1 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had _______ a little homebody, we knew we had to _______ sport into our routine. We were determined to make skiing a family activity. But we needed our daughter’s _______.

When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we _______ two days at an all-inclusive family ski resort aiming to minimize the _______ of skiing with kids and maximize the fun that came on the slopes.

“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was _______ nine degrees. It was freezing, but we got ready soon. I could _______ recognize my daughter because her face was wrapped in thick clothes like the others.

The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with _______ reading “Route For Beginners”. However, when our instructor _______ us to ski, our hopes of being a ________ skiing family were dashed (使破灭). “Ahh!” escaped our lips. She was ________ and said, “Sorry, I thought you were ready.” Then she went on to lead us down a gentler way. We still ________ many times. Everyone slid down the slope, but not without falls.

While the experience frightened us, it also ________ our dinnertime conversation. My daughter told us, “Although I had a hard time skiing, there is no ________ of happiness.” I responded, “Your father and I enjoyed ourselves, too.” The next day, we ________ there as beginner skiers, but we believed we would be certainly expert skiers.

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 . Eight years ago, Nancy Alguire gave birth to a little girl with Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) named Ruby. The love Alguire felt for her daughter ________her to create a scholarship of $2,000 to________another child with Down syndrome but wanting to go to college.

“I really just wanted the world to see what I saw in her, which was that she was extraordinary”, Alguire________with CBS News.

The initial ________ of sending one child to college didn’t quite go as planned. The family actually________to raise funds for l1 kids with Down syndrome in that year. From there, Ruby’s Rainbow was________. It is a non profit organization aimed at securing higher education for those with Down syndrome and giving them the________not only to learn, but also to become more independent and able to________society.

Eight years later this scholarship program has snowballed into something much ________. Through the charity, $1.2 million has been raised, allowing many people with Down syndrome to ________their dreams of a higher education and show the________just how amazing they are.

However, although the scholarship program is a wonderful educational opportunity, what matters most is the ________message this sends to parents of children with Down syndrome, or parents expecting a child with that extra chromosome.

Alguire wants parents to feel_________. She wants parents not to be afraid of a Down syndrome diagnosis. As she shares, “When the parents find our website, they will see all of these amazing, beautiful, capable faces, and people who are out there with Down syndrome________happy lives. And suddenly, they’re crying tears of________ for the future.”

6 . 23-year-old Taleigh Loven walked downstairs to her graduation party last October. She was ______ balloons, treats and congratulations from her family. What didn’t cross her mind was her ______ wearing the same graduation cap as she did. ______ him carrying a certificate (证书) with his name on it, she instantly burst into tears.

Mike Loven, 47, decided four years earlier that he was going to restart his study in Grand Canyon University, the ______ school his daughter had just been ______ to. A few weeks later, Mike was taking his first______ course while Taleigh was getting settled in her dorm — with no ______ that Mike was a fellow freshman.

“There was no real reason for ______ it a secret from the family—I merely thought the _______ would be fun,” Mike said. “I work a lot and I’m always on my computer, so no one ______ knew that I was working on stuff (材料) for ______ all those years.”

The ______ part about the whole thing, Mike said, was during ______ midterm seasons when his family would constantly ask him for help with tricky (棘手的) school-related issues. He had his own ______ as well, but he couldn’t tell them. That, he said, ______ many late nights at the computer.

7 . Far from a Family Christmas

My Air Force room in Florida was empty and quiet — I was alone. My five roommates were gone for the holidays; I had chosen to remain behind in the camp. Being young and far from my home, I felt ________. My room was comfortable enough,________ I hadn’t realized until then what made it so — the ________ of others walking, joking or just lying on their beds.

I was not able to sleep. I was ________ of being on my own — in fact, I preferred it at times — but tonight was poor. Tossing and turning in the darkened room gave no ________. The last sign of daylight had disappeared,________ my inner sadness. Besides, the glow of Christmas lights on the tall pines would only ________ me of my great misery (痛苦).

________, I heard weak sound of men attempting to sing. Yes, the voices grew louder and came my way. I ________ still, enjoying the sound.

In the corridor (通道，走廊) outside my ________, voices came near, enough for me to hear Christmas carols (颂歌) being offered. Suddenly, there, four airmen, identities unknown, were slightly unsteadied (摇晃) by holiday ________. The first held a Coke bottle with a lit candle ________ its top. The others formed a dancing line behind him.

________ I was in the room, with joyful faces in the flickering (摇曳的) light, they sang me several carols,________ me a merry Christmas and left as fast as they had arrived.

I slept soundly soon after, burying my face in my pillow,________ that someone had cared.