1 . I was watching over Dad that afternoon. He was unable to walk due to his stroke (中风) and had to rely _________ on others for most of his needs. At the moment he was _________ in another world in his wheelchair, with his head hanging down, seeming content and yet somehow _________.

Sometimes he’d get so frustrated because all he saw were his _________. To encourage him to do all that he could still do, including exercising his legs, I had to _________ him of all that he had done. He’d even get angry when I kept requiring him to do that, but I didn’t _________. It was a battle of the _________.

So _________ to motivate him, this time, I quietly said to him, “Hey, Dad, do you remember the day you taught me to cross the big street on my bike?” His _________ suddenly broke, and slurred (含混不清地说话), “Certainly,” raising his head. “You got to the middle of the street and ____________.” His eyes and mouth smiled and his face ____________.

Ahh, there’s my ____________, I thought. “So scared was I that I couldn’t move, I remembered. You walked with me from one side of the street to the other. With your tender voice and ____________ smile, you repeated, ‘It’s okay, you’re doing fine.’ I made it. Dad, you helped me to be all I could be.” Dad nodded and smiled.

And as we ____________ the day, he held his head up higher, and soon he was ____________ to exercise his legs. Wearing a gentle voice and a peaceful smile, I said, “It’s okay, Dad, you’re doing fine.”

2 . Chris Raven, a former IT professional, found a new career after retirement. As a child, he had a(n) ________ for woodwork and music, but his career took a different ________. After retirement, he ________ his two loves and became a flute (长笛) maker.

Raven ________ this unique journey at the age of 70, after decades in IT. He was ________ in a musical family, with both his parents ________ in music. He played the flute in his teenage years. And his love for the ________ was reawakened in his 40s.

Due to a long lack of practice, his woodworking skills has ________. One day, when Raven found his old school reports ________, which showed his best subjects were music and woodwork. That led him to ________ his passion for the two again.

Around the age of 70, he signed up to an Irish flute making workshop. ________, Raven spends at least four days a week in the workshop, carefully ________ each flute. He has ________ his skills in wood turning, silverwork, leatherwork, and French polishing. He even cleared out his garage to settle a lathe (车床), bandsaws, milling machine and other ________.

Raven loves the feel of the wood and the smell of it when he is working. He feels ________ with his work, stating, “You could call it a job, but I never think of it as that.”

3 . For me and my father, running is not just a workout but also a bonding experience. Since 2020, I have_________my father, serving as his eyes. My 5l-year old father, born with a vision disorder, had_________depression for a long time due to his disability. As a___________runner, I suggested he take up running to relieve his _________”

However, running wasn’t_________ for him in the beginning. I first bought a secondhand treadmill(跑步机) online, but he gave up after a few_________as he felt that he couldn’t use it due to his_________ of physical exercise and sight. Then I came up with an idea and ___________to run with my father,___________him of the turns and obstacles on the road. After sometime we were able to keep pace with each other. He slowly developed a__________for running. What is more, his health improved and his blood pressure __________.

I often felt sorry when I heard the neighbors gossip about my father’s__________and complained as a child. But now running has brought us ____________. I know life is challenging, but still full of hope.

We have even joined a club-Running in the Dark—for runners with visual impairment and are preparing to run a half marathon. He has also____________to help other disabled people.

“You are my hero,” I told him____________.

4 . It was the middle of the winter 30 years ago. I struggled to live as a young father with two little children _________ on me. My college education, however, _________ helped me find a good job. I worked in a sawmill (锯木厂), cutting, packaging and sending wood. The job was _________, but the pay was low. Cutting wood for eight hours a day extremely _________ my fingers, which were bleeding at their tips in the cold, dry winter air.

One day, I drove my old car in the _________ to the sawmill. The work was harder than normal. The machines kept _________. We had to repair them once in a while. We were worn out and out of _________. All the heaters didn’t work, but we spent hours in the cold air packaging the hard wood to be _________ across the country in the trucks.

When the work day finally ended, I felt really _________. I took off my gloves and checked my __________. They were bleeding again, and I felt more __________ than ever. The snow was still falling. I got into my car, started the __________ and drove back home. Looking at the aching fingers, I tried to hold back my tears because I knew it was no use __________. I believed that everything would get better with effort.

Then I tried to put a __________ on my face as I opened my door. My children ran up to me, calling out, “Daddy!” My wife had prepared a rich meal. My heart was suddenly filled with happiness and warmth. I realized that it was __________ to work for my family.

5 . Several years ago, Jim and his wife Emily had just been handed the keys to their new Manhattan apartment on 22nd Street. They were _________ that there were piles of letters _________ to Santa coming to the apartment. It had been years and no one knew why.

After they _________ in their new home, a few letters came in from kids or parents asking “Santa” for gifts they could not otherwise _________. And in the month of Christmas, they were _________ into the apartment. Though they _________ to as many as they could, writing notes, even buying gifts, Jim is not Santa, _________, and they could do only so much.

However, one night, when Jim and Emily threw a party, a _________ appeared. Guests noticed letters at the corner of the dining room and asked about them. “I told them the _________,” Emily said. “__________, they said ‘I’ll take a letter. I’ll __________ it.’” Therefore, Miracle on 22nd Street, a community-based volunteer organization that responded to children’s letters to Santa, was __________.

Working with other nonprofits, they invited economically __________ families to the online platform to request gifts for their children. At the same time, donors, could sign up to buy gifts for a child or family. Now Jim no longer __________ why the letters come to the apartment. Instead, helping the families is what it’s all about for him. “It’s part of Christmas for me,” he says. “It’s the same for the __________ and families. They look forward to it.”

