1 . I never thought that I had to move to another state at 14. I was doubly _________ for I had just lost my father.

My family got _________ in giving away all the things we could not carry with us. On top of the _________ was a wooden cradle (摇篮). Cradles are _________ meant for newborns, but my mother decided to _________ this big one to my friend Sara as she used to love playing in it.

Soon I got _________ with the new schedule of school, adjusting to the new city. Times fled quickly until I _________ the news of Sara’s marriage. My thoughts wandered about her and our good _________ in the native town of Kerala.

I happened to _________ the town after 20 years. What a (n) __________ -Sara’s daughter was sleeping in the very cradle from my mother. I also came to know Sara was __________ on her mother’s decision to donate this cradle and she refused. Sara, even today, treats this gift as a blessing and a sign of __________ from my mother to her. She now __________ the cradle to other babies and fetches it when they start walking.

“This is not just a material thing; this indicates our strong __________. The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its __________,” Sara said.

2 . My 10-year-old son attended an amazing half-day basketball camp with more than 60 kids. I watched how much _______ my son was having throughout the day.

Before the camp ended, there was a ________ competition. Only a few kids were picked to ________, and my son was not one of them. The competition ________ received prizes and recognition. And a few kids were titled as “all-stars” for effort,________and participation (参与).   Again, my son was not________.

When the camp ended, I could see how ________ he was. He certainly loves the sport, and his jumping skill is ________ . He would have enjoyed the recognition. But sometimes it doesn’t ________ that way.

In my mind, the day was ________. At the camp, he played with kids,________ them fiercely (激烈地) and took shots easily against them. But it was hard for him to see the result s as a small part of his day. The last thing I wanted was for these results to________ the experience.

It’s my job to help my kids think more ________. I did the math and figured out the shooting competition and awards were about 6% of the total camp. The rest of the camp, the parts that he________, were 94%. If my son felt most of the day was great—that’s a win. We can ________ the parts that disappoint us, as long as we are willing to focus on the bigger picture.

3 . I have worked with hundreds of students in my thirty-six years of Spanish teaching at Walpole High School in Massachusetts. Some of them are ________ while some are academically (学业上) at risk. ________ , only one stands out in my memory.

Vincent entered my classroom as a ________ freshman on his first day of high school. His eighth grade teacher had described him as that “ sad, introverted (内向的) boy always lowering his head.” As for his Spanish, he hadn’t had a lot of ________ before.

At first he was shy about ________ questions in Spanish. I told him I could relate to his shyness, but he needed to get over it and join in more ________ about his family and interests. Little by little Vincent became braver. Some classes even saw him not only ________ to answer questions but also share his opinions. I was beginning to view him as a ________ role model for the other students.

Once spring came I recommended he ________ the National Spanish Competition. Much to my ________ , he won the second prize. One of my ________ moments as his teacher was to call Vincent to the stage at our yearly Foreign Language Awards Night to ________ him for his outstanding performance.

Several years later when we ________ in the street, he told me my class was the first one where he had ________ success. It has impressed on me how important it is for teachers to ________ with kids and also reminded me how success produces success.

4 . When handball was introduced to Sri Lankan schools in 2010, I wanted to bring it to my school in a remote village. This became a(n) _______ task as the sports teacher was unwilling to initiate anything _______ traditional sports like basketball. Despite being an English language teacher before _______ my post as deputy principal (副校长), I was _______ to start this game at any cost.

40 students aged between 13 and 19 _______ to play. I had the support of their parents but I still couldn’t _______ the sports teacher to agree. _______ , I used my position to get the game going.

Heshan Pradeep, an alumnus (校友) and member of the Air Force handball team, volunteered to _______ the team. Although handball is an indoor game, we trained outdoors due to limited _______. Training started early in the morning before class and ________ after school until it was dark. The boys loved the game and were ________ training. After three months of devoted training, we were able to send an under-19s boys’ team to ________ with 50 other schools. Our boys played remarkably well and ________ the semifinals. The following year, nobody could ________ our team from winning the all-island schools handball championship.

The ________ sent the whole village into carnival mode. Heshan and I were much honored to have shown the boys that dreams can be fulfilled.

5 . Despite facing numerous blows, Kieran Behan kept going. This remarkable man has _________ the world, not only with his gymnastic skills, but also his unshakable _________.

Behan had a(n)_________ for gymnastics and became a part of the school team. However, his _________childhood changed when he was ten, due to an operation. The unfortunate turn of events left him in a _________. The doctors told him that he would never walk. _________, against all odds, the young Behan returned to the gym 15 months later. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again when he was 12 years old. While working on the high bar at school, Behan _________ and hit the back of his head. This brain injury damaged his inner ear, taking away the two most crucial _________ of a gymnast: balance and coordination. This time, the doctor was even more _________ that he would never walk again. Nevertheless, Behan __________ to believe any of that. Over the next three years, he made __________ to recover. He managed to make a __________ to the gymnastic world.

In 2016, Behan made it for the 2016 Olympic Games, his final Olympic appearance. He managed to complete his __________ and came in 38th in the event. Behan said, “If I’ve __________ anyone out there, then that’s a (n)__________ I’m going to be so proud of. To have gone out there and given it my all, you can’t really ask for much more.”

6 . I had always felt like I didn’t fit in the school. My true friends weren’t in the crowd of _________ kids in school, either.

