2 . Nick was troubled and aimless. Then one night, everything changed.

At first, it was just faint light as Nick drove past a two-story house. Then he realized the house was on fire. He immediately pulled up to investigate. _________ was climbing up the front porch. Hurrying out of the _________, he yelled, “Help, fire!” A car drove past and Nick tried to _________ it to stop, but in vain.

He ran to the back door, sure it would be _________. To his amazement, it swung open. Without _________, Nick ran inside, peering into rooms to see if anyone was home. He had just started climbing when he _________ and saw four faces emerge at the top of the stairs. After Nick’s warning, they came pouring down and rushed out.

“Anybody else in there?” Nick asked. When told a 6-year-old was still in, he ran back. By now, thewhole house was in flames. The smell was _________. The smoke was thick. He lifted his T-shirt to cover his mouth and nose. As he hesitated, he heard the kid crying _________. Nick stumbled into the blackness, _________ on smoke. His __________ stayed alert as he moved toward the sound. Then suddenly the kid was in front of him and Nick quickly grabbed her into his arms. The flames were __________ even closer. Nick took a few steps __________ and threw himself out of the window. Outside, the firefighters had arrived. He handed over the girl — crying, but miraculously uninjured __________ a cut on her arm — before collapsing on the sidewalk.

Nick’s burns have mostly healed, but other changes have been far greater. As news about his __________ spread, a GoFundMe account for his hospital bills exploded, reaching $600, 000. “It somehow feels like both a near-death experience and a __________.” Nick said.

3 . When I was 18, my older brother bought me my first mountain bike. I_______my first ride at Sand Canyon. We_______a long and winding road beginning at the mountaintop, and I was_______because I’d never seen mountains that big.

The trail_______at 10,000 feet, dropping 4,000 feet over 12 miles. This ride seemed extremely_______, with sandy roads and high-speed sections that seemed to go on forever.

It took us three hours to get to the_______, but for those three hours, I_______nothing but the trail. On the trail, I forgot about all the awful memories and longed to experience that feeling again.

I loved the_______of rushing past trees and focusing on the next challenge. Biking helped me appreciate the little_______of overcoming a sandy road or________a jump. Biking on trails helped me connect with the natural world.

Mountain biking also gave me the courage to pursue further________and earn a master’s degree in sociology. I wanted to help others discover the sense of________I had found in the biking community and see themselves reflected in stories about the sport. So I________an online collective called @pedal2thepeople that highlights people who bike. I’ve also become a free photographer, and I love to include bikers in my________storytelling.

I am________to my brother for introducing me to this incredible activity that has given me life-changing insight.

5 . I worked part-time at a school teaching some children English in my college years. After_______, I decided to find a full-time teaching position.

This past Friday I had my first official job interview. I was very_______ before going to it. What if I did not know how to answer a question or couldn’t answer it_______? The thought of being interviewed soon was scary.

To do well in the job interview, I_______the frequently asked questions and the ways to best answer them online._______, I was still afraid that I couldn’t do well. As a result, I went to visit my teacher to seek_________about interviewing.

My teacher provided me with useful guidance that made me_______. He said, “Connect with the interviewer and just be yourself. You know what you know; don’t_______that you know something you don’t.” I loved his suggestion because it was_______and realistic. So often, people__________to pretend that they have had experience or known everything.

During the interview, I simply reflected on my previous __________, the lessons I was good at, the relationships I had with my students, colleagues, and parents, etc. This allowed me to not only __________my personal examples quickly and effectively, but also __________   how my opinions and passions as an educator were translated into action.

The whole__________went very well, with satisfying____________of course.

6 . Sarah sat in her office, carefully reviewing the financial (财务) records of her small company. She suddenly discovered a hidden ________ in the invoice (费用清单) from one of her suppliers. The supplier had mistakenly ________ her for a substantial order of goods, which would result in a significant financial gain for Sarah if left unnoticed.

Sarah found herself faced with a difficult ________. The extra funds could provide a much-needed boost to her ________ business. However, deep down, she knew she would think ________ of herself if keeping it a secret or pretending not to know it. She couldn’t live with a(an) ________ self and she had to make the right decision even if it ________ the loss of a chance for her depressing company to grow.

