1 . I first started sending articles out in the 1980s. Because I was immature at that time, I sent them to all the major magazines and newspapers and _______ waited for their replies. I didn’t know that I was starting a collection of _______ letters thick enough to support a table with half a leg cut off. And since publishers _______ sending out printed letters years ago, my ever-increasing total carries _______ weight on my hard drive (硬盘).

There’s a famous Samuel Beckett saying that goes like this, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail _______.” Beckett, a well-known Irish writer, struggled against _______ in publishing just like me.

My rejection folder weighs two pounds, but that’s considerably less than the _______ of the hundreds of magazines, newspapers and books that accepted and _______ pieces of mine. The rejection folder is just a _______ that I have to do the work and keep doing it. It’s a chance to ________ what those who reject my works have to say, to be more objective about their negative ________ and to see if there is believable value to take from the ________. It’s simply a(n) ________ to make the work better — or leave it be.

That pile of rejections is a step ________ can stand on to be a bit higher on their way to “yes”. What matters is that you can’t ________ if you don’t keep sending your articles out. Fail better.

2 . Sean Sherman, aged 49, has dedicated his career as a _________ to celebrating Native American cuisine. For his efforts, he received the 2023 Julia Child Award, which _________ those who make a difference in how people cook and eat. He is the first Native American to be _________ with the award which comes with a $50,000 grant.

Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, was born and raised in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. When he was a teenager, his family _________ the reservation to Spearfish, South Dakota. He began working in local restaurants and fell in love with cooking.

_________ working as a cook early in his career, Sherman noticed that the food of _________ people was not featured on menus and that native American restaurants were not _________. He dedicated himself to studying his culinary _________, including learning to use clay grills, grow corn, and source local ingredients. He used what he learned to _________ The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous kitchen and to start a(n) __________ organization to teach others about indigenous food for free.

In 2021, Sherman opened Owamni, a restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that __________ modern indigenous dishes, such as venison tartare, smoked whitefish, and mushroom stew. The restaurant quickly became __________ and was named Best New Restaurant in the US in 2022 by the James Beard Foundation.

In his __________ statement on receiving the Julia Child Award, Sherman said he is a longtime __________ of Julia Child (1912-2004), a beloved chef for whom the award is __________. “I saw the impact food can have on the world through Julia,” he said. “I’m excited to continue her legacy through my work.”

3 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who _________ you and your goals and don’t let go!

When I was younger, I _________ because life felt so hard. I had _________to become a teacher or a business administrator. I knew I needed a college degree, but I had _________ believing in myself. Then a teacher in my high school _________ me. He told me three things: First, if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be _________ to get anyone else to believe in you. Second, never let other people’s _________ to see your brilliance prevent you from being brilliant. And third, despite life’s _________, stick to creating the future you want.

Early in my _________, I was teaching a workshop when a person in the audience yelled out to me. He told me I had __________ made a job choice and had a bright future. This __________ feedback (反馈)came at just the right time, because while the audience didn’t know it, I was __________ self-doubt.

Even now, I __________ myself that I have a bright future. That’s what I tell myself when I __________ success and failure. You have a bright future ahead. Think about this every single day. Remember your talents, skills, and interests. Explore the jobs that interest you, and have courage—and most __________, believe in yourself.

4 . Suri was a sweet boy and he was fond of elephants. However, he never had a(n)_________to see real elephants. All those he saw were only on televisions._________, when he was 25 years old, he got a chance to join a club of wildlife lovers. He asked whether they would take him to_________the elephants. And they said yes.

As they_________a beautiful village, one from the team said that the village had more than 100 elephants and Suri could enjoy the whole day. He was_________to see the elephants and screamed (尖叫) happily.

After spending two to three_________just seeing the elephants, Suri was surprised. He found those elephants were tied (系，绑) by_________ropes. He knew the strength of elephants, but_________can they be tied by such thin ropes? The trainer replied, “We used to tie them with a strong rope when they were babies. A few elephants would try to break the rope,_________we could not set them free. So as they grew, they developed a wrong belief (信念) that the small and thin ropes were too strong to break, so they continued to get tied by their belief.”

In__________lives, we sometimes may be held back by the mistakes we have experienced in the past just like the elephants, but we should have the courage to try to break them and live a free life.

5 . When Brian and Lauren got married last November, one very important person was missing: Brian's 91­year­old grandmother, Peg. After breaking her ankle, she was unable to _______ it to the couple's special day.

Peg was living for this wedding. _______ being at the hospital, she dressed up in an amazing outfit that day. About 2 hours before the ceremony, the couple decided to visit Peg. I, as their photographer, asked them if they wanted me to _______ them. At first, I really felt that it was their personal _______ and I didn't want to _______ in any way. But they wanted me to come and _______ the moment.

When they walked into that room, Peg was so _______ to see the couple. She kept saying “I can't believe you're here! ” I was closely following Lauren and Brian into the room，_______ I didn't miss Peg's every _______. Upon seeing them, her face just ________. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

This is what ________ are all about — family and love. On their big day, the couple spared time to visit Peg and made her the ________ grandma in the world. This was ________ an amazing moment and I'm thankful to photograph them.

Just a month later, Peg ________. On that day, I realized what I had done was really special for this family. Being able to give the family something that they can look back on, I am ________ with the occupation I have chosen.

6 . A woman is volunteering in ashelter. It all started because she missed her own _________ .

Sandy was at a loss when her beloved Angus died last year — terribly lonely, yet not quite______for a new dog in her life. ________, she decided to volunteer at the local animal shelter and spend some quality time with furry friends who, like her, were ________ their old buddies (伙伴).

Remembering that her dog had loved being read to, she brought along a ________   there.

It's now been 18 months sinceSandy first began ________ her chair beside the dog house. Shelter workers say it really calms down the dogs, but Sandy says it does more ________ to her than it does to the dogs.

Sandy was ________ that photos of her reading to dogs were spreading on the Internet until the media started calling. Kathleen, a fellow shelter volunteer was so touched by the sight of her     ____ to an old dog that she took a photo and posted it on the Internet. She was so ______ with the dogs — I watched her read to several — and they just loved being ________ by her, "Kathleen said.

Inspired by Sandy's style of _________, the shelter has announced that a reading marathon is being ________ for next September. The plan is to get kids in the neighborhood ______ in reading to the animals, with the added benefit of reading practice for the two-leggers, along with plenty of friendly _______ for the four-leggers.