1 . Life’s challenges are stepping stones to joy.

I was in the first grade when my teacher_______to my finger and said, “Look at that! You’ve got a writer’s bump (肿块).” At the time, I didn’t_______that the bump on the tip of my finger was a callus (老茧). I thought it showed I was going to be a writer. Then I went home and_______held my hand up to my mom’s face. “See! I’m a writer.” And I would show the bump to_______it whenever someone asked me that.

It isn’t lost on me that a(n)_______in my hand is a small spot on my finger that grew_______to cure itself under pressure. And it played such a significant role by guiding me to a_______that I love. But sometimes when there’re pages that can’t seem to get _______, and some negative comments, I can get discouraged, full of_______. Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing?

And then I need only to feel my finger and________all the other bumps in life -- job changes, money worries, family concerns -- which at the time seemed too difficult to________, but, in fact, have prepared me for, and guided me to, this amazing life journey.

If every challenge carries a comparable or greater________, how do these ones present themselves? I believe the tiny ________ were my stepping stones. Life doesn’t ________ an easy path. We can seek________ from the places along the path where the light shines through and then move forward with these exciting, new ideas.

2 . When Aiden invited me to go on a camping trip to the mountains, I agreed with ________. I imagined a little house with a fireplace and comfortable beds. However, my expectations were quickly ________ when Aiden and his brother Lebron, ________ with a truck filled with sleeping bags and other outdoor supplies (用品). I didn’t expect our trip would be a(n) ________!

Before hiking, Lebron explained some ________ to us, which partly reduced my worries. I was relaxed as the first part of the hike was ________. Soon, the trail (小路) became narrower, forcing me to ________ the road and to talk less. Finally, we reached the top of the mountain. With ________ legs, I dropped my pack at once.

“No time to ________,” Lebron said. “That cool air means a storm is coming. We need to set up camp.” This was not an easy task for me, but he and Aiden worked ________. And they gave me some guidance. We soon put up a tent near a large rock, but the wind, thunder, and lightning ________. I had never had such an experience. Lebron, sensing that I was ________, started to share his interesting camping stories.

Just as quickly as the storm came, it died down, ________ us to leave the tent and enjoy the breathtaking view. The next morning, we woke up early to admire the sunrise. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of ________. I had picked up some valuable camping skills. Most importantly, I learned how to act calmly in a(n) ________ situation.

3 . On August 26, 2022, Wendy Cocker, a registered nurse, sat down with her 4-year-old son Monty and taught him how to make a(n)________ call. Cocker has suffered seizure (癫痫) for a long time, and she wanted to ________ that Monty knew what to do if she had a sudden ________ in his presence. She took him through the ________ to make the call. The next day, Cocker wasn’t feeling too well, and as she tried to ________ her husband on the phone, her body went into full seizure in front of Monty.

Monty ________ at once, using his new skill to call the medical staff. During the call, Monty told the operator briefly and ________, “Mummy fell over.” He was ________ and just followed all the ________ that he had been told. And the medical staff ________ figured out that his mum may have had a seizure.

Later, Monty was awarded a special certificate of appreciation. One of the medical staff said she was ________to teach her own children the ________ skill and she thought about breaking down the learning process into specific steps for them.

As the 4-year-old Monty’s________ becomes known, it’s a great ________ to parents to teach their children simple actions that will save a life. They, too, might at least become a(n) ________ hero like Monty.

4 . Mark Roswell returned to his house in Milan, Italy, from visiting his parents-in-law in Beijing. No sooner had he _______ the plane than he put himself straight into quarantine (隔离) in his bedroom for 14 days, _______ from his families and relatives. “Having learned about the COVID-19 disease, we knew what was happening currently in our _______ and we were afraid for ourselves, our families and friends,” said the 48-year-old Italian.

14 days later, he walked outside into the street, _______ a mask and gloves. His Italian friends _______ looked at him, laughing at him about his behavior. “I tried my best to _______ that I should wear them in order to avoid communicating the _______ to others, but no one understood,” Roswell said.

Back from China, many Italians were fully aware what was coming and _______ the word: stay at home. So as most Italians enjoyed themselves in the get-together or _______ into cafes and bars as ________, the Chinese residents of Milan had seemingly ________.

In late February and early March, there was a sudden ________ in Italian infections with the epidemic (流行病). Some families, who keep Chinese citizenship, even began to send children to relatives in China, ________ at the attitude and ________ of Italians around them.

Soon enough the epidemic took away many lives and perhaps it was then that the locals came to realize how ________ the Chinese were behaving.

5 . Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it _______ . She and her husband have spent the last two years traveling the world, stopping everywhere from Paris to Singapore. It might sound like one long, expensive _______ , but the couple has an unusual way to make their travel _______ .

They’re part of a new form of the _______ economy: an online group of house sitters. Throughout their no-cost stays in _______ homes, they feed pets and water plants in the homeowner’s _______ .

It’s not all sightseeing. The two travelers carefully _______ their trips, scheduling their days around the pets that are sometimes difficult to _______ . But house sitting also offers a level of _______ they can’t find in a hotel. “It’s like ________ at a friend’s house,” Jessica says.

The couple has a high ________ rate in getting accepted as house sitters and they always go beyond the homeowner’s ________ . For Jessica, that means ________ plenty of pictures of happy pets, keeping the house ________ and leaving a nice small gift before heading to the next house. “You want to make the homeowner feel that they made the right ________ ,” she says.

6 . My parents gave me a cell phone as my birthday present. They said, “We got you this because you are doing well in school. We expect you to keep getting good ______ .” Of course I will! I said excitedly.

As soon as I got to school the next morning I asked everyone for their ______ . It was cool that I got so many contacts(联系人), I wouldn’t ______ the teachers because I was too busy on my phone. ______ , I didn’t get caught using it.

A week later we took a test and I failed. To make matters worse, my mom had to ______ the test. It was ______ to show my mom the test. Well eventually I showed her and she was angry but most of all, she was ______ . Seeing her like that made me feel ______ .

Weeks passed and my dad started to ______ the fact that I had a phone. We would argue every day about why phones are bad for us.

I started to wonder what was _______ . A week later I tried going a whole day without a cell phone and it didn’t go that ______ . That day I had so much ______ because I spent time with my family ______ . From that day, I had a(n) ______ point of view towards cell phones.

I will keep using my phone but I have it under ______ now so that it doesn’t interfere with(干扰)my real life.