1 . Back in high school, I loved nothing more than going bowling. From freshman to junior year, starting and leading my school’s bowling club helped me come out of my ________. As time went on, our team began winning local and even ________ tournaments. These victories not only ________ my popularity but also allowed me to form meaningful connections. Man, life was great back then.

Still the bowling memory that really stuck out to me was ________ I met Leroy. I was already a junior by then, and he was still a young freshman. The strange thing about it, ________, was how he would always ________ in the back, watching others play. ________ his regular presence, he seemed too nervous and shy to play or even talk with others.

Then one evening something remarkable happened. During a game, I ________ Leroy actually picking up a bowling ball for the first time. He ________ to lift the lightest ball up, and with each throw, the ball ________ in the gutter lane (边沟), resulting in straight zeroes across the board.

That’s, when I finally went over to say hi to Leroy. ________ to see me, Leroy nervously cracked a smile and murmured with ________, “I just can’t manage the ball...” Reassuringly, I responded, “It’s no big ________. Everyone was a green hand once.” My words seemed to ________ his tension, and in the following hours, he ________ as I taught him how to bowl step by step. From his words, I realized how ________ he had desired to join the bowling club and how lonely he felt without friends.

That was the beginning of our friendship. Since that night, playing together and sharing our life stories has become our weekly ________. I was delighted to see Leroy’s significant progress through ________ efforts. He was a fast learner and soon ________ a spot on the team. What’s more, Leroy gained confidence to try new things. It was through practising bowling that his brand new life journey ________. As bowling enthusiasts, we’ll always cherish the sincere friendship and get the ball rolling forever.

2 . When you are concerned about your uninspiring exam grades or sporting performance, psychologist Adam Grant has some good news. “_________ is less a matter of natural talent, but more of nurturing (培养) hidden potential,” he says. Grant has experienced this__________.

As a(n) _________ in multiple fields now, it is hard to believe Grant has ever been anything less than highly________. As a child, his body wasn’t _________ to touch his toes as a teenage diver; he was told he _________ remedial (辅导的) classes for writing; he was too _________ to speak publicly. However, his father always cheered him up, “I believe you have hidden potential in all these areas.”

Despite these _________, his father’s firm belief in his potential and Grant’s determination _________his continuous pursuit s pursuit of excellence. _________, he made it to be on the US Junior Olympic diving team, write five best-selling books and speak to _________audiences. Overtime, he discovered that talent could be nurtured through _________. Grant’s transformation also serves as a _________ to the power of belief in one’s potential.

Much of our _________ to discover hidden potential lies in underestimation. When someone struggles with something, we _________ that’s not for me, and that I don’t have that talent, rather than trying to nurture something we’re yet to _________ in. Consequently, we _________ ourselves.

“I used to believe that you could _________ where you would land from where you start,” Grant says_________to that, Grant’s transformative journey demonstrates the profound ________ of being encouraged and hard work on one’s path to success.

3 . As the other four players enjoy the crucial victory in an Arena Of Valor competition, they remained unaware that their teammate Lu Dong is a Paralympic _________ champion who plays with her feet.

At 32, Lu Dong has _________ a lot of medals over her 19-year swimming career. Meanwhile, she has enriched her daily life by _________ into various hobbies.

Lu _________ an interest in Arena Of Valor in 2017. _________, her appearances in internet cafes drew a lot of curious glances, which made her _________ However, it also led to generous compliments when others _________ her remarkable skills. “They praised me after watching me play so well with my feet, which gave me a sense of _________,” Lu said. Besides video games, Lu has _________ an hour daily to piano practice for the past three years and has also __________ her skills in both cooking and beauty makeup.

Losing her __________ in a childhood accident, Lu stop participating in P. E. classes to avoid __________ in her elementary school days, which made her physically and mentally __________. Luckily, she was recommended to join the provincial swimming team in 2004. She won two golds and two silvers in the youth group of the National Championship in 2005, earning a __________ in the national squad (代表队). Lu’s __________ performances in the pool caught the eye of Beijing Sports University in 2020, __________ the beginning of her college journey.

Changing from a (n) __________ girl to a national champion, Lu gained immense confidence. She no longer __________ to wear T-shirts in summer or to tuck her sleeves into her pockets in winter.

“It was swimming that __________ the girl who always talked a lot and the girl who was brave enough to __________ the fixed image of the disabled.” Lu said.

4 . Rehan Staton was close to giving up on his dreams. His father, who was his family’s mere provider, struggled to make _________ meet. There were times when Rehan was_______ meals and went to school on an empty stomach, as his dad was always at work.

