2 . The scary day of our diving(跳水)test in my Monday morning high school physical education class was here. My parents thought we were honored to have an Olympic-size swimming pool at the school. But I wasn’t so _________.

Not only was I terribly _________ in regular classes and sat in the back of the room, but also I’d not be called upon to read. Each Monday I would work my way to the back of the lane forming at the diving board so I would not have to _________ the dives.

My blood ran cold when the teacher _________ we would be graded for our final on the most difficult dive. I _________ as the line to the awful diving board shortened. As I watched, each student seemed to perform the difficult _________ effortlessly, and shortly I would have to _________ something I’d never even practiced before.

Then I remembered someone telling me that when you _________ yourself doing a skill over and over, it’s just as effective as _________ practicing that skill. So I watched carefully as each girl jumped at the end of the board once, added a jump for height, __________ her body in half to reach for her toes, and finally straightened out like an arrow for entry into the water. I think I was actually in a state of __________, because all of a sudden I saw these four steps as achievable.

Then it was my __________. With my heart pounding and knowing I was going to be embarrassed(尴尬的、难堪的)beyond belief, I __________ the board, jumped once and then again to get height, folded for the toe reach, and stretched(伸展)out just as I had pictured in my mind, entering the water straight as a(an)__________.

I received an A for the course. It was __________ to think that I had just learned my first dive.

3 . About six years ago I started having panic attacks (恐慌症). I began my journey to _______ them with traditional tools, all of which were a great help. ________, a year later treatment was no longer needed.

Frustratingly, about a year after that, I started to develop ________ and began to have panic attacks once again. I tried what I knew best and went back to my previous _______, but I was still struggling and far from feeling well again ________ I got some new advice.

I loved to sing when I was young. My childhood had been ________ with creativity, yet for most of my adult life it was neglected. A therapist told me that mental health issues are common among the ________ minds of the world when creativity is suppressed (压制) . To regain it, I decided to get back into ________. Then I joined a group called Sound, a pop choir. Much better, I found the ________ to audition (试音). I was amazed that I managed to ________ such a risky situation and not have a panic attack. The audition itself was a win for me, never mind how I did.

I have now been a ________ of the choir for three years. I love the community and the performances. It ________ me of who I was at school. My path back then was always “do what you love”. My entire ________ was filled with fond memories because of that, and I was starting to build that back into my adult life.

Now, I am feeling a lot better. When I am ________, distraction (分散注意力) is key and singing does ________ . It sends me into a state in which my body works with pure passion and joy. More importantly, I will have exercised my creativity and relieved my anxiety.

4 . My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at ________. As for me, I ________ both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together was really unforgettable. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and ________ Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the ________ lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything went well with the tiller（舵柄）in his hands. When we were in the middle of the lake, a strong wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit ________. Dad was always at his best in any ________, but at this moment he ________.

“John! ________!” he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his hands.

In my memory he could fix any ________. He was the one I always ________ for strength and security.

Before I could respond, a wave of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ________ it was too late. Another huge wall of water ________ the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad quickly and assisted him in climbing onto the hull（船壳）of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of ________. “It’s all right, Dad. We are safe now,” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start ________ for my father.

5 . Every year I’d read over 2,000 college applications from students all over the world. It is quite ________ to choose whom to admit. ________, in the chaos of SAT scores and recommendations, one ________ is always irresistible in a candidate: kindness.

The most surprising ________ of kindness I’ve ever come across came from a student who had excellent scores and a supportive recommendation from his college consultant. Even with these qualifications, he might not have ________. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school security ________. Letters of recommendation are ________ written by people like former presidents, celebrities, and Olympic athletes.

The security guard wrote that he supported this student’s admission because of his ________. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the ________ of every member of the guard staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently ________ the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up the classroom after his ________ left school even if nobody was watching. This student, the security guard wrote, had a(n) ________ respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or power.

It gave us a ________ onto a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted”. That student was admitted by unanimous (一致的) vote of the admissions committee.

Next year there might be a flood of security guard recommendations due to this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much ________ to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that ________.

6 . For most people, having things stolen feels like an offence. Robbie Pruitt admitted that he got _________ when he discovered the theft of his mountain bike last September. But soon enough, his _________ took a turn. After letting go of his anger and frustration, he found himself on a road to sympathy _________.

For Pruitt, a keen bicyclist, the first thing to do was _________ his stolen bike. But when he went bike shopping, he found few available, which got him thinking: What if the _________ of bikes was Covid-19 related, and what if the person who’d taken his bike really needed transportation to get to work?

With that thought in mind, Pruitt _________ a plan and posted it on the community website. He _________ to fix bikes free of charge for anyone who needed it. He also asked for unwanted bikes, which he would repair again for free. And then he would donate them to folks who could truly use them but didn’t have the _________ to buy one.

The day the post went live, Pruitt received thirty _________ bicycles. Then came more than 500 enquiries for detailed information. By the end of 2020, Pruitt had repaired more than 140 for donation or to be __________ to their owners.

Pruitt tries to give his donations to families that are __________ struggling. __________ simply satisfying a material need, he has provided an opportunity for kids in his neighborhood to learn how to fix their own bikes.

