1 . What I will be hosting, to be exact, is a series of meditation retreats (冥想静修) to be held this spring. During each retreat, about a hundred _________ will come here from all over the world for a period of a week to ten days to deepen their meditation practices. Some of them are _________, but many have never been to India. My role is to take care of these people during their _________ here. For most of the retreat, the participants will be in _________. For some of them, it will be the first time they’ve _________ silence as a devotional practice, and it can be intense. However, I will be the one person they are _________ to talk to if something is going wrong.

I can help them. I am so _________ to help. All the listening skills I learned as a (n) _________ bartender, all the antennas (直觉) I’ve ever developed throughout my lifetime that have taught me how to _________ what people are feeling — they were all accumulated __________ I could help ease these good people into the difficult task they’ve __________. I am so consumed by __________ at their bravery. These people have __________ their families and lives for a few weeks to go into silent retreat with a crowd of perfect __________ in India. Not everybody does this in their __________.

2 . I was recently eating at a restaurant when I saw an old man dining alone at a nearby desk. _________, I didn’t pay much attention to the old man, but when Dylan, the waiter, got down on one_________ and made eye contact with him, I began to notice the old man.

The old man _________to the waiter for not hearing too well. He had forgotten to put in his hearing aids. After putting in his hearing aids, he told Dylan he was 91 years old and that he _________his hearing during World War II. Dylan _________listened giving him his full attention. The veteran (老兵) also told Dylan that he was_________and didn’t often have someone to talk to. Dylan smiled and said he enjoyed _________.

I was touched by the old man’s story and wanted to _________to pay for his dinner. To my surprise, someone else in the restaurant had already _________it. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one hearing the_________.

Their talk continued when Dylan _________the veteran’s food and then was asked to sit with him on his break. As I left the restaurant the two were still _________and many people seated nearby were smiling. What a touching sight it was! I filmed the scene with my phone and _________it on the social media.

I was _________when this moment touched the hearts of Internet users all over the world. I was totally blown away by the response to this post. Never did I expect it to catch fire and _________like it did. It made me happy to think of the millions of people who were inspired by this young man’s sympathy.

3 . When my grandmother was a teenager, her family moved to Transylvania. To make money, she began ________ in a bakery (面包店). For two or three years, she threw herself into ________ desserts and became an excellent baker. It was there that she met my grandfather, got ________, and had two children: My mother and my uncle.

My grandparents treated us very well as kids, especially when it came to ________. We often stayed with them on the weekends and as an excellent cook with a ________ tooth, my grandmother always made sure to serve dessert after every single meal. It became a ________for her to make us a different dessert every Sunday. Of all the desserts, my sister Adriana and I ________ papanasi, a traditional Romanian dessert made of sweet cow cheese (奶酪), best.

After moving to Canada when I was a young girl, my family found it ________to find a suitable cheese for the recipe (食谱) for papanasi. Back in Romania, there was always fresh cow cheese at the farmers market, and we could ________buy this cheese. When I ________ my baking skills like my grandmother and finally found the ________cheese, the recipe turned out just right. It was like I could see her clapping (鼓掌) and ________ in the room with me.

My grandmother passed away when I was 9. Over the years, baking has become my way of _______ her. Every time I make papanasi I _______ her.

Family recipes and the love within them are not limited to space and time. The years may pass, but through this recipe, we’ll always ________ each other.

4 . 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.

5 . Adam Wolfers believes that his son’s autism (自闭症) has a positive impact on his hobby of photography. 10-­year­-old Morgan has always possessed a _________ eye for capturing the world around him through his camera. Diagnosed (被诊断) with autism at the age of 3, Morgan has had a hard time _________ with others.

_________ these difficulties, he has shown an exceptional talent for noticing details that _________ others. Morgan has found clarity and focus in nature, particularly in the vivid colors and shapes of plants, leading him to _________ the art of nature photography.

Not _________ with merely capturing pictures, Morgan has even established his own photography business, becoming one of the top sellers in a local shop. _________, he donates ten percent of his _________ to support autistic artists through the Blue Ribbon Arts Initiative.

However, his motivation for photography _________ financial gain, as he simply wants to share the beauty he __________ with others. His work has gained __________, with one of his photos picked by National Geographic for __________ in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

His parents teared up as they told what his photography means. Morgan’s photography has become his saving grace (体面) because it gets people to look __________ his issues. “He’s going to make his __________,” his mother said.

Morgan advises all of us to try new things and explore our __________ and what we want to do. In other words, don’t be afraid to see things differently.

