1 . In 2022, my 4-year-old son, Tyler, needed to have a serious surgery (手术). My wife and I took him to Children’s Hospital.

There were a lot of worries in our hearts in the waiting room. When a nurse called us to the doctor’s office, our _______ only grew. A young doctor told us that he would perform the surgery and began to _______ what the process (过程) would be and all the risks of a surgery like this. My mind went to the _______ possible result. I just couldn’t help but feel like: What was I going to do if I _______ my son?

But he then did something that was very _______. He looked us both in the eye, put a hand on each one of our shoulders and said, “Your son is my son.” I will never _______ that because that sent a calm through me. What he said was very helpful and meaningful.

After the surgery, he _______ to us, looked us once again in the eye and said, “Our son is just fine, and you could see him here in a few minutes.”

I can’t tell you how _______ we both were for having him there and for what he said to us. I’ll never forget that doctor. And to this day, anytime I have a chance to volunteer or donate to Children’s Hospital, I’ll make sure I’m one of the first ones in line. I hope that I have the _______ of seeing him again someday to thank him for his ________ words.

2 . A winter storm dropped huge amounts of snow overnight on January 16 in western Pennsylvania. Coach Brian Delallo, who worked on a local high school football team, decided to _______ his players’ weightlifting practice. He texted his players saying: “Due to the expected severe _______ Monday’s weightlifting workout has been cancelled. Find an elderly or disabled neighbor and shovel (为……除雪) their driveway. Don’t accept any _______-that’s our Monday workout. ”

The players received the message and went out to work on the more than six inches of snow that fell overnight. They said that they removed _______from dozens of homes. Some players texted their coach afterwards to tell him how _______ it was. “We all feel great about it, ” said team captain Gavin Moul. “It’s not only helping them, but it’s helping us to become a better team. ”

Many of the people whom the team members approached couldn’t believe that the players wouldn’t accept any payment. Sometimes people even _______ their help because they wouldn’t take money for it.

Actually, it was not the first time for the team to have shoveling workout. It was started by a coach more than two decades ago. It was one of the many _______ the team kept.

“It’s about community. ” the coach said. “It is an inspiring way for us to interact with our community and show that it _______. Shoveling snow is just one of those opportunities to show appreciation to the community that supports us. ”The team got a workout and gave _______ to the community by doing these acts of kindness at the same time. It was a __________ for all.

3 . A golden fog settled over the fields. The sun prepared to rest for the evening. I looked forward to setting my _______ aside for an evening.

I wasn’t long headed home when I heard a voice behind me. “Photo, photo, photo.” A young boy about 7 or 8 years old followed closely. I breathed a tired sigh. I had no _______ to press the shutter button one more time, no matter how beautiful or eager he was, but he kept following me. As I looked at him, half _______, an idea for a composition flashed in my mind.

I kneeled in the field and instructed the boy where to stand and how to pose. As I prepared to take the photograph, his energy suddenly shifted from _______ to shyness to fear. No matter what I told him to do — how to stand, how to look — I just couldn’t get the _______. Defeated, I gave up. I looked at the boy, who looked _______ and awkward.

In an effort to _______ him, I clapped my hands, saying, “That was great. You were great.” Passers-by gathered around, cheering and clapping loudly. The boy’s face immediately broke into (a) _______. I intuitively (直觉地) took a few shots of the moment.

That photograph turned out to be better than the _______ I’d imagined because it came from a deeper place within me. When we ________ frustration (懊恼) and focus on what’s here in the moment, that is when we are moved to create from the inside out.

4 . On a bright afternoon, Jordan, Mahir and Mahir’s father gathered at the foot of a mountain. “Hey, Jordan, over here!” Jordan’s best friend, Mahir, waved his hand, pointing to a crack in the side of the mountain. “We could ________ this!”

Jordan tied his safety harness (系带) and checked his rope. He weighed one of them in his hand, determining its weight. Then he looked for ________ locations, considering the difficulty of the task. “That crack is ________ narrow. I don’t think we’d get up very high.”

“At the time of a test, a person rises or falls.” said Ghanim, Mahir’s dad. Shaking his head in ________ over the foreign proverb (谚语), Jordan examined the crack. It was nothing more than a sliver in the solid face of the cliff. He shifted in his harness as Mahir gave the proverb his own explaination: “If you’re not reaching the ________, you’re not trying hard enough.” Jordan recognized the bit of advice from a previous climbing lesson.

His own father’s voice resounded in his thoughts, as if in a half-forgotten dream. “Climb a mountain, son, and you climb the insecurity in your own life. You climb over your shadow, climb over your ________.” That was five years ago, before the automobile ________ that took his dad’s life. Jordan’s father swiftly turned his car and effectively ________ a car from going over a cliff. The sudden move had saved the people in that car. But his father’s car went off a cliff. ________ with the difficult situation, Jordan’s dad had never hesitated before making the decision.

And now Jordan wouldn’t either. ________ on his balance, he took a deep breath and began to climb. Finally, they made it to the peak of the mountain.

5 . When Halloween arrives, you know there is bound to be some mischief (恶作剧). So I wasn’t entirely surprised when I opened my front door that night to see my candy bowl completely—and very suddenly—_________. To be fair, this was after some light rain had _________ the street of most trick-or-treaters and the youngest had already made the rounds. I never saw who took it, but I did shout “Happy Halloween!” into the night air.

