2 . A decade ago, the day before Christmas, my mother announced we were no longer celebrating Christmas. “Boys, go to find a big _________ that we can use as a tree”. My mother said, “We are going to _________ the tree with leftovers for the seagulls to eat. Those guys must get _________ in winter when there isn’t much _________.”

“Mom, we don’t want to _________ you, but does anyone else think it kind of crazy?” One of my brothers asked _________. “You’ll do whatever your mother wants.” My father jumped into _________. Then on the -30°beach, my family gathered around a branch stuck into the _________ with boxes of food to _________ what my mom named “Seagull Day.” Our bodies shook, fingers __________.

Ten years later, with the chill of the air and the __________ of kids, my mom declared, “Find little places on the tree to __________ the snacks. Think of them as beautiful decorations.” My daughters, nieces and nephews __________ immediately with wild joy. When the boxes and bags of snacks were __________, we stood back and __________ our creation. We asked a passer-by to take pictures of us with our tree. “What’s this all about?” She asked __________.

“It’s Seagull Day!” The kids said __________. They were surprised when people hadn’t heard of Seagull Day. To them, it was a(an)__________ — maybe as big as a national — holiday.

My social media posts and pictures have __________ long lines of questions and the “I want to do this next year!” promise. I __________ everyone, “Yes, you do!”

3 . I was a lecturer for 10 years when I met my greatest teacher. It wasn’t in a _______ but in a hospital. She was my daughter Kelsey.

She was born with congenital cerebral palsy (先天性脑瘫). At four, she still _______ to tie her shoes. It was _______ for her. After three years of _______, Kelsey made it. Her accomplishment taught me that pace wasn’t going to be crucial — achieving goals according to her own _______ matters most.

At age 5, she won a battle against cancer. Kelsey _______ through creative play. In the hospital, the game was always “restaurant” with her playing waitress and the rest of us _______ as customers. She enjoyed herself in the _______ for several hours _______, as if we weren’t in the hospital at all. At home, the play turned to “hospital.” Her game included medical terms even we adults didn’t understand. We’d just play along as she ________ herself in her roles.

At six, she wished to take ballet lessons. I’m embarrassed to admit how much this ________ me. I wasn’t just afraid for her body, but for her ________.

I worried about the __________ she might get from the class. But she wouldn’t ________ and the expectation in her eyes ________ all the drawbacks, so we enrolled her in a ballet school.

Kelsey danced with ________! Did she fall? Of course. Was she awkward? Very. But she was completely ________ by her situation. The sheer joy of dancing was enough. After four years, she ________ to horse riding. This time, I signed her up without ________.

Now a seventh grader, Kelsey continues to embrace her life and teach us invaluable __________ about persistence and the power we could never have otherwise.

Kelsey, I’ll never have a greater teacher!

4 . Eduardo and Mast both badly wanted a puppy. When they got _______, the top of their list in their new life together was to adopt a dog. They stopped by Animal Shelter two days before their wedding and _________ connected with a 4-month-old German shepherd, Daisy. They thought she was _________ for their family. However, they encountered a(n) _______ situation when they learned Daisy would be ready for _______ on a first-come, first-served basis on the same day as their wedding ceremony.

_______ to make Daisy a part of their special day, they decided to _______ the wedding vows (誓言) to 9 a. m.. “Everyone was really _______ and told us, ‘It’s your special day and we’ll be there _______ you’d like,’” Mast said.

On the wedding morning, Mast, in a white dress, and Eduardo, in a black suit ________ vows at a civil celebrant’s (民事神父) home. The excitement of marriage was matched with the ________ to welcome Daisy into their life. Upon finishing saying their “I dos,” they ________ to Animal Shelter.

“We got there about 9:45 and were first in line. When a shelter worker fetched Daisy and carried her in, we were both in ________ at how cute she was,” Eduardo said. “When I grabbed her, she started loving all over us.”

Cavedon, the manager of Animal Shelter, said “I am ________ that the newlyweds step up to adopt the puppy and I witness the tender moment when Daisy ________ them with kisses.

Afterwards they first shared Daisy’s __________ and theirs with people present. The couple’s romance began with friendship in the Marine Corps and ________ evolved into something more serious. After a proposal (求婚) at Great Falls, they ________ for a small civil ceremony and a larger one in the future.

“Now Daisy is learning to be house-broken and has smoothly ________ our apartment,” they said. “She loves to curl up with us in bed at night,” Eduardo added. “She’s ________, adorable and super playful.”

6 . While it may seem impossible for a simple question to change everything, that is in fact my story. I was a relatively _________ person. I created a business. I was able to travel. Life was mostly _________. Even so, I often felt angry, sad and frustrated (沮丧), which many people would call a normal _________.

With my business, I often _________ expositions (展览会). During a visit to a Mind, Body, Spirit Expo in Australia, I _________ toward a stand sponsored by Access Consciousness. A very cute guy was standing there, so _________ I stopped to chat with him. He had a lot of _________ in his hands. He asked _________ I wanted to take one. I chose a piece of paper and _________ it, “Who does this belong to?” I had no idea what that meant so I __________. He explained, “Many people have those days when they __________ in the morning and instantly feel __________, depressed or any other similar emotions. If you feel __________ after asking yourself this question, those thoughts and __________ are not yours. You are just __________ the emotions of people around you.”

I __________ this question and discovered that most of what went on in my __________, the emotional reactions and stress were not mine. I was simply aware.

