1 . I was ten years old at that time. It was a hot, summer afternoon and I decided to _______ by swimming in the river where the water was cold. After a while I grabbed my _______ and headed back up to the house. I knew that _______ would be ready soon.

I _______ in slowly and saw my grandmother busy cooking. Two freshly baked loaves of Italian bread smelled wonderful. My grandmother was _______ her special sauce (调味汁) without noticing my arrival. It had been slowly _______ for hours. Potatoes, pieces of chicken, and meatballs had been quietly cooking in it. Grandma _______ a wooden spoon, stirred the sauce and brought up a bit for a _______. She made a face and shook her head. Something wasn’t quite _______. She added some salt. Then she shook in a little more garlic powder. She ________ stirred the sauce for a while longer. ________ she took another taste. This time her ________ widened and she nodded her approval of her ________. I smiled too. I knew it was going to be another ________ dinner.

Looking back I think grandmother was such a ________ cook because she not only seasoned (给……调味) her food with the right ________ but also seasoned it with her love. She was a true ________ when it came to cooking and truly wise when it came to living. I still ________ her every single day and I am so thankful for all the ________ she taught me. Life is so much tastier when you ________ it with joy. Be the chef of your own life then.

2 . Twenty years ago, I became involved in pet therapy (疗法) work with our dog J.J. After J.J. passed away, we ____ another young dog, whom we named Angel. As she ____ and went through training, we realized that she would be a good therapy dog.

Angel is ten now and ____ every week. She visits two hospitals, a day care center and a library. At the library, dogs lie on the floor, and kids ____ a book to read to a dog. After they_____, they get a trading card with the dog’s picture and history. Angel has also ____ at a children’s special needs camp. She is so _____ that everywhere we go people recognize her, _____ the kids she has worked with.

We have ____ some very special things through our pet therapy work. We used to pay a ____to a woman who was completely paralyzed (瘫痪) on her right side from a stroke. One day, my husband, Jack, asked the_____if she wanted to give Angel a treat.

She_______, and Jack carefully placed the treat in her right hand. Angel_____ took the treat. Then the woman_______her right hand and started ______Angel. Her friend in the room looked ______ and said, “ She hasn’t been able to move that_______since she had her stroke!” After that, every time she lifted her left hand to   ______us, we’d tell her she had to use her right hand, and she would.

When Angel visits the hospital, she also performs_______ for the patients, such as rolling over, shaking and balancing treats on her nose. Once she starts her performance, she won’t stop________Jack claps his hands.

3 . He caught my eye and up went his arm. As usual, I _________ and gave him a smile. “Do you know the old man, Mom?” asked my son. I _________ my head. “I don’t know his name, but he’s very _________. He waves to me whenever we meet.”

We were _________ to this town. Having moved from another city, I wasn’t used to waves from strangers. _________, where we were from, people hardly _________ each other. We simply passed by each other, heads down, _________ our own business.

Perhaps that’s why I _________ these daily waves. It felt good to be noticed and _________ that message of “Hello!” On days when I didn’t meet him, I missed him and wondered if he was __________. The next day, I’d find myself driving with only one eye on the road. It was a happy __________ when I’d spot him, and I’d wave first in my __________.

One evening when I was walking alone, my __________ travelled to “The Waver”, as my children called him. I wondered if I could be __________ enough to wave at the people I don’t know. I wanted to give it a try, but I __________. “I’ll feel silly,” I thought to myself. Then I heard a __________ approaching. The next moment I found myself waving to the lady in the passenger seat. Her __________ softened and waved back. I was a little shocked. They do this here! I reminded myself. It’s __________ cool! I waved to everyone I saw the rest of the way home.

That was the day I became a “__________”. I can’t change the world. It’s enough to help __________ it a little.

4 . There was once a woman in Romania. Her husband was dead and she was living with her _______. Her daughter was about to marry, but money was _______. Because they were living in a village, there was not much of _______ possibilities. That’s why the mom was _______ for the nearest city for her job.

Since making the wedding ceremony is a really _______ thing—usually on the countryside with up to 300 guests—they needed to borrow some money to _______that purpose.