His education suffered because of all the _______ his family was going through. By the 7th grade, Rehan’s grades rapidly_________. Instead of bringing him down, this hardship_________ him to turn to sports. It was at this point that Rehan became _______ about athletics and boxing. At the time, his father met an engineer, who offered to _______ the boy for free. This chance seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel(隧道). Unfortunately, just when things were starting to ___________, Rehan’s dreams of becoming a boxer were _______by a severe injury.

The young boy was________ by every college he applied to. He was forced to get a ________to help his family keep the________over their heads. His job as a garbage collector at the trash company________to offer him more opportunities than he could ever imagine.

At the company, he finally found people that saw his great________. Most of his colleagues encouraged the bright boy to continue with his________. A higher-up from Rehan’s work heard about his story and helped him register at Bowie State University.________, he was admitted into Harvard Law School.

The 24-year-old’s success story now ________   many young people to never stop following their dreams. Rehan himself started ________ youngsters facing adversity(困境), in a________to help them use their full potential________the difficulties they’re going through.

5 . It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different primary schools in and around the small town were warming up. I looked around and ______spotted David. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other______. He hesitated and then said he had decided not to______.

What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event! I quickly searched for the school’s ______ and asked him what had happened. He said that kids from other schools would ______David. After making sure that David could run if he ______ to, I decided to have a talk with David.

David had a brain ______ which prevented him from walking or running like other children, but he always participated to the ______of his ability in whatever they were doing. That was why none of the children thought it ______ that David had decided to join the cross-country team. It just took him ______— that’s all. As a special education teacher at the school, I was familiar with the ______ David faced and was proud of his strong ______.

I came up to David and ______ him. Finally, he was determined to______ the race. Half an hour later, the race ______, but he had only gone a few meters before he tripped and ______on the ground. My heart ______. As I started to shout encouragement, other voices around me took up the ______. “Come on David, you can do it!” David picked himself up and started again. Needless to say, David ______ last. And he raised his arms high as he ______ the finish line to wild cheers and applause.

6 . Kelsie’s grandmother always encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and try new things. The two of them were especially ______ because it was her grandparents who raised Kelsie rather than her parents. Sadly, her grandmother passed away last year.

One ______ her grandmother pushed her out of her comfort zone was ______ her to sing more, especially in public. Kelsie gave it a shot, but it didn’t turn out as she’d ______.

“I once tried to sing in church,” she said. “The music started playing and I just ______.”

Luckily, Kelsie didn’t ______. She took the American Idol ads as a ______ from her grandmother for her to take another chance on ______.

Taking this leap was no small courage for this ______ 18-year-old. As she grew up in the country and had never been on a plane before, just getting to the audition (试唱) would mean experiencing lots of ______. Not only was she about to ______ for the first time ever, but she was about to do so before ______ Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.

Kelsie chose to sing “Piece by Piece” by Kelly. All three judges were ______ by Kelsie’s voice. But the judges could tell Kelsie’s ______ held her back. After much encouragement, they asked her if she could sing the second song she had ______: “When We Were Young” by Adele.

At first, Kelsie’s ______ remained the same. But as Perry shouted out instructions to cheer her up, something ______ happened. Kelsie eventually walked out of her ______ and performed wonderfully. The judges were so ______ by her excellent first performance that they couldn’t help but say, “You are ______ going to Hollywood!”.

We can’t wait to see where Kelsie’s singing career takes her!

7 . In the crowded hallways of high school, Edward, towering at 6 feet 5 inches, stood out. Yet, despite his _________, he seemed to shrink（退缩）into the background, typically sitting alone at the back of the class. He had no friends and always ate lunch _________. Sensing Edward’s loneliness, his teacher, Harriet recognized the need to offer him _________.

One evening, while _________ the final test papers, Harriet _________ at Edward’s paper, which was likely to receive a low grade of D. _______, deep down, she wished to give him more than just a D grade, feeling that he deserved better. Feeling exhausted and ready to _______ home, she was surprised when Edward walked into the room, looking terrible.

Edward’s eyes were filled with sadness, his clothes appeared _______ for weeks, and his hair was messy. Edward looked at the teacher and said, “I know I`m getting a low grade on my final. I realize I’m an embarrassment to others. I’m a lazy, selfish and stupid person with no _______.”

In that moment. Harriet perceived（察觉到）________Edward’s sorrow, she saw his potential. Encountering his hopeless look, she said, “Edward, your final grade is an A.” These words ________ Edward with total surprise, and his eyes ________. Harriet continued, “In my heart, you are ________ to get an A. I believe in you and I will always be here for you. Now, go and ________ the life you dream of. You’ll go far in the future as long as you work hard continually and I’ll be there, ________ you on every step of the way.