Today I’m a supporter of Access Consciousness. I’m __________ relatively happy, but rather happy. I have created multiple businesses, written books and __________ the world sharing with others the methods I use to keep myself __________. It all started with a simple question.

7 . My husband and I were enjoying wandering through the stores in a shopping center. We went into a shop that sold ______ items in hopes of finding a few last-minute ______ gifts. The pleasant smell of handmade soaps teased our noses as we walked through the door.

As I walked through the store, I ______ a wooden plaque (牌匾) hanging on a wall. I turned to ______ and nodded my head “yes” at the ______ on the plaque. Moving on, I enjoyed looking at other items some salesmen dressed in Santa Clauses in the store carried. ______, I found myself being ______ back to the plaque.

Standing in front of the plaque, I felt like a child who, when ______ through the sandpit (沙坑), finds some ______ treasure: a shining coin or a lost toy. Here among the other handmade items, I found a very ______, yet heart-touching treasure hidden in a message. A message I needed.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to ______ in the rain.”

How often in our daily lives have we put conditions on our ______? When we get the house ______ off, then we can be happy. When things ______ with the kids, then we’ll be able to do more together. There is so little joy for the here and now in the uncertainties of the whens and thens.

Looking at the plaque, I found ______ unknowingly live the plaque’s message. I slipped off my ______ in a light rain and began walking ______ through the water. Maybe my neighbors thought that I had lost my last wisdom, but I don’t ______. For in that moment, I was alive. I wasn’t ______ about bills, the future or any other day-to-day cares.

The plaque now hangs in my living room. I walk past many times each day and ______ pause to ask myself: “So, am I dancing in the rain?”

I think I am. I know I try to. One step at a time, I am learning to dance in the rain.

8 . According to a media release , a criminal had escaped from prison. In panic , he ran to a _________ living area close to the prison. He tried to ________ grandfather Luis Mena’s truck after he ________ his granddaughters Stephanie, 3, and Amy, 7, who had just come from the daycare center.

“ We started ________, ” Mena told the media. The man ________ the door to the driver’s side of the truck and tried to ________ Mena out of the vehicle. “ My T-shirt got all ________. He grabbed me by my T-shirt and threw me to the ground. ” Mena’s head hit the ground violently and lost ________. The man escaped in the truck , with Stephanie and Amy still in the back seat.   That was my biggest ________,” Mena recalled.

However , when he came to himself , he learned that Amy had ________ to get out of the truck before the man fled the scene in the ________ vehicle. “She jumped from the truck and pulled her sister out so they could escape and be ________.” Mena proudly accounted his granddaughter’s ________ actions in detail. ________, police found the truck. The criminal reportedly ________ it and ran away into the woods. Later, a police dog team caught and ________him. He was taken to the ________ to treat the dog bites. The community where the family lives ________ the 7-year-old girl as a ________ after she saved both herself and her younger sister from the ________.

9 . Manuel Teixeira has reunited with the rescue crews who helped save his life after a big tree fell on him while he was working in Massachusetts on March 9,2024.

Officers Kenneth Almeida and Aaron Swartz _________ responded to the scene in Dighton, and found Teixeira, whose leg was pinned below a tree, _________.

Teixeira, 67, _________ life-threatening head and leg injuries while cutting down a tree on Oak Street. Almeida and Swartz quickly _________ the tree was unstable and dangerous to both the _________ and personnel on scene. They were _________ to take immediate action before the paramedics (医护人员) _________.

Then, Almeida and Swartz _________ to provide life-saving medical aid for Teixeira, "which _________ the use of multiple tourniquets (止血带)." __________, they were able to safely remove the tree from Teixeira,__________ technical lifting equipment. The tough __________ lasted 15 minutes. Teixeira was transported to the hospital nearby quickly, where his injured __________ had to be removed surgically, causing him to use a wheelchair.

Almeida and Swartz were honored for their __________. From the government, they received letters of __________ for their response to the __________, which saved Teixeira's life. They also had the opportunity to reunite with Teixeira, who is still __________ in the hospital.

"These officers saved this man's life by relying on the __________ training they've acquired throughout their years of wholehearted service and their __________ action," Dighton Fire Chief George Nichols said.

Meanwhile, Teixeira is __________. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here today," Teixeira said.

10 . Nowadays, shopping online enjoys great popularity, but my_______to clothes shopping developed via supermarkets.

With four children, I spent a lot of time in supermarkets. When they started selling fashion, I found myself_______out fancy items for myself. My wardrobe quickly_________up. Whenever I felt bored or_________, I bought myself something new to wear. One day, when I_______the total money I'd spent over the previous month, I got a real_________. So I decided to change.

One New Year, I made a(n)_______: I would stop buying clothes for a full year. My family laughed in_______because they knew how I loved to shop, but this made me more_______to do that.

The start of the year was especially________, as all the sales were on, and I really love the________. It almost made me________to see all the lovely dresses and coats, knowing I couldn't buy any of them. But I got through January,________away in February and sorted out my wardrobe in March. That was when I found________items of clothing. Some of them still had the tags (标签) on! Then I was re-wearing things that had barely seen the________of day since I'd bought them. I even wore the same dress to two parties________, where I had much fun with my friends and no one________my dress. I suddenly________that I didn't need lots of new clothes.

I survived my year without________clothes, and now think________before I buy anything new.