1 . At 20 years old, I was a confident and handsome student at the University of California at Berkey.

But that year, I ________ a bump (肿块) in my right nostril (鼻孔), and when it didn’t go away, I made an ________ with a doctor. It turned out to be a tumor (肿瘤). Then I underwent surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was ________, and I returned to classes soon.

But six months later, a new bump appeared. Numerous ________ confirmed it had reproduced a horrible, life—threatening tumor. I was advised to have another operation and ________ that I might lose part of my nose. I was too young to think about death then, but the thought of disfigurement (毁容) made me feel ________.

I awoke from the surgery with a scarred, disfigured face. As I re-entered the real world, I noticed adults ________ and children pointing—and sometimes laughing—at me. The occasional and ________ negative reactions from my friends also hurt me. My self-respect sank increasingly lower, and I constantly asked others, “Do my looks ________ you?”

Five years and 20 reconstructive surgeries later, I ________ a man receiving treatment. After hearing my question, he criticized me. My problem, he ________ me, was not my physical appearance, but my emotional insecurity. His ________ helped me realize my mental scars were far more disfiguring than my physical ones.

I began examining myself from the inside out. Later, I volunteered at a cancer support organization to offer inspiration and hope to those ________ cancer

Now, I am ________ for who I am—a much stronger person than before. To you, I offer this message: Avoid making judgements about people at ________.

2 . An extreme sport like BMX (Bicycle Motocross) may not be the first thing that comes to mind to help overcome a mental health condition. However, that is _________ what enabled Nikita Ducarroz to fight her fears.

As a child, Ducarroz spent every _________ moment on the soccer field. But at 13, the talented athlete began to suffer from _________ anxiety attacks that made it hard for her to leave home. When her mother told her she had to continue playing a sport, Ducarroz found BMX as a way to _________ that rule. Little did she know that BMX would soon _________ every aspect of her life, and become the reason she would push through her fears one step at a time.

The tale began when a BMX video on YouTube inspired her to try the extreme sport. She saved up for a bike. Then she began practicing _________ in her driveway. Soon, her excellent skills brought her enough _________ to ride at the local skate park. With that confidence, Ducarroz was _________ to ride in the competition in 2016, and she has not looked back since.

“The bike made me get out of the house, go to the skate park, and _________ get on a plane,” said Ducarroz. “It __________ me to overcome all my fears.”

The 26-year-old is now one of the world’s best female BMX freestylers. Ducarroz now has her __________ set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. She says, “My goal in Paris is another medal. I can get that done with the training.”

Though she still suffers occasional __________ attacks, Ducarroz now knows how to manage them. To help others with mental health conditions, Ducarroz has started an Instagram page called MindTricks. It is where people discuss their fears __________.

“MindTricks started because of my own __________ that I was making on Instagram about mental health,” she explained. “And I thought, ‘Why don’t we create a place where others can do the same, a central spot where everyone can read about these stories and also feel __________ to share their own stories?’”

3 . When I hear the word stereotype (刻板印象), I feel it’s a word that doesn’t have a good aura (氛围) around it. It makes me feel ________ when I hear it. I’m not gonna ________ you on what you look like, I’m gonna judge you only when I meet you.

People assume that because of my ________ that I can’t do things that white women do, like finishing high school, going to college, graduating from college, getting a PhD, and having a career. ________ I go to the gym, people will be like, you run well for an ‘Asian guy’. And like this little ________ use of languages really affects how we view our world.

Being an Indian in a ________ American school, I’ve faced a couple of challenges. Many people assume things ________ me like I’m smart or I want to be a doctor, or I play things like chess, but I don’t think my skin color is what ________ me. I think it’s important for you to get to know a person ________ their skin. And really, I’m just American. I was born here. I like to live the same way ________ anybody else would.

When I first meet someone, I just talk about where they’re from and stuff ________ assuming where they’re from. Because it’s usually better to get to ________ someone’s background information than just assume it.

I break the stereotypes that I’ve encountered by ________ them, and walking off. A stereotype does not make you. You make you. You should accept who you are and love who you are, because we’re all human. We all deserve to have a ________. Your color or your race shouldn’t ________ your personality.

4 . I have been engaging in a spot of emotional therapy (治疗) over the last 2 weeks. I make an effort to try to _________ difficulties in life so that I can feel good within myself and find more _________ for my steps ahead.

The first day here I just couldn’t stop _________ at the breakfast table and another woman was very kind to me. Most people _________ to be there for each other when needed, which is highly _________.

Today one of the older women had a bit of a _________ during lunch and rushed out of the room with her plate in hand. I asked her if she was OK as she went past me but she could not answer. So, I _________ to a young girl to go after her to check and see if she was fine. Glad she did and I really hope it _________. I can only imagine it is really hard for all of us in one way or another as we all have our own _________ and do not know each other properly.

