1 . Charles Potter lost his ability to walk in 2006 and had to use a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver. He said that after the _________, he woke up, unable to move anything below his head. _________, his injuries weren’t worse.

Once Potter started to _________, he had to relearn basic things like eating. His recovery was so _________, but he didn’t give up. “I always _________ a positive attitude. I believe I can look after myself soon,” he said.

Years later, Potter and Rhonda got married. They _________ their daughter, Charlize one year later. “She just knows I’m in a wheelchair and _________ to doing certain things,” he said.

Charlize has always been into dance. At school, she took such a _________. One particular class had daddy-daughter dances, and she invited her dad to _________. Potter agreed. The two __________ learning the routines (舞步) and came up with creative workarounds (变通办法). They got the moves together only within a few weeks and __________ them during a recital (演奏会). Several videos of their dances were __________ online and they became Internet stars soon.

So many people were __________ to see a father in a wheelchair dancing. The proud father is happy to spread a message of __________ and he hopes it makes others realize that no matter what their __________ they can live meaningful lives.

2 . The greatest sports moments often have a wonderful flow state behind the victories or performances. Being in flow refers to the moments where distraction reduces, and concentration ________ .

It was a _______ summer camp ping pong tournament where I was not only down I set, but 7 points behind my opponent (对手), who had only 3 points left to ________ the set, and the tournament. For a comeback, I had to win at least 10 points, without making ________ !

Facing the desperate situation, I could ________ it a day and let my opponent win. Perhaps my opponent had already focused on the ________, but failure wasn’t an option! Thus, I ________ it out, hoping for the best. I told myself, “Let’s just try and win the next point, nothing else.” ________ deep, I stared at the ball with a clear mindset and keen ________. I took it, hit it back and scored!

5 points to go, 4 points to go... My opponent started getting visibly ________ and made mistakes. Point by point I was getting closer to being even.7-8. I was one point away from doing the ________. My mouth was shut and my eyes stayed ________ the entire set. He made another error. 8-8. The comeback was complete. The crowd went ________! Winning the next 3 points, I managed to win that set. In the last set, my opponent turned restless again. ________ the flow, I ended up winning the final set, and the tournament.

Despite a small game, it inspired me a lot. Not being able to control how our opponent plays, we can _______ how to react. Don’t be there, where you are not. Instead, be here and now! Stay in flow! Be concentrated!

4 . Spanish class scared me in the freshman year. I knew little Spanish before starting the class, and I thought it would be ________ for me. However, Mary, our honored Spanish teacher, who was full of creativity, made her class fun from the beginning. I knew what to expect with a schedule for each week, but there was always some slight ________.

Before the exam, Mary often asked us to ________ our lessons by ourselves. But I could remember one day she said, “This time, let’s play a game before going over what you’ve learned.” The game was so interesting that we all ________ ourselves. After the exam, Mary gave us opportunities to make up for our ________. After each error correction, she would check again. She took things so ________ that she wouldn’t overlook any detail. No wonder she was ________ by us.

Mary was ________ and willing to help, within reason, on everything. We could ask her questions at any time. She encouraged everyone to speak Spanish in class. Because of that, I was ________ enough, and then I could communicate with Spanish speakers outside of class. When she knew our problems, she would give advice. When someone was struggling, she would ________.

Mary’s ________ teaching eventually transformed my ________ into fascination. She infused (灌输) foreign culture into lessons, using music and dance to ________ our language skills. Her personalized attention to each student’s needs fostered a(n) ________ environment. At the end of the term, my Spanish improved, and my confidence soared. Mary left a lasting impact on my ________ for new challenges.

5 . Seven years ago, my wife bought me a terrific birthday present. For $70, she   _________ me two garden plots of land 20 feet by 20 feet from the Skokie Park District, which come with free _________ to fresh water from faucets, no _________. The football field of garden is a true place of beauty, costing the Park District very little to _________, with the water pipes being the only _________ capital investment.

