1 . In high school I had a math teacher, Mrs. Davies, who took her job seriously and expected her students to put forth the same degree of commitment (付出). Strict but fair, she held our attention with her great method. One of her classes was for students who were more advanced academically. I chose to _________ it and soon realized that the course was a bit over my head. I _________ with complex problems that others seemed to learn without much effort.

One Friday we were tested _________ our ability to use a theorem (定理) that no one in the class thoroughly understood. The teacher would grade our papers based on our ability to progress through the problem which easily filled two pages of formulaic notations (公式符号). I was absolutely _________. Finally, I didn’t use the required theorem. Instead, I decided to use more familiar theorems to arrive at an _________. I knew I had failed because I hadn’t done the required assignment. I became resigned (顺从) to my fate.

Our test papers were handed back the following Monday. Everyone received a “C” except for me. To my surprise, I received an “A”. I _________ that there must be a mistake. I watched _________ as the teacher approached my desk, smiled, and asked for my test paper back. She went back to copy my work onto the blackboard, showing the class how I have arrived at the correct answer. “Mathematics is meant to be a creative tool, pushing our minds to a rewarding answer,” she said with confidence. _________ I didn’t use the required theorem, she seemed really proud of how I’d worked through the problem.

My teacher would have been justified (合理的) in giving me a _________ grade. Instead, she used the opportunity to deeply influence a student who often struggled. And after forty years, I still cherish the memory. I opened up to a broad boundary of possibilities which has made my life an adventure. She understood that teaching went beyond strict demands and could be used to __________.

4 . I woke up by my dog barking in the early morning. I went outside to find a koala (考拉) at the yard gate wanting to enter. It was the first time that I had ______ a koala in my neighborhood. What a welcome ______ !

I was wondering why he was here, as koala ______ came down from the trees and didn’t like walking, either. ______ , there was no eucalyptus (桉树) around. Was he hungry or lost? Or maybe the bushfire across Kangaroo Island ______ him here?

He just sat there, clearly ______ , and sort of looked at me with a look, like helping me out of my suffering. At a(n) ______ look, I discovered a long cut at his back with bloods, ______ of attacks or cuts of something sharp in some other way.

I rushed into my room and came out with some iodophor (碘伏药水). It was not a ______ problem as I was a nurse. This poor koala seemed to quite ______ my kindness when I ______   the cut with the liquid. It ______ out that he came to ask me for ______ !

After the treatment, I watched the koala finally ______ in the wild, hoping he was able to ______ the hard time and live his life as he should.

5 . A professor entered the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. All students were_________ and waited for the test to begin. The professor gave the test papers to all students with text facing down at the desk. Once he was done with _________ the test to all students, he asked them to_________ the test paper and begin.

Students were ___________ to see that there was just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor told them, “I want you to ___________ about what you see there.” The students were___________ confused but got started with the test. At the end of the class, the professor collected all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. All of them___________ about the black dot and tried to explain its position.

Now, professor began to explain, “Here everyone_________ the black dot and wrote about it_________ no one wrote about the white paper. The same is with our lives. The white paper stands for our whole life and the black dot __________problems in our life.

Our life is a __________ given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—our friends around us, the job that provides us with everything we need. However, we just focus on day to day ____________ like health issues, lack of money, poor relationships, but we seldom see that these problems are very small __________to everything we have in our lives.”

We should try to take eyes __________ our problems and enjoy each moment that life gives us. Be happy and live your life ____________.

6 . Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know whether you think you are a ______ person or a coward (懦夫). But you will never really know the answer to this question until you are ______ in real life. Some people think they are brave but when they come face to face with real ______, they act like cowards. Others think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like ______.

Lenny had always thought of himself as a ______ person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then January 5th, 2002, a plane ______ into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. He saw a woman in the ______ water. Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very ______ and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into Potomac, ______ to the woman, and kept her head above the water. Seventy-­eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny, it was not ______.

When you are in a very dangerous ______ and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin (肾上激素). With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and stronger and are ______ to fight or run away. However, when you are ______ frightened, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this ______, the muscles become very hard and you find you can’t ______ at all. You are paralyzed (使无能为力) with fear. That is why when we are very frightened, we sometimes say we are “petrified”; this word comes from a Greek word “petros”, which means “stone”. We are so frightened that we become stonelike.

7 . During my first three years of college, I put on about 30 pounds of weight. Between classwork and a part time job, I had zero time for _________. On top of that, I ate a lot of fast food. Not surprisingly, I _________ a fat stomach.

After leaving college, I _________ to take exercise. Invited by a friend, I _________ working out with exercise machines three times a week. I was the kind of person who did not try something _________. I ate the same foods; I did the same things. Clearly, I _________ my routines (习惯). My friend, however, became _________. One day, he said, “We’re not getting enough exercise. We should play tennis instead.”

Me? Play tennis? No way. I was strongly against his _________. I was not good at sports. Besides, I was _________ the exercise machines. __________, weeks later, I found myself standing on a tennis court (球场). As I held my racket (球拍), I felt __________. I gave my friend some looks that could kill. I ran after every ball he served to me, completely __________ about 90% of them, and hitting the rest into the other court. The first few months were quite __________. But one day, as the ball came flying to ward me, my racket and the ball finally met in the place where it is most effective to hit a ball. I watched __________ as my return landed where I had aimed (瞄准) it. I had finally __________ how to play tennis properly!

Tennis would finally become my __________. I played it for several years, only __________ because of a knee injury. I learned a __________ during my journey toward learning to play tennis: I can do whatever I set my mind to. I just __________ to put in the work, and the __________ will follow.

10 . Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass. While he was alive, he _______ me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important _______: “Believe in yourself.” If there was one phrase my dad _______ liked to hear, it was “I can’t!” He never got to finish high school and _______ two jobs to support his large family, _______ he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.

When I was in high school, I had a _______ time with maths. He tried to help me, but I _______ struggled. So my maths teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for _______ help. I told Dad, “That’s _______! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the ________. Despite working 12 hours every day, Dad never once ________ driving me to school.

After months of ________ I was facing the final exam. I was so ________. On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, ________ yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my ________ and in the hours of work I’d ________. When I got my ________ proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserve it!” Even now, whenever I ________ that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how ________ something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever ________ to Dad for that lesson.