1 . Running marathons is quite a challenge. Yet for Simon Wheatcroft, who ______ his sight at 18, there’s an extra difficulty. However, Simon, now 29, has not only been ______ in marathons for the past two years with the help of ______ runners but has also learned to run alone outdoors.

Simon’s unique ______ involved slowly memorizing a five-kilometre route by repeatedly walking it alone. He used a smartphone app that ______ audio feedback on his pace and distance. It helped him build a mental map of the route and its ______. “I did make a few ______ early on — like running into posts. But I’m going to ______ where that is next time,” he laughs.

At first running was a challenge that required great ______ for Simon. However, it has now become more natural for him. Compared with most runners, he ______ his running style to be more cautious, using shorter and more careful steps to sense the surroundings.

Despite risks of ______ obstacles, Simon values the freedom and ______ running gives him. He believes what he gets from running alone far outweigh any dangers, which has ______ his confidence and provided inspiration to others.

But for Simon the real motivation for his training come from simply ______ competition, giving him an ______ to run with everyone. “I can’t hide the fact I’m blind,” he says, “but meanwhile I would rather compete with everybody else and not be put into a special group.”

2 . When I was 24, I moved to America, 11,000 kilometers away from my homeland. This was _______, especially fitting into an unfamiliar environment. Working from home increased my _______, as I was cut off from social interactions. However, serving as a volunteer at a local animal shelter _______ everything.

Upon arriving at the shelter, I was _______ to a small, grey and white cat named Luna immediately. Found abandoned and terrified of humans, Luna _______ in the corner, shaking. Her lonely green eyes seemed to _______ my own sense of displacement in this foreign land. My task was to slowly gain Luna’s _______ and help her adjust, which felt similar to my efforts to _______ this new place.

As days turned into weeks, Luna and I developed a _______. The process of feeding her, speaking softly, and the ________ required to look after her made this little creature gradually open her heart to me. Her ________ encouraged me to step outside, make new friends, and become part of the community.

My time at the shelter provided a valuable ________ into settling down in a new country. It is an inspiring experience of ________ gaps of language and culture and a journey of personal growth. From it, I realized the value of time, love, and a(n) ________ heart in forming meaningful relationships. This journey aided me in finding a sense of ________ in an unfamiliar land.

3 . In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, US, when his tire blew out. He _______ to the side of the road and made a _______ indicating his need for help.

Three hours later, _______ a van pulled up and out came a Latino family of four. Regardless of the _______ barrier, they worked together to repair Horner’s car, relying on the daughter’s broken English. One hour later, the car was _______ and the mom pulled out a big jug of water for them to drink and wash their hands. Horner thanked them sincerely and _______ to give what he had in his wallet — a $20 bill — but they _______the offer. Despite their resistance, Horner   _______ and placed the money in the mother’s hand before walking away. A few moments later, their small daughter called out and offered Horner a _______ — a tamale (玉米粉蒸肉)   — which he gratefully accepted.

As they slowly drove off, Horner unwrapped the tamale and discovered his ________ inside. He rushed over to the van to give it back, but the father ________ shook his head, saying only four words, “Today you, tomorrow me.” With a ________, he drove off.

Months later, Horner shared his experience online, which ________ thousands of likes and comments. Horner knows that the phrase, “today you, tomorrow me” wasn’t ________ by that stranger in the van. He said it’s a common expression in Mexico, where he believes the family was from. However, the idea behind it is ________.

4 . Carol Buckley and Tarra, a 47-year-old Asian elephant who Buckley calls her best friend, were reunited at an elephant shelter last month.

At first, Tarra seemed ______ in her new surroundings, but once she heard her original owner’s ______ voice, she cheered up. She wrapped her trunk around Buckley’s waist and pulled her ______. Memories of their years together filled Buckley’s mind, and she began to cry. For this reunion, they had ______ an 11-year legal battle.

The pair first met in 1974, when Buckley, then a freshman studying animal management in California, first saw Tarra being used for advertising, ______ with products around her neck. This went against Buckley’s ______ that elephants should never be held in captivity (囚禁) for work or human amusement.

Driven by ______, Buckley secured a loan with her parents’ help to ______ Tarra for $25,000. Afterwards, she bought a 112-acre farm and ______ with others the Elephant Sanctuary (避难所) in Tennessee for Tarra and other captive elephants to live ______, away from public display and ______. However, a sudden dismissal from the sanctuary ______ them and led Buckley into a long struggle for Tarra’s ______.

