1 . That morning, I got the train as always. I was a publishing director and was looking forward to embracing a new day of work, as usual. I would always turn to the crossword (纵横填字游戏), but that day it didn’t make sense. I’d been doing it for 30-old years, but trying to read this one was like walking through syrup (糖浆)：________ slow and hard. I thought I must be tired.

I said to my assistant. The ________ colleague contacted my wife, Beth, and she drove me straight to hospital. There, confirmation came that I’d had a stroke in the part of my brain that ________ with communication. I was now in a condition that means it’s difficult or________ to receive and produce language. It was the only time I cried.

I was back at home a week later, and my goal was to get better and return to work in a couple of months. The way to ________ my language ability was rough. I’d look at simple pictures and try to describe them as my mind ________ round and round in the darkness, looking for words.

As the months passed, it became self-evident that I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my old job. For 25 years, I had ________ myself as a publisher. I was used to a busy day of meetings. I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to my old self. There were times when I felt incredibly ________.

In the darkest months, I devoted myself to________. I couldn’t manage novels or newspapers, ________ I tried reading poetry, and found the shorter lines less overwhelming. My speech came back, and I learned how to read again, though much more slowly. I also learned the ________ to keep up. I allowed myself to slow down, and started to enjoy it.

________, I get rid of my old skin. I grieved the past, its passing and its absence, and started to come to terms ________ it. Now, 10 years later, I look after my grandson a day a week, and my relationship with my family is deeper than ever. If you’d asked me 15 years ago to ________ the importance of the things in my life I might have said work, but now I’m no longer a high-achieving publisher or someone who reads 10 books a week. I’m a ________ man, and if I read 10 books a year, that’s pretty good.

2 . Mum-of-three Alli Smith ________ her heaviest weight of 125 kg after three difficult pregnancies caused her to rise to a size 20. She wasn’t ________ with herself, and she wasn’t living life to the fullest. She didn’t want to go to events because she didn’t have any clothes that would suit her.

Most of the time she was ________ herself with diets. However, snacking on nearly two blocks of ________ a night, the 27-year-old factory worker chewed doughnuts (甜甜圈), chips and biscuits throughout the day. Apart from that, she was ________ chocolate and was into it mainly for the taste.

She tried every diet under the sun and was spending all this money on all these ________ to just fail every time.

________ to change her ways, Alli saw her doctor, who recommended she conduct gastric (胃部的) sleeve surgery to prevent health complications (并发症) in the future ________ her size.

She soon ________ her nightly chocolate habit and has since dropped 35 kg in just seven months and ________ her sugar heavy diet for fresh fruits and salads.

Now, Alli also has more ________ to play with her children with Henry, four, Kate, two, and George, one. “I’m more energetic, I run around with my ________ and they’re enjoying it,” says Alli. She feels more ________ than ever in her new 90 kg frame, recently wearing shorts outside the house for the first time in six years. She delightedly says, “My son said to me, ‘Mum, you look so pretty.’ And now I wear what I want, not just what ________. I’ve finally ________ in losing weight and am on the road to where I want to be.”

3 . I never thought that something shared on Facebook would have the power to change my life.

Pictures of what my friends ate for lunch. Pictures of my grandbaby’s latest feats. And maybe a farm game. These were the things that I thought Facebook was. ________ , that was how I spent too much time on it these years.

Then on a March morning, a friend’s post on Facebook caught my ________ , which said, “Let go of anything ________ and all activities that do not mirror your brightest intentions. ”

The post kept returning to my mind throughout the day. I knew my life at that point was not authentic. It was at the ________ of my farm-game obsession. I, along with my friends, played FarmVille. I had five different farms in five different games. All in ________ forms, of course. After a day’s ________ on the words, I decided to write them on a piece of paper and taped it on my laptop.

One afternoon, I glanced down at the words taped on my keyboard. Then I ________ , and saw the empty backyard outside the window. Here I was taping away on the ________ , while a half-acre lot outside the window lay ________ . Suddenly, I was struck by a(n) ________ —it was the time to ________ what the words said to my life.

I ________ all inauthentic activities that I used to be obsessed with. FarmVille and the other four farms were left to wither (凋零) away. ________ , I turned to work in my newly-claimed garden. That ________ I’d copied became a mirror I used to ________ how I spent my time and energy. Thanks to the words, I eventually have a life filled with activities and people that enrich and fulfill me.

