1 . A man came home from work late, ________, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”

“That’s ________ of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said ________.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”

“If you ________ know, I make $20 an hour.”

“Oh”, the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I please borrow $10?” The father got angry immediately and flatly ________. After about an hour or so, the man had ________ and started to think: maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he didn’t ask for money very often anyway.

The man stepped into the little boy’s room ________. “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier.” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I was just in a bad _________. Here’s the $10 you ________.” The little boy sat ________, smiling. “Oh, thank you, Daddy!” he ________. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled (皱巴巴的) bills.

The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to ________ about his purpose. As the little boy slowly ________ his money, the father asked ________, “Since you already have the money, why do you want more money?” “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I ________ an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

2 . My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at ________. As for me, I ________ both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together was really unforgettable. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and ________ Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the ________ lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything went well with the tiller（舵柄）in his hands. When we were in the middle of the lake, a strong wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit ________. Dad was always at his best in any ________, but at this moment he ________.

“John! ________!” he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his hands.

In my memory he could fix any ________. He was the one I always ________ for strength and security.

Before I could respond, a wave of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ________ it was too late. Another huge wall of water ________ the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad quickly and assisted him in climbing onto the hull（船壳）of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of ________. “It’s all right, Dad. We are safe now,” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start ________ for my father.

4 . Five years ago, I was a trail ride leader at a holiday farm in Victoria. My favourite horse was a warmblood, called Holly. Aged seven, she was _________ , sweet-nature d and well-trained; the only _________ with Holly was her vivid imagination. I was constantly surprised by Holly’s ability to be _________ by rabbits, the wind or even shadows — sometimes her own shadow!

One day, as we headed back from a ride on the beach, Holly and I were _________ the way over the hilly area. When we got to one particularly long, steep hill, Holly began to twitch (抽动) her ears and step in place. So, when she _________ to sniff (嗅) and give all the _________ that she believed the ‘horse-eating monsters’ were close, I became a little worried.

At the bottom of the hill as we rounded a corner, Holly _________ with caution, and so I followed her gaze to the path ahead. There, sunny itself in the middle of the track, was a brown _________. This time it was my _________ to get scared; I was on a nervous horse, leading a group of eight inexperienced pre-teen riders. Unexpectedly, Holly was firmly__________, ears forward. With the snake in her sight, she was no longer frightened.

I have heard that horses have a better sense of __________ than dogs. I hadn’t seen it __________ before that moment. __________ , while we waited in reality for just a second or two but for what felt like a century—the snake awoke and moved calmly off into the bush.

Holly then __________ , leading the horses with caution and care. She had been alert (警觉的) to danger and had been __________ for the safety of us all. Following in the footstep of their lead horse, not one of the other horses showed any fear.

7 . Skydiving has always held a fascination for me. Despite the fear, there is something that _________ me to it. It is an adventure, making me feel_________ but thrilled, with the world opening up before me in mere seconds.

November 24, 2021; a day perfect for my solo skydiving —sunny, with little wind.

After going through safety rules with my coach, I _________ with faith. As I flew through the air, the adrenaline (肾上腺素) ran through my veins.

However, after 30 seconds, I realized I was lower than anticipated. Urgently, without stabilizing my body position, I _________ to pull my parachute (降落伞), only to have it wrap around my leg. I tried to untie the lines, but my efforts were _________.

With the ground getting closer, I prepared to _________. As an optimist, I didn’t think it would be destructive. _________, the automatic reserve (备用) parachute opened. I gained some control, directing myself toward grass, which I hoped would _________ a softer landing.

The _________ turned out far from gentle. I lay in __________ pain, screaming for help. The skydiving club members arrived quickly but they didn’t dare do anything due to the risk of __________ my injuries. Soon, the air ambulance crew came with __________, offering temporary relief.

Severe injuries cast __________ on my future. No one could guarantee if I would walk again. Sticking to my determination, remarkably, I took my first steps in three months.

My enthusiasm for skydiving __________ after that horrifying experience. As I embark on another journey later on, I will carry with me the undefeated __________ that pushed me to challenge my limits.

8 . Margaret Thompson and her husband, Kenneth, stretched their legs together on walking holidays in Switzerland. In Interlaken, they would head up the mountain and watch the paragliders (滑翔伞运动员) ______ themselves into the sky. Back in town, in a large park, they watched them return to the ______ . “Some day I’d love to do that,” Thompson told Kenneth.

But there was always so much to do in Interlaken. _______, Thompson didn’t know if Kenneth would have ______ it. “He was not so keen on heights as I was,” she said. So she ______ to watch the gliders take flight and land.

Kenneth died in 2005. Eleven years later, Thompson ______ took to the skies herself, in a paraglider at the age of 80. Although some people get scared while flying, she said she just feels ______ . Thompson did her second paraglide when she turned 85.

Thompson asked the organizers about the age ______ for paragliding. They said: “Any age, as long as you’re ______.” Thompson, now 86, plans her third flight for when she is 90.

Thompson______ living above her parents’ shop in Belfast. At 18, she helped in the shop while ______ for her music diplomas (文凭) in Stranmillis, south Belfast. She started to ______ piano to local children, and at the height of her teaching she gave 70 ______ a week. She still has 15 pupils on her books.

Is she scared of getting older? “Fear? No. People say: ‘Isn’t getting old ______ ?’ I say: ‘No. You are free to do more things that you want to do,’” Thompson said.

“People might worry about falling, it being the end of them. But that doesn’t ______ me at all. When it’s your time, it’s your time. No matter where you are,” Thompson added.

9 . I hate heights. I ________ when a hotel clerk places me higher than the third floor. On sightseeing trips, I need a lot of gentle ________ from my companions before stepping onto the observation decks. Then I counted the minutes ________ , until their elevators returned me safely to the ground.

But I was ________ for parasailing. Each time I glance up to see someone ________ from beneath a brightly colored parachute, I’d wave back with admiration, ________: What would it be like to see the beach from high above? I hope someday I can find the answer ________ .

Years later, on a family trip to Lake Erie’s islands, we ________ to choose one thing we most wanted to do. Visit a museum? Hear live music? We surfed the Internet, researching the ________ And then I remembered those ________ . We booked our reservation.

The next morning, I ________ with myself. Part of me wanted to ________ : “I just can’t.” But another part knew those ________ voices would never pipe down unless I made my dream true.

Then, I was high up in the sky. I kept waiting to ________ as I’d imagined it would be just like those horrible skyscraper visits. But it was the very ________ . High above, I felt so calming and peaceful, surrounded by that blue.