1 . Last Monday, when I walked into a supermarket, my daughter, Charlotte, said she would buy me some flowers. I came home with a beautiful bouquet (花束), a(n)_______gift I enjoyed. That reminded me of the old days.

When my kids were younger, sometimes I noticed them_______something on a shop shelf, and I asked what they wanted to take home. Or I saw something while shopping by myself and thought which child would love that. I’d buy it and gave it to the_______child. We may be apprehensive about buying_______for our children. Should we be careful about what we give them because they might_______something every time we go shopping? What if we have several_______? If we buy something for one of them, will we have to buy something for everyone to be_______?

Despite the_______, I still bought gifts just to spread joy. After careful teaching, nothing terrible happened. My kids didn’t_______more when we went shopping. They always appreciated whatever I gave them. The child__________a gift would smile with delight, and the other children were pleased too. They shared the joy__________.

Now they do the same for me__________. Yesterday, I was too unwell to__________my son, James, to the mall. He said he would bring home something nice to cheer me up. He returned with some beautiful sunflowers. Sometimes, I stop my writing and glance up at my flowers, and__________fills my heart.I truly feel __________.

2 . I’m interested in a career in _______, so I decided to volunteer for service at the local hospital. I thought it would be the best of both worlds: _______ people while getting valuable on the job experience! So I went to the business office. _______, the hospital director was quite willing to let me help out, and he said I could _______ that summer as soon as I finished my finals.

Soon enough, I _______ for my first day at the hospital. The director gave me a brief tour of different departments (科室) _______ we stopped right in front of the maternity ward (产科病房). I was overwhelmed (受不了的) by the sounds. Women shouted and newborns _______. I got nervous and wondered if I had been in a hurry when I _______ to go for such a _______ job.

My ________ must have shown clearly on my face because the director said, “Don’t worry. You are going to help in the nursery. ” ________ that, we walked down a hallway filled with balloons, beautiful flowers and into the ________ room I’ve ever seen. The soft colors provided a quiet backdrop to the sleeping babies. The nurse in charge of the nursery ________ me, thanked me for ________, and asked me to start putting some baby things away in the drawers. The director gave me a ________ look, which I returned with a quiet nod. I got right to work.

3 . When I am reading a newspaper at home, my friends call me. “Will you _________here and give us some help?” I throw the _________ away and run to them.

My friends are playing a _________ game. And the ball goes right into Mrs. White’s   _________ . They know I live next to her,   _________   they want me to get the ball for them. I am afraid (害怕) of my neighbor, Mrs. White. She looks unfriendly. Everyone says that she doesn’t like the children. And   _________   knows Mrs. White well, because she _________ comes out of her house or speaks. I walk   _________ her garden slowly. I am nervous (紧张的). Suddenly I see a tall   _________ walking to me. It is Mrs. White. I feel worried when I see   _________ . “Is this your basketball?” she asks. I say, “Yes, and we’ll never do it again.” To my   _________   , Mrs. White says, “Why don’t you kids   _________   here? This hoop (球架) here is better than        _________ .” Wow! We are so glad to hear that! Mrs. White is   _________ us to play in her garden! We all learn an important lesson: what many people _________ isn’t always true.

4 . A crow (乌鸦) became rabbits’ friend. It all began when Andrew Silverwood heard of a helpless ______ crow lying injured on a busy road. Without ______, Andrew decided to begin a crow rescue mission, knowing that the bird’s chance of survival was ______ in such a busy street.

Upon ______ the location, Andrew found the baby bird had fallen from his nest. In most situations, the best ______ for the baby bird would be to return the animal to his nest. However, as the nest sat high upon a tree, Andrew had no means of ______ the bird with his family. Besides, the crow had a broken leg, which would require ______ for the animal to survive. Then he took the crow home.

The Silverwoods ______ intended to provide care for the crow until he could be released back into the wild. However, fate had ______ plans in store for the crow, as Andrew soon found there was an unexpected ______ between the crow and his rabbits. The pet rabbits welcomed the crow into their cage, leading to a heartwarming and unconventional ______.

As days turned into weeks, the crow ______ the rabbit family. Surprisingly, the crow took on the characteristics of his rabbit companions.

Despite their differences, this little crow, his human parents, and his rabbit friends ______ happily. Their heartwarming tales serve as a gentle ______ that every living being deserves love and care, regardless of their ______.

5 . The rain was sudden and heavy on a cold night over ten years ago. My bus had stopped at the depot （总站） because of flooding. With 2 kms still to go, I was running out of _________ to pick up my then four-year-old daughter from her childcare centre. I took off my shoes and ran. I _________ the day care wet through but I was _________ to be only a few minutes late. Now I could face the next _________.

I had no way of getting home. There were no buses and I couldn’t afford a taxi. Home was too far to _________ in the rain with a young child. We stood outside staring at the _________ rain, with it showing no _________ of stopping. Caught up in my thoughts, I just barely noticed another parent _________ up and race inside to _________ his child ten minutes later. I did not recognize him and my thoughts turned back to my __________ situation.

I was at a loss what to do, when a voice asked, “Can I give you a __________?”

I moved around to face the man who’d arrived late to fetch his child. I nervously informed him that I didn’t know how I’d __________ getting the car seat wet. But he didn’t seem to __________, and was simply happy to do us a favour.

