2 . There are purple clothes, purple handbags, purple bicycles, purple furniture, even purple computers! So purple is one of the most ______ colors today. But in the past, purple was a very expensive and unusual color. Let’s take a look at the rich ______ of the color purple.

Some scientists believe that the first plants to appear on Earth over 500 million years ago _____ looked purple, not green. Plants today are green because ______ use green chlorophyll (叶绿素) to produce energy. ______ these early plants probably used something called retinal, which is a dark purple color.

During the time of the Roman Empire (37 BC-476 AD), it was very ______ to make purple dye (染料). The dye came from sea snails (海螺). But 10,000 dead sea snails ______ you just one gram of purple dye... as well as a very bad smell! This ______ purple dye was called Tyrian purple, and it was the preferred ______ of emperors.

In 16th century England, purple was ______ for the kings family members. Queen Elizabeth I’s clothes were purple, but ordinary people were not allowed to ______ the color.

In 1856, William Perkin, an 18-year-old ______ student, noticed something strange while doing an experiment. The chemicals he used to clean his instruments ______ with the chemicals he used in his experiment and produced a bright purple color. This ______ led Perkin to start a company using this chemical mixture to make purple dye. The dye was much ______ than sea snail dye. Thanks to Perkin, now anyone can afford to wear purple clothes.

6 . When I was 14, I invited some friends for a party at my home out in the country.

I planned it well, but something _________ happened.

When it was time for us to ride the bus, Nora, one of my friends didn’t _________. I felt _________. Why would she tell me she’d come to the party and then _________ without letting me know? So, I decided to call Nora and get some _________. I needed no apologies but I demanded to know why.

Nora explained she had to stay away from school because she was sick. Anger still _________ me and I _________ to listen, “What kind of friend are you?” Nora began crying on the phone, hurt and surprised. For the rest of the school year, we _________ hung around (溜达, 闲逛) again, and I forgot about my _________ call with Nora. __________ had happened between us at some point, but I shrugged it off (对……满不在乎).

Years later, I began to reflect on that ugly phone conversation. Now, I __________ it. I recognized how selfish, and __________ I’d been, caring only about myself. I wanted to make things __________. I wrote an apology letter to Nora and soon got her __________. So finally, we did bring a sad moment from the past to a __________ conclusion, healing both of us.

7 . Exercise can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, so there are a lot of great reasons to exercise.

Sometimes exercise can feel like a bit of a ________, something you have to do for health ________. But regular exercise can ________ your life, whether it helps you overcome stress, learn something about yourself, or help you ________ your body. Here are 2 stories from people who moved their bodies in new and sometimes ________ ways, and found out that it changed their life for the better.

I have had depression (沮丧, 抑郁) a couple of times and I also have general anxiety disorder. I found that longboarding around the city really ________ my mood the last time I was going through a ________ of depression. I don’t skate much anymore, but I have picked up ________ the past three years. All I can think about when I am climbing is climbing. It has been a ________ for my anxiety to be able to completely throw away the worries in my head and just think about getting to the top.

When I was 23, my grandpa sadly passed away. Hearing my mom’s message, I was ________. The tears couldn’t stop swimming in my eyes and I ________ control, I was just starting my track season and I decided that I should get a head start and start running. When I felt like crying or screaming or anything, I would get up and go for a ________. That year I ________ my personal best by over a minute and I ran my first half marathon. Since then I ran another half marathon, full marathon, and am ________ training for a second marathon. Running just ________ emotion for me.

8 . Giant pandas are beautiful black and white _________. They look like _________. They live only in _________. They are very quiet and peaceful. They like eating _________. They never eat meat. Baby giant pandas _________ a lot of time drinking their mum’s milk—more than fourteen hours a day!

Mother giant pandas have only one _________ two babies at a time. When the babies are born, they _________ little white mice. There are only about one thousand giant pandas in the world now. Sadly it’s very _________ for giant pandas to stay alive in the world. Their number is getting _________ because their living places are becoming farmlands. If __________ keep taking the land, giant pandas will have __________ to live. Also, people __________ them for their fur. If this continues, then there will be no giant pandas in the world.

So, what action can we take? We should __________ newspapers and magazines about the giant pandas in China. We should tell them about the __________ for giant pandas. If more people know about these problems, then maybe they will do__________ to help.

9 . It was a beautiful, sunny, Spring day. I had just finished driving my daughter to the airport to ________an early morning flight.

My sons and I then went to a fast food place for breakfast before heading back home. After eating we all got into the car and ________the parking lot.

The restaurant was at the very top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill was as top sign so we found ourselves at the end of a long line of traffic ________while the cars at the bottom turned on to the main road one at a time.

As I looked down to the bottom of the hill my eyes saw an ________man standing by the stop sign. His clothes were old and ________. He held a cardboard sign with the words: Need Help Please! written on it.

My heart went out to him and I ________myself in his situation. As car after car turned on to the road without stopping for him, I ________for my wallet to look for whatever cash was left in it. As I was pulling it out of my ________, though, I saw a young woman walk up to him along the side of the road. She was carrying a bag full of takeout food from the restaurant I was just at. I watched as the old man thanked the young girl and smiled as she reached into give him a ________

Suddenly a loud HONK from the car behind me made me realize that I hadn’t been moving forward, because this ________choice for kindness had so ________my attention and my heart. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill both the man and lady who had helped him were gone.________, as I drove home the sun seemed to shine even ________and Heaven felt a bit closer to Earth.

A choice is such a ________thing. It can touch a heart and change a life. It can bring us closer to God and make Heaven smile. Each day we are given a thousand ________. May you make all of yours for kindness. May you make your whole life a choice for love, joy, and God.