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.

3 . During the first weeks of his retirement from the fire service, Max had felt lost. And that’s when Polly, a library manager, helped him sign up as a _________ , for Robot Club in the library.

Max hadn’t volunteered before and he didn’t know anything about _________ . He opened the packs containing the robots, nervously staring at the mess of parts. A dozen primary-age children gathered around the table, _________ eagerly. Almost double the number of adults crowded around them, watching.

Glancing around the _________ at the many parents and carers accompanying the robot builders, Max knew he had to face this _________.

“Okay, team,” he started _________, adopting the tone he’d used to _________ his unit during his firefighting days. “We’re going to build these robots one step _________.”

The children nodded, their hands busy with screws (螺丝) and plastic limbs. Max wandered from table to table, _________ words of encouragement, and slowly but surely, __________ the instructions in his mind.

An hour passed, and the room was filled with the sound of chatter and clinking parts. As the final minutes of Robot Club ticked away, Max stood back and __________ the room. Robots of all shapes and sizes stood on the tables. The children were excited, __________ their creations to anyone who would look.

As they began to leave, many children stopped to thank Max. Each “thank you” and “see you next week” chipped away at the sense of __________ he had felt since retiring. He hadn’t put out a fire today, but perhaps he had __________ something far more important — a new __________ for himself.

6 . When I was a little boy, I lived in my grandma’s old house. It was _________ by four huge vegetable gardens, and around the house were planted so many _________. On the back porch, Grandma had dozens of potted (盆栽的) plants hanging on hooks (挂钩). She _________ them, and talked to them. With a little water and a lot of _________ she kept them alive, green, and growing even during the coldest, darkest months.

As a little boy, I was confused by all the effort she _________ them. I understood the vegetable gardens for they helped to _________ the family all winter long. I _________ understood the flowers around the house as they were pretty and smelled so sweet in the summer months. The reason why she _________ to those potted plants with so much effort, however, made me feel _________ a lot. They didn’t give us any food and they __________ had any flowers on them. They remained an unknown to my mind as a(n) __________.

Now as I’ve grown older, I am beginning to __________ why my grandma had those potted plants. It is the same reason why I have so many pictures of sunrises and forests __________ in my home. They remind me of the dark cold winter months __________ of bare trees and yellow grass when light, love and growth still exist. But my greatest __________ of light and love was Grandma herself, who was light to my soul even in my darkest times.

7 . When I imagine my future, I see myself as an adult who is confident in my abilities, doing a job I love and living my life _______. When I grow up, I will be enjoying more _________ brought by the advances in technology, with more time to pursue my _________ and enjoy the company of my family and friends. For these reasons, I look forward to the future as the happiest time of my life.

I will feel happy in the future because I will learn more about life and _________ into the best person I can be. I will become more knowledgeable about the world and myself. I will also handle more responsibilities and _________ problems in a more thoughtful manner.

_________ new technology, my future life is sure to improve in various ways. Homes will become _________ to the extent that they might be programmed to learn about our needs and _________ our health and activity. I can imagine hearing an AI voice _________ me to buy groceries or do more exercise! There will also be enormous advancements in __________ options. I will be riding in a self-driving car, and other new means of transport may be developed in the future. These __________ in technology are certain to make my future life more comfortable and convenient. The working day will be only four __________ long thanks to robots. Working less time means I can do __________ I enjoy most, such as spending time with family and friends, __________ in fun activities and learning new skills.

Thinking this way gives me the __________ to work hard now so that I can have a successful, fulfilling(令人满足的) and enjoyable future life.

10 . I have struggled with feelings of unworthiness since forever. My most painful moments were at parties. My friends made fun of me because I was rhythmically (有节奏地) _________ and I couldn’t get my _________ body to imitate the latest dance moves. I was never chosen to dance. I felt like I didn’t _________.

Around age 12, I decided that the way to _________ these feelings of unworthiness was perfection. If I was just perfect then I would fit in. But this strategy didn’t _________. My self-esteem (自尊心) was high when I got good grades and felt _________, but crashed when I didn’t do well _________ or was left out.

After several years of spiritual growth, it _________ me that for many of us, self-worth is tied to our _________. We experience low self-worth as __________ as we fail or lose approval. So I have begun to cultivate an unconditional self-worth. It’s not about doing things perfectly. __________, “Unconditional self-worth” is the __________ that you deserve to be alive, to be loved and cared for.

The __________ to unconditional self-worth is not always easy. It takes courage to __________ yourself from the conditions you’ve placed on your worth. But this journey is beautiful and worth taking. So I challenge you to embrace yourselves and find your metaphorical (隐喻的) __________ floor and move freely.