1 . Our family was sitting on the porch swing enjoying the summer breeze when my husband pointed to something on the swing’s chain next to him. We _______ forward to see a large praying mantis (螳螂) attaching to the chain. We held our _______ and watched, not wanting to scare it away. We sat and _______ chatted for the next half hour as we watched the insect _______ up and down the chain. It seemed _______ by our presence, and we were _______ to observe its slow, precise movements.

We wouldn’t have _______ it if my husband had not pointed it out. Too often, we move through life, _______ of the beautiful blessings surrounding us each day. The _______ of sitting and watching an insect for half an hour is something I do not want to ________ for granted. Too often, I define myself by my productivity. I start my morning with a checklist and ________ my worth by how much I get done by the day’s end.

I’m learning to ________ my tireless striving for productivity and simply ________ the gifts of this beautiful world when I see them. Each creature displays a small ________. To sit and watch a unique bug like a praying mantis is an act of admiration. I think I’ll ________ and sit for a while in search of another beautiful bug just to appreciate the beauty of nature.

2 . In an ancient kingdom, there lived a _______ princess who was very _______ by the people. One day, an evil witch cast a spell and put her into a deep sleep in a _______ tower.

A _______ prince from a faraway land heard of her story and decided to _______ her. He rode his _______ horse through the _______ forest, determined to reach the princess.

The prince was not alone on his journey; he was accompanied by his _______, a _________ knight (骑士). Together, they faced many __________ on their way to the tower.

Upon reaching the tower, they found the door was locked. The prince used his __________ to break the door open. Inside, the princess was lying on a bed, fast asleep.

The prince approached her with a __________ heart, and as he held her hand, he whispered, “Wake up, my dear princess.” His voice was filled with __________ and hope.

To their surprise, the princess did not wake up. The witch’s spell was too __________. The prince realized that only true love’s kiss could break the spell.

With a deep breath, the prince leaned in and gently placed a kiss on the princess’s forehead. At that moment, the spell was __________, and the princess opened her eyes.

3 . When driving home on the highway, I came across an old man on one side of the road. He was holding a _________ that read, “Need Ride to Get to Friends.” All he had was a bag, a walking stick and the clothes on his back.

The traffic was _________ and I had to drive on. Finally when I _________, I saw the old man walking towards me. It looked as if he knew that I would drive back. So I stopped beside him and asked him _________ he was doing.

“I want to meet my best friend. We have been friends for almost 50 years, but he is going to _________ soon, so I want to be with him,” he then said. “I have no money, and I’m very hungry.” It was so hot outside that he was _________ heavily. I gave him a bottle of cold water, some food and a bag to put everything in. _________ I left him, I gave him $20 and told him that was all the money I had at that time. He thanked me and accepted it.

Just as I was _________ to drive away, I got out of my car again and went to him. He looked dirty, _________ I hugged him. I felt so warm and peaceful. Although I stopped and helped him, he had given me the greatest gift ever. I will never forget him. Till today, I often __________ whether he saw his best friend. Love and blessing are always deeply hidden, but I know I received them that day.

4 . Nancy is reading an e-mail from her friend Jack. She is very __________ to get the e-mail.

Jack likes his school very much. Nancy likes her school __________. Jack’s school is very big and he likes his classroom. The __________ and chairs are new. There are lots of pictures __________ the wall. They clean the classroom every day.

The teachers are nice and the __________ are friendly. He loves __________ because he can learn a lot about the world. He also loves __________. He is good at playing football. He often plays it with his __________ after school. He is in the school __________ team. He says he has a good time at school.

Jack also writes about his life __________ weekends. Jack doesn’t __________ to school on Saturdays and Sundays. He gets up __________ at six on Saturday. He goes jogging in the park for half __________. Then he eats his __________. After that, he helps his mother with housework. At eight he begins to do his homework. He has lunch in a fast food restaurant. In the __________, he goes shopping with Mum. Sometimes he plays computer games or chats with his friends on the Internet in the evening. He enjoys his weekend very much.

