1 . Henry Bond was about ten years old when his father died, thus left the family entirely in his mother’s care. His mother found it _______to provide for the support of a large family. However, by good _________, she made great efforts to do organize things well, and also to send Henry, the oldest, to school, and to supply him, for the most part, with such _________ as he needed.

At one time, however, Henry wanted a _________, in order to join a class in that study, and his mother could not _________ him with the money to buy it. He was very much _________ about it, and went to bed with a _________ heart, thinking what could be done.

On waking in the morning, he found that a _________ snow had fallen, and the cold wind was blowing _________. “Ah,” said he, “it is an ill wind that blows nobody good.”

He rose, ran to the house of a neighbor, and offered his __________ to clear a path around his blocks. The offer was accepted. Having completed this work, and received his __________, he went to another place for the same __________, and then to another, until he had earned enough to buy a grammar.

When school __________, Henry was in his seat, the happiest boy there, ready to begin the lesson in his new book.

From that time, Henry, was always the first in all his classes. He knew no such word as fail, but always succeeded in all he __________. Having the __________, he always found the way.

2 . Lying in my hospital bed, I was flicking through (快速转换) the channels when I suddenly paused. Muscular women were competing in a body sculpting competition on the _______ . “Wow, they are _______ ,” I thought in amazement.

It was 2004, and I’d been hospitalized with asthma, which gave me the desire to _______ a more healthy lifestyle. I didn’t know how to exercise correctly and found it hard to _______ healthy diets. But now at 49, it was time for a _______ . Therefore, the day after I left the hospital, I joined the gym with one _______ : to look like the women I’d seen on TV.

The first sessions were so _______ that I could barely walk back down the stairs afterwards. But I kept _______ for several hours, four days a week, slowly building my strength. After six months of training, I _______ my first competition—Masters Over Forty. Standing on the stage, my heart nearly leapt from my chest when they ________ I was the winner.

Over the next 14 years, I ________ 35 titles in body sculpting competitions worldwide. During this time, I decided to use my experience to help other women over 40 achieve their ________ goals. I became a personal trainer and wrote a book to help people eat ________ food during their training. With the right diet, everyone can stay healthy and strong longer.

I know many older women have never been in the ________ or picked up a weight. But it’s never too ________ to make changes.

3 . Life is a series of unexpected and unforeseen events. Some of them bring about welcome and pleasant consequences, while sometimes they do not _________ any joy. In fact, they can be destructive and unfortunate.

But during these trials and hardships, the love and kindness of others can make a world of _________. It can even save a life, as was the case for a paralyzed (瘫痪的) man in a wheelchair from Dallas, Texas.

Dennis Brown, who is _________ to a wheelchair, was in a rental car when the vehicle burst into _________ suddenly. When he looked up, he _________ the fire extending several feet from the front of the car, _________ him immediately and sending smoke high into the sky above.

_________, a complete stranger put her life at risk to rescue Dennis, who didn’t _________ to take action. The woman _________ Dennis out of the burning car, shifting him to __________. But before Dennis was able to show his __________, she had left quietly. Dennis said that he was eager to have the opportunity to say thanks to his rescuer.

But Dennis is not the only person grateful to the __________ woman. Dennis’ mother, Julia Brown, will forever ________ appreciation to the woman for her __________ deed. “I cannot thank her enough,” Julia said. “Because if she hadn’t __________ the assistance in time, I would have lost him. She was a hero!”

4 . On a cool spring evening, I found myself leisurely seated by a refreshment stand near Beihai Lake, enjoying the sight of shining ripples. The subtle _________ of leaves in the breeze immersed me in the liveliness of life. Across from me, a woman and her young daughter shared a moment; the child, a charming little figure of about seven or eight with an upturned nose, was _________ her ice cream, her mother holding the girl’s _________, whispering sweet nothings.

