1 . Tommy hated school and was always looking for excuses not to go.

If he sneezed, he _________ his mother to write a note to tell his _________ that he had a cold. If he had a headache, he asked his mother to take him to the doctor _________ school hours.

He spent _______ time at home than he did at school. On the days that he did go to school, he _______ for excuse to come home early.

One day he came home from school in the middle of the _______.

His father was _______.

“You are home early,” he said. “Is the school closed today?”

“_______, Dad,” Tommy said. “It’s open. I came early.”

“_______ did you do that?” his father asked him. “ What did you ________ to the teacher?”

“I told her that I had a ________ baby brother and that I had to come home and help ________.” “But your mother has had ________,” his father said, “a boy and a girl. You have ________ a baby brother and a baby sister.”

“Yes, I know, Dad,” Tommy said. “I’m ________ up my baby sister for next week.“

2 . In 2016, I started working for the local company here in the community. I had to admit that the first day I walked into the office, I didn’t know what to expect, I was really_________. The waiting area was dark and dusty. I remembered sitting in the chair and feeling breathless with the_________of files and paperwork all over. I was worried about my_________.

One day, my boss asked me what I thought could be done with the scenery outside next to the office window. I paused for a while,_________what I could do with it. Then I had the perfect idea. I’d plant_________there if that was okay. He told me it was up to me. So, I got to work.

It took me a good week to_________the field, getting rid of the weeds. And I had to choose which type of sunflower to grow, as there were many different varieties. That was when I learned about all the different_________of sunflowers! I planted different ones.

It only took about a week for the sunflowers to sprout (发芽). I made sure to_________them every day and give them all the love I could. Before I_________it, the sunflowers had grown big, some even bigger than me. Watching them grow big and follow the sun throughout the day filled me with__________. I think part of my happiness is that I’ve grown them and help get them to be such beauties.

Every year, my sunflowers grow bigger, and so do my__________. Eventually, I have fields of sunflowers and an excellent__________in work. And it all__________with just a seed. Well, a packet of seeds. Dreams are like seeds; we could plant them, nourish them, and then watch them__________. Dreams has the potential to become something__________.

3 . When I was a primary school student, I didn’t like doing housework at all. I thought I was a little child and that I just needed to study hard to get good grades. So I didn’t do any_______at home.

One day, my mother_______back home from work. She found that I had made a mess (乱七八糟) in the house. My books and clothes were everywhere. She was annoyed (恼火) and said to me_______, “From now on, you must do some housework every day!” Hearing my mother’s _______, I felt unhappy. But I still did as she said.

Doing housework was more difficult than I had expected. I began to understand that life was not _______ for my parents. They had to do a lot of housework after they came back home_______work. So I decided to do more housework. I tidied my room and _______my clothes. I helped my_______cook meals in the evening. My parents praised _______for my changes.

Now I realize that doing housework can not only reduce our parents’ burden (负担)________also help us to learn many basic life skills.

4 . When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my mother set me down on a purple banana-seat bike. She _________held the back of the seat while I found my balance. Then she gave me a _________and let me go，calling，“Pedal(踩踏板)，pedal，pedal，glide(滑行)!”as I rode across the grass.

When I was older, I _________ a soccer team and I always rode my bike to go to _________. On my bike, my_________was my own. I can do what I want to. After a(n) _________ practice, I would pick an apple from a tree in the garden near the soccer _________ and eat it while I pedaled home, or _________ to the shop and go home with some of my favorite snacks.

Then I got married and had babies. _________ the house for a two-hour ride was no longer a(n) ____________. When my girls got older, my mom ____________ them to ride their own bikes. “Pedal, pedal, pedal, glide!” she’d ____________ as she used to. But this time it was me ____________ after them with my hand on the seat.

Last spring, my mother died suddenly. I was in deep ____________. Every morning, I’d leave my hotel and ____________ my bike to a bike path. She’s never going to teach us again. I wanted to cry.

5 . A sunny afternoon before Christmas, a little girl was decorating a box with a gold wrapping paper to put it under the Christmas tree. Money was tight, so the girl’s father _________ her for wasting almost all roll of that _________ paper.

However, the next morning the girl _________ the gift to her father. “This is for you, Daddy.” she said. He opened the box and found it _________, so he became angry again. “Don’t you know, that when you give someone a _________ it is supposed that there would be something inside it.” he said _________. The little girl looked at her father with _________ in her eyes. “Daddy, this box is not empty, I _________ it with my kisses, all for you.”

The father was extremely _________. He felt so embarrassed that he could just put his __________ around his little daughter and beg for her __________. For many years of his life the man kept that golden box near his bed. Wherever he felt __________ and downhearted he opened the box and thought of __________ that the little child had put into it.

Each of us have been __________ a present of unconditional love from our children, family, friends and God. It is the most precious __________ that anyone could hold.

