2 . As I grew up, I always had my mom by my side. We lived a very ________ life. I never looked at the other kids and ________ why I didn’t have a dad, or why I lived in an apartment instead of a big house. Most of what I ________ was our little Christmas tree in the living room and going to the park very often.

________, when I hit my teenage years, things started to change. I didn’t want to ________ with her as much. I ________ on friends and school. I ________ her out because I didn’t want her to tell me what to do.

At about 16, I ________ an eating disorder. And I felt sad and lost. Soon, I found the reason why I was ________ — I needed my mother. And she was there ________ my mean words, my silence, and my anger. She told me she was ________ there for me, reminding me to relax for a moment and think. I did. And I ________ when the world is sometimes cruel, she will be there for me all the time.

After that day, everything changed. I looked at how she ________ me on her own as a single mom. I looked at the sacrifices and ________ of sleep she endured for me. She got herself through college without ________ by making money by herself, and is now ________ with her own apartment and ________. I honestly could not be more grateful for such a(n) ________ mom. Now, as a 17-year-old ready to leave for college, it’s my turn to ________ her. I thought the least I could do was to get her to go on some dates. I ________ her in every way, and she does the same.

4 . “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________

5 . I received one act of kindness from a stranger after my husband died. It happened when I went to have a photo _________ for the funeral (葬礼). Enveloped by grief, I was unable to talk with anyone. Printing the photo should have been an easy task, but it felt _________ as I walked into the building.

I had often used the print service and was _________ in and out within ten minutes. But, on this day, nothing went _________. My USB wouldn’t load properly and I couldn’t locate the photo. Overcome with _________, I broke into tears.

Then a woman _________ me and asked if she could help. I cried that I couldn’t get the machine to _________. She sat down and with a few quick taps (敲击) on the keyboard, _________ the photo. She moved as if to leave. _________, she sat back. She asked if this was what I would like printed. Still sobbing, I said it needed to be cropped (裁剪). She put it all into the system and waited. I thanked her as she __________ the USB to me. She nodded and sat silently until I was __________ enough to walk out.

By sitting __________, she permitted me to cry without judgment. She didn’t ask what was wrong or offer well-meaning but unhelpful __________. She allowed me to deal with my __________ in a cared-for space. Through that brief exchange of time, I felt some of the hopelessness __________.

6 . Years ago, as a young business reporter, I interviewed an advertising executive. I was there to ask about the latest _________. But when I sat down, he wanted to talk about writing fiction. He spent hours meeting with clients and crafting slogans, but he dreamed of being a(n) _________ instead.

A decade or so later, however, I was _________ to see the advertiser on TV, holding up his new _________. James Patterson had _________ into a best-selling author. “Maybe I was delusional (痴心妄想), but I _________ thought of myself as an advertising person,” he told me when asked how he’d done it. “I always _________ to be a writer. It was always in my head.”

Mr. Patterson’s ability to see himself as a writer _________ a concept known as “possible selves”. It describes how people _________ their futures: what they may become, or want to become, or even fear becoming.

The term, __________ in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of some __________ on self-concept and self-perception. A possible self can take you __________ daydreams, which are often fleeting and not necessarily grounded in __________. It can come to fruition (实现) “if you build a __________ from your ‘now’ self to the possible self,” Dr. Markus said.

If you want a change, imagine your possible self and __________.

7 . I’m 19 years old and studying at college. I’m a(n) _______ student on campus. That was because my father once said to me, “Education is a _______ weapon, for one can overcome all difficulties of life using knowledge from books.” Since then, I’ve always encouraged myself.

I used to dislike learning. My parents, who had no college education, always _______ me to study, but I didn’t understand their _______ for my bright future. _______, time taught me that my parents were demanding of me because they expected me to live a good life.

Once I was _______ by my relatives in front of my father because of my poor academic performance at school. They also blamed me. They disliked me as I was the only child in their eyes who showed no _______ in studies. When people started to _______ my family, considering us ignorant, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

From then on, I _______ to study hard to make my parents respected. I tried to read books, which gradually became my hobby. My curiosity for reading never ________. It grew and enriched my mind with priceless knowledge. I also completed my homework on time. I ________ leaving any work for the next day. One of my teachers said, “ ________ leads to success.” I believed in it and formed a ________ of working regularly.

In fact, my parents always help me when I need them. I also help them do housework ________. My parents are my world, and they have taught me ________ values: self-discipline and responsibility.

10 . To the firefighters who deal with danger each day, every life is worthy to be saved.

Wildfires are just one of the many situations firefighters _________ toward when everyone else is going in the opposite direction. Every year, it seems wildfires _________ parts of California, Washington and Oregon. In September, 2023, Daniel Trevizo, a Los Angeles Fire Department head, and his team worked hard around-the-clock to _________ the fires in the south of California.

One day, they were watering down embers (余火) near Lake Oroville when he _________ a surprising thing. When the fires were put out, his team quickly did everything they could to _________ the fire scene. _________, Daniel heard an animal crying nearby. So he started looking around for the _________ of the sounds. Then they found a small cat under the burnt bushes. The frightened and lonely cat came right up to Daniel.

Daniel _________ the soot (煤烟)-covered cat, later named Ember, and kept it _________ in his jacket pocket until it got much-needed __________ in an animal hospital. The veterinarian (兽医) said Ember had only some minor __________. With medication and Daniel’s care, Ember __________ a few days later. Ultimately, Daniel managed to find Ember’s owners, who got __________ from it while they escaped from the fires.

There’s no doubt Ember’s life was saved by __________ Daniel and his team! They risked their lives to save those around them, and we couldn’t be more __________!