1 . Have you ever felt the need to grab a pen and start writing your thoughts on paper? Words — beautiful and fascinating. But you know what is better than putting your imagination somewhere? In my case, to win the competition for the best novelist.

That was a small tournament organized by my school annually to _________ our creative writing and vivid imagination. Since I had a burning passion for _________, I decided to show my power. I thought no one could _________ me.

I finished a long story and e-mailed it. As I _________ the email every day, my eyes were wandering to _________ the line “Congratulations! It is a great pleasure to inform you that…” _________, no such thing came.

I was not accepted. I _________ my abilities. The next day at school, I tried my best to be _________, avoiding the usual contact. But in the corridor, I _________ Stacy Williams, my school rival. Could she be the __________? I started walking sneakily. In class, I was just looking out of the window at the __________ clouds which were a reflection of my soul.

Thankfully, a film that night — Forrest Gump lifted my __________. I wouldn’t let a stupid competition __________ my future. I could win on the next one or even at a better tournament. The important thing was to __________ my head and face my challenges without losing hope when everything seemed __________.

2 . At the age of 41, I still stutter (口吃). I am fine with it now but that wasn’t always the _________. It wasn’t too difficult for the first couple of years of school. In fact, I don’t recall being _________ at all, though there was a great deal of curiosity about my _________ speech.

A few years later, I began to dislike being different. I felt that I _________ for all the wrong reasons. Just _________the pain of not even being able to say your own name, I would often give _________ names when meeting new people, because it was easier. It was _________ for me to be Jason or Mike, Chris or Kevin or just whatever sounds I was confident I could make at that particular moment.

Sometime in eighth grade, my _________ changed. I turned what I’d always thought of as a negative into a positive. I finally _________ that difference and ran with it. __________ waiting in fear for the teacher to __________ my name, I raised my hand when I knew the answer to a question. I always volunteered to read and even used oral presentations as an opportunity to show my comedic talents. I went from a stuttering kid who seldom spoke a word to a stuttering man who now speaks for a (n) __________. Self-acceptance continues to be essential in the success I’ve experienced as a speaker, comedian, writer and soldier. My only __________ is that it didn’t happen sooner.

It’s never easy to be a kid. It’s especially __________ when you’re different, but it doesn’t have to be. The time to accept your __________ is now.

5 . Born with a genetic disease that causes fragility, Lhakpa Dondrub, 22, lost _________ how many times he had broken or snapped bones. The bone disease affected his growth, leaving him about 1 meter in height, and confined him to a wheelchair, but it didn’t stop him pursuing his dream to ‘become a(n) _________.

“When I was a child, I liked to observe the change of _________ through the window. It was amazingly _________. After learning photography, I know it is all about how to _________ the light through the lens,” says the man from Lhasa, the Xizang Autonomous Region.

“What’s more, my _________ is lower than others, and I hope to find the _________ scenery in life from my view,” he adds.

Born into a farming family in a village in Lhasa, Lhakpa Dondrub was _________ by relatives after his mother died when he was young. He was _________ with the condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, at the age of five. The disease made going to school impossible for him and he had to study at home.

In 2017, Lhakpa Dondrub entered a care center for people with __________ challenges in Lhasa, where he found his __________ for photography and video editing. “As a young man, I have dreams and I want to support myself through hard work,” he says.

In 2021, he left the care center and found a job in a __________ company.

For Lhakpa Dondrub, photography is not only a means of making a __________, but also a driving force and an __________ of life. When he has time, he takes a camera to snap photos of animals and people along the ancient Barkhor Bazaar. Although he is __________ to a wheelchair, he tries to go as far as he can. He hopes that one day, he will be able to take photos at Tian’anmen Square in Beijing.

7 . Early in my teaching career, I heard countless excuses from my students for not having their homework. Many of them were made up and _______ And, yes, “the dog ate it” was one of them. As time passed, I was_______of hearing “I don’t have my homework because…”. “No excuses. No _______!” I, out of anger, _______ my eighth graders.

Then, one afternoon, Anthony _______ me and said shyly, not taking his eyes off the floor, “I know you said it doesn’t   _______why we don’t have our homework done, but my dad moved out and my mom waits tables at night, so I have to _______my little brothers.” Feeling shocked and _______ for him, I put my hand on Anthony’s thin shoulder. “Why are you just now telling me...?” I stopped in mid-sentence. I knew why. So I   _______ the question, “Would it _______ if you stay in my classroom after school and work on it before you go home?” He nodded.

The next day, I _______ to all my students that I’d offer an after-school study hall. Anthony was the first student to _______. Before long, I had a room full of eighth graders who stayed to work on their homework. I soon had a large collection of “I don’t have my homework because...” ___ like Anthony. All were very _______ . Most importantly, I learned that “I’ll _______” works a lot better than “No excuses”.

9 . “It’s nice having a friend,” said Mole (鼹鼠) to Rabbit as they sat talking in the sun one day.

“Oh, it is!” said Rabbit. “Very useful, too, ________ if you need help. ________, I think I’d like Bull (公牛) to be my friend.”

“But I’m your friend!” said Mole, feeling ________

“Oh, yes,” said Rabbit. “You are good for talking to and laughing with, ________ you are too small. When I need help, I ________ someone big and strong like Bull. He would be a very good friend to have. It would be ________ shouting for him when I need help.”

Mole went off in anger.

“Oh, well, I need to ________ something,” Rabbit thought.

He moved along ________ he found a tiny garden. He had just started on his first leaf when there was a big noise. People were shouting and dogs were barking (吠叫). Rabbit was so afraid and in such a ________ to get away that he ran into the wrong hole. The hole was too small and Rabbit got stuck. He could not ________ at all.

“Help!” cried Rabbit.

Mole ________ him. He ran up to see what was the matter.

“Help!” cried Rabbit. “I’m stuck in this hole.”

“If you want help,” said Mole, “I’d better ________ Bull.”

“No!” cried Rabbit. “He’s no good! He’s too big to get into this hole. You’re just the right ________! Please help me, Mole!”

So Mole began digging around Rabbit. He worked so fast that Rabbit was ________ in no time.

“I’m sorry, Mole. I was wrong, ” Rabbit said. “I’m ________ I have you as a friend.”

And the two good friends set off for home together.