1 . It was the last day of the month-long summer camp. All the camp leaders and volunteers were preparing for the party that evening. Some were setting up chairs and tables outside, some were preparing water balloons for games we’d play later, and some were_________fruits.

A pastor（牧师）came to me,_________me a small broom and a dustpan, and asked me to sweep the gym. Alone. I had no_________. I was a team leader at camp, and this pastor was my employer. I put on as_________a face as I could and_________to sweep the floor. The whole situation felt so _________. I was angry.

During a_________between sweeps, I looked up. The same pastor who told me to sweep the gym was_________moving the speakers and cleaning the stage in the front of the gym. He worked alone, too. And I noticed the calmness and_________in his eyes as he worked.__________, my unhappiness left my heart, and in its place grew a sense of__________for what I saw in the pastor.

First, being a leader doesn’t mean doing all the fun things, all the time. It also means____________and hard work. To be a good leader, it means doing things one doesn’t really__________with a cheerful, genuine smile. Second, taking the time to think is________ to being a good leader. Without time for________, you might__________what’s more important. Third, however complex a task maybe, however long you have to work on it, you have to__________it. Cleaning the whole gym with a small broom seemed________. But I made it, one sweep at a time.

       I__________the pastor on my way to the garbage bin outside the gym. He looked up and smiled at me—and I smiled back. It was a tired smile, but it was a__________one.

2 . It is said that a new culture can always keep your eyes and your mind open. Now I am studying in Russia as _______ exchange student. I learn about it from my own experience.

One of _______ differences is about people’s way of life. One day, a Russian friend invited me to a well-known restaurant in Moscow. I_______forward to trying local food. After arriving there, I found nothing on the table but some small plates. To my greater surprise, on the plates there_______only a few slices of tomatoes, nuts, and several pieces of onions_______the dishes were simple, we drank a lot and I felt the passion (热情) from the bottom of his heart. In China, when we invite friends or relatives, we always provide_______with a big dinner with all kinds of dishes. We like to prepare_______we can to show our friendliness.

_______Russian custom also surprises me greatly. As we know, it is_______cold in winter there that it takes a lot of courage (勇气) to just go outside. However, when winter comes, Russians enjoy ________They even take their kids outside to swim. Like their parents, Russian kids rub(擦) their bodies________snow before jumping into the water. The water is freezing cold, but they all play________ in it! Sometimes they invite us to join them, however, we have to say no, because it is really difficult for us________ it just like them!

I________a lot from the exchange visit and it’s been educational in many ways.________ interesting the visit is!

3 . The elephant is the biggest four-legged animal in the world. It is also, perhaps, the gentlest (温顺的), _________ not always.

Elephants are like us in some ways. They _________ for a long time — fifty for sixty years. They can _________ things very well. They never forget great sadness or great happiness. A female (雌的) elephant _________ , her daughter and her grand-daughters are sad for many months. They stay with the dead _________. Then they carry a bit of it away with them. They never forget a _________ friend.

Elephants are like us, but they are also _________ . They live in families: families of females (母系家族). There will be a few young males (雄的) — a few “baby boy”. But they will soon be _________ away by their mothers or sisters. An elephant family _________ only its daughters, mothers and grandmothers. And its great grandmothers.

The females stay together for fifty, sixty…a hundred years. The older animals __________the young ones. The mothers teach their daughters and set a good example.

And __________happens to male elephants? Well, the young males stay with their mothers for a time. Then they must __________ the family. The females just send them away. A bull (雄的) elephant does not often have a friend. He lives __________ ; away from the family, and often away from the females, and often away from other bulls.

Sometimes the females call a bull. He can __________ them then, and they stay for a time. But soon his “wives” and sisters send him away again. The females have a very __________ family life. What do the bulls think about it? We don’t know.

4 . Father's secret

My father grew up in a fatherless home. At that time, the family struggled hard to ______ .The childhood experiences caused my father to be extremely mean.

When we children knew that other children got spending money from their parents, we made the ______ of asking father for some. His face turned cold, "If you are old enough to ask, you are old enough to ______ ," he shouted. So, we went about the neighborhood seeking odd (临时的) jobs.