5 . Royce is 98. His wife, Frankie is 97. The couple have been married for 77 years. Thanks to some special people who helped them _____ their anniversary, they finally got some very special wedding memories that they _____ many years before.

The couple have been like _____ to the staff of the St.Croix Hospice who serve as caretakers for the elderly pair. Knowing something about the couple’s history, they came up with a _____ plan.

In 1944, Royce was in the U.S. Air Force and got the final _____ to set off for a mission. Before he left, he and his sweetheart, Frankie, determined to get married. The church ceremony was small and _____. There was no photographer on hand to record the _____ . Two days later, Royce went to take up his duty.

In the past time, their life together has more than made up for what their wedding _____. They have spent a lifetime spreading _____ throughout their community. Therefore, the St.Croix staff pulled out all the stops to _____ the ceremony. That day, Frankie, wearing a lovely wedding dress, was _____ through a flower-covered archway (拱门) to where Royce was waiting for her. There wasn’t a _____ eye in the house.

For anyone who doesn’t believe true love can _____ a lifetime, the couple’s daughter, Sue Bilodeau, says they only have to look to the _____ of her parents to be proved wrong. And if that doesn’t _____ them, the pictures are worth a thousand words.

6 . Once upon a time, there was a little sparrow. This sparrow was always on the hunt for something to eat and one day he happened upon a big bean. But before he could ________ it, he had to wash his hands. He hid the bean on a bridge and flew down to the ________ below to clean up.

“I just can’t wait for my wonderful ________,” the sparrow said to himself. Then he ________ his way back up to the bridge. “I won’t have to work for a week!” But when he got back to his________ place, the bean was gone!

As the sparrow flew around looking for his lost treasure, he saw a ________ coming over the bridge. “________, can you help me find my bean?” the sparrow asked.“ Please, do I look like I have time to find a tiny bean? Find it ________,” said the farmer as he walked away.

Next, the sparrow saw a soldier coming over the bridge. He asked the soldier the ________ question.“ Please, little bird ,I have no time for you,” he said and walked on. Then a minister (大臣) came walking by, but ________ the sparrow could even ask, he laughed and walked away. The little bird had ________ given up hope, when the king came up the bridge, riding on an elephant. The sparrow repeated his question, but the king didn’t ________ him. The sparrow sat on the bridge, hungry and sad.

An ant came by. After he heard the sparrow’s story, he went up to the elephant. “Tell the king to find that poor bird’s ________, or I will go inside your ear and bite you!” The elephant stopped, turned to the king and said, “Go help that sparrow, or I will throw you off.” The king was________. He called the minister over and the minister ordered the soldier. Then the soldier went over to the farmer,“ Find that bird’s bean, or I’ll kick you off this bridge!” The farmer ________ all day and as the sun was setting, he finally found the bean. The sparrow was thankful, and he ate well for the next week.

7 . A store employee went above the call of duty while on the clock, which has warmed hearts of the community of Brookhaven.

Five-year-old William was born with a serious illness that ______ him from walking. As a result of his ______ , William had to use a wheelchair. In order for him to practice walking, his parents were determined to build parallel bars (双杠). So they visited a hardware store to ______ the PVC pipes (管). But the building materials weren`t the only things they got.

Dave, an employee at the store, ______ met the family in the aisle (过道) with the PVC pipes. At first, he only ______ to do a few minor things for them, making a cut here and there. But things quickly ______ . On hearing what the pipes would be used for, Dave ______ and showed the family unexpected kindness.

Instead of simply cutting the pipes, Dave spent half an hour ______ the parallel bars. When William tried out the bars, he got up from his wheelchair, ______ those bars and tried walking forward. His courageous smile ______ Dave. Seeing William ______ from his craftwork, Dave was filled with a sense of pride.

