2 . For one Wisconsin father of three, being 45 years old hasn’t stopped him from performing 3, 000 push-ups while competing in a marathon. _________, Nate Carroll set a new world record for _________ 1.5 million plus push-ups over the course of a single year.

When Nate Carroll _________ his mission on June 14, 2020, he had two _________. First, he hoped to teach his children a lesson about the power of perseverance (坚持) by _________ an example to them. But in addition to being a _________ role model for his children, Carroll also devoted his time to _________ money for a charity.

With a full-time job, finding the time in his _________ to clock thousands of push-ups per day was one of Carroll’s biggest challenges.

“To _________ time to do 4,000 push-ups is impossible.” he told the Wisconsin State Journal. “There is a fact you need to __________. You have to weave that into your day.”

And he did push-ups whenever a (n) __________ presented itself.

In order to set a new Guinness World Record, Carroll has been __________ documenting his accomplishments both in a logbook and with video throughout his year-long __________.

“Set a goal, and try your best to __________ it,” he told Fox News. “Make it who you are, not something you do. That way, when life throws obstacles in your way and offers you __________ excuses to stop or says it’s too difficult, you find a way to persevere in spite of difficulties.”

4 . Six years ago when I was told that my father suffered from dementia(痴呆), everything changed overnight. Until then, I was loved and lived with little _______. My father became a child who needed round-the-clock _______ for everyday activities. _______, we learnt that the best way to deal with him was with patience and_______.

Our family started_______more time and activities together——Sundays were set aside for a drive, a park visit and dinner at a restaurant. Each _______ gave us the chance to connect as a family.They were special to my father and gave him great_______. It was also a time of _______—— I found myself tested in different ways and found perseverance(坚毅) that I didn’t_______ I had.

By December last year, my father’s condition became more________. Unable to deal with his illness, we were ________ to send him to a centre for dementia care.

We brought my father home in February when he got ________. The next month, the government advised us to stay home because of COVID-19. I was worried that he would miss his walks and would get________ if he had to stay home all day long, but when we explained the________to him, he understood. Perhaps it was because he knew his family would ________ with him.

5 . What was I going to do? School was going to be over soon, and one quiet little girl in my class still had not _________ an octopus (章鱼). I made them from bright-colored yarn (纱) and gave them to my _________ as awards for doing something excellent.

I had introduced the octopus award early in the school year. The first winner was a little boy. I was _________ a paper in one hand and an octopus in the other.

I said, "You did very well in this math test. To reward your much _________ , I've decided to give you the very first octopus award." He had the _________ of his classmates as the first winner of this award.

By the end of the year, only the quiet little girl had _________ to win an octopus. One Friday afternoon, I gave a _________ assignment. “Draw any picture of your choice. Write a few words to tell me about it.” I collected their papers and took them home to _________ .When I saw the little girl's drawing，I got _________ She had __________ a blue sky and green grass by a pond. On a path nearby were three people side by side. One was __________ crutches（拐杖），one was in a wheelchair，and one had no clear __________ fault.

Above her drawing she wrote: “The sky is __________ . The grass is green. And all the people are different.” I couldn't wait to get to the __________ and give the girl an octopus for her wonderful drawing. When I called her forward, I saw the __________ expression on her face.

6 . I remember my high school English teacher telling me not to apply to Cornell University. My teacher said they wouldn’t accept me and even if they did I wouldn’t be able to _________ it through the years. I almost _________ but a few days later I came across Ivan Foldfarb, a former teacher, who told me _________, “You apply. You can do it” His words made all the _________. I put in my application and was _________.

Too often we think it’s our _________ to help make someone aware of “reality”. We think we must point out how _________ the job market is as well as how bad the economy is. This world never lacks “ _________ ” and pessimists. It calls for more optimists and encouragers who say, “I believe in you. Have the _________, and you will have the power to make it happen. We may __________ lots of barriers, but we’ll get the project finished. Even if you fail, it’ll lead to something more __________” I know that every one of us loves working for and with people who __________ the best in us. We love being around people who bring us __________ and uplift us. __________ we’ll always remember the negative people, we will always treasure those who encourage us.

So share encouragement. It __________ and we all need it.

7 . I’ve been told I was born middle-aged. That sounds about right. I took on a lot of family _________ at an early age, which meant putting away childish things long before childhood was over. When you have sensible adult _________on your mind, it’s _________ to find time to play. A few months ago, I was listening to a sensible adult podcast (播客) about publishing. During the course of the _________, the host said to his guest, “Ever since I read your latest book, I’ve found myself looking for opportunities to play.” When I heard a sensible adult podcaster talk about taking time to play, I thought “Well, that’s just silly.” The idea of playing as an adult seemed _________ in a way I couldn’t express clearly.

However, I didn’t know why the idea stuck with me. I didn’t want it at the forefront of my mind, but it certainly stayed there in my consciousness because the desire to play still _________ my mind a few days later.

One night, it must have been 9: 00 pm. I was cutting across the local park, which would have been bustling (熙熙攘攘) with _________ if I’d been there during the day. Now they were home in bed with their parents, and it was just me in this well-loved playground.

It was the swing set that really _________ my attention. When I saw it, I suddenly remembered playing on the swings with my cousin at the park near her house. I recalled the _________ of that childhood experience.

During the day you’d probably get a lot of __________ from other sensible adults if you were waiting in line with their children. But at night, with no one else around?

I __________ a bit, but nobody would ever know. So I got on the swing and pushed off the ground, and my body remembered exactly how to get going. I pumped (上下快速摇动) my __________ to go higher, higher.

The best feelings of childhood bubbled up inside me as I flew through the air. It was fun, __________ and simple. Eventually, I came down from the swing, but I didn’t resist smiling. I couldn’t. That smile __________ itself on my face, and it wouldn’t go away.

My childhood may be over, but that doesn’t mean __________ is.