4 . Colorado traffic police department has come up with a unique effort to ensure the driving safety of motorbike riders in Denver. Through a(n) _________ partnership with “Advance Auto Parts”, Denver police is _________ the motorists, who might not be _________ to spend money in repairing their damaged vehicle parts.

Advanced Auto Parts store has _________ the Denver Police Department with 100 cards each worth $25 for handing out to the pulled-over motor drivers. Driving with a broken or damaged vehicle part is _________ a traffic rule violation and motorists are often pulled over by cops due to this very _________. Then they are either given a warning or a _________ to pay a fine. But from now on, the Denver police will have the option to give a $25 gift card _________, if they pull over any motorist for a defective headlight, bad taillight, or any other broken _________. This money will help them in fixing the damaged part and back on the road with further __________.

According to Paul Pazen, the Denver Police Chief, this Advanced Auto Parts’ __________ has helped the police department in getting __________ submission with the motorists and also __________ social relationships with the community. The officers have already __________ a few cards and have enjoyed the sigh of __________ and smiles on the pulled-over drivers’ faces.

5 . Perhaps one of the most famous________in China is, “To be the first to feel concern for the troubles of the world, and the________to enjoy its pleasures”. Written by Fan Zhongyan, this proverb provides a goal for all Chinese government ________to pursue.

Fan Zhongyan (989-1052) himself was a good example of someone who lived by these words. Fan was born in Suzhou in 989 CE. When he was just one or two, his father died and his mother ________another man. Poor as he was, he was very ________in his schoolwork. Later, he ________his stepfather’s family, had to live alone and eat porridge. In the winter, he had to cut________into pieces for his meals. When a friend sent him some tasty food, Fan refused, saying that he was________with what he had. In 1015, Fan________ the imperial examination and became-a government official. While he served faithfully in Taizhou, he proposed building a sea wall to protect homes from flooding. He also helped________defenses when the country was threatened by war. Then, once the country was at ________ again, he was promoted to a high-level position in the________, where he could advise the emperor on government policy.

As an________to the emperor, Fan then tried to institute govenment reforms.________, many conservative bureaucrats opposed him, so Fan was forced to go into exile.

While in exile, Fan wrote an essay entitled Memorial to Yueyang Tower. In the essay he wanted to find companions to________after the needs of peasants, and not worry about their own personal welfare. Of such a man, Fan said, “When serving________a high office at court, he’ll be concerned for the people; if living on distant areas, he’ll be concerned for his king. When serving, he worries; while in________, he worries. And when does he________himself? One must say: To be the first to feel concern for the troubles of the world, and the last to enjoy its pleasures.”

After Fan retired, he bought a farm to provide jobs for the________. Though by that time he had been wealthy, he helped others and lived a very simple life. Fan did not just speak wise words to live by, but also________those words into practice.

6 . Tackling behavioral problems at school is not easy, but Dr. Terrance Newton is doing that with a _________ effective solution.

In his first year as principal of Warner Elementary School, Newton has already seen a _________ change in his at-risk students. All it took was a few quality _________ and a pair of clippers.

Newton saw the _________ as soon as he started at the school. Bullying was _________ and students were constantly being _________. He believed the best way to solve this was to build positive relationships with students. So, he _________ to set up a barbershop at school. Having cut hair before, Newton _________ the barbershop could be a safe space for students to _________. And he was right- not only has he bonded with former __________, but suspensions have dropped from 103 to 4 in the last year! Even better, bullying has all but stopped.

Kamisha Collins has seen the __________ in her 11-year-old son, Brandon Ponzo. “In the beginning of the school year, my son started off really __________ and was not getting along with Dr. Newton, but now they have built this __________-he loves him very much,” Collins said.“Dr. Newton says positive things to them while cutting their hair. And my son’s behavior and grades have improved so much.”

What a brilliant idea not to mention a __________ leader! A little love and care can make a big impact on __________ kids.

7 . I am seven years older than my twin cousins. When I was 8 or 9 years old, they just learned how to _________. I liked them and they really liked me as well. However, sometimes they would _________ a lot. It was a little disturbing. _________, I only saw them for the final two weeks of the year over school _________ because I lived in New York and they lived in Los Angeles.