6 . It was the end of the school day, and I was tired. I grabbed a pile of about 130 exam papers to _________ on the train ride home. I’d bring them back the next morning.

My principal (校长) pushed her head into my classroom and said, “Friendly _________! You need to make sure your word wall is _________ by tomorrow morning.” She then moved on to the next classroom to _________ the message. I sighed and thought, “Are you making a(n)_________? What a waste of my time!”

My principal was _________ about making our school beautiful, while my goal was to get my students to pass the Algebra Regents Exam. She wanted every classroom to have a word wall, where student’s works on creative projects would be _________. She brought in beautiful planters (花盆) that _________ the hallways with greenery. However, I assume that school and classroom _________ aren’t important when it comes to learning. To me, spending time and money making our school and classrooms beautiful was just a distraction (使人分心的事). Those things don’t __________ my students with math.

However, after three years of teaching, I went to graduate school in part to study how resources __________ teachers and students. What my research found __________ me: When teachers __________ their classroom environment resources, their students did better on standardized tests. My principal was __________. She was creating more than just a beautiful __________—she was building a welcoming and positive environment for students to learn and teachers to work.

7 . 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.”

8 . Dawn Loggins didn’t have a typical senior year. Back in 2012, Loggins was waking up early to get to school to put in a before-school _________ as a janitor (清洁工).

Before the rest of her peers _________ school, Loggins was cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing floors, and _________ down the very desks she would _________ later in the day as a student. After 7 hours at school, Loggins didn’t get to _________ home to enjoy an after-school snack or downtime either._________ , she clocked back in for another two-hour time on janitorial duty.

“I don’t mind cleaning,” Loggins said. “If you have to walk through trash to get to your desk, you’re not going to have an environment that _________ learning.”

While the teen was clearly hardworking, it wasn’t immediately obvious to school officials how badly Loggins _________ the financial support her job provided, until she asked her boss for _________ one day. The reason? Without electricity at home.

Even more shocking, while Loggins was at summer school, she __________ calling home, only to find out the phones had been __________ and her parents had moved away-without her. And she became __________ . When the school realized the extent of the neglect Loggins had been living with, they surrounded her with __________ . The community took her in, providing her with housing and food and clothing and helping her to apply for college.

And the efforts __________ : Loggins was accepted into Harvard University. Today she works as a motivational speaker, speaking to __________ that include education, homelessness, and women and youth empowerment.

9 . “What’s your name? ” My fifteen-ear-old daughter, Jessica, asked a stranger on the street. Her eyes sparkled with ________ and her face wore a broad smile. I wish she could make it because she has a disability with autistic (自闭症的). I stood nearby, waiting ________ for any potential result.

To be honest, the ________ nature of hers is a result of her disability. Ever since Jessica was real young, she had ________ right up to strangers on the street and ________ a conversation, never expecting to be refused. Children with autism don’t relate well to others. As her mum, my thoughts are ________. On one hand, I tried my best to prevent her from ________ others. On the other hand, I don’t want her to be discouraged. Happily, when Jessica talks with someone, it always ________ me that people patiently answer her, although they must sense she’s a bit different.

What about this time? Would this man respond kindly or just ________ her and walk away? A few minutes later, Jessica skipped to me. Obviously, it was a successful ________. Jessica shared with me the ________ they had talked about, which would certainly ________ my daughter’s day. The man just treated her like an ordinary girl, nothing special from others.

As we continued on our way, I felt a renewed sense full of ________ for the future. Despite my daughter’s problem, an equal ________ the kind people gave her created a moment of ________ interaction.

10 . On March 18, 2018, I was alone at home in San José, Costa Rica, drinking a cup of tea, unaware that my life was about to change. I ______ an e-mail with the subject “scholarship selection result”.

My heartbeat ______ as I read through it. I had been chosen to receive a full scholarship for a master’s degree in ______ at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Finally, I would be able to ______ the ancient tales of dragons and the old legends (传说) of China, which had always ______ me.

Five months later, I arrived in Shanghai, ______ an entirely new world. At the airport, two of my Costa Rican friends were waiting for me and ______ me to the dormitory.

I remember ______ when I approached the dorm building, I was drawn by the sweet melody (旋律) of a dizi (Chinese flute), which was totally ______ from all that I used to hear in my country.

In Costa Rica, I learned the conducting ______ well. However, it was my Chinese professor, Cao Tongyi, who guided me in ______ my skills. Studying in China and immersing (使浸入) myself in its music has been a wonderful ______ , introducing me to diverse sounds produced by Chinese musical ______ .

My mission is to ______ this amazing musical experience worldwide. I hope to spread the ______ of music far and wide.