1 . A few years ago, I worked as an English teacher for girls in Silverton, a small, rural farming community south of Portland.

One day, I asked the girls what ______ they were interested in. To my surprise, the answer was wife / mother or hairdresser. I was ______. These were bright girls with so much to offer — such limitless ______. And yet, they saw only two ______ in their futures. These girls needed role models. They needed exposure to the working world so they could make informed decisions. How could I help them? What resources were ______?

I searched the Internet, and ______ a gender equality grant (拨款) through the state and applied. Much to my joy, we were selected. Together with two qualified educational assistants, we started ______. We needed to get help from successful ______ women. I wanted to arrange field trips to their workplaces, but I was ______. The conservative parents would not ______ their girls to travel. So I started making phone calls and inviting presenters to our school. To my surprise, many of them ______ to make the trip. The girls listened attentively to their ______ and responded with reflective, in-depth questions.

The school year passed quickly. When our final presenter had left, I posed the ______ question to the girls. “What careers are you interested in?” This time, the ______ were very different: accountants, educational professionals, bookkeepers, nurses, managers... The result went beyond my ______. Bringing about positive changes in these girls’ dreams makes me feel great.

4 . I drove 12 miles to the county newspaper office one day. I had to ________ outside and wait. Beside me lay a one-page short novel I had written, and I hoped to get it come out. “What if the publisher didn’t ________ it?” I thought to myself. I was on pin s and needles, and every now and then, I stood up and walked back and forth.

Eventually, I was led to the publisher’s office by his secretary. I still felt ________, but the kind smile he shared with me soon made me eased. I didn’t even own a ________ at the time, so he had to read my handwritten ________. Then he said, “I couldn’t like it enough and I would include it in the next week’s ________.” I jumped with joy and said, “Thanks, Sir.” But I ________ even more.

I asked him if I could keep writing for him each week. He thought for a moment and then ________. He even said he would pay me five dollars for each new thing I ________. I was so ________ that I skipped and danced on the sidewalk when I went outside. Little did I know that moment would ________ my life.

That was almost 40 years ago. Now, I have my own studio and lead a better life. I ________ to write something new for my publisher——my friend each week. As I write, I ________. I’ve become a determined and patient person. Each time I learn something new, I ________ write it to get my friend to publish it. Without my friend, I would never be the ________ I am today.

6 . I moved to a new city and took a job in marketing. I didn’t really understand whether it _________ me. I enjoyed doing things that I felt had _________ — I could see their benefit and feel their impact. As the months passed, I felt it just was improper for me.

A job advertisement for a(n) _________ for a new youth magazine came at exactly the right time. I applied and was successful. My role was to help teams of young people edit their _________ and help them with their work. I had assumed the magazine would be a(n) _________ of games and dull reviews, so I was _________ when one of the first pieces written was about social welfare. _________, I found something I was interested in.

I felt a change in me straight away. I had a purpose again. Days were lost to discussing hot topics and reading the words of their strong and opinionated (坚持己见的) voices. _________ in their world, I could see myself making a difference to the team’s _________ ability. As our website hits __________ and the work shifted to reflect what our __________ wanted, I developed a greater __________ of what young people might want to read.

The biggest change the job brought, though, was to my well-being. It is rare you find yourself in a job you love, one that you are happy to __________ each day. I was thriving in this __________ environment, inspired by the talented young people I was helping to __________ their careers. Now, I realize that there are jobs that will keep you energetic and inspired.

8 . Just several days ago, a violent storm hit our community. I looked out of the window and witnessed a tree being abused by the fierce winds. The branches bent, and swayed (摇摆) back and forth, thanks to their _______ to avoid breaking. The leaves desperately _________ the branches because their life depended on the tree. The powerful trunk that held the tree upright bent slightly backwards from the force in a battle to _________ its position.

After the storm passed, the tree gracefully returned to its _________ position standing tall among the mess. It managed to _________ the storm. It didn’t look the same as leaves had been shed from its branches, but what _________ was that the tree won the fight for its life. For a long time I couldn’t understand why this tree _________ my attention the way it did. As time passed, it became _________ that it wasn’t just about the tree but about the roots, which, although unseen, went deep into the soil providing stability and nutrition. The roots helped the tree to be able to suffer from the fierce winds because they were there _________ it.

I can’t but ask myself how deep the roots are in my life. Accordingly, the next time you catch your kids __________, the job is driving you crazy, you are underpaid and the money is __________, and the storms of life are heavy, go back to your roots. Life is full of __________. They will make you sway, make you ________ and make you lose some leaves. But the deeper your roots are, the stronger you stand.

Faced with challenges, you might bend but don’t __________. No matter how hard the wind blows don’t let life force you into an uncomfortable position. Your __________ lies in your roots.

9 . As I had grown up in Belgium, going to university in the UK made me feel_________and lonely. Although I was_________, I felt unable to share my feelings with anyone and_________about my future.

Things were getting harder and harder and, one day, the moment I saw my poor history grades on the noticeboard, my heart_________. I even had a sudden thought that_________my life would be a way out. I was in my own world when a girl_________me and said: “You look upset. Are you OK?”

_________I didn't say much back to her, the little conversation was all it took to interrupt my suicidal (自杀) thoughts. The small talk was a great _________to me and made me realize it's OK to _________for help. I spoke to my university and they provided me with a mentor (导师) to help. I also shared my feelings with my loved ones. By doing so, I created a strong support network that I could__________.

When I started working at Network Rail in 2019, I heard that Smaritans provided training for __________working in the rail industry on identifying and helping people who may be vulnerable(脆弱的).__________, I knew I had to sign up. I wanted to turn my experience into something useful and positive, and to equip myself to offer__________ to others who might be feeling like I did back then. The session was fantastic and interestingly shone a light on the fact that everyone has the skills to __________to others, and even save a life.

So, if you ever notice someone struggling, try to talk to them.__________, starting a conversation is just a small act, but sometimes that is all it takes to save a life!