There was a period of time when ______ of us had a car, so we had to ride the bus home. ______ the bus stopped more than two miles from home, Dad never met us. If someone ______ , he'd say in his loudest voice, "That's what your ______ are for!" When I went to senior high school, I had to ______ a long way each time I came home. The walk didn't ______ me as much as the fear of walking alone. I also felt that my father didn't care about my ______ That feeling was ______ one spring evening.

It had been a quite difficult week at school. Tests and long hours in labs had left me ______ . As other students were ______ at their stops, I looked out of the window ______ . Finally, the bus pulled into my stop, and I ______ off, beginning the long journey home.

On that evening, I saw something gray moving along the hedge (树篱) towards my house. Upon a closer watch, I ______ it was the top of my father's head. Then I knew, each time I'd come home, he had ______ behind the hedge, watching, until I arrived safely. He did ______ after all.

After that, that spot of gray became my focus, I could hardly wait to watch for its ______ movement on my way home. Upon reaching home I would find my father sitting in his chair, "So, it's you!" he'd say, pretending to be ______ ."

I replied, "Yes, Dad, it's me. I'm home."

5 . The world's largest painting has been sold in Dubai for almost $62 million. British artist Sacha Jafri created the painting and _______ a Guinness World Record.

During the spread of COVID-19 last year, Mr. Jafri was in Dubai. Rather than feeling _______ because he was unable to go out, the painter _______ to take on a big project that could "make a really big _______" . He planned to create the world's largest painting. He _______ children around the world to _______ their own pictures showing how they were feeling during that _______ time. He got artwork from kids in 140 different countries.

Using the children's _______ as a starting point, Mr. Jafri began to paint in a _______ ballroom at a fancy hotel. He ____________ included the children's drawings in the artwork. He ____________ long hours - often up to 20 hours a day. He hurt his back by ____________ so much while he painted. It took over 1,000 ____________ and 1,664 gallons of paint to create the painting. When he ____________ seven months later, the painting, called "The Journey of Humanity", was roughly the ____________ of four basketball courts.

Jafri had aimed to ____________ $30 million for children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic when it went ____________. As a result, Andre Abdoune, the artwork's new owner, ____________ more than double that after he knew that the ____________ would go to charity (慈善). He said that the energy and love Jafri ____________ into the painting was so amazing.

6 . Piano lessons aren’t just about giving kids an opportunity for musical training. Learning to play the piano has a great ________ on the brain, providing children with a lot of benefits that last a lifetime.

________ education can actually give kids an increased chance of success in life. Kids who ________ music education and training gain major emotional development advantages. Playing the piano is an outlet (发泄) for kids and ________ themselves. Any type of music ________ the spirits. Being able to play a song on an instrument, whether performing ________ or for other people, also builds confidence in kids.

The many hours spent ________ playing the piano create and increase neural (神经的) connections in the brain that last a lifetime. These physical changes in the ________ provide great gains that last well into adulthood, including protecting against cognitive decline (认知能力下降) and memory ________ . Piano lessons also have been shown to ________ affect verbal working memory, hearing and communication.

Children get ________ just as often as adults. Feelings of nervousness and worry ________ a physical response in the body, in which the heart rate and blood pressure ________ and breathing gets faster. Playing the piano can ________ that kind of response, providing a sense of relaxation. This ________ can be felt by kids immediately on sitting at the piano and trying to play, ________ the activity can reduce worry regardless of a person’s skill or ability. Music lessons, ________, provide the greatest benefit, as studies have shown that playing an instrument for an hour per week for at least six weeks is most ________ for reducing the body’s nervous response.

________ all the benefits of music training, it’s not ________ that more and more parents want their kids to learn to play an instrument.

7 . Like any happy kid, Ailsa is full of smiles. She is filled with wonder as she ________ the world around her. Ailsa's favorite activity is ________ but since she was born without ________ , Ailsa holds the markers between her toes to ________ her kiddy works of art.

At age 2, Ailsa's mom Clair McLeod says her daughter doesn't fully ________ the reason why other kids have hands and she doesn't. She knows it's only a matter of ________ before Ailsa is going to start asking some ________ questions.