In addition to practical skills, Pruitt’s lessons teach teamwork, encourage self-worth, and promote feelings of community. Meanwhile, the kids have gained a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s a really great __________ for kids,“ said a neighbor in an interview with the local newspaper. “Pruitt is certainly providing a __________, but it’s not just the bikes. It’s the relationships in the community. It’s the __________ that he can make on people.”

7 . MOOC, an open online course, aims at providing interactive discussion and open access via the web. In addition to _________ course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOC provide interactive user forums that help build a _________ for the students, professors, and teaching assistants.

MOOCs _________ made waves in the fall of 2011, when Professor Sebastian Thrun from Stanford University opened his graduate-level artificial intelligence course up to any student anywhere, and 160,000 students in more than 190 countries _________. This new kind of online classes is _________ the higher education world in many ways. Since the courses can be taken by hundreds of thousands of students at the same time, the number of universities might _________ greatly. Professor Thrun has even _________ a future in which there will only need to be 10 universities in the world. Perhaps the most _________ thing about MOOCs, many of which are being taught by professors at prestigious (声誉高的) universities, is that they’re free. This is certainly good news for _________ students.

There is a lot of __________ and fear about MOOCs. While some say free online courses are a great way to increase the __________ of minority students, others have said they will leave many students __________. Some critics have said that MOOCs encourage an unrealistic universal __________ of higher education and that there is no replacement for true dialogues between __________and their students. __________, a brain is not a computer. We are not __________ hard drives waiting to be filled with data. People learn from people they __________ and remember the things that arouse emotion. Some __________ worry that online students will miss out on the social aspects of college. In other words, MOOCs __________social interaction among students and professors even if they are offered by professors from __________ universities.

8 . How do you pass the time during your subway commute(通勤)? Scrolling on your phone? Listening to music? Or just staring at the _______ ? Sabrina Bahsoon, a 22-year-old girl who now lives in London for her college education, turns the subway into her _______ .

Her self-shot videos of energetic dance routines _______ on London’s subways have quickly _______ TikTok, making her an overnight sensation(轰动). Her _______ has sparked a trend, inspiring others to be confident and do what they want regardless of what other people think of them.

_______ in Malaysia, Bahsoon developed a confident character. While listening to some music, she felt like making a short TikTok video on the subway on one typical commuting night. But with no _______ willing to help her, she finished the short film dancing to a joyful song, alone and _______ .

Inspired by Bahsoon, many viewers soon left friendly _______ to praise her bravery and confidence. Some also shared their own “Tube Girl” ________ on social media. This concept has gradually become a(an) “________” about embracing self-confidence.

However, some described her behavior as “________”. But these “haters” do not ________ Bahsoon at all. ________ , she thinks it is quite normal for girls to enjoy and ________ themselves on their values. “Just be yourself, ” Bahsoon told BBC News.

9 . My husband and I changed our front yard with something eatable, adding apples, bananas, oranges, and pomegranates (石榴).

Every crop brought us ______ to neighbors and strangers. The food was a(an) ______ to communicate. Kids in the neighborhood (including our son) learned ______ and gentle timing. When we had extra, we would ______ it. Then, we received a powerful lesson: a gift hidden as a ______. Our first-ever crop of pomegranates had ripened (成熟). ______, at harvest, they all disappeared in the middle of the night. We were ______, sad and angry. Friends had fun suggestions. One ______ suggested we post a sign to curse (诅咒) those who _____ our fruits.

And suddenly, the ______ was clear. We did need a sign. But our sign would encourage sharing and community. Last autumn, we had a larger crop of pomegranates. We put ______ a sign that read, “If you’d like one, please knock and ______ yourself, and we would be ______ to cut one off the bush for you. Cutting saves the branches and is good for future growth, so we can ______ to share pomegranates with ______ friends like you. Thanks, the Green Family. “

Out of eight fruits, one pomegranate was taken and most of others were ______ to new friends. This year, we won the Kindness Contest award, ______ we planted three trees —a peach, a pear, and a plum. Before they fruit, I’ll ______ a big sign to the yard to encourage sharing. Today I’m happy to be a role model of ______ for my young sons and to have the opportunity to ______ an eatable front yard for others.

10 . One time, I was with a bunch of strangers in India. I was giving a(n) ________ about our products when power went out. It was in a dark hall, and I was with two other workmates. We were so ________ because we had invited all these people here. It was a ________ talk. We couldn’t do anything about it. Our microphone (麦克风) was gone. There was no light. Everyone was sitting in ________, and I couldn’t help but ________, “Oh, my goodness.”

When the power went out, I felt like I should be in control of it, because I was ________ the event. While we were so embarrassed, we just kept ________ and talking in the dark, hoping people would stay. I felt it was really ridiculous because there were no windows and it was a dark hall.

All of a sudden, a man in the back put up his ________,and put the little light from his phone on. Then two more people, then three people, finally the whole ________ came on, and everyone was ________ their light of their phone on us. It ________ the whole hall.

And so I got out my phone and took a ________ of everyone with their light shining at me. It was the most beautiful ________—a feeling that we were all in this together. That was not anyone’s fault, and we were just all here, ________ each other.

It was the most beautiful feeling of love from strangers I’d ever ________.