Thinking of this, Sarah picked up the phone and called the supplier, politely ________ him of the mistake and offering to pay the ________ amount. The supplier, ________ by her frankness, agreed to renew the invoice.

Word of Sarah’s ________ spread rapidly and she earned ________ of the business community. Soon her business began to take off.

The incident served as a constant ________ to Sarah of the importance of moral conduct in face of setbacks. It facilitated her belief in the power of honesty to build ________ relationships in a competitive business environment. Honesty is not only a virtue but a(an) ________ of a just and trustworthy society.

7 . Even to this day, I still remember the very moment when I waved my ping-pong paddle for the first time. With all the excitement and happiness, I actually felt slightly _________ because I should have fallen in love with it much earlier!

My interest in ping-pong began at the end of _________ school. At that time, I originally intended to _________ this sport to kill time during my boring summer holiday. Never could I imagine that it would end up as a _________ in my life. It captured my heart. With practice, my ping-pong _________ improved, but I soon found that no one wanted to play with me any more.

I turned to my coach who _________ me to a sports center for the elderly organized by a university. It's pretty odd being the _________ boy playing with a crowd of old people. But the gap in age _________ as soon as we lifted our paddles and put our focus on the tiny ball.

The _________ made me realize that what I had learned so far was like a drop in the ocean.__________, this made me enthusiastic to learn more. I firmly believe I was lucky enough to have supportive parents and a __________ coach. At that time, I was fully occupied by endless homework and exams in order to get __________ to a senior high that I desired. It was ping-pong that __________ me out of the hustle and bustle（忙忙碌碌） of life, and it was my coach who __________ me to taste the simple pleasure hiding under all the annoyance. I have to admit the tiny ping pong ball changed my life. I am convinced that my __________ will continue to drive me in future!

8 . Life can change in the blink of an eye. While Bridgette was in the parking lot, together with her kids, a car hit them. This left them _________ beneath the car. Thankfully, the driver wasn’t going very fast when she hit them. In that moment, she was _________ by the sun, which is the _________ cause of the accident. However, as soon as she could, she _________ out of the car to help.

Soon, Chris Crowder, CEO of the school, joined her. Without delay, he _________ a group of students to help. “It was _________,” Chris recalls. “I immediately just _________ the building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car. We have about 220 domestic kids and over 300 international kids at the school. They just heard me _________. All these kids from different countries just come running out and lift it up.”

Still, this wasn’t an easy _________. “The car was heavy,” says student Junier. “We did our best, and the moment I heard the kids crying I was like, ‘Oh, thank God, the kids are good.’”

The mother and kids were __________ to the hospital. Although Bridgette suffered the most of the injuries, all three of them are expected to make complete __________. A GoFundMe has been made to help the family with __________. “Thank you for your support of this amazing mother and her beautiful children as they __________ from this tragic accident,” Keaton Speaks, creator of the GoFundMe page shares. “We also have the __________ husband and father, Andrew Ponson, in our prayers as he takes care of his family wholeheartedly day and night.”

In addition to being grateful for Bridgette and her kids’safe rescue, the heroic students who helped are also getting their __________ praise.

10 . Griffith was driving alone to the Bay Area on a work call Saturday morning, thinking he was having a heart attack. He was in ________. He was in the fast lane (车道) and he started to work his way over to the ________ lane. He drove his car at such a high speed that his car crashed off the exit ramp (匝道) and hit a big tree. All the while everything became ________ before his eyes.

A young man and woman ________. They left their car and ________ to Griffith’s car. They knew ________ what to do. They didn’t ________ Griffith from the car but instead left him where he was and got right to work, doing what they could.

“They kept_________ to keep me awake because I was not doing well,” recalled Griffith.

________ under pressure, they called the ambulance and took care of everything until professional _______ got there.

They found Griffith’s wallet and ID in the car and _______ them to the rescuers. They even _______ to find Griffith’s telephone list and _______ his family of what was happening in no time.

Griffith now knows a rare nerve impingement (神经压迫症) in his neck is what _______ him to black out. He left the hospital a week later. He said he was lucky to be alive, owing _______ to the helpful couple and other rescuers.