To this day, I am still __________ when I think about the evening that my daughter and I were stranded （滞留） __________ the kindness of this stranger.

6 . With new term approaching, as a new teacher, I needed to find a reference book in our school library. Therefore, I went in search of the _______. Before leaving, I struck up a(n) _______ with her and then I was completely _______ by her experience.

During the winter break, she had gone by herself to Death Valley, a rarely visited desert. She just rented a car and packed up some simple equipment. All the way, she _______ saw another human being as she drove or _______. The photos she showed me _______ me from freezing New England to the brilliant sunshine of Death Valley, where she could appreciate the appealing landscape. But what really _______ me was how fearless this woman is. So weak is she that I used to think that she was _______ to step out of the comfort zone.

I asked her if she was _______ of being out in the vast wilderness alone and she said no ________. She even loved being alone surrounded by such incredible ________, seeking the meaning of life. Further talk revealed that her life has been ________. She was a young single mother with 2 kids and worked at odd jobs day and night to ________. To her credit, she obtained her degree in education and found a decent job.

Actually, our brief talk inspired me to lead a more ________ life and she taught me to see a person beyond the ________.

7 . On a cold snowy winter evening, Joe was driving home on a country road. Ever since the local restaurant closed, he had been_________.

He didn’t know he’d soon come across a stranger who would change his _________. That stranger was an old lady, a restaurant owner, whose car got a flat tire, _________ on the road. She had a _________ tire attached to the back of her car, but she was unable to handle it. And unfortunately, her cellphone had been _________. She had to turn to passing cars for _________ . Nevertheless, no one had _________ to help for the last hour or so.

After driving for a while, even in the _________ light of evening, Joe could see an old lady needed help.

So he pulled up in front of her car and got out. Seeing the flat tire, Joe believed that he could _________it.

Then, he let the lady wait inside her car while he was __________ the tire. Finally, he finished. The lady offered Joe some money to show her __________ but Joe declined. Then, the lady chatted with him and learned about his __________ . Joe expressed his eagerness to find a job to make ends __________of his family. They exchanged phone numbers before waving goodbye. Days later, Joe __________ a new job in the old lady’s __________. Sometimes a good turn deserves another.

8 . You may hear about a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted (震动) a Gansu county, causing 127 deaths as of press time. But do you know what to do before, during and _______ an earthquake? Here is some _______ for you:

Before an earthquake, it is necessary to get ready for yourself and your _______. All family members should know how to turn _______ gas and water, and know some useful telephone numbers. Don’ t put heavy things over beds.

During an earthquake, it’s important for each of you to be _______. If you are _______, move _______ to a safe place in the room, such as _______ a strong desk or a strong table. If you are outdoors, move to an open area like a _______. If you are ________, stop the car as soon as possible, staying away from bridges and tall buildings.

After an earthquake, once the shaking has ________, don’t run out of the building at once. You’d better ________ and leave ________ it is safe. If your building is ________ broken, you should leave it. If you ________ gas, get everyone outside and open windows and doors.

9 . A French couple in Brittany was saved from a house fire by their pet parrot after the bird made coughing sounds and cried, “It’s hot!” The parrot, aged six and named Baby, was the first to _________something was wrong in the home. He began _________ in the small hours of Sunday. This _________ his sleeping owners, and they quickly discovered that the dishwasher had caught fire.

The couple, Virginie and Gilles, said, “At night, Baby normally doesn’t talk and we don’t ever hear him.” So when Baby began _________ coughing sounds and saying, “Ouh c’est chaud! (Oh, It’s hot!)”, the couple _________ knew something was wrong and got up to _________.

Firefighters told the couple they couldn’t have _________ if they had not heard Baby’s words. The couple was so ___________ that they called Baby their _________. After the event, Virginie sent a __________to France Bleu, a social medium, with Baby sitting on her shoulder.

Baby was not the only parrot saving his owners. In 2020,__________ things happened in the US. A pet parrot saved a family in Tennessee by waking them after a fire started in their kitchen. The Tennessee parrot cried, “Fire!”__________, it had never used the word before.

Scientists say sometimes parrots __________ words in a way that is more than just copying the sounds, and are ____________ to knowing how to use the words. Some can even speak local __________ and several languages.

10 . Many years ago, we came across a dog at an animal shelter ( 收 容 所) while looking for a companion (同伴) for our dog, Bear. This dog seemed to be meant for us and we _______ him, so we took him home. We thought the _______ name for the new dog was Bear Junior, and so it was.

Bear Junior would wake me up every morning at 4: 30 a.m. to go for a _______. He’d touch my face with his nose and I would soon _______. I once had to _______ for two days after an illness. My wife got up to _______ him for his morning walk. He held a sit-down strike (罢工) next to me and _______ to move. It worked.

Bear Junior felt it was his _______ to help all who needed it, no matter where he went.

One day, I took Bear Junior to the dog park. We had just started our walk when a small dog was barking (吠叫) for _______. We could see a big dog cornering him. Bear Junior went into ________, placing himself between the two, facing the big dog. I shouted, “Bear Junior! This is not your ________!” But he refused to let anything ________ until the owners were able to take control.

One winter, I was playing with Bear Junior in the snow. Across the street, an elderly lady ________ on a block of ice. Bear Junior ________ me, ran across the street, and sat right against her side. She used his collar (项圈) to pull herself up. Two days later, she came to our door with dog goodies to ________ Bear Junior.