My _________ is that gardening is good exercise accessible to people far into late middle age and beyond, deeply beneficial and _________ by couples and groups of friends. My garden neighbors and I, once _________, share ideas and encouragement. My daughter loves to help me _________ the wild weed, and the whole family loves the good fresh food, some of which I give to friends and neighbors.

I __________ about $300 to $400 a year but harvest literally 10 times the __________ of fresh produce—and I’m far from the best gardener!

We need to __________ one another while respecting each other as individuals, as carriers of subcultures, as positive people. Human difference is easier to accept with __________ when we know each other and are building something together.

And who doesn’t need to have __________ and get some exercise and eat great food? Community gardening is a wholly __________ activity.

7 . Emma and Zoe are both good swimmers. With great _______ and quick thinking, the two teenagers recently became _______ while swimming in Barbados.

The incident happened when the girls heard a _______ cry for help while relaxing on the beach after their swim.

“I heard someone shouting for help in the distance. I then looked around and _______ her, about 50 feet out from where I was,” Zoe, 13, told Global News.

The anxious woman, _______ as Belinda Stone from London, England, informed Zoe that her husband, Robert Stone, was even _______ and struggling to swim. Without hesitation, Zoe and 14-year-old Emma quickly _______ , risking their own safety to rescue the Stones.

After _______ Belinda back to shore, the girls started a five- or six-minute swim through challenging _______ to reach Robert, who was about 150 feet from shore. “When we reached him, he was trying to swim but we could tell he was struggling. He was breathing very ________ ,” Zoe stated. Despite the difficult ________, they successfully brought him back to safety.

Emma shared her experience, saying, “It was a long and ________ swim. I learned from both my parents that when there is a really strong current, you should never swim against it. You should swim parallel (平行) to shore until it ________ or you are completely out of it; otherwise, you will be pulled out into deep ________ .”

The grateful Stones expressed their ________ , “We are just extremely grateful to Zoe and Emma. They saved our lives.”

8 . One day, I was appointed to be a volunteer to welcome Alex Haley, the author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I was _________ because I feared that I would embarrass myself in front of this famous gentleman. After meeting him, I was struck by how _________ he is.

“I’d like to become a writer, but I don’t know if I have the _________. You’ve accomplished so much. How did you _________ that you had a gift for writing?” I raised my question without hesitation. Mr. Haley laughed,_________, “I didn’t, and I don’t.” “_________ is a craft (技艺),” he said. “I learned to write through practice and persistence.”

He explained that when he entered the Coast Guard in 1939, he was _________ some boring work. He became so bored that he bought a portable typewriter. He began to write letters for sailors who wanted to _________ their parents and others back home but lacked writing skills. He wrote every day. As his writing skills improved, he _________ became a journalist for the Coast Guard.

“If you want to become a writer,” he __________ to say, “don’t worry about whether you have some magic al gift. Put in the work. Write every day, and don’t give up until you __________ it.”

This was not the answer I __________. I thanked him for his advice. After my __________ with Alex Haley, I no longer care about whether I have the “gift” to become a writer.__________, I start writing every day. Within two years, I published three stories in national children ‘s magazines. I’ve been writing and publishing ever since. Had I not met this extraordinary man, I would never have received the benefit of his wise advice and the __________ that followed.

9 . This week I saw a video of a mountain climber lying on the back of the Sherpa guide who helped rescue him.

Gelje says he was_______a client toward the summit ofEverest last month when he noticed another climber_______a rope, alone, in what's called Everest's“death_______”.These are the highest_______, where temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, where human cells begin to________without oxygen.

Gelje stopped the climb of his own client. Then he rescued the________stranger, left hanging for his life,and________him for about six hours, to an area called theSouth Col, where another guide joined in the_______.

“We________the climber in a sleeping mat,”Gelje said,“dragged him on the snow, or carried him in______ on our backs to Camp Three, which is still more than 7,000 meters high.”

A helicopter met them to lift the________climber down to the base camp. He was taken to a hospital, and has since returned home to Malaysia.

We don't know how the Malaysian climber_______himself in danger. But the two guides who grow up in and know those________saw a stranger in danger, and risked their own lives to________him. As Gelje said,“Saving one life is more________than praying at the church.”