2 . Trees have always held much attraction for people. They are the_________and biggest life-forms on our planet and one of the most beautiful. As a direct_________with thousands of years of history, trees appear in many religions and have inspired artists over the years.

When I was a child I_________a science fiction story that made me think about trees in a new way. In the story,_________ from an advanced civilization come to our planet and their spaceship lands in the middle of a forest.

The aliens (外星人) have a long_________with the trees of the forest and then leave, happy to think that the inhabitants (居民) of Earth are noble, intelligent and peaceful.

Trees_________a lot about being part of a community and how cooperation is better for a society than_________. Scientists are only just beginning to understand how it all_________ but we now know that trees growing together share all of the available resources (资源) with each other. So, strong trees in a good _________will share food and water with__________trees that receive less sunlight. By__________a community of trees makes itself stronger. The roots of giant redwood trees, for example, grow together under the ground. It’s as if they are__________hands. This means that they are__________stronger when there are heavy winds or floods.

We all acknowledge that trees are__________for the environment and the survival of our planet. Perhaps they have even more to__________us in the future.

3 . A man was employed to paint a boat. He brought paint and _________ and began to paint the boat as the owner wanted. While painting, he _________ there was a hole in the body of the boat and decided to repair it. When he finished painting, he received his _________ and left.

The next day, the owner of the boat visited the painter and_________ him with a cheque (支票), much higher than what he was paid for the painting work. The painter was _________.

“You’ve already paid me for painting the boat, sir!” he said.

“This is not for the paint job. It’s for repairing the _________ in the boat.”

“Ah! But it was such a small service.” the man said. “Certainly it’s not worth paying me such a high amount for something so _________!”

“My dear friend，” the owner said, “You don’t understand. Let me tell you _________ happened. When I asked you to paint the boat, I _________ to mention the hole. When the boat dried, my kids took it and __________ a fishing trip. They did not know that there was a hole there. I was not at home at the time. So when I __________ and noticed they had taken the boat, I was hopeless. Imagine my __________ and joy when I saw them returning safely from fishing.”

“Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You now see what you did? You __________ the life of my children!”

Each of us has a moral duty to offer help, wipe tears, listen carefully and repair all the “hole” we __________ in our life journey, because a small act will make a big __________ in the future.

5 . I was once in a workshop out of town with colleagues. One of them was much _______ and had recovered from an illness. He didn't want Asian food which we youths like, so he stayed in the _______while the rest of us ventured out(外出). This might have affected his sense of_______

One night I told him I wanted to take him out wherever he wanted to eat. As I had vegetarian food _______and he did not, he did not want to burden(使负担）me by going to places where I would have very _______options. I insisted it wasn't a (n)_______, and we went to a place he would prefer. My other colleagues went out _______, so I was able to hang out with this colleague and practice deep listening. We had a great _______ together.

As we ended our meal and conversation, I decided to _______ him right to the door of the hotel and not the parking lot, as it was quite ________ outside and I didn't want him catching a cold. This felt good, and over the next few ________ it felt more________ to tell my colleagues to wait inside the restaurant while I________ the car to create more comfort for them.

Simple acts like this gave me a lot of ________ .We all felt a ________sense of community, invested in each other's well-being.

6 . America’s holiday shopping season is the busiest shopping day of the year. After some shopping in a store, my family and I were going to have a meal in one of the food area where fast food is sold. It’s_________ to find a seat. People were standing waiting for_________ to free up.

When we found one, I sat down watching a waiter ___________ clearing and cleaning tables as soon as they became ___________. What’s more, he was not a _________ man, probably in his late fifties and a bit fat, but_________ of that slowed him down a little.

_________ I watched I was disappointed with people who didn’t clean up the rubbish themselves. They would just _________ their spilled (溢 出) drinks, bread and some other rubbish on the table. _______ the waiter never ________ smiling and saying “Enjoy your day!” to everyone he met. I was almost moved to tears.

After my family __________ our meals, we cleaned up the table so he would have __________ things to do. On the way out, I__________ his hand and said, “Thank you for how hard you work.” When I tried to give him a $10 bill, he said, “No, I can’t ________ this. It’s my job.” I said I wasn’t__________ it to him for payment or for a tip. I was giving it to him because I knew he had a good heart —and it can be hard to find these days! The man’s eyes turned red, said thank you, and went right back to clear and clean tables.

It was a great day and he was a great person that I had ever met.

7 . In the corner of my desk is a note, slowly yellowing from time. It is a card from my mother, with enough impact to _______ my life forever. In it, she praises my abilities as a writer. The word “but” never _______; however, the word “and” is there many times.

