3 . I was sitting with my study group when I received an email from my landlord. “Your apartment has lost ______.” This was my first spring in Montreal. I’m from ______ Saskatoon in winter — so no stranger to cold weather — but the damage an ice storm could ______ wasn’t something I was used to.

A dozen thoughts raced through my head. With no Wi-Fi or heat, how would I cook supper or finish my ______ for grad school? “You can come and stay with me.” My new friend Kanika’s voice cut through the noise of my ______. I hesitated because I didn’t want to ______ her with a house guest at such short notice. But she ______.

An hour later, I watched in ______ as the friend I had met only six months ago quickly and generously prepared her own room for me to use. Our night ______ continued into the morning, from what we wanted to do after our graduate studies to our ______ childhood cartoon characters. It turned out that we had much in common.

During my ______, never once did Kanika ask how much longer I was going to be at her place. ______ she always assured me that I was welcome to stay for as long as I needed. When my power finally came back, we were both sad that our adventure together had come to an end, but ______ that we had made so many memories. What I ______ would be a stressful, lonely week turned into one of friendship and fond memories. And I’ll remember that ______ when I see someone else in need.

5 . Castillo wrote a letter to her father for his 50th birthday. Her father, who suffers from Down’s syndrome (唐氏综合征), had at one point been a(n) _________ in her life. But in her letter, she wanted the world to know how much she _________ and loves her father.

Castillo said it took years before she had the courage to _________ the truth about her situation and her father. She got bullied at school because the other kids saw her father as “_________”. She didn’t understand at the time why the kids were bullying her. _________, she thought of herself as a “coward daughter”.

“You _________ love, understanding, patience and acceptance as any individual with Down’s syndrome should,” she wrote.

Besides having Down’s syndrome, her father has a wide _________ of health complication (并发症). Therefore, her father has been in and out of the hospital getting all sorts of _________. Castillo wrote that her father is the “most _________ person” because of what he went through, yet he rarely complained. But there were times when he couldn’t __________ the pain and broke down in tears, which hurt her greatly and made her cry. But her dad kept persisting (坚持), which gave her __________.

“Dad, no words can sum up how __________ I am for being a(n) __________ daughter. If there is one thing I regret, it is __________ you from my life because I was afraid of getting bullied. But I love you more than you could ever __________ and I am always inspired by you,” she wrote.

6 . Macie Semrau, a 6-year-old girl from Eliot, Maine, seldom missed school. So, when she refused to even get dressed one day, her mother decided to allow her to stay home with her father Kyle and her 4-year-old brother Caleb. The family would later be extremely thankful that the little girl refused to leave after she found her father passed out in the basement.

After returning from his night work, Kyle was feeling light-headed. He told his wife Kate that he would be laying low for the day with their children. He finally made his way to the basement. Macie paid attention to her father’s condition when she heard him shouting, and she and Caleb went to have a look. Macie found her 37-year-old father was about to lose awareness (意识). She asked him for his phone’s passcode (密码) so she could unlock it. After successfully opening his phone, she found the local police department’s number and called the police.

Smith was floored by Macie’s decision-making and her ability to stay calm. The little girl listed the family’s Goodwin Road address while explaining that her father was in trouble. In the meantime, Caleb comforted his father. Thanks to Macie and Caleb, he was sent to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, where he required four liters of oxygen (氧气) and spent three days recovering.

“I’m very lucky, obviously because of my daughter and son and the police’s response” said Kate. “It was quick,” he added, mentioning that the police arrived just in two minutes thanks to Macie’s call. “It was unbelievable. I was in tears myself,” he said.   

The Eliot Police Department also praised the young girl for her quick thinking and strong awareness. Eliot Police Chief Elliot Moya praised the Semraus for teaching their children about awareness of their surroundings (环境) as well as communication skills. Can your child open your phone and call the police? If not, now’s the time for them to learn.

7 . My dad is easy-going and has a gift for chatting. He ________ a fast food restaurant called Queenie’s Weenies, which is specialized in hot dogs. I work with my dad at the ________ on weekends.

One Saturday, we went ________. As we got into the checkout line, I ________ something: our cashier (收银员) was very ________! She ________ no smiles, no greetings and no small talk. Her “anger aura (光环)” was obvious and kind of ________ to me. When we ________ to check out, I was thinking that we should just pay for our things and leave quickly. My dad had a different ________. When it was our turn, he started ________ her.

