1 . It was January 2016, when dark clouds hid the day. Jeremy and his girlfriend, Molei Wright, were _________ for a weekend of fun with friends on the slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado. They were two _________ Colorado natives: ambitious and _________, both lovers of books, music, the outdoors. They’d been together for less than a year, but it had taken only a few dates to realise that they could be well _________. As the car began the winding climb toward the destination, the snow came earlier than they’d _________ , but Jeremy wasn’t worried. He’d driven this route a thousand times, and he knew exactly what to do. However, a truck _________ them. One minute, Jeremy’s car was _________ smoothly through the falling snow; the next, he found himself pinned to his seat by the wheel and he _________ with pain. To his right he saw Molei, who was injured seriously, without motion and reaction. Jeremy fell into _________.

Henry, an officer on holiday trained in emergency medicine, was driving on the same road not far behind Jeremy and __________ instantly when he saw the wreck. While his wife calmed the trapped and __________Jeremy, Henry worked __________. Protecting Molei’s head and neck, he carefully pulled her out of the wreckage (残骸) and __________ her chest to bring her heart back to life. Meanwhile, Henry’s wife called the emergency center, and soon an ambulance arrived and rushed Molei to a hospital, where she was treated __________. If it hadn’t been Henry’s professional first aid, Molie couldn’t have made it to hospital alive. It was really a __________.

2 . My life is full and active taking care of my grandson. But weeks ago, he headed for an overseas holiday, I was left feeling _______ and lost. I needed something extraordinary to lift my _______.

Then one day, I entered the Coffee Club near my home and _______ a cup of coffee. I settled into a comfortable sofa, _______ tasting the delicious drink. After a while, I approached the waitress and handed her my _______. She smiled and said, “That’s already been paid for.”

I looked at her in _______. “Really?” Then she said the words I’ll never forget. “It was a _______ of kindness, and it happens a lot.”

I was shocked. I never really _______ these things though I had heard about them. Today, I _______ it firsthand. Good, kind people are out there in the world. And they ________ when you need them most. I left home this morning feeling, somewhat lost. I returned with a ________ in my step, excited about sharing my story and ________ the kindness.

Two weeks later, I paid for a girl in the Coffee Club. The only thing is, this time, the Coffee Club did it ________. The waiter pointed me out. She couldn’t believe it and ________ me. I simply smiled, explaining that I was passing on the ________ I’d received not long ago.

3 . I had never picked up a camera before my freshman year in 2012, when my journey to an artist began. For four years, I ________ G-Star School of The Arts, where my ________ for photography and filmmaking were awaken.

Having seen my first short film, my teacher came over, saying: “You got a good ________. Why not consider doing this as your profession. I think you’ve got a ________ in it”. Then, it clicked. I, therefore, ________ my bank account and bought my first camera.

Since then, I was amazed by the ________ the world has to offer. I have to ________, though: I, shy and chicken-hearted, tended to capture nature-related scenes, ________ anything to do with people.

As I was ________ my way, I started photographing myself, the only one I felt ________ with. The camera soon became my strongest ________, serving as the tool for how I expressed myself. Gradually, I gained enough ________ to start taking photos of other people, greatly touched by how I was able to ________ the best in them through the lens (镜头).

Each year, I would look back on all of the shots I did that year and would ________ them to the first one I ever took in my career. Although the progress seemed substantial, I realized the key to growth as an artist is to never be ________. This allows me to create progressively better work year after year.

4 . The Ladakh region, the northernmost plateau of India, sits more than 3,000m above sea level. The tall Himalayan mountains stop the _________ rains from coming there. So Ladakh has usually been _________ in the sun for 300 days per year. Floods were _________ unheard of before. However, floods have _________ four times since 2010 owing to climate change.

A decade and a half ago, the Ladakhi land provided villagers with a _________ water supply. Winter snow melted (融化) to _________ rivers and provided water for agriculture in the spring. But climate change has seen average winter _________ in Ladakhi rise. The snow melts faster, _________ villagers with little or no water in the spring. More and more _________ are leaving.

