1 . Several months ago, a tornado fiercely hit our city without any signs before. We hadn’t ___________for it in advance, so we were just forced to go into our___________actions. I happened not to be in the classroom when it attacked. Hearing the alarm screaming, I rushed___________as fast as I could back to the classroom.

Never did I imagine that we would put our regular_________to use. Never did I imagine that my students had ___________against the wall and crouched(蹲) down on their knees. Their eyes were obviously filled with___________as they asked if their parents, pets, and friends would be okay. I, along with other teachers, tried our best to___________them, though we actually didn’t know what the___________would be.

I couldn’t ___________the tornado anymore. However, I’m very proud of my students who performed so well. In such a(an)____________and dangerous situation, they behaved beyond their ages. Never in my life had I seen them ____________instructions(指示) so quickly, without any hesitation. Though some tears were dropping and some hearts were beating fast, the kids were incredibly____________. I’m extremely proud that they struggled to calm down because of their____________in me.

Because of the tornado, I realized that my job as a teacher meant a lot. Behind every well-behaved students are a long line of teachers who have made it their life’s ____________to educate them with safety, courage, calmness and trust. Though the tornado has presented ____________, I’m sure we can handle them one by one.

3 . Any dog’s love can feel like a miracle (奇迹). Mason is a strong dog, and he may be the kind one that can bring happy surprise on Earth. He________a storm last spring. His family thought he would be________there, but the storm broke the garage door and Mason disappeared.

That day a lot of people________a lot. Mason’s family was _______that they were just to be alive,________the storm had left their home broken. But they were sorry at the thought that their sweet friend had died. They________the neighbourhood, hoping to find him, but Mason didn’t _______up.

Three weeks after the disaster, Mason’s family stopped by the house to collect some things that once________to them. There Mason sat on the front door, so________to see his family that his entire body was shaking. Where had Mason stayed during the storm? What did he eat for those long weeks? How did he________his way back home without any help from the others? There was no answer to those________and no time to think. Mason was thin and couldn’t stand well. The family quickly found the________and learned their dog had returned home on broken front legs. “He was hurt badly,” says Doster, who had spent days helping pets with their owners. He also got in touch with Dr William, who________to perform the operation for free.

Mason was hurt so bad that he needed weeks to________. By the time he returned home to his family in September, he was jumping around like a________dog again. “It is really a miracle!” Doster says.

4 . As I was a young boy my family was very poor. I would often help do something for the neighbors to _________ a little pocket money.

One day I _________ on the door of an elderly woman and asked if she needed me to clean     the yard. She asked why I was not in _________ and I showed her my worn _________, which no longer kept me warm. She allowed me to work in the yard. When I finished, she looked at me and said, “I suppose you want to be _________ now.” She then took out a jar filled with dollar bills and said, “I’m glad you’ve done a   _________ job today but that is not something you should be doing again. I want you to _________ new clothes and get back to school. I also want you to come back to visit me with your report card and I will _________ you when I see you have worked hard and have some good_________. Now reach out your little hands and take out as much money as you can.”

I put my hands in the jar and __________ so much money that it was __________ for me to buy what I badly needed. Later, I returned several times to see the woman and she did just as she__________. She looked at my report card and gave me a handful of dollars and some delicious food every time I __________ her that I had an “A”.

I was twelve years old when I moved from that neighbourhood. I will never forget the huge__________ this wonderful lady made over my life with her__________. This is something I hope to do myself in this lifetime over and over again.

5 . This was my grandmother’s first Christmas without grandfather. When we reached her house, it did seem a little _________ without grandfather.

Grandfather had always said the Christmas _________ was the most important. So we set to work assembling (组装) the beautiful _________ tree which was stored in grandfather’s closet. After we finished, we stepped back to _________ our work. It looked wonderful. But something was missing.

“Where’s the star?” I asked. It was my grandmother’s _________. As we emptied box after box and found no star, my grandmother’s eyes _________ with tears. Grandfather had given it to Grandmother fifty years ago. Now, on her first Christmas without him the star was gone, too.

“Let’s start in the closet where the tree was,” my sister Donna said. We _________ under beds and over shelves, inside and outside _________ we had run out of every possibility. We could see Grandmother was _________, although she tried not to show it. By now, it was __________ outside, and time for bed, as Santa would soon be here.

The next morning, my sisters and I __________ early to see what Santa had left under the tree. After breakfast, the family sat together to open presents. “The last gift is to Grandmother from Grandfather.” Father said, in a puzzled voice.

“From who?” There was happiness in my grandmother’s voice.

“I found that __________ in the closet when we got the tree down,” Mother explained.

My grandmother opened it. Her face lit up when she pulled out a(n) __________ golden star. There was a note tied. Her voice trembled as she read it:

Don’t be __________ with me, dear. I broke your star while putting away the tree. Though it was time for a new one, I hope it brings you as much __________ as the first one. Merry Christmas.

8 . The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat (汗水) was pouring off our backs and faces. We stood still without ______ any noise, all hot and tired. But everyone kept standing as straight as trees.

It was ______ most high schools give to new Senior One students-military training. We ______ four days in a closed environment. Although we couldn’t go home at night and the training was ______ and difficult, our humorous young drill sergeant (教官) with a funny accent was a real ______ of our days. We laughed at his jokes, sat in rows singing different songs and ______ him telling true stories about his life. He gave us the feeling that ______ and sweat were not the only things that military training ______ .

After this journey, we were more ______ than we had imagined and we were much braver than we had ______ . Girls who looked pale rested for a little while, then right away came back to the team. Boys who were being punished ______ to the playground at once and began to run. Sweat flowed down our faces when we thought about how to shout ______ than other classes.

Military training taught us perseverance (不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be ______ on our faces. We shouted so loud that our ______ could be heard across the heavens. With eyes like burning torches (火炬) , we walked into the future. Now the sun is ______ at all of us.