1 . We live in a town, about half a mile from the banks of the Ahr River. It had been raining buckets that week and there were _______ warnings for some of the nearby areas, but not where I was.

As a precaution, I’d _______ sandbags outside my garden door and piled electronics and clothing on tables and the couch just in case water managed to see p through.

As I fell asleep, I was _______ by the sound of rushing water. When I swung my legs off the bed, I was _______ to feel cold water already up to my knees and rising fast. Shivering and in darkness, I grabbed my phone and _______ its flashlight. Water was coming from the garden door, and chairs, bookshelves and pieces of my drum set were floating all over my living room. The Ahr must have _______ burst its banks and breached the sandbags. And now I had to get out — fast!

With the water now up to my waist, in bare feet I started to paddle to my only _______: the door leading to upstairs. Finally I made it to that door and tried to pull it open, but the water’s pressure was high. I managed to make a _______ of about 30 centimeters with all my strength and effort, enough for me to squeeze through. Rushing down outside, I _______ that if I had woken up just a few minutes later, I would have drowned.

The experience made me grateful and determined to live each day to its fullest. I will remember what my mother told me: “Don’t remember the day when you ________ everything. Remember the day you survived.”

2 . A New Friend and Perspective (视角)

I picked up the phone, slowly dialing the number to her house. All I could think was what we could possibly have a conversation about. _________! I didn’t think I could have anything in common with someone who is 50 years older than me.

“Your grandmother won’t be around forever,” my mom said,_________ I just did what she told me and painfully _________ my grandmother. What I didn’t know was that the phone call would change my attitude to life and my grandmother.

When she answered the _________, I planned to have a small conversation. Instead, she invited me to lunch. _________, I replied with a “That sounds great.”

When I_________ the phone, I immediately regretted agreeing to the lunch date. How was I going to fit this _________my busy schedule of homework, games, and friends? It was not my ideal Saturday, but I sucked it up and _________ anyway. Me and my grandmother… nothing to talk about.

_________, my Saturday morning wasn’t painful. I was interested in listening about her recent trip to Europe and how she saw the famous Eiffel Tower. She told me stories about her sewing class and her friends. I wasn’t aware that 60-year-old people had a social life. It turned out that her life wasn’t as __________as I thought. For once, I was __________without friends and without my cell phone. We planned to meet again at her house. This time, my mom didn’t have to __________me.

During the next visit, we sorted through three shoeboxes of photographs. There was an interesting story for each one. I learned that as humans, we __________ human experiences, no matter what age.

Ever since I made the first phone call to my grandmother, we have talked at least once a week. I regret not calling her __________. Her advice has taught me things that can’t be learned in a textbook. She taught me to be open to new things, to enjoy the simple things, and to appreciate what life has given me. I have __________a friend, a mentor (导师), and a new perspective.