2 . Although family vacations had revealed travel was my true passion, it was a bit hard to make my parents understand this. But after _________, some crying, and a lifetime of being a good kid, my parents finally _________ to let me go on a school trip to Europe.

After being postponed several times, just getting to Europe felt like a privilege. Since I had already learned the value of _________, I didn’t let a little jet lag (时差)in London or the heavy rain in Paris _________ my trip. I knew there was no use _________, After all, I was simply _________ the realities of life.

Europe also _________ me more about myself. _________, I’m afraid to talk to _________, even in my native language. But when my friend got lost in Switzerland, I knew she __________ me. I put aside my fears, gathered my __________ and asked strangers in broken Germany, “Eine dame? Schwarzes haar?” Even though I couldn’t understand their __________, their points and nods told me where my friend was. I was happy to find her, but I was even prouder of myself for finding her.

They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I guess I’ve drunk a lot of lemonade in my life, but I can say that I’ve __________ it all. Bad experiences, good experiences, they are all part of life. I’m so __________ to have the opportunity to learn these lessons, especially while so __________.

4 . Nick Lee, also known as Magic Nick, tries to bring joy to seriously ill children and their families during a child’s time in hospital. As a magician, Lee works with the ________ Spread A Smile, which sends numerous artists, including magicians, into hospitals to entertain ________ patients who are being treated for life-threatening illnesses. The aim is to ________ lasting memories for families at the ________ of times.

Before Lee worked with the charity, two of his ________ had been in Great Ormond Street Hospital and had been ________ there by Spread A Smile magicians. ________ the joy his nephew experienced from magicians encouraged him to use his talents to ________ in the lives of others.

________ from common belief, Lee did not grow up in a family of magicians. ________, he is the first magician in his family. He got his first magic set when he was three, and at 16 he started doing shows ________ on the stage. Lee has dyslexia (阅读障碍), a condition that ________ the way a person learns. He admits that maths and English have always been a ________ for him, but he remains optimistic and admits, “Performing magic seems to be going quite well.”

Lee ________ significant insights from the children he meets in hospitals. He says seeing the children’s strength has given him ________ as well. “I might be having a bad day, but this person is ________ having a much worse day than I am and they’re still ________,” he reflects.

By means of his work with Spread A Smile, Lee has been able to bring a sense of magic and ________ to children and their families. His ________ to his career and his sympathy for others make him a ________ magician, both on and off the stage.

5 . To the firefighters who deal with danger each day, every life is worthy to be saved.

Wildfires are just one of the many situations firefighters _________ toward when everyone else is going in the opposite direction. Every year, it seems wildfires _________ parts of California, Washington and Oregon. In September, 2023, Daniel Trevizo, a Los Angeles Fire Department head, and his team worked hard around-the-clock to _________ the fires in the south of California.

One day, they were watering down embers (余火) near Lake Oroville when he _________ a surprising thing. When the fires were put out, his team quickly did everything they could to _________ the fire scene. _________, Daniel heard an animal crying nearby. So he started looking around for the _________ of the sounds. Then they found a small cat under the burnt bushes. The frightened and lonely cat came right up to Daniel.

Daniel _________ the soot (煤烟)-covered cat, later named Ember, and kept it _________ in his jacket pocket until it got much-needed __________ in an animal hospital. The veterinarian (兽医) said Ember had only some minor __________. With medication and Daniel’s care, Ember __________ a few days later. Ultimately, Daniel managed to find Ember’s owners, who got __________ from it while they escaped from the fires.

There’s no doubt Ember’s life was saved by __________ Daniel and his team! They risked their lives to save those around them, and we couldn’t be more __________!

7 . Mui suffers from a very rare and severe skin disorder called harlequin ichthyosis (丑角样鱼鳞). It’s something she could have easily let ______ her. But for the people who take the time to get to know Mui, they can’t help but be impressed by her energy and ______ spirit!

Mui’s “never quit” attitude is especially inspiring when you take into account all of the difficulty she has ______ . She’s never known her biological parents. But she was ______ with her adoptive parents, Tina and Roger, when she was very young-something that greatly helped ______ her to be the strong and courageous woman she is today.

Tina and Roger never ______ to be adoptive parents. But over 20 years ago, while living in Hong Kong, the couple felt a calling to volunteer as foster parents. That’s when they started visiting Mui at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital. Mui was only a few months old when the ______ began, and over time, the baby and this kind couple formed a close ______ .

But when Mui was ______ to an institution for the mentally disabled, simply ______ there was nowhere else for her to go, Tina and Roger felt ______ to act. Roger explains, “She was effectively being ______ away from the rest of society in a home for the mentally disabled. She has no mental disability. Now, we had to make the ______ .”

They say their decision to adopt Mui made no sense to anyone else. But they knew this little girl ______ them, and they had fallen in love with her. ______ , they became Mui’s new parents—a true blessing for the long road that Mui had ahead.

8 . Two Canadian teenagers, William and Henry, have been taking on a series of remarkable challenges. Their most recent action _______ following the shores of the Lake Ontario for 73 kilometers. They walked from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

“We like to challenge ourselves physically and _______. We like to _______ challenges like these. And we feel as though going on a long walk is kind of just the purest form of challenge that you can have.” Henry told CBC news.

With very little _______, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 5 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with _______ views along the way, which appealed to them so much.

During their walk, one of the interesting _______ they encountered was an abandoned cargo ship(货船).“You’d be _______ by the amount of things that you don’t see when you are driving and that you will see when you’re taking your time walking,” said Henry.

_______, the journey was not only a physical _______ but also a significant mental challenge. There were moments of ________ for the pair, requiring them to ________ each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ________ a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing a mental health ________. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me and Henry. But we tried to ________ him to get out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was ________and everyone was all right,” William told CBC News. The walk is now over but William and Henry are not ready to stop challenging themselves. They set about planning a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.