1 . A homeowner is puzzled by two dolls moving into his mailbox one day. Don Powell said the two dolls ________ in his mailbox last summer with a ________ that read: “We’ve decided to live here. Mary and Shelley.”

He asked his neighbors if anyone else had ________ dolls in their mailbox but no one had. It’s important to note that Powell has a mailbox that looks ________ to his actual home. So, he could see why a doll family might want to ________ .

His first thought was to ________ the couple and their belongings into the garbage can. But then, ________, he changed his mind. He pushed the couple and their belongings to the ________ of the mailbox and started doing his own business.

But this was just the ________. Soon after, someone dropped off a dog for the doll couple living in the mailbox. Over time more ________ started to appear inside the mailbox including a carpet, chair, and a bed.

By Christmas time, Shelley and Mary ________ some wrapped presents and a little Christmas tree. After a while, Powell turned to social media to see whether anyone would ________ they put the dolls in his mailbox, or if they ________ who did. But no one came forward.

“I’m kind of enjoying the mystery,” he said. “I look forward to ________ things being added to the mailbox.” Powell said although the dolls have found a home inside his mailbox, it doesn’t disturb his mailman from ________ his letters.

2 . The Smith’s home was always buzzing with activity, with Mrs. Smith seemingly at the ________ of it all. She often sighed heavily complaining to her son little Johnny, “Your father never ________ a hand. I’m left to do everything!”

One day, little Johnny felt a surge of ________ after hearing his mother’s familiar complaint. “But Mom,” he ________, his eyes wide and earnest, “Dad does a lot.”Mrs. Smith paused, eyebrows wrinkled in ________. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Have you noticed our yard?” began Johnny, his voice ________. “It’s Dad who keeps it neat, pulling out weeds and ________ fallen branches, and that’s not all,” he continued. “He’s always dashing off to bring back ________ and other supplies we need.” Mrs. Smith stood still for a moment, a wave of realization ________ her. She had been so focused on her own tasks that she failed to notice the ________ contributions her husband made to their home.

From that day forward, Mrs. Smith started seeing the housework in a new ________. She realized that the chores weren’t just about cooking and cleaning. They also included ________ the yard, restocking supplies and countless other tasks; not all efforts are ________visible but they are equally crucial. She also realized that it wasn’t ________ to complain about her husband in front of Johnny. She began to ________ more her husband’s silent efforts and made sure to express her gratitude.

3 . Two Canadian teenagers, William and Henry, have been taking on a series of remarkable challenges. Their most recent action _______ following the shores of the Lake Ontario for 73 kilometers. They walked from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

“We like to challenge ourselves physically and _______. We like to _______ challenges like these. And we feel as though going on a long walk is kind of just the purest form of challenge that you can have.” Henry told CBC news.

With very little _______, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 5 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with _______ views along the way, which appealed to them so much.

During their walk, one of the interesting _______ they encountered was an abandoned cargo ship(货船).“You’d be _______ by the amount of things that you don’t see when you are driving and that you will see when you’re taking your time walking,” said Henry.

_______, the journey was not only a physical _______ but also a significant mental challenge. There were moments of ________ for the pair, requiring them to ________ each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ________ a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing a mental health ________. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me and Henry. But we tried to ________ him to get out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was ________and everyone was all right,” William told CBC News. The walk is now over but William and Henry are not ready to stop challenging themselves. They set about planning a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.

4 . What can simultaneously (同时) tear a community apart and knit it together?My husband and I accidentally found our _________.

While we were away, a(n) _________ caused by a storm hit our neighborhood and damaged our town. In our basement, we tried to pull old photo albums and school yearbooks — years’ worth of _________— out of the water and _________ them into bags. Actually, there was little we could _________. But I noticed a pattern. I found myself shouting, _________, “I forgot we had this!” _________, in a year or two, I wouldn’t be able to keep track of the things lost versus the rescued items.

But there are some things I won’t forget. I won’t forget the coolers full of water, cold drinks and sandwiches neighbors set outside, or the local restaurants generously offering _________ food and drinks for those too tired to make dinner. I’ll _________ the neighbors standing outside our door with masks and buckets, who __________ to help us clean out our basement. They stayed all day until it was __________. Looking around, I felt as though we had lost much but __________ so much more thanks to the __________ of friends and strangers alike. That memory will __________.

I watched members of our community hang a large sign over the most damaged part of town that __________ “Together, we will rebuild.” I know we definitely will.

5 . I grew up both a little frightened and excited by storms and tornadoes. Nearly 9 years ago, when the news reported that there would be _______ coming that night, I was well aware of the _______ of it.

While I was preparing for the storm, I heard the rumble（隆隆声）, saw power flashes and knew it was coming. After _______ the power for safety, I jumped into a bath that was right inside the door and closed the door and laid down and _______ my head and prayed for_______ and for my family.

My _______ was racing with a million thoughts, regrets, prayers, etc, but I still heard the storm_______ my house, then the sheetrock（石膏板）overhead _______ and it sounded like my roof lifted and came back down. I heard the _______ of nails being pulled out of wall, glass breaking, and then the most ________ sound I had ever heard.

I suddenly felt something ________ my head and everything went ________. When I opened my eyes again, I ________ blood on my wet head coming from a small________. I went out to check my car. I got blinded by a light as I exited the carport （车棚）. It was my neighborhood, coming to check on me. I stood there and tears poured down my face. Fortunately, we were________ that day.

6 . It was January 2016, and Jeremy and his girlfriend, Molei, were leaving Denver for a weekend of fun with friends on the slopes in Colorado.

