1 . It is hard to forget the time when I stood in front of all my classmates and forgot my words while I was giving a speech. _________ that, I didn’t want to join in any class activities for a long time. However, things began to _________ one day.

A week before my school’s English festival, my teacher asked me to make a speech in front of the _________ school. I did not want to, but my teacher _________ me to think about it carefully and gave me a piece of paper. “The _________ step to success is the willingness (意愿) to try, and the key to it is to work hard.” I was encouraged by this and _________ to have a try.

I finished _________ the speech on paper in a day and practised it during my lunch breaks. I also asked my teacher for suggestions. As a _________ , my speech was a success. Since then, I have become more active and outgoing. I ask and answer questions in class more often and I _________ many different after-school activities.

I learned that the road to success is difficult, and we need to have ________ and work hard.

2 . Everything changed when I entered high school. Among all the freshmen, I never saw an acquaintance. At home I was just as ___________.

Mom was shouting again. “Karole, your bedroom is a disaster. Why can’t you keep it_________?”

The last thing, I needed was, mother’s_________. Clean your room. Finish your dinner. What happened to the mother who___________ me with complete acceptance? However, instead of explaining my _________, I just holed up in my bedroom.

Clearing off some space, I pulled out my math textbook, turned to a fresh page and started___________the first problem. Almost immediately, I made a_______! “Wrong again” I thought. “You can’t do anything___________!”   I tore the paper from my notebook, balled it up and_________it on the floor.

When I finished my homework, the floor was__________with crumpled(皱的) papers. It gave me a kind of satisfaction to see the___________ I’d made. Like it was proof of all my flaws(缺点). I kicked the papers under the   ___________.

One day, when I came home and entered my room, I___________. It was neat as a new pin. Mom had___________cleaned it. All the papers under my bed had___________, except one. I picked it up and unfolded it.

I___________Mom’s handwriting immediately: “Dear Karole, I’ve been too___________with you lately. Sorry. Now I only_____________you are to be your same, sweet self. Love, Mom.”

At that moment, a weight seemed to lift from me. It was_____________with something as soft as an angel’s wing. After that, everything changed in high school. But that heartfelt note remained ____________for the rest of my teenage years.

3 . On the first morning of a new term, Jared remembered the things he didn’t like about school: Jessica, maths and reading aloud.

Jared _______ to stay at home, but his mom sent him anyway. He had to sit next to Jessica. At reading time, Mrs. Thomas asked Jared to read. Reading aloud always made Jared _______ . As he picked up the book, his hands shook. “He can’t read,” Jessica said. “I didn’t call on you, did I?” asked Mrs. Thomas. Jared made a _______ .

During the break time, Jessica whispered to him, “When Mom brings my cute kittens (小猫) to school for show-and-tell, don’t even think about _______ them.”

The four kittens arrived in a box covered with a piece of screen. Everyone except Jaredd held them. When Jared picked up his pen from the floor, he looked into the box, saying,

The four kittens arrived in a box covered with a piece of screen. Everyone except Jared held them. When Jared picked up his pen from the floor, he looked into the box, saying, “Stupid kittens.”

After show-and-tell, the children took out their maths books.

Then Philip said, “Hey, where are the kittens?” The box was _______ .

“Oh no!” Jessica cried and told Mrs. Thomas. “Jared said they were stupid.”

“I didn’t _______ it.” Jared’s face turned red.

“Look at the radiator (散热器)!” Angela said. Tiny grey paws pushed out from under the radiator cover. Alex yelled, “Kitten! ” But the kitten disappeared at once.

The bell rang, and the class went out for a break. When Jared passed the empty box, he saw kitten treats. He then had a(n) _______ . He threw the treats on the floor. A kitten came out. Jared waited until it was eating. Then another…Soon the other kittens were eating. Jared gently put them in the box. Mrs. Thomas put a book on the screen so they couldn’t run _______ again.

“Class, Jared helped the kittens out,” Mrs. Thomas announced. Everyone _______ .

“Thanks,” whispered Jessica. “You’re the greatest.”

Jared was so ________ that when he read, his hands didn’t shake. That day, Jared felt the new term might not be so bad.

