1 . Samuel worked in the town’s bookstore. His life had been predictable and boring. But one sunny morning, the bookstore owner _________ that the shop would be closing for good. Samuel’s heart sank, and he found himself facing an _________ future. Yet a ray of hope emerged — an opportunity to start anew.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, he thought, _________ the courage to break new ground. With a newfound determination, Samuel decided to go after his dream of becoming a _________.

With pen in hand and a blank page before him, Samuel poured his soul out onto the paper. He _________ tales of adventure, love and self-discovery. As he wrote, he gave life to the characters that danced across the page. _________, an unexpected opportunity presented itself. A local publishing house, charmed by Samuel’s stories, offered him a _________ to share his work. He took a leap of faith and said yes!

“Out with the old and in with the new” became Samuel’s pet phrase. The once-shy clerk _________ a confident author. His books found their way into the hands of readers near and far, touching hearts and igniting (点燃) passions.

Samuel’s _________ didn’t come without challenges, but he remembered the saying, “When one door closes, another opens.” Each closed door became an opportunity for growth and a stepping stone to even greater achievements. With each book he composed, he turned over a new leaf. His journey reminded everyone that starting anew was not just surrendering(屈服)to the unknown. It was an invitation to __________ a life filled with purpose and fulfillment.

2 . “Nice guys finish last!” I have _______ that phrase literally hundreds of times over the years. There were even a few times when I believed it myself. But if I ever need a reminder of just how _______ that line is, I only need to recall what happened to me recently.

It was a cold and drizzling morning. I had just finished taking my son to school. Road work, however, had _______ me and I was running late 20 minutes. I still had a full day’s worth of work to do and felt a little _______. I had to pick up some things at the local _______ before heading home.

When I was checking out, an old couple asked me for a _______ going back the way I’d already came. My busy brain wanted to say: “no”, but_______ the better angels of my heart said, “yes”. They climbed in my car and I _______ down the road. During the trip we talked and laughed and after I_______them off, they thanked me for what I had done.

As I turned around the car and headed back home I felt a warmth in my heart and a ________ in my soul. I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw I was smiling without knowing it. Then the sun broke through the clouds and the sky seemed to________down on me as well. I may have been more behind the ________than ever but in that moment I felt I was right where I was________ to be.

When it comes to money, ________ and fame in this world then it might be true that sometimes nice guys do finish last. But when it comes to the heart, soul and mind, nice guys finish________

3 . For over a year, Dianne’s reality has been a daily 5-mile trek (跋涉) to work and back on foot. Her broken-down car was a constant _________ of her financial restrictions. Regardless of the weather, Dianne’s _________ never changed. She didn’t _________ the walk; it was the missed moments with her daughter and grandchildren, the school events she couldn’t attend, that weighed _________ on her heart. Yet, late January presented her with an _________ opportunity.

On a particularly cold day, Dianne paused at a local gas station to _________. That was when she _________ something unusual — a ziplock bag (自封袋) on the ground. Full of _________, she picked it up, immediately realizing it contained _________. The exact amount was unknown to her, but the thought of keeping it never __________ her mind. Dianne approached the gas station cashier, requesting she call the police. When the police __________, they discovered the bag held over $ 14,000, alongside wedding cards — gifts meant for a newly-married couple.

Dianne’s __________ was appreciated, and she thought that was the end of the story. Little did she know, her act was about to be rewarded. __________ by Dianne’s actions, the wife of the officer who responded to the call started a GoFundMe campaign in Dianne’s honor. The fund-raiser collected $ 82,000, a(n) __________ to the power of collective kindness. Thanks to the __________ of strangers, Dianne became the proud owner of a new Jeep Compass. The joy of mobility restored, she eagerly anticipated attending her granddaughter’s gymnastics competition.

4 . 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.

5 . When Karl Goldstein was a kid, he took piano lessons every Saturday morning with a family friend. But when Goldstein was 12, his teacher told his ________ that he needed better instruction. So his mother took him to a music school, and ________ for classes taught by Alice Shapiro who was known for being ________. On the first day, she told Goldstein that he had to memorize the ________ of the Beethoven Sonata within a week.

“Well, I don’t think I can do that,” Goldstein hesitated.

“But you must do it,” the teacher said ________.

This was nothing like his ________ Saturday mornings with his former teacher, and it wasn’t ________ before Goldstein decided that he didn’t want to take piano lessons anymore. He ________ he’d pick up another instrument, or maybe just ________ himself the piano after the semester.

But a few words of encouragement from the music teacher changed Goldstein’s ________. One day, Shapiro turned to him and said something ________, “I am really happy that you have made remarkable progress within such a short time! I am sure you’re not going to ________.”

The encouragement transformed their relationship ________ and it was the beginning of a long and ________ relationship.

“Years later, I became a piano teacher and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 50 years. I ________ it all to the precious moment with my seemingly tough teacher, Alice Shapiro.”