6 . At 28 years old, I lost my job as a full-time magazine editor. I’d always dreamed of becoming a self-employed writer, but I _______ doing it at 35 or even 40 years old, _______   I had a more solid(坚实的) financial footing.

Despite the fear I felt at _______ this dream before I was ready, it was my best, most practical _______ at the time. With my husband’s encouragement, I took a leap of faith, _______ my fear and jumped.

I’ve been working for myself full-time for two years. Not only am I happier thanks to a(n) _______ schedule and the freedom to take on the projects I want, but I’m earning much more than I did as a _______ editor.

When it comes to big dreams, many of us plan out every last detail so that we feel     _______for success. But often, this over-planning prevents us from ever taking action. No matter how much planning we do, we’ll never feel 100% ready.

When Jennifer Qiao got _______ , she struggled to find a modern version of a cheongsam, a traditional Chinese wedding dress, and an idea was________. Neither she nor Vivian Chan, her co-founder, had experience in entrepreneurship(创业). They didn’t even know if there was a ________ for their products in the U.S. But they decided to just start small and test out their idea ________. They never truly felt ready to start a(n) ________ , let alone make custom wedding dresses. However, through hard work, trial and error, they’ve   ________their team to a successful company.

Never let over-planning get in the________ of you taking action.

7 . David Flucker celebrated his 100th birthday on June 22 with his big family and many other volunteers, but it doesn’t mean he’s got any plans to slow down. ________, he still went to work at a hospice (救济院) shop the next day as usual.

Despite being 100 and a grandfather of seven , David has a deep love for the________ role. He spends two hours travelling to the________, and another two travelling back. His________ includes two buses and a 20-minute walk each way, which he does consistently regardless of the________.

David doesn’t work behind the scene but________ working with the public. “I work three days a week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which are the________ days,” said the senior. “We get a lot of donations and I have got to________ them all to be on the safe side. It is a(n) ________ feeling to be doing something. I’m happy to be useful at my age. ”

When David isn’ t working, he likes to________ his garden--growing vegetables, watering flowers and weeding, or________. He also loves to build model railways which he sells to ________ money for the hospice. He said he liked to be totally occupied and his ________ years were no barrier to enjoying himself .

We admire David Flucker who like others his age could have chosen to sit at home and________, but this man has the good of others in his heart and is stepping out daily to make a________ in people’ s lives.

8 . For everyone, vacations are a great way to take a break and enjoy a good book. The Spring Festival is coming up so this is the _______ time to discuss some great English language literature to take on a long train journey or while you’re _______ with the family.

Before getting into the recommendations, we need to _______ your English reading comprehension level so you don’t pick a book which is so _______ that it’s stressful or so simple that it’s _______. If you’re at the beginner level, there are two _______: reading a children’s book or reading a book that you’ve read in the Chinese version. This will help you _______ any unfamiliar words or phrases, since you’re already _______ with the story. If you’re at the intermediate (中等的) level, _______ books like pop fiction, mysteries and thrillers are good options, as they’ll be ________ page turners and that will increase the ________ of your getting all the way through the book. For ________ readers, classic works of literature or modern prize winners are good options.

The most important thing is to pick a book that you’re really interested in. When I pick up a new book, the first few chapters are always really ________ to get through, as I have to get accustomed to the ________ the individual author uses the language. But after the first few chapters, things get a lot ________, especially if I get involved in the story.

9 . The Cajun Navy is a group of volunteer small boat owners who help people during bad storms and floods. The group _________ volunteering during Hurricane Katrina. During that storm alone, they _________ more than 10, 000 people from flooded homes and rooftops! Since then, they have saved more lives around the US! The Cajun Navy has gone to save during many of the worst _________ that hit the US, such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Florence.

Using their _________, they always go into places where people and animals are trapped by floodwaters. They bring their small boats and great skills to find those who are _________ and then they _________ them to safety.

Many of the volunteers are fishermen and _________ boat pilots. They, who come from the Southeast United States, are experienced in _________ through a series of swamps (沼泽) and narrow waterways. The skills they have help them find the way around _________ floodwaters.

A reporter __________ his feelings and praised them after the Cajun Navy stepped in to help during bad flooding in Louisiana, “The __________ were volunteers from the Cajun Navy, who had no ranks, no uniforms, no __________ medals awarded to them for acts of bravery. It was a selfless heart, not a commanding officer, that called them into risky __________ to carry endangered citizens to higher and safer ground.”

The Cajun Navy is a great example of character in action. They often put themselves in danger to __________ others. And they do not do it for money or attention, but __________ because they can help and they want to help.

10 . Two heroic teenage lifesavers were praised after rescuing a drowning man from Lake Mul-wala.

Grace Creenaune, 17 and Erica Montgomery, 18 were on duty ________ as lifeguards at the local water park on Tuesday, when two men bought tickets to go into the park.

Staff ________ the men had been drinking and they were ________ to leave. After getting their money back, the men left quietly crossing the road to Lake Mulwala where they ________ into the water. They were swimming out of sight of the staff when one of them got into ________. So his partner ran for ________, straight back to the park where they had been asked to leave.

Grace said that was when their training ________. “He was probably about 20 metres out, and when we got to him, he was completely underwater and we ________ to pulled him back onto shore,” Grace said.

The pair had ________ been lifeguards for a short period of time. Erica said it was quite a(n)________. “Looking back on it now it’s a lot more ________ than it was at the time.”

The girls’ boss said she was extremely ________ of them, saying they had put themselves in danger. “There is no ________ that if they had no training or quick response, the man would not have ________,” she said. “I really appreciate their courage to take the ________.”