4 . I looked at the result of the pregnancy test and found I was pregnant. My heart almost stopped. I was married, but my _________ had just lost his job. I was working in a _________ position, struggling to find permanent, full-time employment. Having a _________ was a “future plan”—and it was supposed to be carried out many years later.

Weeks later, I had a _________ day at work. My bus ran late, my report didn’t save, and I _________ my lunch at home. I started to cry at my desk and _________ into the women’s restroom. I hid in the stall (小隔间), but it was _________ to cover the sound.

Several people entered the room, heard me crying, and left without _________ anything. Then, one older woman to whom I’d _________ spoken several times knocked on the door of the stall and handed me a __________. I told her everything that had __________ to me. I expected her to imply that I was careless and irresponsible for getting myself into such a dilemma.__________ she gave me a hug and told me everything would __________. She told me I’d be a wonderful mother, and that my baby would be the __________ of my life.

Later that day, I saw a(n) __________ on my desk. She’d written a note wishing me well and enclosed(随涵附上) what I __________ was all the cash from her purse. I cried again when I __________ it. This time it was because I was in relief that someone __________ that I’d find a way to make things okay. One of the things I bought with that money was a small Teddy Bear. My son’s a teenager now, but that Teddy Bear is one of my most prized __________. Whenever I look at it, I’m __________ that hope is the most precious gift of all.

5 . There is a school where children use pumpkins to learn about colors and counting. They learn about _________ by planting seeds 30 centimeters apart. Interesting? Yes, that’s the _________ school. For students at this school in Hamilton, Virginia, the classroom is _________ every day. Jaclyn Jenkins is a founder of the school. The _________ for a school like this started after Jenkins and her husband Kenny bought a farm shortly after their marriage. The Farm School is a _________ –a place for three and four-year-olds to learn and play.

Teacher Alison Huff says The Farm School gives its students more of a hands-on learning _________. Children can use everything a _________ preschool uses, but out in the garden. In addition to planting vegetables and fruits, youngsters help prepare food and _________ afterward. The school teaches children to cook using the food they have grown. They can _________ what they have in the garden __________ going to the grocery store and buying it. Besides, the preschoolers also learn words in languages other than English. Huff speaks __________ in both English and Spanish. Her assistant speaks French and Arabic.__________, a 3-year-old in her class speaks four different languages.

What’s more, Farm animals are also playing an important part in the education program. The youngsters learn about a __________ animal every month. Two months ago, the animal they learnt was a cow. They get to see what the cow is like, and we learn what cows eat. We use little gloves and try to __________ a cow. Using the milk from their work, we make yogurt.

More and more families __________ The Farm School. Their children come home with new experiences, new knowledge and sometimes a few vegetables they plant by themselves. So this kind of school is getting more and more popular!

6 . Once there was a small boy named Bob. He came from a ____ family, struggling with life every day. One day, he was crossing the forest carrying some _____. He saw an old man who was very ______. Bob wanted to give the old man some food, but he did not have any. So he ____ walking. A few minutes later, he saw a deer who was very thirsty. He was eager to ____ him, but he did not have water. So he went on his way ahead.

Then he saw a man who wanted to make a ____ to keep warm, but he did not have wood. Bob ____ some wood to him. In return, he gave Bob some food and water. Then Bob went back to help the old man and the deer, who were very ____ .

One day Bob fell down from the ____ . He couldn’t move because he was ____, but no one was there to help him. ____ , the old man whom he had helped before saw him. He quickly came and pulled him up the hill. Bob had many ____ on his legs. The deer whom Bob had helped saw them and ____ to the forest and brought some herbs(草药). Soon Bob _____. All of them were very ____ that they could help each other.

7 . “Wanted: Violin. Can’t pay much. Call...”

That advertisement in the newspaper made me remember my childhood. I, too, had wanted a violin, but we didn’t have the money. Even though times(岁月) were ________, I couldn’t wait any longer to ask. “Daddy, may I have a violin of ________?” Daddy’s face looked ________. But a few weeks later, Daddy went home, with a case in his hand, ________, “Mary, I found this second hand violin for seven dollars.”

