1 . I was shocked when my socially awkward sister, who had suffered from Asperger Syndrome (阿斯伯格综合症), decided to sing in front of our school. I knew she would _______ me in some way, so I disagreed. However, my parents insisted that she _______ and I would have to be part of the audience. I silently hoped that something would happen to save me from watching her _______ face.

As I waited in the hall, sweat (汗水) _______ my face. I comforted myself that no one knew she was my sister and tried to persuade (说服) myself that it would be _______. The lights darkened and the _______ opened to reveal (使露面) my sister standing alone on stage. She seemed _______ , taking a minute to stammer (结结巴巴地说) her name and class. _______ began to be heard in the audience. I shifted nervously in my seat, afraid what was about to happen. But as my sister started to sing, I was _______. Her voice flowed effortlessly and melodiously (悦耳地), filling the hall with its ________. I watched in wonder, realizing I had never known she could sing so ________. I listened carefully to the lyric(歌词) she had written herself, feeling ashamed for doubting her ________. My heart gave way as I heard the heartfelt words.

In that moment, guilt and shame flooded my heart. ________ my unwillingness to support her, she had never taken anything that I had done to her to heart. It was then that I determined to love her ________. It was as if a veil (面纱) had been lifted (移开) from my ________, and my heart was full.

2 . Hansen and his 10-year-old son Chase search the streets of Salt Lake City every weekend for the homeless to take to lunch. They started Project Empathy (共情) four years ago to _________ a meal, listen to their stories and figured out how they could _________ help.

“Just start with a smile, a hello. It really just starts with that. If you do it, you can make a connection. A small gesture can have a _________ impact on others less fortunate,” Hansen _________ in an interview.

Some of these shared meals have turned into stronger _________. Ward, a homeless, was _________ in a flat. He credited the Hansens with helping him _________ the difficult process of moving off the streets. “It is great to have friends who make us feel _________ and I’m impressed with the pair,” Ward said.

Father and son’s _________ have developed into a passion project that __________ faith and community, which focuses on the __________ community members can have in helping the homeless have a better life. They know they can’t settle the homeless __________ alone. They’re hoping empathy will __________.

“My hope for the future is to __________ more connection across our country. We could and we will succeed __________ we have other people join in and help the homeless,” Chase said.

5 . Last year, I started the journey of being a remote product designer. The thought of a flexible (灵活的) schedule, a comfortable home office, and the escape from the _______ public transport was incredibly _______ . The first few weeks were filled with a long-lost feeling of _______ .

However, the _______ of working from home gradually set in. I had started my day with the best _______ , promising myself quick breaks and regular stretches (伸展) . But deadlines, endless emails, and virtual meetings _______ me to my computer throughout the day, leaving me little time to _______ . Gone were the short walks to a coworker’s desk and the quick lunchtime walks around the office complex. Finally, my world was _______ to the walls of my home, my steps _______ in meters only rather than kilometers.

One day, I tried ________ one of my favorite dresses and it wasn’t passing through my waist (腰) at all. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a ________ person carrying extra weight, rather than someone enjoying freedom. The ________ of work and personal life had left me feeling like I was a never-ending motion machine.

This incident (事件) marked the ________ of a journey of self-discovery. I made up my mind that I needed a (n) ________ not just for my waistline but for my overall well-being. It was a promise to prioritize my physical and mental health, and a promise that I could ________ control over my life and my body.

6 . Since 2009, a small army of _________ in the Palace Museum have been receiving global social media attention. These hairy guards are _________ inside the museum walls. The purpose is to defend wooden structures and _________ relics against mice.

I visited the Palace Museum in the summer of 2023 to _________ the history of Qing Dynasty. I stayed in a small hotel in one of Beijin’s hutong areas for a whole month. It took me a 20-minute walk to the _________ every morning. Before _________ to Beijing, I had already conducted some background research on the history of the Palace Museum itself and managed to read an article about the famous palace cats. I was _________ to spot at least one of them during my stay there.

In the third week, _________ I was walking through the western gates, I was surprised to spot not one, not two, but three cats on the corner of a porch in front of an office. I _________ the furry guards in Chinese, “Hi! Kitties!” The cats ignored me, __________ to take a rest in the shade next to their white painted cat houses.

I __________ three more cats inside the bamboo garden of the employees’ exercise grounds. It wasn’t until my last week in Beijing that I __________ got to pet one. The slightly fat furry cat looked like the real “boss” of the palace as he made his way over to me, staring with his sharp yellow and blue eyes and letting __________ short, loud meows demanding attention. He was very friendly and __________ to be scratched behind the ear and even given a belly rub.

For those cat __________ planning on taking a trip to China’s capital, these absolutely adorable security guards are definitely worth spending a day in the palace looking for.

8 . Once, Sviatozar’s nephew came to see him. As a child, the nephew often ________ the old man, but now he does this ________. At that time, the young man was sad and obviously ________ about something. Sviatozar asked what had happened to him. The young man said that he had a serious ________ and then would never be able to achieve his goal.

The nephew asked the old man to give him ________ —what he should do next, but Sviatozar just asked the nephew to help him climb the hills. That road was difficult and long. But the nephew ________ agreed to help his uncle. When they reached the hills, Sviatozar said that he needed to go to the top of the highest hill. The young man was surprised, but ________ to help his uncle, because the old man had never climbed there.

With great ________, the young man helped his uncle climb the hill, and sometimes even dragged the old man on his back. At the top of the hill, ________, he put Sviatozar on the ground and laughed happily. “Once upon a time, you sometimes returned home ________,” Sviatoza r asked him, “The boys teased you. Do you remember why?” “Exactly.” The young man ________ and nodded. He ________ that as a child, he often played there with other boys. And they called this hill an Everest because few people could get to its top.

“At that time, you were unable to get here. This hill seemed an ________ rock to you. And today you not only climbed here, but also dragged me up.” the old man said and looked at his nephew, “How do you think? Why?” “Perhaps I just grew up,” the young man ________, “I became stronger and fitter.”

“And the Everest suddenly ________ a harmless mound,” said Sviatozar. “You got my advice.”

10 . Mac was cycling along a road in Canada's Yukon, halfway through a 2, 750-mile bike tour to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. He was carrying a 30-pound camping bag, _________ he wasn't moving very fast. Suddenly he heard loud breathing behind him. “Man, that’s a big dog!”he thought. He looked to the side, but to his great _________ , he saw that it wasn’t a dog, but a wolf, running hard to _________ him.

Mac’s heart jumped. He reached for the _________ from his bag. With one hand on the handlebar, he _________the spray (喷剂). A bright red cloud covered the wolf _________ and it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later it was by his side again. He sprayed a second time, and the wolf fell back again, but only to quickly restart its _________.

The wolf was getting closer and closer, _________ a dozen meters away. Mac waved and yelled at passing motorists, but meanwhile (同时)__________ hard. He knew clearly that he must be careful not to slow down. Otherwise (否则), he would become a _________ of the wolf.

Paul and Becky were driving along the same road. From a distance, they found what they _________ was a dog running after a man on a bike. As they got _________ , they realized it was a wolf.

Mac heard a car coming up behind him, and he slowed down. The car turned around the _________ then suddenly stopped in front of him. Mac _________ off his bike and dashed for the back door of the car. It was locked. Paul quickly unlocked the door so as to let Mac in, and the _________ man dived in, shutting the door behind him.

It was quite a while before Mac became calm and cried out: “I thought I was going to die!” and Paul and Becky were glad that they had given a helping hand to people in need.