Parading before me was “the fun group”— the popular kids — always laughing and whispering (窃窃私语). I wanted to be just like them and wished to be _________ .

Later, my dream came true when I joined a cheer leading team. Immediately, I_________ a lot — new hair color, new dressing style and a new group of _________. Everything I had wanted to be, I was. I was _________ one of the popular kids.

However, the more I was included with the “in crowd”, the more confused I became. _________, these people were far from _________ . They talked behind each other’s backs while they _________ to be best friends. They _________ what I was wearing, but they weren’t concerned about what my dreams were. I began to feel a sense of loss and __________.

Worst of all, I __________ that I was becoming just like them. I decided I had to get my life back in __________ . I concentrated on finding out who my real friends were — the ones who really mattered. I stayed with cheer leading, but I __________ playing with only the popular kids. I found out that my real friends had never__________ me. They were simply waiting for me. I finally learned that my __________ friends were all I would ever need.

7 . From my childhood on, my mother didn’t have a job. If she was asked to _______ a personal questionnaire, she would leave the question “Employment” (工作) _______ . She believed that her job was to be my mother—full time.

There is an old _______ of my mother and father, taken in 1942. In the photo my mother looks very beautiful, I think. When I look at the photo, I see a woman full of _______ in life. If she had _______ her mind to getting a career (事业) , the whole world would have been in her _______ . The story of her youth fully _______ this. She got a brilliant exam in one of the finest schools in the country.

_______ she has always been a housewife and mother. Everyone in the town _______ her for her great effort into charity (慈善) work, but if someone asked her what she did ________ , she answered that she was Robert Greene’s wife, and Robert’s mother.

What I ________ best from my childhood is how it felt to get home from ________ . She was always there ________ for us. Today there are probably many women seeing what she did as a ________ of my mother’s good abilities. I don’t make ________ , either. But so many years later, I still remember how it felt to rush home—and there was mum, waiting for us.

8 . Some years ago, the General Motors plant closed in our city, causing high unemployment. There was a feeling of _________ and depression. Our youth group decided to breathe some life back into our city by doing something _________ with no strings attached. We planned to buy $25 gas cards and some roses for people who might need some _________ .

Our teens had many interactions as they gave roses and the free gas cards to customers at a gas station. One interaction _________. Our boys spotted a young woman _________ her car at the gas pump. Instead of getting out, she began looking through her purse and under her seat _________. Then she put her hands and head on her steering wheel and began to _________. The students politely knocked on the window. Upon _________ the knock, the young lady wiped away her tears, tried to _________ herself and then rolled down the window. “Here’s a free gas card for you. We just want you to know that God loves you.” The young woman __________ the card, telling them she was a single mother out of job for long but was __________ about the job interview that she was on her way to. She broke down when she __________ that she would miss the interview for __________ of money to fill in the gas.

“You guys make a __________ in my life. Thank you!” Tears of __________ streamed down her face as she began pumping her gas.

9 . A 17-year-old boy Tao Tao with cerebral palsy (脑瘫) has tried to learn to count on himself through selling self-made popcorn. That _________ people online and won him a (n) _________ chance.

Over the years, Tao Tao’s mother Yao Chuanhua has _________ tried to train him to live a _________ life. As Tao Tao grew up, the idea of developing his _________ by selling popcorn has come to the mother’s mind. She _________ Tao Tao to make popcorn and helped _________ a stall (摊位) on the street. “Tao Tao, take it easy even if no one buys,”after a few words of _________, Yao stepped aside and let his son take it over.

Not used to street selling, Tao Tao _________ to attract buyers at first. To build up his confidence, the mother even __________ passers-by to buy popcorn __________, although being shy, Tao Tao has become more __________, managing the business well.

“The moment you stood here, you were already a (n) __________.” Bein g proud of Tao Tao’s __________, Yao shared videos of her son’s popcorn selling story online, receiving great __________.

Some traveled __________ to buy popcorn from Tao Tao, and one viewer even ordered thousands of bags. Many expressed a desire to __________, but Yao refused politely. “My goal is to encourage him to make a brave step forward and __________ with the outside world. I hope that one day he could live through his own __________,” Yao said.

The online video has drawn the attention of the local education authority to Tao Tao’s __________. They have arranged for teachers to offer him door-to-door teaching.

10 . I’m retired and not responsible for much these days. My wife’s work, on the other hand, is never-ending. Diana takes care of her parents in their mid-nineties,_________home and garden, volunteers for various community organizations. She is also a devoted cat lover, and cats have always been her___________of choice.

All that___________when two small black-and-brown dogs rushed into our yard and___________Diana’s heart. They were homeless dogs. In their___________for survival, the two had figured out a way to___________people and find food and shelter in the wilderness. Diana made an intended effort not to frighten them. She called them to dinner with a___________voice, letting them know they were safe. At first, they would not let her___________them. As days turned into weeks, their bond (关系) slowly grew.___________, she had them sitting in her lap and following her around the yard. My wife was instantly changed from cat lady to dog lady.

It wasn’t long before the dogs were considering their role as “watchdogs”. Their once-wild____________transformed into loyalty and devotion towards us. Their energy and enthusiasm are infectious (有感染力的),____________us to appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Their____________has put a sense of liveliness into our home. As we____________this chapter of our lives with our dog “friends”, I am grateful for the ____________joy they have brought us and the ____________they continue to teach us about the importance of kindness and unconditional love.