A brisk wind caused the child to _________. Reacting swiftly, her mother wrapped her in the coat and started to _______ it up, unaware of the _________ matched buttons until she was midway through the task. Realizing the error, she quickly corrected her mistake. Yet, such a careless slip, did not _________ the girl. “Oh, mommy, your attention _________!” the child said, bursting into hearty laughter, which brought a _________ look on her mother’s face. As a __________, I expected a good dressing-down for the little girl. But there was only an embarrassing __________ of a few seconds. Then I heard the mother’s gentle voice. “Yes, it certainly did, for my heart went out to you!” said the mother, pointing a kind finger __________ the girl. The child blinked in confusion, hiding her blush in the chest of her mother, who hugged her __________ in her arms. A smile of gratification spread over the mother’s face.

Witnessing this tender display of __________ affection, I was profoundly touched. Yet, even more striking was the mother’s approach to treating her daughter’s misbehavior, for quite a few people seem to forget that the best way to educate a child is not indulging or blaming, nor even moral lecturing, but tender ________ with love.

5 . Being a teacher, I learned a lot from my little kids full of wisdom.

One Friday afternoon, the sports field was in full swing. The basketball shooting game _________ us most. A large crowd of students, happy and excited, surrounded the court and _________ the impressive shooting. Then I _________ one of my darling little girls, who wouldn’t take anything lightly. She stood at the line, basketball in hand, with a(an) _________ expression on her face. She shot. Air ball. She fixed her attention on the net and _________ again. Air ball. Her third and fourth shots both failed again. Not one of her five shots even came close to the _________.

Poor little kid! I felt _________ her.

Back in the classroom, we decided to talk about all the fun we’d had in the game. _________, my tiny air baller raised her hand. What? What did she want to _________? She got five air balls! She must have got me wrong.

Then, she said, “I was __________ about that basketball game at first because I’d never played it before. But when I tried my best to shoot higher and higher, I felt I was already the __________!” With her words still echoing in the air, a wave of __________ washed over me. I had placed too much emphasis on the game’s __________, rather than __________ her progress in the process. From her, I learned that any progress, no matter how __________, deserves celebration.

6 . Despite being homeless himself, a man named Steve has dedicated himself to taking care of stray (走失的) dogs. He has adopted 15 dogs in the past 15 years and _________ their daily needs.

This year, Steve believed that a change of scene might help him get back on his feet, so he decided to move to Indiana. He had a distance of 2,000 miles to _________, with nothing but a bike and only $6 in his pocket, but he never considered leaving his _________ dogs behind. So he put the dogs in a shopping cart and _________ it to the bike.

On his way, Steve _________ Alicia, who works at the West Animal Shelter (WAS). _________, she stopped to figure out the entire story. “Having been homeless since 2009, he could _________ them,” she said. Deeply _________ by Steve’s love for dogs, Alicia set up a GoFundMe page for him and _________ his story. Then, many volunteers arrived to help out. They __________ photos on Facebook, raised money and kept searching for ways to get them to Indiana. __________, they met a kind woman who offered them a __________.

They finally made it to their __________. A generous donor gave them a truck to live in, so for the first time in nearly 15 years, they have a __________ over their heads. Today, over $30,000 has been raised and he will continue to help strays.

“It is extraordinary, and his story tells one good __________ leads to another.” Alicia said.

7 . It was a sunny weekend. I had planned to go mountain climbing in the suburbs with Daniel. However, a sudden heavy rain that morning disrupted my plan. Looking out of the window, I couldn’t help feeling a little ________ as the rain poured down.

However, Daniel ________ , “Since we can’t go mountain climbing, why don’t we go to an old ________ in the city? I heard there are many interesting shops and delicious food there.” I thought it was a good idea and _________. We braved the heavy rain and arrived at the old neighborhood. Although the sky was still ________ , the old buildings and unique atmosphere of the neighborhood attracted us.

We walked through the narrow streets and admired the ________ shops on both sides. A retro-style coffee shop caught our attention and we decided to go in and rest. In the coffee shop, we tasted the delicious coffee and talked about our daily lives. ________ , a strange figure walked into the coffee shop. He looked ________ and lost. His eyes fell on us casually and seemed to be looking for something. Out of ________ , we took the ________ to talk to him. It turned out that he was a photographer and he had just lost an important memory card which contained his works of many years. He had been searching for it in the neighborhood for a long time, but still couldn’t find it.