To ________ the tough conversation, McLeod came up with the idea of getting Ailsa a puppy that had ________ limb differences. McLeod was worried that ________     a puppy like that might not be easy. ________, a three-legged fur-baby was born in their neighborhood just a few weeks after the search began. As it seemed like fate, they named the puppy Lucky.

Now, McLeod sees the bond that her daughter and Lucky ________ as they grow together and face new challenges as an opportunity to change people's ________ .

If people were all the same, that would be fine but being ________ is also beautiful and can make the world more interesting. People should not regard disabilities as ________ or something to be pitied but something to be celebrated.

8 . I believe that people should take pride in what they do，even if it is ________ by the public sometimes. I have been a professional skateboarder for 24 years. However, the activity was tagged(给……贴标签) with many ________ labels — some people said it was a waste of time and a dangerous activity.

When I was about 17, my high school “career” teacher often ________ me in front of the entire class. Even during those dark days，I never ________ riding my skateboard and gave up ________. There were many, many times when I was ________ because I couldn’t land a maneuver(熟练的动作). But still enjoyed a lot from it.

Skateboarding has gained mainstream ________ in recent years. Many young people become interested in it. ________ I have many job titles, the one I am most ________ of is “Professional Skateboarder”. It's the only one I write on surveys and information forms.

My parents never once questioned the ________ behind my passion, even when I had to   ________ gas money or skip meals sometimes. I hope to pass on the same lesson to my children someday ________ the thing you love and stick to it. My oldest son is enthusiastic about skating and he's ________ gifted, winning awards in lots of skating shows. But now he cares less about honors: he just skates for ________ and that's good enough for me.

You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more ________ there.

9 . Last year I took my 76-year-old father out for a trip in the Utah west desert. In the early _________ on a dirt road，our car hit a rock and the tank(油箱) _________: Without fuel, the car came to a stop and with the sun going down, we were in _________.

We waited for 24 hours to see if anyone happened to _________, but no one did. Then I had to _________ alone because my dad's medicine was going to run out. After 17 miles, _________ thirst, hunger and extreme tiredness I arrived at the main _________ between Delta, Utah and Ely, Nevada. After all that, I still would have _________ my mission(使命) if somebody hadn't picked me up，for I was still around 50 miles from the _________ town. No one stopped to give me a(n) __________ along the highway, and I finally decided to lie down and take a __________ on the side of the road. A man on the roadside might work __________ than a gesture of holding up a thumb(拇指).

I didn’t know whether I fell __________ or not or how much time passed, __________ I did hear the sound of wheels. __________, someone named Rose from San Diego County took time to see if that man on the roadside was still __________ , I’d love to thank her. She helped me __________ a job that I couldn't without her.

Sometimes a little help is the __________ between success and failure. I admire Rose for her __________ a possible roadside robbery to help a stranger in the evening. Many people would __________ do what she did, and this is the truth.

10 . My mother sewed dresses. She worked in a factory by _________ and brought home dresses at night. She had to _________ my brother, my sister, and me. My father had died when I was ten.       

Every night when she _________, I would meet my mother at the train stop and help her carry home a lot of unsewn cloth. She’d start to _________ as soon as she got home. She’d stop to make us _________, and after that, while we kids read or listened to music, she would _________ over her sewing machine again to continue sewing dresses. Sometimes she’d get her thumb caught under the sewing _________. She’d cry out in pain but _________ a bandage and go back to work. Watching her made me _________ to be so good at something I loved that my mother wouldn’t have to work again.

I sat next to my mother as she ____________. Every now and then she’d ____________ up pieces of new cloth to be sewn, feel the dress between her fingers, and set it aside ____________. She’d say, “I only work on quality dresses.” Our family needed ____________. But my mother would not sew a ____________ that was not up to her ____________. She showed me that people should take ____________ in what they do.

I thought of my mother years later as I began my career, enjoyed ____________, and faced setbacks. I was determined to be so successful to make up for all my mother had ____________ for us. But when a producer told me to record a song I considered silly or ____________, I’d think of my mother and tell him, “Sorry, I only work on ____________ material.”