Every time I read it, I am _______ to ask myself how many times I’ve “but-ted” my own   _______.

Although our eldest daughter usually got all As, teachers would always suggest that she _______ too much in class. I always forgot to ask them if she was making _______. Instead, I would _______ her with, “Congratulations! Your Dad and I are very _______, but could you try to talk less in class?”

I’ve noticed that other _______ do the same thing. “The hockey team won, but Mike should have made that last ________.” “Amy’s the homecoming queen, but now she wants to buy a new dress.” But, but, but.

What I ________ from my mother is to start thinking “and, and, and”. For example: “The hockey team won, and Mike did his best the whole ________.” “Amy’s the homecoming queen, and she’s going to look ________!”

“But” feels bad, “and” feels good. When our children feel ________ about what they are doing, they do more of it.

This is not to say that children don’t need or won’t ________ their parents’ ________. They do and they will. When those expectations are ________, amazing things happen.

“No more buts!” is a(n) ________ to put our attention on what is ________ about our children.

And if I ever forget, I have my mother’s ________ to remind me.

8 . Since it was uploaded to Internet in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Madu dancing in the rain has been _______ hundreds of thousands of times over. In a moment when social media channels have been filled with upsetting _______, the scene of the 11-year-old pirouetting (单脚旋转) over puddles (水坑) is especially _______.

Madu is one of a dozen students at Daniel Owoseni’s Leap Academy(学院) of Dance. Owoseni _______ the ballet school three years ago. He _______ himself after watching Save the Last Dance at 13. “I basically learned all the fundamental _______ of ballet through Internet,” says Owoseni. A _______ later, Owoseni was outstanding enough to _______ the best in the country. _______, his hopes for an international career were quickly ruined, for he was told an African was not qualified. It was then that Owoseni decided to ________ a ballet school in his hometown for kids like himself who couldn’t ________ ballet classes. Owoseni started teaching at his home before a local businesswoman offered him a free ________ where he now holds weekly lessons.

Beyond the ________ that the academy has received from all over the world, he’s most impressed by the ________ of his own pupils. “Nothing makes a teacher ________ than a student who wants to learn,” he says. “Even though it rains cats and dogs outside they’re getting ready for class. Who wouldn’t be proud of these children?”

9 . In Germany, it’s not a necessity to wear school uniform at school. But why did a few schoolmates and I spend two days _________ around the school in uniform? In fact, a rather special event took place then: our MUN (Model United Nations) Conference.

It is a conference _________ for students from all German schools who want to see how the United Nations really works. They get an opportunity to _________ a country and debate with other students from different _________ on real problems the world is facing now. The aim is to write a _________ at the end, which will help deal with them.

The _________ of our conference was “Cross Borders: Discover Peace”, which _________ that the students would _________ breaking down not only physical national boundaries, but also those _________ different nationalities. Of course, this included how to help others who are forced to flee their homeland, for the people ____________ all students.

Not only was the conference a ____________ of thinking about difficult global problems, but also everyone had to speak in English while using correct debating language too. ____________ job! But of course this was a brilliant ____________ for everyone there.

I’d really ____________ joining in a conference if you get the chance, and sharing your ____________. It’s the best way to meet new people and to think about how to make the world a better place.

10 . I was making a stop on my book tour. A sweet woman approached me, and pleasantly _______ she wouldn't buy a book. She said she _______ wanted to ask me a question: How did I get into acting and how did I _______ to stay in it? I was _______the performance, so I didn't want to waste energy with a long response. I said, "Persistence," without thinking.

She laughed and said, "Well, sure. That's true with everything, right?"

A light came on in my brain. She was righter than she knew. I said, "Yes, but not how you mean. Success is a _______of persistence. So is failure. We become whatever we're persistent at. I had friends who were always exactly 20minutes late－persistently late. You could set your _______by them. I know actors who persistently destroy their own chances. They don't _______ enough. They don't learn their lines. Persistently."

A lot of the time our methods of working are a series of habits, good and bad, we _______sometime in the past. Habits feel_______. My ex-acting teacher once said, "Comfort is the enemy of the artist."

I wasn't crazy about his statement back then, because I was uncomfortable, but still wasn't an artist. I see the ________ of it now. People________take the easy path. It's human nature to look for the________ at the back of the book. We often see the effort in finding better habits as a problem to be avoided, but in doing so, we persistently waste our ________.

As actors, we know we can become anything with enough rehearsal. ________look at what you do persistently. If you don't like your habits, change them. No matter what your passion is the power to ________the map of your life is essential.