1 . Growing up, I knew one thing about my accountant father: he understood everything. In my teen years, he taught me things I'd need to know to _______in the real world. When I moved out, I called him each week, usually when something _______in my apartment. But then I got married, I needed him _______ . When I called, our conversations _______into six words: "Hi, Dad." Him: "Hi, sweets. Here's I loved my dad, _______I wondered at times if maybe he had already _______ everything I needed to know.

This past summer, I moved in with my parents while our house was being repaired. Dad asked me to help him _______the bulkhead at their dock. As we put the new bulkhead together piece by piece, my dad knowing _______what went where, I looked at him. "How do you know how to build a bulkhead?” "I spent a summer in college building them." “You did?” I thought I knew everything about my dad----all his _______jobs. I knew about him being the apple collector, the TV repairer. But I never knew this. "Yep. Now let me teach you how to use this saw（锯子）.As he explained the ________, I realized that maybe it's not that there's nothing left to say. Maybe it's just that I've spent my life asking him the ________ questions.

After I moved back, I called my parents. Dad answered. “Hi, sweets”. Here's “ ________ Dad.” I said. "How are you?” We ________talking about work he was doing. To anyone else, it would sound like a ________conversation between a dad and his daughter. But to me, it was a new ________. I spent the first part of my life needing to talk to my dad. Now I talk to him because I want to.

2 . An 18-year-old boy from Connecticut saved a family of four. Justin Gavin_________a car on fire as he walked down a local street. At that point, the local police department had received some_________about a car on fire. Without an officer on the scene, Gavin took it upon himself to_________ to the vehicle and help the woman in the car to_________by opening its door. After_________the woman, Gavin noticed there were also three children inside the car, which was_________becoming enveloped in fire. As the_________grew larger, Gavin managed to_________all the kids out, including a 1-year-old baby.

“It kind of got_________because I didn't know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time,”he said. “And__________,I did it. ^"

Later that day，Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo ________Gavin a “Challenge Coin” to honor his heroics. The coin is typically only given to officers who gave a(n)__________of bravery.

“I provide people with what's called a challenge coin to__________their heroic deeds or excellent work,^” Spagnolo told Gavin in the department's Facebook video. “It’s just to praise this heroic act that you do today, and just an expression of my__________for you being a great member of this community. I hope that when you see the coin, it just__________you of this day and you can think of all the good that came out of this for you and the family you saved. ’’

3 . Every weekend, my father would go to the park to feed the homeless. I really didn't understand my father's _______ into it. But I was glad I didn't have to _______ him, because I knew how much trouble my father had just getting everything ready.

Then, one Friday night I was _______ a whole wonderful weekend by myself again when my dad came in.

"I need your help tomorrow. Some _______ won't make it.”

“Dad. I can't." I _______, but failed.

When we arrived, people were already there _______ us. I was _______ that my dad knew most of them by name and even what each one needed. While my father was feeding them, I started handing out some _______. It was at that time that I _______ a girl about my age was barefoot （光脚）.I looked into her clear eyes for a moment, ________ believing someone of my age could live like this. It was lucky that we took some ________. “Thank you!" she cried happily when I ________ her the shoes. I felt all ________ inside as I watched her leave.

Now I ________ why my father did so much to help the homeless. I could ________ he loved seeing their smiles of happiness. I did too.

4 . When I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010, we were in the fallout of the recession (经济衰退). She said a polite “No”.

That didn’t stop me. I googled the   _______for a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and _______it on my desk. I would click notes on an online   _______and “play” them back on my paper one—keeping the   _________they made on the computer in my head. Once my mom saw that I was _______, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.

I still remember the first one. I was   _________by how real the sound of the piano was. I _________   my grade one test after eight lessons. But when I started secondary school, we couldn’t _________ lessons again. I passed grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.

When I was about 13, my mom said she had a   _______for me; it was an electronic keyboard, bought with   ________borrowed money. It was the first time I’d played for her.

Later I found the Purcell School for young musicians. The tryouts were________. Some of the questions ____________   an assessment of the composer or when the music was written. I felt stressed out. To my amazement I was offered a________. At Purcell, I saved enough to buy my first piano.

When I left Purcell, I was awarded the senior academic music prize. I am now at the Guildhall School in London, one of the world’s   leading music schools. I feel proud: it’s been 10 years ________ I     drew my paper piano. I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano: what we call________ practice. The paper piano helped solve my curiosity about how music works and what forms the masterpieces.

5 . I was once in a workshop out of town with colleagues. One of them was much _______ and had recovered from an illness. He didn't want Asian food which we youths like, so he stayed in the _______while the rest of us ventured out(外出). This might have affected his sense of_______

One night I told him I wanted to take him out wherever he wanted to eat. As I had vegetarian food _______and he did not, he did not want to burden(使负担）me by going to places where I would have very _______options. I insisted it wasn't a (n)_______, and we went to a place he would prefer. My other colleagues went out _______, so I was able to hang out with this colleague and practice deep listening. We had a great _______ together.

As we ended our meal and conversation, I decided to _______ him right to the door of the hotel and not the parking lot, as it was quite ________ outside and I didn't want him catching a cold. This felt good, and over the next few ________ it felt more________ to tell my colleagues to wait inside the restaurant while I________ the car to create more comfort for them.

Simple acts like this gave me a lot of ________ .We all felt a ________sense of community, invested in each other's well-being.

6 . America’s holiday shopping season is the busiest shopping day of the year. After some shopping in a store, my family and I were going to have a meal in one of the food area where fast food is sold. It’s_________ to find a seat. People were standing waiting for_________ to free up.