Despite that, there is __________ for this region. In 2019, engineer Sonam Wangchuk __________ unmelted ice under a bridge, sheltered from the sun. __________, he had an idea. Wangchuk wanted to help villagers __________ water in winter which could be saved for use in the spring. Freezing it in the shape of a cone (圆锥体) could maximize the volume of ice per surface area exposed to the sun and __________ the amount of time it would take to melt.

The engineer and a team of local people began looking for the best way of creating cones of ice. Eventually, they did it. Now named ice towers, they have gained __________ all across Ladakh.

5 . Every Saturday we trained with the same marathon running club. I had no idea he was blind because he _________ past me alongside his guide runner. It took a few weeks before I was _________ asking him what, if anything, he could see. I wasn’t just _________ by his running times. He also had a beautiful smile that lit up the room.

We had our first _________ date climbing the famous sand dune on Pacific Coast Highway. Eight years into our marriage, Adrian decided to learn to _________, so he could fulfill his dream of competing in an Ironman triathlon.

Adrian’s first lesson was a _________, but his coach’s enthusiasm was short-lived. His next instructor was easy to give in and recommended my husband _________ swimming. So, being a competitive swimmer in high school, I was _________ I could teach him.

Soon I realized how much of a _________ swimming was for my husband, even with a tether rope. His progress at each lesson was slow but __________. Nearly a month later, he tried without the tether rope, but __________ going in the wrong direction. Every time I raised my voice over the roaring waves he felt so __________ by my instructions.

Fortunately these days we laugh because Adrian is even faster than I am. He has grown more __________ with me when I have to raise my voice. I, __________, no longer say, “You went the wrong way!”, which makes him feel bad. Instead, I say, “Over here,” to which he ________ , and then swims back toward me.

8 . I’d been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So it was a _________ when I found myself lost there.

One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden _________ to hike the hill with my two daughters. Putting on our snowshoes, we immediately _________ northwestward. While making our way up the hill, my daughters stopped occasionally to investigate unknown plants and to look at the abandoned deer beds… These really made their _________.

As the shadows started to _________, we moved further up. Soon, weariness began to _________ enthusiasm. We decided to return. Instead of backtracking over our _________ route, I chose to walk down the steep (陡峭的) side of the hill, _________ my general sense that ahead of us lay the stream that would guide us to the road. But as the terrain (地形) leveled out, I had my first major moment of _________: Where was the stream? Were we off course?

I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it __________ in my hand in the cold air. __________, I started feeling a bit panicky. However, I quickly __________ myself, reassuring my daughters to continue walking. Focusing on the landmarks, I spotted a familiar tree and eventually __________ the road.

That winter’s day taught me a valuable lesson about habitual reliance on technology. If my phone had __________ then, I might have directly followed the GPS, ignoring the old __________ of depending on surroundings and life skills.

9 . To start a business, my father moved our family from New Jersey to Massachusetts when I was seven years old. The ______ was especially hard on my mother, as it was the first time she had placed her hours away from her mother and sisters in her life.

Settled in our new home, my brothers and I were ______ with making friends and dealing with schoolwork. However, it was harder for Mom to ______ new people. On top of that, we had a ______ budget while my dad worked to ______ his business. Consequently, Christmas gifts were not really in the financial ______ that year. Moreover, we ______ most of our Christmas tree ornaments (装饰品) had broken during the move.

Therefore, my mother took an unexpected ______. One day in early December when I came home from school, Mom was arranging a ______ crafts station on the picnic table in the back yard. “We ______ our Christmas ornaments,” she declared, “so we’re going to make our own.” Mom had ______ spray paint and glitter (发光物) to process the unlikeliest of decorations: tin can lids. And that day, she ______ waited for us kids to arrive before cutting them into stars, bells, and angels. What a ______ mother!

That December afternoon at the picnic table was more ______ than most Christmas mornings full of shiny paper and expensive gifts. The ______ of that particular Christmas came through my loving mother, who could turn tin cans into angels, and darkness into light.