She _______＄26,000 from the Mutual Help System. To think what that _______: it was one year’s income for a young teacher, doctor or engineer. _______, when she met her daughter, she realized that the ________ with the 26,000 wrapped in newspaper, had been left in the train... She felt like dying and started to cry with________.

Daughter tried to________ her — “Mom, it’s only money. I’ll get work soon and I’ll also be able to get into the Mutual Help System, and borrow money for the ________, and I’ll pay debts...”

Mother was shocked, but somehow she did come to some ________. A few days later she was in the city at her work, when she received a(n)________.

“Have you lost something?”

Straight forward. No Hello! No self ________ like “My name is...”.

“Yes, I did. My handbag with the money for the wedding of my daughter inside.”

“Yes. They are all ________: the police station. When can you come to take it?”

She couldn’t________ it. Soon she also learned what happened: a young girl at the same train found the handbag. She took it and then ________it to the police.

Do believe ________ happen. Chances grow if you have always been an honest person, and if you would have acted the same!

5 . It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different primary schools in and around the small town were warming up. I looked around and ______spotted David. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other______. He hesitated and then said he had decided not to______.

What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event! I quickly searched for the school’s ______ and asked him what had happened. He said that kids from other schools would ______David. After making sure that David could run if he ______ to, I decided to have a talk with David.

David had a brain ______ which prevented him from walking or running like other children, but he always participated to the ______of his ability in whatever they were doing. That was why none of the children thought it ______ that David had decided to join the cross-country team. It just took him ______— that’s all. As a special education teacher at the school, I was familiar with the ______ David faced and was proud of his strong ______.

I came up to David and ______ him. Finally, he was determined to______ the race. Half an hour later, the race ______, but he had only gone a few meters before he tripped and ______on the ground. My heart ______. As I started to shout encouragement, other voices around me took up the ______. “Come on David, you can do it!” David picked himself up and started again. Needless to say, David ______ last. And he raised his arms high as he ______ the finish line to wild cheers and applause.

6 . It’s cool to be a fool in school, obviously. Research from Florida Atlantic University shows that aggressive, troublesome adolescents often end up becoming quite ________ among their peers (同龄人).

Importantly, researchers explain that being popular and having friends aren’t one in the same. Popularity ________ that everyone knows you, but they may not necessarily ________ you as a good friend. Study authors theorize that certain children ________ popularity to lots of friends. Why?

Being popular is thought a major status symbol for an ________. While it is certainly ________ that many popular children are fun and ________ , others are troublemakers.

The team at FAU performed a study to test their ________ that disruptive (破坏性的) children often start conflicts with their fellow classmates to ________ their social standing and become more popular. The results showed that higher initial levels of peer-reported ________ and disruptiveness were indeed associated with an ________ in peer-reported popularity during the semester. This was especially true for kids reporting frequent ________ with peers.

Aggression, ________ , occurs in the heat of the moment during a conflict of some kind. Researchers theorize that many kids just want to avoid quarrels, or perhaps even ________ harm. In such cases they usually ________ when challenged by an aggressive peer. These ________ “ provide visible evidence of dominance (支配地位) and ___ short-term gains in popularity” for the aggressor, the authors ________.

While researchers don’t think ________ is enough by itself to boost up (提高) one’s overall social status, they do ________ it can be used as an effective way of improving certain aspects of popularity.

7 . When I was younger I loved going on winding trail (小路) runs on the outskirts of my hometown. It was my favorite way to ______ the stresses of everyday life. So, when I was back in my hometown for a visit after a(n) ______ first year of my Ph.D (博士) program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But ______ helping me relax, the run did just the ______: It made me anxious.

In college, where Iran along flat concrete paths instead of ______ dirt trails, I bought a GPS watch. When I was back in the country, it constantly ______ me of the fact that I wasn’t ______ my usual pace. I turned my ______ off, thinking that would allow me to find the ______ I expected, but I still worried that I was ______.

Going into my Ph.D., I had thought that my ______ undergraduate track record and strong work rules would set me up for instant ______. To my surprise, I was wrong. I ______ confidence in my research abilities and constantly felt my progress was too ______. Finally, one day I broke down in my adviser’s office, wondering whether I would be able to ______ a Ph.D. of any value.

