1 . My name is Carmen Cruz and I am seventy-seven years old. Two years ago, I was diagnosed (诊断) with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. A few years prior, I ________ that I was ________ parts of my daily routine, and was tested. To my ________, the results were negative. A year later, I ________ noticed bouts (发病期) of forgetfulness, only this time they were more ________. Again I requested the appropriate ________, and this time, it was ________ that I had early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite Alzheimer’s intention to rob (剥夺) me of my experiences, I have triumphed (成功) since my diagnosis.

The first thing I did was to ________ my reality. I absorbed all the information I could find, ________ the doctor’s recommendations, and committed to ________ them out. I am determined to fight, the ________ of what the disease wants me to do. And with my family’s ________, I continue each day living life to the fullest of my abilities.

Upon being diagnosed, I made it my goal to write the story of my life and I managed to complete this task in one year’s time. It was an incredible ________; I put my mind to work at full speed.

I’m ________ that in my situation, the disease is progressing extremely slowly. The final stage may be unavoidable, and as human beings, we can only do so much. However, in pursuing ________ tasks that put your mind to work, you make the most of the life you have.

2 . Avett Ray is a little boy with a disability. It may seem ______ for other kids. However, that’s not the case for Avett Ray. Actually , this six-year-old boy shows that he has a ______ far beyond kids of his age.

The young piano genius (天才) was born ______ . But he hasn’t been held back by the difficulty. Though he can’t see, he taught himself to play the piano by ear. He ______ this when he was less than two years old, which shocked his parents. Now he has a piano teacher to help him improve his ______ . His excellent performance _______people, so they invited him to perform. He _______. After all, he wants to influence others using his example , so he welcomes every _______.

Avett Ray is very ______ about spreading his music. In fact, he asked his mom to send his videos to Adele, a ______, so that he could ask her for some advice. It is her songs that ______ him, making him decide to do something good. He hopes to use his gift to make others accept and ______ people like him. Avett Ray’s mom even ______ a book called Cotton Candy Clouds to teach people how to show support for them. “Avett Ray is a character in the book, although he appears in a small part of the book,” his mom said. “ ______ , he couldn’t see clouds, so I wrote this book to let him see them. The book says everybody is made ______ and that we’re all born with our own gifts and can do something.”

3 . Earlier this summer, my Ph.D. graduation finally came. There I _________ a poster board saying “Develop your potential”, and a _________ on it arrested my attention: “Keep trying until you get it right.” It made me stop to _________ my experiences.

I grew up with the dream of becoming a scientist. When I finished my master’s degree, I wanted to try something more _________: a doctoral degree. My dream met with a(n) _________ when I failed the entrance exam. Nearly all my friends and professors advised me to put it aside and accept the _________ I had been offered. But I was _________ the routine work would hold back my _________ for exploring. So I decided to apply abroad for doctoral programs.

I worked as a research assistant to earn a _________ while studying for the programs. I never __________ despite the difficulties and was accepted into a doctoral program in China eventually. There, I met even more __________: language problems, cultural differences etc. Yet I held the same __________ as the note writer: Keep trying. Over time, everything was __________ gradually.

I realized that by trying again and again, I have __________ my potential. By focusing more on what I achieved and less on what I __________, I learned to enjoy the process of trying and the unexpected opportunities it brought.

4 . Jack was a student at Cambridge, but his hometown was in Albans. It was _______ and the family had gone to the seaside. Jack _______ money and came home a week _______ than he had expected to. His train didn't get into Albans until _______. The last bus had gone, so he had to _______ home. As he was feeling _________, he took off his shirt to have a _______.

Suddenly the _______ burst open, the police rushed in. They _______ him sit down and began asking him questions.

“I live here,” said Jack, but nobody trusted him. They just ________ questions. Then they ________one tall, very young policeman to guard him. The rest of them went to ________ the house. Soon the others came   ________with an older man, a police officer. He asked ________questions, but he listened to Jack’s answers. “We’ll soon ________this,” he said.

He went out and came back with a small man. It was Jack’s next-door neighbor. He looked at Jack ________ through his thick glasses.

“Oh, yes, Sir, ________ Mr. Hope.” Then he disappeared very quickly. The policemen all looked ________. They were sure they had caught a thief. “Did he ring you up?” asked Jack. The police officer ________.“He ________ a light and understood your family had all gone away to the seaside.”

5 . Tim Gjoraas doesn’t have much time left. However, there’s no ________ of supportive people in his corner.

Last year, Tim found out he had cancer. In the following months, his health ________ and then he got the news that he likely only has months left to live. He quickly retired from the Washington High School and decided to devote every moment to spending with his ________.

After ________ that he may not have much time left, Tim began taking steps to ensure his loved ones will be ________ . While he was catching up with Doug Rinken, a friend and retired teacher, Tim asked him to ________ his house next summer. He ________ that his wife Lisa has always wanted blue walls. Little did he know that the job would be finished much ________! One Saturday in September, Tim opened his doors to a(n) ________ sight. Doug had shown up with paint tools and about a dozen of Tim’s fellow teachers and friends.

This wasn’t the first time they had ________ him. After they heard about his disease, they organized fundraisers to help with his medical ________ . The project took less than a day ________ their efforts. Of course, it left a ________ mark on Tim. What a powerful act of kindness! No matter what happens, Tim ________ knows he and his family members will always hold a place in their community’s ________.

6 . When I was little, my mom put her love into making traditional Chinese soups for me. I’m talking Ching bo leung (清凉补), with a lot of herbal(中草药的) ingredients that give the soup a _______ taste.

