1 . I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early _________ of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to _________ my parents.

At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with _________at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to _________!” Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father ever thought it a waste of time.

At that age, I always did something _________ to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found _________ , I would plant a garden!

I planted some lily (百合花) seeds in the yard. But they failed to _________ to sunflower seeds and roses. Wild _________ joy, I found the first rose bloom (开花). One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off. _________, I was touched by this land of wonder. I kept on planting my garden and continued to enjoy the pleasure gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they __________ to care and love.

Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, and now I could say it is my affection for nature that makes me a real gardener.

3 . Several months ago, a tornado fiercely hit our city without any signs before. We hadn’t ___________for it in advance, so we were just forced to go into our___________actions. I happened not to be in the classroom when it attacked. Hearing the alarm screaming, I rushed___________as fast as I could back to the classroom.

Never did I imagine that we would put our regular_________to use. Never did I imagine that my students had ___________against the wall and crouched(蹲) down on their knees. Their eyes were obviously filled with___________as they asked if their parents, pets, and friends would be okay. I, along with other teachers, tried our best to___________them, though we actually didn’t know what the___________would be.

I couldn’t ___________the tornado anymore. However, I’m very proud of my students who performed so well. In such a(an)____________and dangerous situation, they behaved beyond their ages. Never in my life had I seen them ____________instructions(指示) so quickly, without any hesitation. Though some tears were dropping and some hearts were beating fast, the kids were incredibly____________. I’m extremely proud that they struggled to calm down because of their____________in me.

Because of the tornado, I realized that my job as a teacher meant a lot. Behind every well-behaved students are a long line of teachers who have made it their life’s ____________to educate them with safety, courage, calmness and trust. Though the tornado has presented ____________, I’m sure we can handle them one by one.

7 . Al Nixon began each day from a bench with a spectacular view of the Tampa Bay, Florida. One day, a woman stopped, “Seeing you here, I know that everything is going to be ________.” That was when Nixon knew—he needed to________ the people walking by, letting them know that men ________ to each other.

Instead of staring straight at the waterfront, Nixon started ________ at people and striking up conversations. “I wanted them to walk away knowing they didn’t have to feel ________.” Nixon, 59, said. His being present and his ________ to listen have led some to nickname him the Sunshine Mayor (市长).

“Nixon is this calm, constant________,” said Dee Glowa, who is in her late 50s. “He listens without ________ and without any kind of return expected.” While most people ________wave or stop to make small talk, others are anxious to step into his “________” and spend a few minutes with someone who will listen.

No matter what problem a person wants to ________, Nixon lends an ear. “You have to have an open heart and an open head,” he said. “No topic is off ________, but some people sit down and don’t want to ________ at all.”

Once a woman ________ and they stared at the water for an hour, then she said thank you and walked away. She just wanted a moment of ________ and to know she wasn’t alone. And in that moment, in that hour, on that morning, she truly wasn’t.”

8 . Mark and Rosa have been wanting to go on holiday for many years. They _________ quite hard for several years. Finally, they saved up enough money for their dream _________ at a place called San Antonio in the Caribbean — _________ the dream was more like a nightmare (噩梦)! The holiday cost over five thousand dollars each, but they _________ to go for two weeks in the spring _________ they heard that the weather was perfect there at that time.

The _________ began when the flight was delayed (延误) because of bad weather and they couldn’t _________ until night. They finally got on the _________ twelve hours later! _________, they couldn’t fly to San Antonio because there was a storm and they had to fly to the capital city __________, where they stayed in a(n) __________ hotel by the airport.

The hotel was next to the __________, but it wasn’t near a beach: the sea was so dirty you couldn’t swim in it and the hotel swimming pool was full of leaves! To make things __________, the food was terrible, too: for breakfast there were __________ different types of bread and the salad was full of mayonnaise (蛋黄酱)! The worst part was when the __________ arrived: they felt really terrible because of the wind and rain. Because of the weather they had to stay another night in the small hotel with nothing to do. They finally arrived in San Antonio three days later and someone told them the weather there had been wonderful all the time!

9 . Once upon a time, a daughter________to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to________it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon________.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He________three pots with water and placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter complained and________waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes, he________the turners (开关). He took them out of the pot and put them in a bowl. Turning to his daughter, he asked, “Dear baby, what do you see now?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she quickly replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were________. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she________ the hard-boiled eggs. Finally, he asked her to sip (抿) the coffee. “Dad, what does this really mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans had each faced the same boiling water. However, they________differently. They went in strong, hard, but in the boiling water, they became soft and weak. The eggs were fragile (易碎) with the thin outer shell protecting their liquid inside until they were put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were ________ . After they were________to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When the________ knocks on your door, how do you________? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

“Dad, I want to be a coffee bean,” said the daughter.

All his________paid off and the daughter realized that in life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly ________is what happens within us.

10 . A lottery (彩票) winner in Kentucky won a six-figure jackpot (头奖). However, she wasn’t the only one who _________ — she celebrated her win by _________ gift cards at a local store.

Crystal Dunn of Louisville won the game’s $146,351.74 progressive jackpot. “I saw that and didn’t believe it _________,” Dunn told the lottery board. “I never thought I would win something like this, but this goes to show it can _________ ,” she continued.

Dunn traveled to the headquarters of the Kentucky Lottery Corporation to _________ her jackpot on 8 July. After taxes, she _________ a check for $103,909.73. Dunn said she _________ to use the money to buy a car and pay off bills. But she made it _________ that she would spread a little _________ before she returned home with her winnings.

She stopped by Meijer — a supercenter store chain in Kentucky — to __________ a part of her jackpot. Dunn purchased $2,000 in gift cards and handed them out to __________ .

“Many were excited, but a few were __________, thinking I was wanting something __________,” Dunn reportedly told the lottery board. “I got a(n) __________ gift and I believe in paying it forward and I want to pass it along,” she continued. “Actually, sharing is caring and giving is more __________ than receiving. I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve had. This is a pretty amazing gift.”