This heartwarming re union not only reminds us of the deep ______ that can exist between humans and animals, but also shows us to what ______ one will go to promote the well-being of an animal friend.

5 . Achenyo soon arrived at the water’s edge with her pot, and she found a huge surprise. The river was _________! In its place was a blanket of dark green leaves and lavender-colored (淡紫色的) flowers.

“Oh no!” Achenyo heard the adults crying, “They’ve _________ again!” It seemed Mama wouldn’t have water to mix the dyes (染料) for her weaving.

Last year, the rainy season had brought a(n) _________ of water hyacinths (水葫芦). The plants had covered the river and left no _________ to dip a pot. Every day, people had to walk into the water and clear enough plants to get water.

What a shame to _________ such pretty flowers, Achenyo thought as she _________ the plants with others and threw them on the riverbank. Then, she had an idea. Carrying the plants under her arm, she got Mama’s water and ran home _________.

“Mama, will you teach me to weave?” asked Achenyo. Mama laughed. It was her wish to pass on the _________ to her daughter. But looking at the thick stalks, she was _________. Achenyo showed her how difficult it was to break and begged __________ Mama said yes. Then they wove together every day after school. It was __________ weaving the stalks into different shapes, but she was __________.

One afternoon, Achenyo held up her finished work to Mama. It was neatly woven and well decorated. “What a nice mat!” They showed it to their neighbours, who were __________ and began to use the stalks to make things. By the end of the rainy season, the __________ no longer thought of the plant as an invader, but a __________.

6 . Successfully receiving a US visa (签证) is full of ups and downs. In early 2023, I received an offer to join in the Sports Industry Management Summer Program at Georgetown University in the US. Never having been to the US before, I was thrilled about the upcoming _________.

However, my excitement turned into shock when I _________ a scheduled interview appointment at the US embassy (大使馆) in New Delhi in early May. The waiting list was so long that it _________ all the way to September, well _________ the start of the summer program in July.

Still, that wasn't the only _________ we faced with the US embassy. A friend planning to visit France mentioned that the visa application process now took two months longer than before. It seemed that an increasing number of people were applying to travel abroad. I waited until mid-July before _________ giving up on the summer program for 2023.

At last, I secured an appointment for Sept 18, 2023. After all these difficulties, I thought I could finally get my US visa. During the interview, the visa officer, a pleasant woman, began asking me a few questions. Then there was _________ as she typed on her keyboard for five minutes. I though that the exciting moment was coming. _________, after smiling at my mom and _________ a green form to her, she said, "Sorry, but due to your job, we require __________ documents."

As a journalist, my mother was required by the green form to email a list of her published stories. Fortunately, she specializes in __________ and art, with hundreds of articles on cultural exchanges and interpersonal communications between India and the US. I don't know whether or not her touching stories __________ the visa officer. After all, the embassy gave us 10-year visas after about a week.

With the visa, I am applying for the summer program for 2024 now. If you're planning to travel abroad, I __________ starting the visa process early, __________ many others likely have the same plans. Your parents' jobs can also affect your visa application, so make sure you do some __________ and are ready to provide extra documents.

7 . Ahmed was a middle-class businessman and used to go to his office in a car that he had bought seven years ago. Despite being _________ stronger than most of his co-workers, he was _________. Ahmed always wanted more than he had. Whenever he got into his car, he would start finding _________ with it, and drown in self-pity for being so poor.

One weekday, Ahmed left his home to go to his office. It was raining heavily. Ahmed drove _________, for he had to be careful with his _________ car. Then, a man on a motorbike grabbed his _________. The man was _________to keep the bike steady in the thunderstorm. Ahmed was _________ the fact that he was travelling safe and dry in his car. He said to himself, “I’m travelling _________ without getting affected by the rain, while this person is in serious difficulty. I am more __________ than him.”

The day passed quickly. When Ahmed drove back home, the rain had stopped. He saw a homeless man sleeping on the wet sidewalk.

Ahmed remained __________ that night, lost in deep thought. Happiness was around him, yet he always ________ about his life. Neither his car, his house nor status was depressing; what was saddening him was his __________. He knew he had to __________ his thoughts. That day, he __________ an important lesson — happiness comes from optimism!