The snow came earlier than they’d ________, but Jeremy wasn’t worried. He’d driven this ________ a thousand times, and he knew ________ what to do. “Take it easy. You’ll get there, and when you do, it’s going to be ________.” As the car began the twisting climb toward the resort town, Jeremy felt an overwhelming wave of excitement.

“Life was really great,” he says. Then, within a blink of an eye, everything ________.

A truck that came out of nowhere hit them. One minute, Jeremy’s Ford SUV was ________ quickly through the falling snow; the next, he was sitting in his crushed SUV by the side of the road, ________ his seat by the wheel, his body screaming with ________. To his right, he saw Molei. He could think only one thing to say: “Don’t die. I love you.”

Statistically, Molei should have died. Inside her neck, the vertebrae (脊椎) had basically been crushed. Her head was attached to her shoulders by ________ but skin and muscle.

Henry Rodriquez, an officer on holiday, was driving on the same road not far behind the Ford and ________ instantly when he saw the accident.

________ his wife calmed the trapped and terrified Jeremy, Rodriquez worked swiftly. One wrong move could have ________ Molei dead or paralyzed. Protecting her head and neck, he carefully removed her from the twisted car and ________ her on the road by the side of the car, covering her with coats to keep her warm.

For 45 minutes, Rodriquez ________ her chest to bring her heart back to life. Thanks to Rodriquez’s timely ________, Molei made it to Anthony Hospital and recovered gradually.

7 . Anytime I travel on my bicycle across the country, I’m always amazed by how kind people can be to strangers.

One night, my friends and I were camping in a town in Missouri. There was a severe storm and we were getting ______ . A complete stranger came by to ______ us that there were tornadoes(龙卷风)heading our way. The stranger invited us to his home. We were surprised by his ______ for our safety. Later we learned that there had been a lightening strike near the place where we had camped and several cattle had been ______

Fortunately, we spent the night in a nice dry home. We were ______ given the opportunity to take a shower. The next morning we had breakfast with the family and ______ contact information. In a way we felt like the family had become a part of our journey. This was one of the most heartwarming ______ of my life because this family had nothing to ______ by being so kind to us. We were ______ not the type they would usually ______ but they treated us with respect and kindness.

The kindness of a stranger always ______ my faith in humanity. Whatever the person ______ always comes with no strings attached and that’s the most _____ part.

That family _____ us so much that during the rest of the trip, we _____ others out every chance we got. We even bought food with our busking(街头卖艺) tips for the homeless. It’s always heartwarming when giving feels as good as receiving.

8 . Born into a family of motorcyclists, Bridget McCutchen was able to witness firsthand the ______ and excitement that riding a motorbike could bring from a very early age. But the idea of riding around the world hadn't ever ______ her until her older brother pointed out that she was still young enough to beat the world record for the youngest person to circle the ______ on a motorcycle.

McCutchen, whose longest road trip had been from Wisconsin to Washington, says she ______ the idea at first. But it kept coming back into her ______.

After ______ as much money as she could, McCutchen ______ in August. She has been recording her ______ online, stressing that there's a huge difference in ______ the world between traveling by car and on a ______ .

However, traveling by motorcycle on ______ roads comes with its dangers. McCutchen has ______ from the motorcycle on a few occasions and nearly crashed into trucks around blind corners.

Of course, if she is successful in breaking this particular record, the likelihood is that someone even ______ will come along and set a new record one day. However, McCutchen isn't ______ about this at all. In fact, she says she'll ______ help anyone who's keen to do so, even if it means that they beat her to it.

9 . Do you find yourself looking at your Facebook page or watching YouTube videos instead of getting work done? Are you________your plans for the summer? If you do, you’re not________. Many people do that, including me.

I am in my second year at college. In almost every________, I find it hard to sit still and pay attention. If it’s not________my phone, it’s daydreaming about what my plans are for the weekend. It’s________. I hate it. But I can’t control myself. I pick up my cellphone to________my emails and messages without________it. And I find myself________ news on social media, ________knowing what’s going on around me.

Yes, we live in a digital age where we even use________in the bathroom. Because of using digital devices, our attention span (注意力持续时间) has become much________than before. Yes, that’s true—a recent________made by Microsoft Corporation shows that people now usually________concentration after eight seconds. Interestingly, I usually find it________to study around people who are also studying. I_________can focus more that way.

My________ to students reading this is that when it comes to study, you’d better turn off all digital devices. Our brain________to focus on things that are right in front of us. Removing out distractions altogether, especially________you get a lot of them, seems to be one of the best________of doing better in your work.

There is no easier solution to this; you must turn off digital devices, or you won’t focus. It just takes some________.

10 . Automation certainly has its advantages. I am grateful for my cellphone that _______performs services. But I also miss the interactions with people that these devices have _______. The most precious byproduct of these interactions was the unplanned, friendly jokes that often _______.

I recently decided to spend a day _______ all of my goals in a non-digital manner. So I rose early and _______ on my visit. I began by going to the bank. When I entered the hall, I found the _______ was mine: I was the only customer, with three clerks at my _______. After my transaction we chatted for a few minutes, sharing news about children. After that pleasant _______, I moved on to the post office, where the letter I was sending to Iceland triggered a/an _______ comment by the clerk, who longed to visit that country. The last visit was the ________ where I was welcomed by a cashier, who ________ that for only one penny more I get an additional potato.

That evening I told my ________ to my friend. She ________ that I could have done these with the ________, and it would have taken less than an hour. True, but I would have ________ all those kind words and friendly smiles.