One night, it was a bit late so they had been _________ and crying for a bit before coming to play with me and my brother. Next, one of them fell off a chair onto the hard floor and began to _________ uncontrollably. I remember I felt the _________ for a short moment and then I went to pick her up. To my and my grandmother’s _________, she stopped crying immediately. I was kind of _________ and amazed. I didn’t expect I could do it.

I didn’t know why, but I looked at her and she __________ and I saw her happiness of just being held had overpowered the __________ she must have felt from falling. This is my earliest and strongest memory of my __________ happiness out of sadness for someone else. It had been a __________ of mine ever since. Doing something to make someone else feel joy will lift your __________ and make you feel pleased, and that is why __________ is a core belief of mine.

8 . Maria and Pablo lived in a tiny village in Mexico. Because Christmas time at their house did not include many gifts, Maria and Pablo _________ to the Christmas festivities at the village _________ with great joy.

To honor the birth of Christ(耶稣), the church _________ a beautiful manger(食槽) that drew crowds of admirers. Villagers walked miles to admire the manger, bringing lovely, _________ gifts for the Baby Jesus. As Maria and Pablo watched the villagers _________ their gifts in the soft hay(干草) around the manger, they felt _________. They had no money to buy _________ for their family and no money to buy one for the Baby Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo _________ to the church for that evening's services, _________ wishing that they had a gift to bring. __________ then, a soft glowing light shone through the __________, and the shadowy outline of a/an __________ appeared above them.

Maria and Pablo were afraid, but the angel __________ them, telling them to pick some of the short green __________ that were growing by the road. They should __________ the plants to the church, the angel explained, and place them near the __________ as their gift to the Baby Jesus. Then just as __________ as she had appeared, the angel was gone, __________ Maria and Pablo on the road looking up into the dark sky. Confused but __________, the children filled their __________ with large bunches of the green weeds and hurried to the church.

9 . The Internet is an amazing modern tool, creating new ways to shop, entertain, and amazing modern communication. But one of the most amazing things the Internet is doing right now is helping people to _______ their family histories.

While some Americans are _______ enough to know their family tree going back hundreds of years, most people only know of a generation _______ things get clear. However, new online services are _______ that for many people. The largest and most comprehensive of these services is called Ancestry. com.

Ancestry. com gives you access to all of the _______ you need on one comprehensive site. With more than one billion searchable records and thousands of new ones added daily, it's a _______ resource for your family history search. It _______ you where to start your search, how to _______ your family tree, and how to get past seemingly dead ends in your hunt for information.

The service also _______ an easy family-tree part so you can build and share your family tree with others. You can ________ access copies of many original records, ________ birth certificates and newspaper clippings(剪报). There are other interesting ________ records about your family. These can be downloaded and printed for scrapbooks, or even as ________ of original documents that you may have lost.

Another fun thing you can do using Ancestry. com is ________ old newspaper clippings from one or even ten years ago that ________ your family members. It gives you access to expert genealogists, who study the history of families and can ________ you if needed. It also contains a wealth of articles on special ________ such as researching African-American histories, military research, and more.

Ancestry. com offers subscription plans that are considerably lower than other ________ services offering this type of service. Best of all, Ancestry. com is now offering new customers a ________ one-day trial. You can begin searching your family tree right away and see the amazing amount of________ available through the service——all for free.

10 . The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week in his house, _________a window in the study where he could watch a small plant. Its subject was The Meaning of Life and it was taught from experience. I was the only student.

_________grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions and_________questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical_________now and then, such as lifting the professor’s head to a(n) comfortable_________on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. No books were required, yet many topics were_________, including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, _________death. A funeral was held at his request_________graduation ceremony. Although no final exam was given, you were _________to produce one long paper on what was learned. So a graduation paper titled “Tuesdays with Morrie” is __________here.

Have you ever really had a teacher, one who saw you as a raw but __________thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be__________to a proud shine? I am lucky enough to__________my way to such a teacher, Morrie Schwartz, my favorite professor at college. I can still remember he hugged me after the graduation ceremony, “Mitch, you’re one of the good ones. Stay in touch .”I promised I would without hesitation. But I lost touch with him until 15 years later, when he__________ALS (渐冻症) and gave me 14 lessons every__________in his last days.