Those words __________ a seed of hope in Edward’s heart and helped him believe in his worth. This newfound confidence __________ him to change. His grades began to improve, and by the time he finished college, he had __________ a completely different person. Today, Edward stands proudly, not only in physical stature（身高）but also in his remarkable achievements, having become a world-famous dentist.

This story clearly exemplifies（例证）how powerful language can be in our lives. It vividly shows how words can __________ our attitudes and relationships. __________ the proverb goes, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” This illustrates that what we say can have a significant impact on ourselves and those around us.

8 . In 2013, Alie Ward’s life was falling apart. In a matter of months, her relationship with her partner ended, her dad was _________ with a rare form of cancer, and she was also feeling a gap between the career she had chosen and the person she wanted to be.

To distract herself from her _________, Ward liked to find and take _________ of bugs which she has loved since she was a little kid. Sometimes, if she found a beetle or a bee that she particularly liked, she’d _________ it on Facebook. Those posts attracted the _________ of a woman named Lila Higgins, who studies _________ at the local natural history museum. After seeing Ward’s pictures, Higgins _________ to Ward and invited her to go on a tour of the museum.

At that time Ward was emotionally fragile, and meeting someone new in that state made her nervous and teary. However, her passion for bugs outweighed her anxiety.

Upon Ward’s arrival at the museum, Higgins warmly _________ her and handed her a lab coat. She then led Ward through various _________. “I remember she opened up this freezer, like, ‘Come check this out,’ and it was full of dead bugs,” Ward recalled. “Although lifeless, these samples held significance for the natural history museum, serving as evidence to nature’s diversity. I was also impressed by how __________ Higgins was, which made me feel passionate about the work for the first time in a long time,” Ward continued. Noticing Ward’s __________, Higgins suggested she __________ at the museum for a few hours every week.

Despite her doubts, Ward decided to __________ Every Wednesday, she’d arrive at the museum. And with each volunteer __________, she felt a little bit better. “It gave me this sense of __________. It helped me reconnect with my love of __________ and nature that I’d always had,” Ward said.

Soon, Ward __________ her job and started working in science media. She now is the creator and host of a podcast called Ologies. Ward had Higgins on the show as her first __________. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t taken her up on her __________. What would my life have been like? It’s not a nice thought. Who would I be? You know, Lila Higgins, in one instant, __________ my whole life,” said Ward.

9 . Over 20 years ago, Hankerson was trying to call her sister who lived in Maryland. She had____to share her sad stories in life with her sister. But____dialing the area code 410, she____401. The mistake ended up____her to Mike from Rhode Island.

“ When she realized that she had called a wrong number, she made a sincere____. She   was well-mannered and very sweet. Then she____quickly,”recalled Mike.

After that, Hankerson called again a few more times over the next few weeks.Through their____, Mike learned that Hankerson, who lives in Delray, Florida, had been attempting to____her sister.

Hankerson said Mike came at a____time in her life when she and her husband got divorced (离婚). However, she said Mike always____her spirits. And she was so____because she could feel the great kindness and encouragement from a(n) ____stranger. Over the next few years, the two____a good relationship by phone, chatting about their____— Hankerson is the mother of two, and Mike, a father of three.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the pair finally____when Mike was on a trip to Florida with his wife and children.“Oh, it was a truly____day. It was really the happiest Thanksgiving for me,” Hankerson said. “It was full of____and sunshine. That really made my day.”

After their meeting, Mike____the photo of him and Hankerson on Facebook.   He also wrote, “ The____between people in this world is just a wrong number phone call away. It is really____.”

10 . My knees started shaking, yet my body froze. It felt as though my soul left my body and I had no _______ of it. I looked through the list posted on the wall _______. My heart sank as I saw all my friends’ names on that list but was _______ to find mine.

Tears filled my eyes. Just then, a group of students _______ to see the final team list. Every one of them jumped with _______ after seeing that they made the basketball team. Trying to _______ about the situation, I walked home. However, I walked _______ and it felt as if I had a100-pound weight tied to my backpack. My mind was also _______.

Noticing my _______ facial expression, my father asked me what was wrong. “I didn’t make the basketball team,” I replied. “What are you going to do about it? Are you just going to sit there?” he asked.

I just shook my head and ________ myself in my room. Being alone in my room, I thought hard about what my dad said, and it started ________ to me. Nobody was going to give me a(n) ________ on that team. I would have to ________ it. Then I decided to take action. Conveniently, there was a ________ near my school, and I biked there after school every day and trained hard for two hours. I wasn’t sure if I could finally make it, but I ________ it.

After almost a year of ________, I tried out for my seventh-grade team. ________ the result, I knew I’d worked hard and learned about mental ________. The next day, I found out I made the team. As the saying goes, “The greater the ________, the sweeter the reward.” I couldn’t ________ with it more.