Dad said, “Hi, how are you today? This is my son. I have a restaurant, and we ________ together. It’s called Queenie’s Weenies. Drop by my restaurant sometime and I will ________ you to my hot dogs. I’m good at cooking them.” By the time we ________ checking out, the cashier was smiling. She said, “Thanks, umm… I hope you and your son have a very nice day.”

Back in the car, Dad said to me, “The cashier was obviously ________ today. It happens to everyone. Smile ________ or give a few kind words, which is all it takes to make one a little more delighted.”

It was a hot day in Florida. The school year had just ended and it was time for summer vacation. We had just gotten a little black dog who we named One-Eyed. We chose that name because he could only see out of one eye.

Everybody wanted to do something for the dog: feed him, teach him tricks and take long walks with him.   Everybody was so happy to have this active, playful and shaggy new addition to our family. Everybody, that is, except my mom and me.

All my mom saw when she looked at the dog was someone else to clean up after. Shedding, messy, muddy, he pounced all over the house. All Mom seemed to care about was getting the house cleaned. My mom began to put Clorox (高乐氏漂白水) in the bathtub. There was no messing with Mom when she started cleaning, so I decided to move out of the way. Actually, getting out of the way is a move I’d been practicing for a long time.

Being the youngest in my family has had its advantages, of course. More than a few times I was spoiled or everyone said I was the cutest. But being the youngest also came with its fair share of troubles. “You’re too young!” “You’ll mess this up!” they’d often say. I knew that my family loved me but I couldn’t wait to show them I could do things by myself.

Every time I asked my brother or my sister if I could pet One-Eyed, they would shout, “No!” or tell me that I had germs and if I touched One-Eyed he would die!I really believed them. Once I even confessed to my mom that I touched the dog when no one noticed. At first,my mom seemed very confused about what I was telling her, but then she realized. My mom scolded my brother and sister, “You better stop teasing your little brother!” Little brother! That’s exactly what I was. That really got my blood boiling! Secretly, I decided, “Ill show them what a little kid can do!”

Paragraph1:That afternoon, I took the dog and sneaked into the bathroom.   

Paragraph 2:I thought my mom would punish me, but she was just standing there and laughing.   

9 . Sometimes our friends’ behaviour can make us angry; sometimes we can see changes they need to make – but how do we tell them? Are there any ways to make difficult conversations easier?

It’s important to have evidence (证据) that there is a problem. Evidence that can be agreed on makes it easier for other people to recognize problems. Once you have evidence, it’s important to stress how it influences you and others. Psychologist Andrea Bonior suggests framing problems with “I” . Saying “I feel hurt that you spend less time with me” is better than “You never spend time with me!” .

Staying calm is of great importance. Being in tension might lead you to act badly and cause an argument. Bonior recommends you should accept that the conversation could make you anxious. If you think about this yourself, it can help you focus on positive results. If you recognize your anxiety to your friend, you will show a more human side. Another psychologist, Laura Brennan, points out how it’s important that we let go of our self-respect and don’t focus on the need to be proved right. This can help reduce tension.

Listening to the other person and asking questions can lower the potential for disagreement. Many experts recommend planning your words, so that you can say things in a way that avoids disagreement. However, Bonior is against overplanning as   this   can   stop   you   being   flexible   enough   to   sincerely   follow   and   join   in   the discussion.

Being patient is necessary. Complicated problems are unlikely to be solved with one conversation. Consider what is possible in one discussion, and that it may be harder than you thought. This will help you to set practical goals for what you can achieve.

10 . It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but there’s something unique about handwritten things. And I’m a real believer in the_______of letters.

When I was about 12 years old, my friends and I wanted a pet mouse. The pet shop wouldn’t_______us one until we had a letter from a parent, so, having the tidiest_______, I faked(伪)one.

My trick was quickly_______. My mum felt that the punishment should fit the crime, so she made me write letters to a few randomly selected_______.

One of them was my uncle who I’d only_______a few times. I wrote along letter_______my life and listing my interests.

My punishment_______, I forgot about this until I suddenly got a reply from him. He told me all about his life and would love to_______about what school subjects I enjoyed. And so started a correspondence(通信)that________for several years.

Then out of the blue, he passed away. My mum was________as they had not really spoken for years. I went upstairs and presented a box of________from him. She comforted herself reading them and knowing that ________she hadn’t been in touch, I had grown close to him by writing to him.

I often think about how that one________childhood behavior led to such an enriching correspondence. It________me-to write to lots of other people, and it’s something I keep up with to this day.