When we found one, I sat down watching a waiter ___________ clearing and cleaning tables as soon as they became ___________. What’s more, he was not a _________ man, probably in his late fifties and a bit fat, but_________ of that slowed him down a little.

_________ I watched I was disappointed with people who didn’t clean up the rubbish themselves. They would just _________ their spilled (溢 出) drinks, bread and some other rubbish on the table. _______ the waiter never ________ smiling and saying “Enjoy your day!” to everyone he met. I was almost moved to tears.

After my family __________ our meals, we cleaned up the table so he would have __________ things to do. On the way out, I__________ his hand and said, “Thank you for how hard you work.” When I tried to give him a $10 bill, he said, “No, I can’t ________ this. It’s my job.” I said I wasn’t__________ it to him for payment or for a tip. I was giving it to him because I knew he had a good heart —and it can be hard to find these days! The man’s eyes turned red, said thank you, and went right back to clear and clean tables.

It was a great day and he was a great person that I had ever met.

7 . In the corner of my desk is a note, slowly yellowing from time. It is a card from my mother, with enough impact to _______ my life forever. In it, she praises my abilities as a writer. The word “but” never _______; however, the word “and” is there many times.

Every time I read it, I am _______ to ask myself how many times I’ve “but-ted” my own   _______.

Although our eldest daughter usually got all As, teachers would always suggest that she _______ too much in class. I always forgot to ask them if she was making _______. Instead, I would _______ her with, “Congratulations! Your Dad and I are very _______, but could you try to talk less in class?”

I’ve noticed that other _______ do the same thing. “The hockey team won, but Mike should have made that last ________.” “Amy’s the homecoming queen, but now she wants to buy a new dress.” But, but, but.

What I ________ from my mother is to start thinking “and, and, and”. For example: “The hockey team won, and Mike did his best the whole ________.” “Amy’s the homecoming queen, and she’s going to look ________!”

“But” feels bad, “and” feels good. When our children feel ________ about what they are doing, they do more of it.

This is not to say that children don’t need or won’t ________ their parents’ ________. They do and they will. When those expectations are ________, amazing things happen.

“No more buts!” is a(n) ________ to put our attention on what is ________ about our children.

And if I ever forget, I have my mother’s ________ to remind me.

8 . Since it was uploaded to Internet in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Madu dancing in the rain has been _______ hundreds of thousands of times over. In a moment when social media channels have been filled with upsetting _______, the scene of the 11-year-old pirouetting (单脚旋转) over puddles (水坑) is especially _______.

Madu is one of a dozen students at Daniel Owoseni’s Leap Academy(学院) of Dance. Owoseni _______ the ballet school three years ago. He _______ himself after watching Save the Last Dance at 13. “I basically learned all the fundamental _______ of ballet through Internet,” says Owoseni. A _______ later, Owoseni was outstanding enough to _______ the best in the country. _______, his hopes for an international career were quickly ruined, for he was told an African was not qualified. It was then that Owoseni decided to ________ a ballet school in his hometown for kids like himself who couldn’t ________ ballet classes. Owoseni started teaching at his home before a local businesswoman offered him a free ________ where he now holds weekly lessons.

Beyond the ________ that the academy has received from all over the world, he’s most impressed by the ________ of his own pupils. “Nothing makes a teacher ________ than a student who wants to learn,” he says. “Even though it rains cats and dogs outside they’re getting ready for class. Who wouldn’t be proud of these children?”

9 . In Germany, it’s not a necessity to wear school uniform at school. But why did a few schoolmates and I spend two days _________ around the school in uniform? In fact, a rather special event took place then: our MUN (Model United Nations) Conference.

It is a conference _________ for students from all German schools who want to see how the United Nations really works. They get an opportunity to _________ a country and debate with other students from different _________ on real problems the world is facing now. The aim is to write a _________ at the end, which will help deal with them.

The _________ of our conference was “Cross Borders: Discover Peace”, which _________ that the students would _________ breaking down not only physical national boundaries, but also those _________ different nationalities. Of course, this included how to help others who are forced to flee their homeland, for the people ____________ all students.

Not only was the conference a ____________ of thinking about difficult global problems, but also everyone had to speak in English while using correct debating language too. ____________ job! But of course this was a brilliant ____________ for everyone there.

I’d really ____________ joining in a conference if you get the chance, and sharing your ____________. It’s the best way to meet new people and to think about how to make the world a better place.

10 . I was making a stop on my book tour. A sweet woman approached me, and pleasantly _______ she wouldn't buy a book. She said she _______ wanted to ask me a question: How did I get into acting and how did I _______ to stay in it? I was _______the performance, so I didn't want to waste energy with a long response. I said, "Persistence," without thinking.

She laughed and said, "Well, sure. That's true with everything, right?"

A light came on in my brain. She was righter than she knew. I said, "Yes, but not how you mean. Success is a _______of persistence. So is failure. We become whatever we're persistent at. I had friends who were always exactly 20minutes late－persistently late. You could set your _______by them. I know actors who persistently destroy their own chances. They don't _______ enough. They don't learn their lines. Persistently."

A lot of the time our methods of working are a series of habits, good and bad, we _______sometime in the past. Habits feel_______. My ex-acting teacher once said, "Comfort is the enemy of the artist."

I wasn't crazy about his statement back then, because I was uncomfortable, but still wasn't an artist. I see the ________ of it now. People________take the easy path. It's human nature to look for the________ at the back of the book. We often see the effort in finding better habits as a problem to be avoided, but in doing so, we persistently waste our ________.

As actors, we know we can become anything with enough rehearsal. ________look at what you do persistently. If you don't like your habits, change them. No matter what your passion is the power to ________the map of your life is essential.