1 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been ______ a position there as a Civil Engineer. Accompanying him, my aim was to find a job shortly after. As you can imagine, I was very excited, even rather ______, as I’d never been abroad before. So, my first ______ was to get settled in this small town called Dodoma in the middle of Tanzania.

As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the ______ towards us. Completely out of breath, she said, “We’ve heard you’re from England and our school ______ needs an English teacher — please say you’ll help us.” I felt tired and ______ a shower after the journey. Though shocked by her ______, for some reason or other, I agreed to ______ it!

I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was ______ to the two local teachers and my ______ at 8 o’clock. It felt like being thrown into the deep end, as my teaching timetable began ______ at 8:30! Although I’d hardly had time to get my breath, I never ______ my sudden decision.

Though my entry into this ______ was unexpected, I found joy in teaching those youngsters and gradually became part of the local community in the following years. I’ve been fortunate to ______ lifelong friendships, which has left a lasting ______ on both my students and myself.

3 . During my teens, I was the champion of the sports day every single year, and my mother won the moms’ trophy (奖杯) every single year. Why? Because she was always chasing me to _______ me for various “crimes” I had committed, and I was running _______ not to get my ass kicked.

We had a very Tom and Jerry relationship. She was the strict disciplinarian; I was the _______ boy in the whole neighborhood. She would send me out to buy _______ , and I wouldn’t come right home because I’d be using the _______ from milk to play video games at the supermarket. Lost in the games, time would _______ away until a sudden jolt (震惊) of reality arrived in the form of my mother’s belt-wielding (挥舞) presence. Thus began our _______ race.

When I was little, she always caught me, but as I got older and faster, and when speed _______ her she’d use her wits. If I was about to get _______, she would turn to the ________ weapon, the two magical words “Stop! Thief!”. In my birthplace, nobody gets ________ in other people’s business-unless it’s public safety incident, and then everybody ________. So with her yelling “thief”, even strangers would instantly join the ________, mistaking me for a genuine thief.

Reflecting on those exciting days two decades later, I’ve come to understand that amid the ________ of our wild chases, amid laughter and shouts, my mother and I were deeply ________ by our unique, unforgettable game.

6 . I’m interested in a career in _______, so I decided to volunteer for service at the local hospital. I thought it would be the best of both worlds: _______ people while getting valuable on the job experience! So I went to the business office. _______, the hospital director was quite willing to let me help out, and he said I could _______ that summer as soon as I finished my finals.

Soon enough, I _______ for my first day at the hospital. The director gave me a brief tour of different departments (科室) _______ we stopped right in front of the maternity ward (产科病房). I was overwhelmed (受不了的) by the sounds. Women shouted and newborns _______. I got nervous and wondered if I had been in a hurry when I _______ to go for such a _______ job.

My ________ must have shown clearly on my face because the director said, “Don’t worry. You are going to help in the nursery. ” ________ that, we walked down a hallway filled with balloons, beautiful flowers and into the ________ room I’ve ever seen. The soft colors provided a quiet backdrop to the sleeping babies. The nurse in charge of the nursery ________ me, thanked me for ________, and asked me to start putting some baby things away in the drawers. The director gave me a ________ look, which I returned with a quiet nod. I got right to work.

9 . When I was in my 20s, I fell in love with traveling. It started with a backpacking trip through Europe with friends, where we caught trains from one country to the next. I _________ home to volunteer in Thailand, teaching at English camps, hiking into _________ villages away from hustle and bustle (喧嚣). Traveling was my love and I could not wait to see more of the world.

But sometimes things don’t _________ as we plan, and life has a way of making unexpected detours (弯路).

Five years ago, I lost my mother—one of my closest friends and my hero. I wasn’t prepared for the _________. At the time, I _________ between caring for my 2-year-old baby and busy job, and it had a bad impact on my body and my mind. _________ anxiety started to rule my life. I had to see a doctor. The doctor advised me to _________. My mind flashed to an image of myself as a 22-year-old, traveling through Europe, feeling daring and _________.

“Traveling,” I said. “I miss traveling.” I wanted to _________ the adventurous spirit that I knew was within me. Thinking about my kid gave me __________, I wanted him to experience new cultures, and enjoy great landscapes, but not to grow up shy or sheltered __________ me.

I __________ a travel blog called Imagine and Go. The name became my motto, and I focused on creating a future that embraced travel, where I could regain my sense of adventure that had been __________.

In the beginning, I started small. I took my __________ to local attractions and blogged about it. When I traveled for work, I __________ trips to local parks and museums that I could write about later. Day by day, I noticed that I had longer stretches feeling good in each moment.

10 . Dreaming of photographing the world’s beauty, I wrote a travel wish list and hung it on my wall, not expecting to actually go anywhere. However, a local photo contest gave me a _________. I chose the Grand Canyon, one of my bucket list places to visit, since I got my first camera.

The journey was _________, with unique touches like aspen trees towering and lizards (蜥蜴)rushing about. After a day’s _________, I decided to have a good rest and start fresh the next day for the mission to _________ the Canyon’s grandeur.

The next morning, I woke up early to capture (拍摄) the _________. Reaching the overlook, I found an elderly man alone on a bench. After exchanging _________, he noticed my camera and _________if I’d captured any favorites. I _________ shared a couple of photos, not anticipating any further conversation that followed. He _________, revealing that he and his late wife, Betty, visited the Grand Canyon annually for their anniversary. Her __________the previous year marked his first return without her and he spent each sunrise reflecting on their treasured __________. His heartfelt tales __________ me deeply, as I, too, had experienced a recent loss, making the moment __________.

Returning home with numerous photos, I __________the best from my adventures for the contest. This journey taught me the value of chasing dreams, embracing challenges, and __________with others through shared moments, making it a truly enriching experience.