6 . My mother turned ninety. I knew I needed to find a senior _______ center. Not for her — for me. If I were at her age, I would want to stay in shape to _______ life, getting a lot of pleasure. Yes, walking in local parks was my _______, but I wasn’t so active as before.

I called a nearby center, “Do you have aerobics (有氧运动) classes _______ for seniors?” “Sure. Come and check us out! We start at 10 am,” the receptionist (接待员) replied and _______. The next morning, I went there. One part of me was _______ that the class was too easy, not doing me any good. The other part feared it was too hard for me to _______.

When I came into the room, a woman _______ me, “Oh, you’re new. Welcome.” Then the music started. The hour-long workout woke up the muscles I didn’t often _______ in daily walks, suiting me fine. I became a member there. My classmates ranged in age from fifty to ninety. Most gave the exercises their own ________, doing as much or little as they could. ________ no one kept score. Soon I learned physical well-being wasn’t the only ________ there. During breaks, people chatted happily. Whenever some people were ________ we asked around. Were they busy? Were they in hospital? Moreover, we signed cards for those who were ill.

I ________ to be in good shape now as I’ve hoped. Still, I’m grateful for things more valuable from the class — close friendships and new social ________.

7 . Every school has rules(规则) for students to follow. However, some students may see the_______ as a way which teachers control them. Sometimes, they’re unhappy and even feel_______Well, if you think your life is hard, you might think about the_______in ancient times. For some of them ,life was really hard.

In the old days, people believed that teachers had to be very _______and had the right to punish the students. Parents didn’t mind if teachers punished their children when their children didn’t do what they were_______ to do . Often the stricter a teacher was, the more parents thought he or she was a good teacher.

In fact, following school rules can be very important. For example, running in the hallways(走廊) could cause(导致) a student to_______.It may hurt himself or another person. Following the rules can also help the students in the classroom to learn_______ difficulty. In class, a teacher may ask students to raise their hands_______they speak. If someone speaks out of turn, other students might not be able to hear the teacher_______.School rules can help students prepare for their own futures as well. When they________ and go out on their own, they’ll soon find that they still need to follow rules.

Rules make the world much better. If there are no rules, life will be meaningless and in disorder.

8 . The abacus was invented in China thousands of years ago. It is usually made of wood and has many beads. By _____________the beads up or down, one can finish lots of math problems. It is a joy to watch an old man use an abacus. Fingers move, beads knock, and the _____________comes out a few seconds later. However, it requires lots of _____________to use the abacus well. In the past, the use of the abacus was taught in all schools. It usually takes the students several years to master this skill completely.

Today, abacuses have become a _____________although they are no longer widely used. Abacuses used to be a must-have for businessmen, _____________some people believe that abacuses are helpful for gathering wealth.

9 . For my daughter's 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn't really have the ________ but we knew how much this band meant to her.

The night before she was like a ________ at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to ________ with us, because she couldn't ________ . On the night of the concert it was good to see her so ________ and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.

Needless to say when they ________ after midnight, with T-shirts and lots of pictures of the band, ________ her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well ________ . This will be a memory she would never forget, and nor would we.

________ full of excitement from the night before, the following day they ________ to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I laughed, loving the fact that she had not ________   that quality as she grew up.

Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a ________ each. On each present were the words "Because you are the ________ mum/dad in the world. "When we expressed our thanks and told her she didn't have to, we asked her why she had bought us gifts. Her answer was simply "Just because I love you."

This wasn't something ________ from our daughter; she had always given us gifts when she wanted to express her ________ , and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn't have mattered, and it was the act itself and the feelings behind it.

10 . About three years ago, a tornado attacked our town. My father and I _________ to visit my grandparents to make sure they were okay. Upon arrival, I took my regular seat and _________ with Grandma about what was on our mind to pass the time. _________, the power was out and it got dark in what seemed like a matter of minutes.

Then, Grandma turned to me and asked with _________ eyes that stared right past me, “Now you’re graduating this year, aren’t you?” As a freshman, I was _________, about this strange question. Actually, Grandma could exactly _________ you when every one of her grandchildren was born. _________, I assured her that I was not yet a(n) _________, and still had a few years until graduation.

Soon, my father asked if I was ready to go home. I silently _________ my head—yes. Into the car, I __________ and couldn’t stop weeping. My father asked me what was wrong. “Is Grandma going to __________ my graduation?” I asked.

It took him a long time to respond, “Yes. She may not know where she is, but she will be there, no matter what.” The rest of the car ride home was __________. When we eventually arrived home, I rushed to my room and cried for hours. That night, I could picture that Grandma’s __________ would be changed from the care giver to care receiver.

Ever since that talk with my Grandma, I have matured and __________. Her Alzheimer (阿尔茨海默症) has progressed to about stage 3 now. At my graduation, I was sitting on the stage seeing Grandma there sitting with the rest of my family. “She may not know where she is, but she will be there”. My father’s words __________ in my ears.