2 . The first cellphone was invented fifty years ago. The man who ________ that phone, Martin Cooper, is now 94 years old.

In the early 1970s, Cooper worked for an American technology company. At the time the company and other manufacturers were ________ to create wireless phones that could work in vehicles and also be carried. There was ________ between manufacturers to build the first truly ________ phone.

Cooper made the first public call from a handheld portable telephone on April 3, 1973. The device, called Dyna TAC, ________ about 1.1 kilograms and was 23 centimeters long.

Today while Cooper is pleased that his ________ has opened up a series of technological possibilities for cellphone users, he thinks many people are just too ________ with their devices. “I am   ________ when I see some people crossing the street and ________ their cellphones. They are out of their minds.” Cooper said.

The modern progress of cellphones is sure to continue long into the future. Cooper ________ cellphone batteries could even be replaced by body ________ . “You ingest food, and you create energy. Why not have this receiver for your ear embedded under your skin, powered by your body?” he imagined.

Cooper also expressed ________ about how the device has created serious risks for ________ especially in the area of privacy. He hopes cellphones will continue to ________ in ways that can greatly help humanity. “Each generation is going to be smarter... They will learn how to use the cellphone more ________ ,” Cooper said.

3 . Roman McCormick is just a 15-year-old teenager, but he’s already been through more _______ than some people ever experience. He was born with a rare _______, which causes kidney (肾) failure over time.

Faced with dialysis (透析), Roman and his parents anxiously _______ their community to get tested to see if they were a match for Roman on TV. But they were not positive about anyone_______ to help. They had no idea that someone who _______ knows Roman happened to be watching the _______ that night.

Eddie McCarthy taught Roman maths last school year. He _______ the teen right away, and as a parent himself, Eddie couldn’t help but take pity on him. So he took the _______ and got his blood tested. When the result came out five months later, he _______ he was a perfect match. All that was left to do was tell the McCormick family that their nightmare (噩梦) was about to ________. “When he called me, I was just too ________,” Roman’s mother, Jamie said.

Both Eddie and Roman’s parents were ________ that a new kidney would give Roman a fresh chance at life. Roman’s been ________ so much from his illness over the years. Jamie hoped the surgery would give her son “his teenage years back”.

On July 19, Roman and Eddie ________ the surgery. It was a success, and both are ________ now. Let’s wish them the best of health.

6 . Once there was a little girl who had many misfortunes in life and was struggling with problems. One day she felt so upset that she couldn’t help ________ to her father why her life was so ________.

Sensing her ________, her father, a chef, took her to their ________. He asked her to just ________ till he finished everything. He filled three small pots with water and placed each on a burner. Once the water began to ________, he placed a potato, an egg, and some ground coffee beans in each pot. Curious, though, she kept ________ as her father instructed her to do so.

About twenty minutes later, he turned off the ________. The chef turned towards his daughter and said, “See, the potato went in strong and hard but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was ________, but now the egg became hard. ________, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being ________ the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.”

Seeing the little girl was still confused, he then ________, “The potato, the egg and coffee beans had each faced the same ________-the boiling water. However, each reacted ________. When hardships come your way, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?” Hearing these words, the girl made her choice inside-she would be the ________, which could not only change the whole situation but also change in its own way. After all, life is 10% what happens to you and 90%how you react to it.

8 . Many thanks to Blanche Caffiere, my elementary school teacher. She deserves big credit for helping me become the man I am today.

When I first met Mrs. Caffiere, I was a pretty shy fourth grader. I felt _________ by my terrible handwriting and messy desk. I was _________ trying to go unnoticed by others and hide the fact that I liked to _________ — something that most boys disliked at that time. But Mrs. Caffiere helped make it okay for me to be myself — a _________ and nerdy (书呆子气) boy and she taught me that my love of reading was a strength.

She pulled me out of my shell by sharing her _________ for different books. When I was at sixth grade, one day, she noticed that I was reading a Tom Swift Jr. book and _________ that I could handle more _________ literature. She _________ me with more challenging texts and took the time to discuss them with me, “Did you like it?” She would ask. “Why? What did you learn?” She _________ listened to what I had to say. __________ those conversations we became good friends. Meanwhile, she __________ me to biographies of famous people throughout history.

As we were in primary school, teachers generally didn’t want to __________ their young students with extra reading assignments. However, I learned from Mrs. Caffiere that my teachers were happy to share their __________, and I just needed to ask what I wondered about the world. I would often __________ my teachers about the books they liked, read those books, and offer my __________. Gradually, I become a life-long learner who thinks reading is absolutely __________ to success, and I read a lot — almost one book per week, fifty books a year.

When I look back on it now, there is no __________ that my time with Mrs. Caffiere helped __________ my interest in books. Not only did she have a __________ impact on me, but she played a remarkable role in shaping the life of a child.

Mrs. Cafiere, you should get the __________ for your empathy and guidance to make me what I am today.

10 . On the night of the speech contest, I was worried about the shy girl. My heart _________ when I knew the boy on stage previous to her, _________, was fairly successful with his humor and personal style. The whole audience burst out a wave of _________ almost every 30 seconds.

My palms (手掌) began to _________. It was the first time that she had been on the stage, so I couldn’t blame her for any _________. The strong spotlight made her so insignificant that nobody _________ she had been on the stage.

But the moment that _________ me occurred. I clearly heard a _________ voice, “Now, your _________, please!” The whole audience fell quiet. Small and thin as the girl appeared, the __________ look on her face instantly caught everyone’s eyes. Then her speech was on, logical and well-organized. Words of power __________ freely out of the girl like magic. When her speech __________, a thunderous applause sounded from the audience. When the competition was concluding, all of us waited __________ for the winner’s name to be called. Tears of joy __________ my vision when the host announced she won first prize. Holding the medal tightly, she gave me a brilliant smile. I __________ her into my arms, too excited to say any words.