As a kid, I never _______ drinking them because the taste made me sick. But my mom would try her best to _______ me to drink her soup.

First, she would state all the health benefits that the soup has.

“How can this strange water improve my _______?” I’d roll my eyes.

Then, she’d tell me it tasted _______ this time because she added chicken to make it taste more restaurant-style.

Lastly, she’d bribe (贿赂) me with a piece of candy.

And somehow that would _______. I’d take a deep breath and drink it without stopping. After I finished, my mom would _______ eating the Chinese soup ingredients (Tang Zha in Chinese).

I _______ why she did this. I could just _______ the soup but how could she eat the soup ingredients?

She’d always say, “I ________ eating them.”

When I was young, I ________ believed her.

But as I got older, I ________ she was only saying this because she wanted the best for her daughter.

Recently, I recalled (回忆起) this ________ while feeding my daughter a mango (芒果). I cut the mango into two halves and then ________ the seed (果核).

My daughter was ________ and asked me why I ate the seed.

I told her, “Because I love eating them.”

7 . Meghana first found her passion in middle school when she successfully created water filters (过滤器) to help Indian families struggling with waterborne (水传播的) illnesses. She ________ the opportunity to be able to help people and improve their life.

Ever since she was in middle school, Meghana has been quite interested in ________ research. Her first inventions were water filters, which she was inspired to ________ after hearing about rural communities ________ the waterborne illnesses. Her latest invention, electrodes (电极) for supercapacitors (超级电容器), is also ________ to environmental science and is part of her interest in the field.

The ________, filled with trial and error, hasn’t been ________. Through ten months of research, Meghana was able to create an electrode. This creation, costing less than $1, was very ________ friendly.

Meghana has used her knowledge to help others who are also ________ about science. Following the success of her science fair projects, many science students connected with her, wanting her help on their research projects. Soon, lots of ________ came seeking help, and Meghana couldn’t ________ all of them.

________, Meghana still wanted to help as many people as possible. She ________ a ScienceFair Workshop Series program at her high school. Not only does the program help encourage students interested in science to participate in science fair projects, it also helps form a positive community where students can ask one another questions.

Bringing the program to her school is just one step towards her ________ changing the world through education. She is concerned about how difficult it is for people who have trouble ________ education resources.

“A good education allows people to think creatively, which eventually leads to development around the world,” said Meghana.

8 . Alia found herself disappointed in the drawing studio after missing out on picking her classes due to illness. She had hoped for Biology, but it was ___________ by the time she got to choose. She loved everything about science, from the way it used facts to how it revealed the basic nature of things. But ___________ was so... un-scientific.

The first class project was self-portraits (肖像). Some students were drawing self-portraits using___________. Others were working from photographs. Alia___________the incomplete outlines, feeling like a cat in a dog show.

The teacher ___________ her. “Every portrait begins with a circle,” he said. “Then you create a series of lines.” To ___________, he drew a group of small, quick portraits. He began each one with a ___________ , some straight lines, and a triangle (三角形) to determine ___________ the eyes, nose, and chin (下巴) should go.

___________, Alia began her own self-portrait. She ____________ the basic form of a head, the way she had been shown. From there, she used lines to plot the ____________ of her face. The process took patience and ____________ . She had to take note of each detail. One wrong measurement could throw off the whole ____________.

Alia was surprised by the structure and discipline involved in drawing a portrait. Measuring, studying details and ____________ the basic nature of something ______________ her of what she loved about science.

9 . For the past 18 years, my daughter has been around me all the time. Now that she is in college, the _______ of our relationship has totally changed and our relationship is completely _______. I’m not going to be there every morning to have breakfast with her. I won’t know when she’s mad or when she’s happy. Here’s a little story of our new _______.

A week ago, my daughter wanted to _______ so she called me during the day as I was in meetings. I _______her later on, but she was in class. At midnight, she reached out _______ to ask if we could talk. Well, guess what? I was _______ . I thought we would talk the next day, but she was not   _______ .

Research shows that parents are _______ when their children are grown up, but for me that is when I start to get concerned. I am always left to________ , how can I, as a parent, remain ________to my daughter to guide, support and love through life's changes?   

We may have to ________ the way we communicate. My daughter encouraged me to go digital. That’s how I ventured into the world of social media, following her updates and occasionally sharing my own experiences. Through this   ________ presence, the physical gap is ________and I feel I still have an active role in her life. This experience serves as a reminder that ________, however scary, holds the promise of growth in our shared journey.

10 . In 2018, Julie Silverman developed a bad cough. She went to her primary care doctor, who _______ her to other doctors, but no one could diagnose (诊断) the _______ of the cough, or find a way to treat it.

Over the next few years, the cough got _______ . Silverman was going to weekly appointments (预约),which was where she_______ a nurse practitioner named Alison.

“She was really _______ about this cough and often asked me how I was doing,” Silverman remembered, “I, at this point, paid little attention to her _______, because I had been told by so many doctors as ‘Just relax. You’re not responding to our_______.’”

But Alison’s response was different, and she did care about Silverman. When Silverman came in for one of her weekly appointments, Alison _______ that her condition had worsened. Alison told one of the doctors that he should _______ it carefully. When the check-up was over, Silverman could ________ by their faces something was not ________. Her airway was 75% blocked by scar tissue (瘢痕组织), which made her hardly________. “This is a very rare condition. It only happens to about one in 400, 000 people,” the doctor said. “So it is very________ if not treated.”

The diagnosis gave Silverman the information she needed to find a specialist who could________ treat her. Now she spends her time volunteering at her local hospital, riding her bike and hiking. She often ________ Alison while doing the things that bring her joy.