6 . I am one of the healthcare assistants in our neighborhood charity organization. Our _____________ is to support families and the individuals who are in the end-of-life stage. We do whatever they need us to do. We can’t change the inevitable, but we can make a   _____________   .

Working for the charity, we operate every single day of the year, and I find myself _____________even on holidays. You might assume that helping to _____________   a person facing death would be a sad experience. But what may _____________   you is that it’s not. The families make the most of the time they have _____________   . They remain _____________ . Everyone knows what’s coming; they understand that their loved one is _____________ , but it’s not a time for   _____________; it’s a time of togetherness and warmth.

I remember one particular family with three sisters and the fourth who was in the end-of-life stage. When I arrived, she was   _____________ , and I knew she might not   _____________ it through the night. But sitting with the sisters, talking about their childhood and sharing photos, it was a special time for me. The patient had asked for _____________ earlier that day, and they made sure she got them. She went to sleep, and we lost her that night. The sisters   _____________ it, they thanked me, and it was a(n)   _____________ experience. I’ll always remember the sweet and bitter peaches!

There are some heartbreaking situations, but when we are there   _____________ the end, making the affair easier for the families, love outshines darkness.

7 . Every morning, Robiuson, the 41-year-old charity worker, will leave his home to set out on his lonely marathons, all before a full day’s work. He’s doing it to ________ money for Hope for Justice.

Robinson follows a strict ________, waking up and starting his run at 4 am, and running five hours. Robinson lost 11kg when starting, but his ________ tended to be stable as his body ________, and he runs along a familiar ________ through Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats and Epping Forest. Despite facing ________ such as colds, flu and food poisoning, he remains committed to ________ the marathons.

Robinson’s runs are ________ using a running app on his watch. His knees and hips (髋) are fine so far, but he’s ________ four pairs of running shoes.

While running in the dark, sometimes Robinson even meets with a cow. However, he generally ________ peaceful runs, occasionally witnessing minor incidents like fly-tipping (乱丢垃圾). To make his runs unique and ________, he eats a chocolate bar every mile.

Robinson’s dogs play a crucial role in his motivation, and he would pause if they showed signs of ________. However, they continue to love ________ alongside him. His devotion also arises from the hard economic times that we are living in and the impact this has had on charity ________.

Yet, 365 marathons in one year is not enough for him. His ________ are now set on breaking the unofficial record of 607 runs in 607 days set 10 years ago.

8 . 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 __________.

9 . My dad worked in construction. His day started early and ended late. When he got home, all he ________ to do was lie on the couch and relax.

One hot summer, when my parents’ wedding anniversary (周年纪念日) was ________, they made plans to eat out. When the big day ________ arrived, Dad got home at seven. He was obviously tired. “Honey, I just need a thirty-minute sleep and then we’ll eat out for ________ ,” he said as he lay on the couch.

I knew how important that evening was to Mom, but before long Dad was ________. Then Mom did the strangest thing. She ________ the refrigerator and took out eggs and bacon. Soon she had some biscuits baking in the oven.

Mom ________ a plate with a lot of his favorite foods. Then she bent over and kissed him while whispering in his ear, “Time to ________ , honey.”

As Dad looked up, he found Mom standing in front of him with his dinner. I’ll never ________ the love that passed between them. “Honey, I promised you I’d take you out to dinner and I ________ it,” he said sincerely.

She kissed him on the cheek, “I know you would, but I’m also ________ that you’ve had a hard day and you’re tired. What’s important is that we’re together.”

That ________ on love is still with me today five decades later. Whenever I imagine how ________ they’re to be together in heaven, a sweet peace and comfort falls over me, the same way I felt when I   ________ their great love for each other on that night when Mom made Dad a ________ anniversary dinner.

10 . A 17-year-old teenager who got lost while on a snowmobiling (摩托雪橇) trip in the Canadian wilderness was safely rescued on Saturday evening. He was found in good _________, as he had built himself a snow cave to hole up until he was rescued. “It would have been a (n) _________ night,” the teen,_________ as Robert, told reporters.

Robert went snowmobiling that afternoon with his father James and his brother Peter near Mahood Lake. At some point, James stopped to _________ Peter when Peter’s snowmobile got stuck, but Robert did not realize they were not _________ him. He wound up in a(n) _________ area, where he turned to the steep slopes and got _________. “I tried to get back the way I came, but I destroyed the trail (痕迹) in the _________.” Robert said.

Trying to find a temporary _________, the young snowmobiler left his ____________ in an open field and headed towards a tree line, where he built a snow cave to warm up and wait for help. “It look me about an hour to ____________ build it,” said Robert. Meanwhile, his family had returned lo a parking lot, where Robert never ____________.

“This young man made our task a little less ____________ by staying in place and having some backcountry winter survival ____________.” South Cariboo Search & Rescue (SCSR) said in a statement. “He displayed some real ____________ choices there.”