The bars not only enabled William to practice walking forward and sideways but also helped him stand up. His parents were ______ of Dave`s providing   _____ help for them. However, Dave made it clear that such a(n) ______ with the family was just as ______ to him as it was to them. “Just go the extra mile,” Dave said. “And it may pay you 100 times back.”

8 . For most of us, running a marathon is hard enough. Spanish athlete Eric Domingo Roldan is a man who did not think running a marathon was enough of a _________. Instead, on November 8, 2021, he attempted to _________ his mum in the Barcelona Marathon.

Completing the race was not _________ for him. To make things even _________, he wanted to break the world record for “the fastest marathoner pushing a wheelchair (轮椅)”. Such a _________ was difficult to achieve, but Eric had a special _________. He wanted to develop _________ and educate people about multiple sclerosis (多发性硬化症), the disease his mother had dealt with for more than 17 years.

Their first attempt was _________ in the Seville Marathon back in 2020. But instead of _________, they trained harder and Eric promised to __________ in 2021. The conditions were __________ this time. Eric was in his home city, so he made a strong __________. Then he hit halfway in 1 hour 26 minutes, well on track for the record. “I was feeling __________ from the first kilometer until the last, as my mum never stopped __________ and supporting other runners, and that was the best part of running together,” he shared. “To cross that line meant we did what we __________ after going through the hardest time of our lives.”

9 . Haniya heard the news that her sister was getting married. She was _______, dancing around the house. However, anxiety and stress set in when she learned that for some reason, the wedding date had been _______, and it was now scheduled for the same week as her exams.

Haniya’s parents suggested that she _______ her exams wholeheartedly before the wedding day, but she felt _______. She eagerly looked forward to her sister’s wedding, while _______, the coming exams weighed heavily on her.

The family’s house was full of guests, with Haniya’s younger cousins running around. In contrast, Haniya stayed in a room, surrounded by _______. It was also _______ for her to miss shopping for clothes with her family and dinners at her relatives’ homes due to her _______ to studying.

As the exams drew nearer, Haniya’s anxiety grew, casting _______ on her ability to juggle (尽力应付)both responsibilities. However, as the crucial week approached, things began to ________. Haniya skillfully and wisely ________ her finals and wedding functions. By prioritizing her studies when needed, she excelled in her exams and wholeheartedly enjoyed her sister’s wedding.

This experience illuminated (说明) Haniya’s potential for ________ time management, confirming that life’s ________ can be overcome through careful planning and sacrifices. It also revealed her ability to stay ________ in the face of distractions. Haniya now believes she can navigate (正确应对) even the most ________ situations that call for effective time management and stress-handling abilities.

10 . Many years ago, there was a young boy named Daniel who lived in a small village. He was a gifted student with a(n) _______ for science, but he faced a significant challenge: his family was too poor to _______ the necessary equipment and resources for his experiments.

_______, Daniel’s determination to pursue his passion did not waver (动摇). He collected waste materials from the local factory and used them to _______ temporary lab equipment. His creativity and resourcefulness allowed him to _______ simple experiments, and he learned a great deal from them.

One day, Daniel heard about a national science competition for students. The winner would receive a(n) _______ to a well-known university. Daniel knew this was a chance to change his life, so he decided to _______ the competition.

He spent _______ hours designing and building a unique device that could convert waste materials into renewable energy. Despite numerous setbacks and _______ , Daniel never gave up. He worked tirelessly, refining and improving his invention.

When the day of the ________ arrived, Daniel presented his invention to the judges. They were impressed by his ingenuity and the potential impact of his invention on the environment. To Daniel’s delight, he was ________ the winner of the competition.

Daniel’s victory not only earned him a scholarship (奖学金) but also ________ others in his village to pursue their dreams, ________ their circumstances. His story serves as a ________ reminder that with determination, creativity, and a little bit of resourcefulness, one can ________ barriers and achieve great things.