Then came my visit home. I realized that a Ph.D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. But at other times, you might find yourself moving on a steep winding trail ______. Difficulties and slow-moving sections are ______, and success looks and feels ______ on a challenging section than it does on a smooth, flat path.

When I returned to grad school, I shifted my mindset ______ my trail-running understanding. Now, as I near the end of my Ph.D., I’m pleased to report that I’m a more ______ scientist.

8 . Twin sisters Hadley and Delaney Robertson were both found to suffer from scoliosis(脊柱侧凸)at age 12.

Delaney’s scoliosis required no ________, but Hadley’s spine curve(脊柱弯曲)was serious. To ________ the rapid progression, she was under the doctor’s ________ to wear a back brace(支架)for 18 hours a day. If Hadley needed to ________ take off her brace, she should wear it for extra hours another day to ________ lost time. “One thing I found really ________ was figuring out how to track the ________ of my wearing,” Hadley said. “I tried ________ things. A notepad, a whiteboard and some other tools. And I even ________ to look for an app with such function, but there really wasn’t anything so we decided to ________ an app ourselves.”

The twins had no ________of developing an app although they were enthusiastic about computer science. They then worked with an app developer to ________ they had everything they needed to place the app into app stores, and it was officially ________ to the public in May. The app had around 500 active ________ within a week. Hadley said, “Their positive comments on the app made us amazed. People said they’re glad that they can record how long they wear the brace more ________.”

9 . Hurricane Ian hit Florida in October and brought with it flooding, winds, and a record high storm. Many residents like Karen Lauder _________ to leave their homes because they _________ the intensity of the storm. Karen is 84 and relies on a wheelchair to _________ because of a missing leg. Her son, Johnny Lauder, tried repeatedly to get her to _________, but in vain.

Johnny had to stay but he and his family lived in another district. They kept in _________ touch with Karen. When Karen _________ that the water in her house had reached her waist, he knew he had to take _________.

Johnny jumped out of a window and began to _________ to his mother’s. As he made his _________ through the water, Johnny stopped occasionally to snap selfies(自拍) to show his __________ family that he was okay.

Johnny was racing against __________. He only had a short period of time to get there before the water rose above Karen’s __________. It took him 40 minutes to swim four blocks. Karen’s yell sounded like __________ to his ears! She was still alive! But Johnny saw Karen __________ like a leaf, so he found some clean sheets and wrapped her up on a table to get __________.

Everyone in Johnny’s family is now __________. They’ve all lost everything they __________, including their houses, but they’re __________ just to be here.

“I didn’t lose hope. So we’re still here. __________ is like a computer. There’re two buttons: There’s a reset and a power — and __________ it was just a reset button that got hit and not the power,” he said.

10 . Every year, high school students aged 15-19 from all around the world make a huge decision. They ______ their home and go to another country to study for up to a year. An exchange year is known as a time when new experiences ______ students about a different way of life. Sometimes there will be ______ and bad moments, but those are the moments when the students ______ the most.

“An exchange year isn’t a year in your life; it’s a life in a year,” said Isabela Seixas, an 18-year-old exchange student from Brazil.

Seixas has been living in Saint Joseph this year. Her year didn’t start ______ the way she was hoping. Seixas had trouble making friends and she couldn’t ______ with her host family.

“I had the worst and the best time here. The beginning was terrible. I didn’t open up and no one talked to me. I was even ______ to go home before the year ended,” Seixas said.

When the year 2020 started, Seixas ______ her host family and gave the U. S. one more chance. She also changed her ______. Now she has a great relationship with her host parents and has a lot of friends. She’s ______ her time.

“I love all the seasons, watching the changes and the changes in me. I learned that it’s important to talk to people and start building connections with them. I’m glad that I ______ my comfort zone,” said Seixas.

Exchange students grow a lot during their exchange year and they see the world in a ______ way. They will have difficulties they need to ______ by themselves but they will go back to their home more mature and ______.

“You will have bad days, but if you open your mind to new experiences and share your ______ with people, you will have the best time of your life,” said Seixas.