1 . Here we will introduce you to a new kind of car—the first fully electric vehicle that can both fly and _________ on roads. Our “Model A”, is the first flying vehicle that is _________ on public roads and able to _________ like a normal car. It also has vertical take-off and landing capabilities. It _________ will be able to carry one or two occupants in its limited space available. We expect to sell the vehicle for 300, 000 each with the first _________ projected by the end of 2025. The FAA confirmed that it has _________ our company a special airworthiness certificate (适航证) , allowing for limited _________ that include exhibition, research and development.

Numerous companies are working on all-electric VTOLs, which _________ vertical take-off and landing aircraft. However, our vehicle is _________ because of its ability to __________ both on roads and in the air.

Our flying car will be certified as a(n) “ __________ speed vehicle”, which means it won’t be able to go faster than about 25 miles per hour on a paved road. The __________ is that, if a driver needs a faster route, he/she will use our flight capabilities. Regardless, it also still needs __________ from the National Highway Traffic Safe Administration to go on roads. An __________ automated test flight of a skeleton (框架) version of the car was successfully conducted in 2018, and a full-size prototype (原型车) was __________ the following year. But we still needed the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate to continue conducting the necessary research and development.

2 . Many years ago, I knew a man named Bob who was friends with my boss. He showed great _________ for learning languages and could speak several fluently(流利地). And he was a very _________ man.

My desk was right at the front, _________ I could see everyone who came in. One day, a man, who looked tired and sad, came in, speaking broken English. After a short _________, I knew he wanted to sell office supplies. _________ , I told him our supplies were sent from our main office. So we couldn’t buy anything.

Bob was just _________ my boss, and he heard the man talking to me. Bob came and asked the salesman a question in a language that sounded _________ . The man answered him with a look of _________. Then they sat down and talked for several minutes, and the man grew _________ by the minute.

Later, Bob __________ that the man was from Italy and that they talked in Italian. Besides, Bob told the man he was from there, too. “Are you really from Italy?” I asked. “No,” he said. “I __________ to him. I’m Irish. But he needed to talk to someone from home, and it didn’t __________ him to think I was Italian.”

Bob’s words have left me a powerful __________ and stayed with me through the years. It’s true that sometimes we just need to talk to someone from home to __________ our spirits. Bob could have __________ the man, but he took the time to make him feel better, and maybe a little less homesick.

3 . Dressed in a kachhad, a traditional Nepalese clothes, Umesh Balal walked into his meetings at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) on climate change in Dubai with a sense of determination.

Balal, who has physical disability, was there to publicly _________ inclusion of disability rights in the climate change conference, an aspect that he said has long been _________ by organizers of the world’s largest annual meeting on climate issues.

As a student, Balal was _________ about science and involved himself in research on environmental science. Those were his first few interactions that _________ the climate related issues to him. Being from a mountainous region, Balal _________ more about how climate change had _________ people there, which led him to develop climate anxiety.

The more Balan _________ himself to climate science, the more he learned about the impact of climate change. People with more resources have better chances of _________ the climate crisis. But the less developed countries, for the _________ communities, usually don’t have the same opportunities, which will push them further into the __________

And it is even harder for people with __________. Many people with disabilities in Nepal don’t have __________ to proper education or opportunities for growth. As a result, they aren’t able to advocate for their rights.   

In an interview, Balan said, “__________, I am honored that I come from a supportive family, where I had a chance of good education which __________ me to grow in life. This is what I __________for others, to change the way they live their lives.”

4 . When we think of a grocery store, we usually picture aisles of food and everyday necessities. But sometimes, it’s also where unexpected ________ are formed, turning a simple store into a backdrop for heartwarming human connections.

Ellie Walker, ________ at a British grocery store, was known for her friendly demeanor. Ellie enjoyed the daily chat with customers but never ________ how deeply these interactions could impact her life.

It was during one of these ________ conversations that Ellie encountered Edwin Holmes, an elderly regular customer, who ________ that he had no one to spend Christmas with.

This revelation ________ a chord in Ellie’s heart, as she couldn’t bear the thought of Edwin spending the festive season alone.

Edwin had lost his wife in 2006 after 45 years of marriage. His family, including a daughter and grandchildren, lived in Australia, making it ________ for them to be together during the holidays. This left Edwin facing the prospect of a ________ Christmas.

Upset about Edwin’s situation. Ellie decided to ________ a gesture of kindness. She invited him to join her for a Christmas meal, hoping to ________ a memorable and joyous experience for both of them.

“I thought, if it was my granddad and he was alone, I would want someone to talk to him.” Ellie’s invitation to Edwin was more than just a kind ________ it was a start of their friendship.

From that memorable Christmas dinner, a beautiful friendship ________. Ellie and Edwin began meeting regularly for coffee, sharing stories and enjoying each other’s ________.

Their relationship, which started with ________ conversations in a grocery store, had ________ a meaningful and enduring friendship.

5 . People who lost their loved ones know how precious it is to safeguard their memories. Beaton’s _________ passed away in 2003 due to cancer and ever since then, Beaton found comfort in listening to her voice in the _________, which he managed to _________ till December 2014. But when the UK-based telecommunications company Virgin Media had to _________ their old data as part of their technical work, Ruby’s _________ was also deleted.

Talking about how _________ the recording was to him, Beaton said, “I listened to it quite often. Basically, it came to the point where if I felt _________, then I would listen to it to cheer myself up” and added, “In December, _________ it disappeared. I just could not tell people how it _________ me at that time. I was absolutely devastated (被击垮) by it.”