The day when I carried my violin to school for my first lesson, no one could know how ________ I was. I practiced, joined the school orchestra(管弦乐队), gave performances … Several years seemed to run even quickly and I found myself in the first violin chair. More years ________, and my violin made every move with me, until one day, I carefully ________ it away.

Now here ________ this wanted advertisement, I discovered the case deep in my closet(储藏室). I put it on the table. Then I picked up the ________, walked to the telephone and called by the ________.

Later in the day, a man of about 30 knocked at the door. “I’ve been expecting someone would ________ my advertisement. My daughter wants a violin so ________,” he said, examining my violin. “How much are you asking?”

I said, “Seven dollars.” “Are you sure?” he asked, ________ he did not believe his ears. “Seven dollars.” I ________ and then added,” I hope your little girl will enjoy it ________ I did at her age.”

I smiled, but I found my tears rolling down my face.

8 . I moved to Norfolk about six years ago after serving in the army for 10 years. The___________wasn’t easy. The nights were the___________. My body knew I was___________, but my mind had other ideas. Every evening, I would go to bed knowing that in just a few hours’ time, I would be___________to stay awake by a nightmare. This became my nightly_________, and in the daytime I still tried to stay awake,___________mistakes at work caused by a constant state of exhaustion. Doctors gave me medicine to manage PTSD(创伤后应激障碍), but my situations got severer. At this point, I knew there had to be a different_________.

My research led me to K9s For Warriors, a non-profit organization that___________service dogs with people like me living with___________trauma(精神创伤). I remembered feeling____________to attend their training program, but my case of nerves melted away when I saw Lenny, a____________chosen to assist with my____________. When I met him, I had a sense of____________that I hadn’t felt since my service. I eased a lot of tension in my daily life____________. Lenny rescued me. When I woke up from a nightmare at night, Lenny was right by my side to offer__________. Something as simple as going to the grocery store used to__________me. I would often want to leave the store without finishing____________. It was Lenny that made me get over public panic attacks.

Lenny has truly____________my recovery. With him, I have my life back. I’m so____________that more people can see the enormous value that service dogs can have for anyone suffering from PTSD, because I understand what they’re__________

Humans are mammals (哺乳动物). Most mammals are born able to do many things. Some can walk within a few minutes of being born. They have to be able to run away if _________ is near. But human babies are born _________. They need the care of adults to live.

In the first month of life, babies cannot smile or sit up. They cannot even hold up their own heads _________some help from grown-ups.

In the next few months, babies grow a lot. They learn to roll over, support their heads, and _________ sit up while being held.

Babies also have to learn to use their _________. It takes months for them to learn to reach for objects. At around six months old many babies can _________ an object from one hand to another.

Babbling is _________ a human baby learns to speak. Babies all seem to make similar sounds by babbling. They try to imitate (模仿) the sounds they hear from adults. It will take about nine months _________ a baby can say real words.

Somewhere around a baby’s first birthday he or she may stand or walk with help. Soon the baby will _________ around on his or her own!

The first year of a baby’s life is a time of growing and __________. Growing sure takes a lot of work!

10 . Armed with my camera and a face mask, I entered the COVID-19 quarantine ward (隔离病区) after having my temperature checked.

A quick look in any direction in the ward showed nurses _________ going around attending to patients, who were separated from me by a partition (隔板) with clear glass windows I could _________ . For my own _________ , I was not allowed to open the door leading to the room where the patients were. I stood in the long passage, focusing my camera to _________ the nurses and patients beyond the partition. The patients seemed to be in good _________ . Some of them waved at me and gave me the “thumbs up (跷拇指)” sign through the _________ window.

But what caught my _________ the most were the nurses, who were _________ from head to toe in full personal protective equipment (PPE). Despite working long hours, some of them could still share a _________ with me about the PPE, which they called a “sauna (桑拿浴) suit”.

Due to the __________ amount of PPE, these staff must wear their heavy protective equipment for four full hours, so they are usually wet with sweat by the time they are allowed to __________ . One of the nurses whom I spoke to said a colleague of hers __________ a few kilograms due to the PPE.

The nurses, who are risking their lives caring for the __________ , never let the tiredness and other __________ get in their way.   

After spending about 30 minutes at the ward, I left with great __________ for these medical workers.