Was a candy theft ideal? Nope. But, hey, we all make _________—especially as kids. What did _________ me was what appeared in front of my door the next evening: a plastic bag filled with the lost candy. Stuck to it was the following handwritten note:

“Hello, I am the kid that took all of your candy. After thinking it over I want to _________. Because it was late and no one else was out, I thought it was OK. It was not. I took the candy before you said it was _________. So, I am sorry, and I’d like to give the candy back. Maybe you can give it to a kid who is more _________.”

A tiny Halloween miracle! I have never been prouder of a kid who wasn’t mine. I assume a parent had something to do with this sudden reflective _________, but I’ll never know for sure.

What I do hope is that this kid knows how good it can feel to _________ a wrong. I hope they don’t think they’re bad—simply that they made a not-so-great choice. They do deserve to get their fill and have fun and run wild. __________, next year they’ll come back for more.

6 . Last September, Sarah, 44, slipped on a platform and ________ in the gap between a train and the platform edge. When the train left the station, it ran over her right arm and leg. Unfortunately, another train pulled in, causing further ________. A few minutes later, someone noticed her and called emergency services. They ________ to the scene and took Sarah to the hospital, but doctors were ________ to save her arm and leg.

________, Sarah is now the world’s first woman to use a £250.00 bionic (仿生) arm ________ by AI.

“It’s hard to explain but when I think about a ________ — say ‘open my hand’ — my muscles twitch (颤动) in a particular way. The sensors in it will ________ these twitches, and send signals to make my hand work. And if it ________ the fact that I point my finger often, it will learn that I like to do that and make it easier for me to do so,” said Sarah.

In February, Sarah returned to work and a few months later she attended a conference in Rome to give a speech about the accident.

“I do miss myself before the accident. But at the end of the day, I’m just ________ that AI can give me a piece of my life back. I know I am blessed to be able to keep moving forward with my family.”

7 . 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.

8 . Before entering university, Wang Jiayi had never stepped onto a soccer field. Sports wasn’t really her _______ before college.

However, her perspective changed after witnessing the passion and heat of a male soccer match at university. Absorbed by the sport, Wang eagerly wanted to _______. But the _______ of a women’s soccer team at the university meant she could only join the male soccer team in a management capacity.

However, the following year, she took effort to _______ a women’s soccer team in her university. Recruiting team members proved to be _______. Wang visited the campus sports ground each morning to approach girls out exercising. She also sought out potential players from the women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Some girls joined out of _______, but their interest in soccer was limited. So she and the coach had to _______ them both before and during training sessions. To her delight, their attitudes gradually began to shift.

In June, Wang joined a local team, where she made an interesting _______: None of the team members were married. It seems that marriage and motherhood often prevent women from pursuing their personal development —not only affecting their choice of career but also _______ the realization of their own personal value.

But something did __________: before this new semester begins, incoming freshmen are already seeking her out to join the women’s soccer team.

9 . All my friends had made the football cheerleading team except me. My name was _______ from the list. I still sat with them at lunch, still laughed at their jokes, _______ I felt as if I didn’t belong. I fought back tears, wanting to be strong.

Knowing that next year would bring a new round of try-outs, I started practicing and was determined to see my name on the list. However, my dad suggested that I get involved in a school-sport-_______ as anyone could sign up with no try-outs. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I only _______ I might participate in it until I made the cheerleading team again.

On the track team, running pushed me to work harder than I ever knew I could. Race after race, I continued to feel my lungs burning from the _______. I guessed that I wanted to _______ myself to see if I could improve my running time.

The next year when spring came around, I was thrilled to make the football cheerleading team, when, incredibly, I received a letter from a new cross-country coach, _______ me to join his running team. I didn’t have a reason for choosing running over cheerleading, _______ the fact that I followed my heart.

When I called the coach and told him I would give it a try, I never realized that one simple _______ would change the direction of my life. Within one year, I became one of the fastest female cross-country runners.

We can be who we were born to be or we can just follow the crowd. And when I chose to be a runner, I chose to be __________ to myself.

10 . One spring morning, my husband was in the yard cutting down an overgrown tree.

He then __ it across the front yard and put it on a pile of wood.

I was inside the house tending to some things, when suddenly he came into the house, looking __ and said, “I’m not sure if I should tell you this. ”

“What?”I said, totally expecting the very worst.

“Just come with me, ” he said. I __ him out to the yard. He pointed. “There, ” he said.

In front of us were four baby birds in the tree branches, having fallen out of their nest (巢) during the terrible ride, __ amazingly all still alive.

I immediately picked them up and made a “nest” in the front of my T-shirt. My husband just looked at me and said, “You won’t be able to keep them ___. You have never nursed a bird back to health before. ”

Luckily, we were able to find the nest in the center of the tree. I placed the baby birds inside the nest. They had no feathers (羽毛), so these tiny birds had no protection __ the sun. I thought they wouldn’t make it through the day. As we stood far enough away from the nest, I wondered if their mother would ever find and __ them as her own.

I couldn’t believe it! Within a few minutes, a Blue Jay flew in and was jumping around the nest. She then flew up to the nest and __ herself on her babies, spreading her wings to __ them. And soon, the father joined the __ and continued his task of bringing food to the family while she warmed and kept the baby birds safe.

On one rainy day, I remember seeing her wings were spread especially wide across the nest. It was a __ sight, to see how a bird with a tiny brain, the size of the tip of my little finger, still had the will to so deeply __ her babies.

Then one day, all four baby birds jumped out of the nest and were gone. The parents had done their job and now the youngsters were __ to go make nests of their own.

I ended up __ that nest. Whenever I look at it, it reminds me to never give up no matter how bad things look, and be inspired by the inner___ of the Blue Jay parents to provide for their family.