8 . On a Sunny Saturday, Alyson Machigua, three, screamed with laughter as she and her mother, Marlen, played a game in the front yard of their home. Suddenly, tiny Alyson _______ the backyard of a neighbor. About half way across the yard, Alyson disappeared, seeming swallowed (吞没) by a hardly _______ opening in the ground, which meant the opening was not easy to find. Marlen cried loudly for help.

The neighbour Luz Jimenez, 26, was preparing dinner in her kitchen and _______ the cries were the sounds of children playing. However, when she ran outside anyway, she found Marlen _______ and dialing 911.

“Alyson fell into the hole!” Marlen cried to Luz. Then Luz heard Alyson’s cries from deep underground. Luz ran inside her own _______ and down to the basement for a gray rope to drop into the hole. Back in the yard, she used her hands to dig the hole, _______ the opening. When the policeman Aaron Perkins arrived a few minutes later, Luz was in the hole up to her _______.

“Get out of there,” Perkins told Luz, raising her up by the _______. “It’s dangerous for you.” “It’s more dangerous for the baby,” Luz said. “She’s going to _______.” After Perkins tied one end of the rope to a tree, Luz lowered ________, little by little, down the 15-foot-deep hole. Below, she saw water covering the floor of the hole. Alyson’s neck was covered. Luz dropped the remaining few feet into the water beside the baby. “Everything is going to be fine,” she told the little girl. “Don’t worry.”

As they waited for help in the two feet of dark water, Luz prayed that there were no snakes swimming at her feet. She ________ nothing more than snakes. Aboveground (在地面上), Perkins talked to Luz, keeping her ________.

Just minutes later, the Hacketts-town Fire Department and Hacketts-town Rescue Team arrived and lowered a ________ into the hole. Luz climbed up with Alyson in her arms, and then handed her over to her mother. Emergency workers rushed the baby to an ambulance, ________ her clothes to survey the injury. Alyson was scared and covered in dirt but ________, she was uninjured. Luz saved the baby’s life.

9 . Meghana first found her passion in middle school when she successfully created water filters (过滤器) to help Indian families struggling with waterborne (水传播的) illnesses. She ________ the opportunity to be able to help people and improve their life.

Ever since she was in middle school, Meghana has been quite interested in ________ research. Her first inventions were water filters, which she was inspired to ________ after hearing about rural communities ________ the waterborne illnesses. Her latest invention, electrodes (电极) for supercapacitors (超级电容器), is also ________ to environmental science and is part of her interest in the field.

The ________, filled with trial and error, hasn’t been ________. Through ten months of research, Meghana was able to create an electrode. This creation, costing less than $1, was very ________ friendly.

Meghana has used her knowledge to help others who are also ________ about science. Following the success of her science fair projects, many science students connected with her, wanting her help on their research projects. Soon, lots of ________ came seeking help, and Meghana couldn’t ________ all of them.

________, Meghana still wanted to help as many people as possible. She ________ a ScienceFair Workshop Series program at her high school. Not only does the program help encourage students interested in science to participate in science fair projects, it also helps form a positive community where students can ask one another questions.

Bringing the program to her school is just one step towards her ________ changing the world through education. She is concerned about how difficult it is for people who have trouble ________ education resources.

“A good education allows people to think creatively, which eventually leads to development around the world,” said Meghana.

10 . With spring approaching, a foot of snow that had fallen rapidly melt. The runoff from the hills had filled the rivers and formed little _________ in the road. Broken tree branches were everywhere. I was _________ home and suddenly saw one of these branches _________ across the road. It was big enough to damage my car if I didn’t _________ in time so I stepped on the brakes and _________ my emergency flashers. _________ there were no other cars there yet. But I knew that it would only be a matter of _________ before one crashed into that branch, causing a(n) _________ and even death.

I _________ my car and tried to pull the branch to the roadside. It was a lot __________ than I thought but I started to __________ it. Inch by inch I pulled it off the road. When it was finally moved to the side I stood up and felt __________. Just as I did, though, a little red car passed by __________, hit a pool of water in the road and splashed my pants. I wasn’t __________ but laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Sometimes we all do good things in this life only to get dirty water. When this happens just remember that the real reason you do good is because of the __________ inside of you.