After hearing ________ his troubles, we decided to help him search for it. We searched around the neighborhood and asked many people, but couldn’t find the memory card. Just when we were about to give up, a little kid ________ to us with a memory card and said he had found it by the roadside. We excitedly took the memory card and after checking it was ________ , we gave it back to the photographer. The photographer looked at us gratefully with tears in his eyes. He said, “Thank you very much. This memory card means a lot to me.” We felt happy that we could help him and it added more meaning ________ this unexpected trip.

This experience made me realize that life always has unexpected surprises and twists. Sometimes, ________ your plan is not a bad thing and it may bring you a more wonderful experience.

8 . I had graduated from college with a degree in education. But I still couldn’t find a(n) _________ teaching job. I waited for the phone to ring so I could _________ work as a replacement. One day I would be teaching high school science and the next day I would be _________ with kindergarteners on a playground. This time I was in a local grade school as a(n) _________ for a 5th grade teacher for the day. Determined not to let my time simply _________, I went over the lesson plans and stayed _________ with the students, smiling and encouraging them. I was determined to _________ the great teachers I’d had when I was a boy and not the critical ones who always left me _________ bad.

At the end of the day just as they were leaving the room a girl handed me a _________ note. I waited until they were all gone before I opened it. It was a lovely drawing full of __________ wonder and a note that said: “You are the best teacher I have ever had!” My mouth fell open in __________. It really amazed me that my kind __________ had touched that girl’s heart so deeply. I took that note home and put it in a folder. Anytime I was feeling __________ I would look at it and it always made me smile.

That experience showed me the __________ that a single kind word can have on a life. I never saw that girl again, but I __________ that her life has been full of kind words and loving people. And I continue to try my best each day to let love and kindness live through my words and my life.

9 . In a busy city, there lived an old bookseller named Mr. Finch. His tiny shop, hidden amid towering skyscrapers, was a _________ destination for book lovers. Mr. Finch was known for his warm smile and the _________ he could tell from his cherished books.

One summer afternoon, a young girl named Lily _________ his shop. She had a worn notebook in hand, filled with _________ and ideas. With _________ in her eyes, she asked, “Can you help me write a story?”

Mr. Finch nodded and _________ her to sit. They began with a blank page, and as they _________, the world around them faded away. They _________ a tale of an enchanted (被施魔法的) forest, where trees whispered secrets and animals sang lullabies. Hours turned into minutes, and before Lily _________ it, the story had come to life. She thanked Mr. Finch, __________ to return.

Years passed, and one day, Lily; now a __________ author, returned to Mr. Finch’s __________. She handed him her latest book, dedicated to the old bookseller who had __________ her passion for storytelling. Mr. Finch’s eyes welled with tears as he read the dedication. He realized that in helping Lily find her voice, he had also __________ his own purpose. From that day forward, he wrote stories that filled his little shop with magic.

And so, in a hidden comer of the city, among the towering buildings, Mr. Finch and Lily __________ that the power of a story could change lives, inspire dreams, and make even the smallest of places feel extraordinary.

10 . My aunt Mantha loved Christmas. She always went out of her way to make it _________ and cosy for everyone around her. December 2022 was no _________. Mantha drove three hours to visit everyone two weeks before the 25th and to drop off _________ to her friends. We chatted about our plans, _________ and kissed goodbye when it was time to _________.

So when on December 18. Mantha's son called us sadly to tell us Mantha had passed away _________ at home, none of us could quite believe it. So close to Christmas, none of us felt like _________. That was until my sister-in-law, Vera told us about some _________ of hers in the office who were from China had just arrived in the UK.

We knew we couldn't leave them to spend the day by themselves, especially after we heard how _________ they were to experience a proper English Christmas. More importantly, we knew Mantha would have wanted us to throw open our doors and give them a Christmas to __________.

When the day finally came, we __________ them into the house with open arms and tried to __________ our pain so we could give them the full Christmas __________.

It didn't __________ the pain of Mantha's absence but connecting with strangers and __________ our culture helped us get through the day and turned out to be the very thing we all needed.