move to the rural Arizona.

Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was _________ to tourists. I got a job offer to _________ the cottage. I’d worked in hotels for years, so when offered the _________, I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I _________ that it would be a right move.

While we waited for our grass to grow — or not — we _________ settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the _________ in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became __________, and I got to know them well. I felt __________ to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than __________.

But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. __________, our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have __________, just like our new life. And it remains a powerful __________ of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.

6 . At graduation ceremonies, it’s common to see parents proudly cheering and clapping for their kids. But have you ever seen it _________ the other way around? A heartwarming viral video shows a little girl named Shivaee _________ rooting for her dad during his graduation ceremony.

The video shows Shivaee’s dad, Aashish, walking up to the stage to _________ his master’s degree certificate from Teesside University in England. As the then 34-year-old _________ the stage, Shivaee shouts, “Congratulations, Daddy!” stimulating _________ from those in the room.

The dad,_________ by the act, replies, “I love you,” and blows her a kiss. Excited to _________ a moment with her dad, she replies, “I love you, daddy!” His smile grows even wider, and he looks deeply moved when his _________ is announced and he joins the rest of the _________ on the stage.

“This ceremony would have been __________ without my princess,” Aashish wrote on social media. “Asher __________ spread through the silent ceremony hall, my heart melted along with all the others present.__________ the graduation award, I felt ‘Being father to my daughter’ is the biggest __________ to me.”

Shivaee was barely 3 years old when the video was taken in 2022. That makes the __________ even more sweet, and it’s something her dad will never forget. He added, “This was the cutest moment during my whole graduation ceremony. It would stay __________ forever.”

7 . Once upon a time, a boy was walking through the countryside when he saw, among some ________, an angel singing a beautiful song. The angel soon ________.

The boy thought that it must be the doorway to heaven, and that it would be fun to see what was up there. So he ________ building a big tower of wood, reaching up to the clouds. ________, when the tower was very ________, it collapsed (倒塌). Later, he ________ building it with bricks, and then with steel, but his tower always collapsed.

Just when he was about to ________, the angel returned, this time ________by other angels. The angel ________ again, and the boy listened closely. The ________ of the song was that you could only reach that heavenly (神圣的) place if you really wanted to, with all your heart.

No longer was the boy just ________; now he desired with all his might (力量) to go up and visit heaven with the angels. But he just couldn’t ________ it, and, overcome by his sense of powerlessness (无能为力) and sadness, he ________ and began to cry. However, he smiled when he suddenly saw the sun appear from behind the clouds and ________ a beautiful rainbow. The rainbow led ________ up to the door of heaven.

The boy traveled up the rainbow, filled with joy, knowing that only with sincere and heartfelt (衷心的) desire could one ever open the door to heaven.

8 . I passed my test when I was 19, and I’ve been behind the wheel for most journeys since. After becoming a ________ eight years ago, I became more dependent on my car, thinking that it meant security for me and my child. I couldn’t ________ a world where I didn’t get around on four wheels, but that all ________ when I tried going car-free.

Earlier this year, I ________ to a challenge posed by the climate charity to see what it would be like without my car for three weeks. I ________ an electric family bike. Straight away, I enjoyed having a break from driving, especially on the ________ run. What was once an unpredictable trip to my daughter’s school often stuck in traffic was now a ________ ride along the canal. And my daughter loved every moment of it, which gave me the ________ to know that we were doing the right thing.

Giving up my car didn’t come without its ________. I work in a grocery, and although there are ________ car parking space, there isn’t enough bike parking space to ________ my bike securely. On balance, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. I felt myself getting ________ because I was getting exercise during my commute (通勤). I saved a bit of money every week just like other participants in this ________.

I was surprised by how ________ it was to give up the car and get around on my bike. I ________ to think it was my duty as a parent to be a driver. Now it’s my duty to get on my bike whenever I can.

9 . A mere four months ago, a black cat named Bounty had no idea just how adventurous his life was about to become. Although the cat was _______ destined for a cat shelter, Doina adopted him just in time. To some, Doina being an avid (酷爱的) traveler seemed like a potential issue, but it _______ , these two were made for each other.

_______ for their journey to begin, Doina gathered all of the equipment, treats, and other _______ that the two of them would need. Though, when it came to carriers for Bounty, Doina had to get a bit _______ . “I made a special pouch (小袋) for him, because cat carriers are not adapted to certain _______ ,” she said.

One of their first adventures included a _______ tour of Italy, the first test that helped them discover how _______ he was to an adventurous lifestyle. “At the start, Bounty was a little anxious and nervous, but after the first few days, he started to _______ himself,” Doina said. “While I pedalled, he ________ in the pouch.”

Since that first cycling tour, Bounty and Doina have ________ several more adventures in their short time together, including mountaineering and camping. In fact, this adorable ________ has already managed to become a record breaker! He is considered to be the first house cat to summit La Grignetta, a 7,100-foot mountain in the Italian Alps. Best of all, he did so “without even a meow of ________ ”.

The two of them have cycled the entire length of the Italian peninsula! If you’d like to ________ this adorable duo, you can visit their website where Doina ________ their travels with lots of updates, photos, and videos for their 800 followers to enjoy.

10 . On a hot afternoon Rhiannon was driving her old van down the highway. As she ________ her window to let in some fresh air, her car registration paper blew off the sun visor (防晒板) and onto the floor inside. When leaning down to ________ it, she accidentally drifted into oncoming traffic. In panic, she over-corrected and pulled the ________ sharply in the other direction. ________, the van rolled over three times, and Rhiannon was thrown onto the road, lying in the middle of the road and bleeding, nearly ________.

A medical student witnessed the accident and came to her ________. He covered Rhiannon with his coat and gave her emergency first aid, including ________ the wound on her left arm before the ambulance arrived.

________, Rhiannon was rushed to a hospital where an emergency room doctor spent hours ________ all the pieces of windshield (挡风玻璃) from her arm, and gave her three dozen stitches (缝针).

Luckily, Rhiannon was saved. Not for the bandage, she would not have ________long enough for the emergency personnel to arrive. Though Rhiannon didn’t know him, she was grateful to the medical student who saved her life. So she ________ the words online, “It’s a pity that I don’t know your name. If you happen to see or hear this story and recognize yourself, thank you for your kind ________.”

Rhiannon also had a message for the other ________ heroes, “Please consider this a pay-it-forward letter of ________— a letter from the ________ you helped who, for whatever reason, couldn’t thank you themselves.”