Whether we do or don’t get to know each other is another matter and at the end of the day, it really does not __________. For now we are all ships in a __________ and are getting our torn sails repaired before we are able to __________ to more restless waters. Although some days are easier than others, it takes time, a lot of patience and the right expert __________.

Please say a little prayer today for those with mental health __________. Oh yes… during my first week here, I bought a nice __________ plant at the local market for the TV room. Today it is in full bloom (开花)! I have learnt so far that every today has special little moments.

5 . A relative invited me to come and live in his house. With complete _________ in his promises, I loaded all my worldly possessions onto a ship _________ India in November 2001. Everything had gone _________ in the run-up (准备阶段) to the trip. I was confident that this _________ was the next big step I had to take.

When I arrived, he said, “Things have _________. There is no place here for you.”

I was stunned. I was so _________ that I couldn’t speak. Like a frozen statue, I stood perched on the edge of the vast _________, not sure of what to do. The anger _________. I could not go back to England as all my worldly possessions were on their way to India.

In order to live, I submitted articles to magazines in India and, occasionally, they _________ me for them.

Those years of __________ left a permanent impression. I was searching for an appropriate place to __________, but only later did I realize that the movement itself was meant for my __________ development. If I had only stayed in his house, I would never have learned many valuable lessons. One such lesson was that through __________ and commitment to one’s ideals in life, any adverse situation can be __________. I am writing this story from my __________ in India.

6 . At the age of 41, I finally got to live my childhood dream. I got to spend an entire _________ alone at an airport. I was _________ by mere minutes. The next plane wouldn’t be _________ until early the next morning. I take advantage of my “extra vacation time” and make my own _________.

First, I passed through the rotunda (圆形大厅), which I had _________ through many times before without ever truly looking at it. Then, I found a fashion _________ made by students and took my time appreciating their _________ and hard work.

Late, I was _________ with a full-size copy of a large brontosaurus (雷龙). You wonder what that brontosaurus might have been thinking about before it _________ and how it might have felt about living in an airport. You wonder what the __________ might look like in the future. I waved to all the security cameras, hoping that there was someone __________ on the other side, having a good laugh.

I __________ my airport adventures that night. I thought little of the posts when my flight took off. By the time my plane __________ , they were going viral. As a writer, I would have __________ this to make me happy. But I began to feel a deep sadness. Has everyone grown entirely __________ to the beauty all around us?

7 . You never know when your life is about to change forever. It can happen any day, at any moment, and for some people, that ________ moment is a life-or-death situation.

When I was 13, I climbed my first mountain — a fairly gentle 3,900-foot peak near where I live in Surrey, British Columbia. I loved the challenge of ________ something bigger than myself.

I often go climbing with my friend Mel Olsen.Two years ago, on December 30, when I was 16, she and I drove to Oregon to ________ 11.240-foot Mount Hood. It’s safer to start winter climbs at night when there’s less risk of the sun ________ the snowpack. After about five hours, we reached Devil’s Kitchen, a plateau at about 10,000 feet, just before the final ________ to the top.

The trails we ________ grew narrower and steeper. At around 9 a.m., we reached a patch of ice called an ice step. It was about three or four feet tall and sloped at a 75-degree angle. I ________ to go first. I placed my left foot on the ice step. Confident I was safe, I put my full ________ on it. ________ , I heard a crack, and a whole piece of ice broke off the step, right under my foot. In an instant, I fell backward. I could hear Mel calling my name as I ________ down, bouncing off the rock face and rolling down the mountain ________ I was a character in a video game. I ________ out my arms and legs, grabbing at anything. I’d fallen 600 feet before I came to a stop. Then I took a(n) ________ of my body to see where I was hurt, starting with my head, then my neck and arms.As Mel made her way down, I yelled for help. Four hours later, rescuers reached me.

The doctors told me it would be a year before I could climb again, but I was back on the ________ within six months. The fall has made me more ________ . One slip on a mountain can change everything.The experience also made me grow as a person.

8 . My life as a tax-paying employed person began in middle school, when, for three whole days, I worked in a baking factory.

My best friend Betsy’s father was a manager at Hough Bakeries, which, at Easter time, _________ little bunny (兔子) cakes for all its _________throughout Cleveland. It happened that the plant downtown needed eight kids for _________ help during our spring break, for which I had no_________ beyond listening to my favorite records. I’d _________ minimum wage. I’d see how a factory_________. My parents thought all of this was a grand idea and called Betsy’s dad with their _________.

Our_________in the factory were simple: Place cakes on a moving belt. Attach icing (糖霜) ears. Apply icing eyes and nose._________ bunny from the belt. This was ____________ than it sounds.____________ a bit and the cakes pile up. As I told my parents at dinner that first night, it was all a little more high-pressure than I’d   ____________ .

Dad __________. The son of a grocer, he’d spent the summers of his childhood____________ food in Benardsville, New Jersey. This was the sort of work that made you____________ the dollars you earned and respect those who did the work, he told me.