Rob Evans, the executive director of engineering at Virgin Media, said finding Ruby’s message was like “__________ for a needle in a haystack (干草堆).” He thought the chances of retrieving (找回) the message were quite __________ and a team of 11 engineers took three days to __________ it down.

Evans called Beaton to __________ the good news that they had been able to retrieve the voice message in January 2015, twelve years after his wife’s __________. He broke down in tears of __________ after hearing Ruby’s wonderful sound again.

6 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who _________ you and your goals and don’t let go!

When I was younger, I _________ because life felt so hard. I had _________to become a teacher or a business administrator. I knew I needed a college degree, but I had _________ believing in myself. Then a teacher in my high school _________ me. He told me three things: First, if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be _________ to get anyone else to believe in you. Second, never let other people’s _________ to see your brilliance prevent you from being brilliant. And third, despite life’s _________, stick to creating the future you want.

Early in my _________, I was teaching a workshop when a person in the audience yelled out to me. He told me I had __________ made a job choice and had a bright future. This __________ feedback (反馈)came at just the right time, because while the audience didn’t know it, I was __________ self-doubt.

Even now, I __________ myself that I have a bright future. That’s what I tell myself when I __________ success and failure. You have a bright future ahead. Think about this every single day. Remember your talents, skills, and interests. Explore the jobs that interest you, and have courage—and most __________, believe in yourself.

7 . When I was a little girl, every time when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer. Then we could have a time for a _________ with each other.

I grew up and left home for the college, and since then, he had been _________ me every Sunday morning. Later, when I bought a house, my dad was _________ it by himself for three days in the 30℃ summer _________. All he asked for was to hold his paint brush and _________ to him.

Several years ago, he was _________ me. He spent hours _________ a swing set for my daughter. He asked me to bring him a cup of tea and have a talk with him, but I had to _________ for a trip, so I did not have time for any long conversations.

One Sunday morning, we had a telephone talk _________ , and I noticed that my dad kept forgetting some things we discussed __________. Few hours later came a call. He was in hospital with an aneurysm(动脉瘤). Immediately I bought a ticket for the __________ and by the time I got to the hospital, my dad had passed away. Now it was he who did not have __________ for a talk with me.

After his __________ , I learned more about him, and I realized how little I knew about his deepest __________ and dreams. All he ever asked me was my time, but now he has all my __________ every single day.

8 . I was halfway across Indiana headed home to Kentucky when my car broke down. My phone was ______, too. I managed to get to a gas station, but it was Sunday in the early fall, and there was no ______ on duty. I was working my way through university then and had little money for ______ the car.

I sat alongside my car for several hours trying to ______ the heat when an older gentleman ______ to fuel his car.   He asked about my car, and I ______ my predicament (困境). To my ______, the gentleman told me that he had a daughter my age, and then he opened his trunk and ______ a tool set.

Right then and there, this total ______ examined my engine, explaining as he worked that my spark plugs (火花塞) hadn’t been charged for so long that they were ______ to function.   After about an hour, he ______ that my car was safe to finish the trip.

______ came at the hands of a stranger. ______ his clothes, working on a hot September afternoon, this man ______ a college student from disaster, just because she could have been his ______ .

9 . In my 30s, I decided to learn to ride a bike. When I was young, I had no one to teach me. My mom remarried after divorce when I was 6. I remembered I was _________ because I was the only kid over 6 who still relied on training wheels. Then my stepdad removed them, but in doing that, I lost interest and _________ in the activity. I was worried I’d fall off.

Not knowing how to ride didn’t _________ me initially, until we moved to the suburbs when I was 12 years old, where bicycles were _________. On _________ to the convenience store to buy candy with my friends, I was always the last to arrive, on foot.

In my early 30s, I remember feeling _________ as I watched young children learn to _________ on bikes. Among them were my neighbors, whom I would occasionally _________. Then something changed. The fear within was still there, but something much stronger was _________.

I decided to join a women’s bike-riding workshop. There, I stood in an urban park, determined to overcome my __________. Meeting women from diverse backgrounds, all seeking cycling skills for various reasons, strengthened my __________. Before long, I was riding __________.

__________ the joy of riding, I bought my own bike, not just for getting around but to __________ lost time back. It wasn’t simply a bike; it represented a(n) __________ I missed earlier. I completely engaged myself in the experience, enjoying the scenery and the breeze on my face.

10 . “Dad, you do remember that you promised to come to my class tomorrow, right?” Jenny asked Dad before she went to bed.

“I remember,______I am not sure if I can be there,” said Dad. “It might be a very busy day tomorrow.”

“But Dad, our teacher has asked all the students to invite one of their______to come and tell us about the jobs that they do. That way we can get a(n)______of what we might like to do someday. Tomorrow is the day that was set aside (留出) for you. Some of the kids’ parents_____came in the past weeks. I really hope you can come too,“ said Jenny eagerly (渴求地).

”I will try my best, but I just wanted to let you______that I may not be able to make it,“ said Dad.

The next day Jenny______nervously in her seat. She was______her father would not come to her class. It seemed as if the clock stood still.______, the wait was over and the teacher stood up from her desk.

“Okay, class. We have a very special______for Parent Job Day today,” the teacher said. Then she______the classroom and brought in a cart (手推车)that was covered with a cloth (布). Everyone tried to see______was under the cloth. Just then, Jenny’s dad walked in.

“Hi, boys and girls. I am Jenny’s father, and I am a baker (面包师). I have brought something that I______just for you. You may each have one of the cupcakes that I made. They are special because they are sugar-free. Hope you like______,” Jenny’s dad smiled.

“Everyone______the cupcakes,” Jenny said when she got home from school. She gave her dad a big hug. “They all said I was very______to have a dad like you, and I think you have the best job in the world.”