1 . Courtney Rich is a mother of two, whose journey through the Big Cottonwood Marathon was a familiar marathoner’s battle. Her _____ was tested with each pace towards the uphill finish. The 1.7-mile race was a hard dance of patience and will, a dance Courtney knew well. Her legs, heavy with effort, threatened to betray (背叛) her ______.

Then, from the sidelines ______ the 10-year-old “dynamo” (发电机), Avery. Her sudden appearance put a burst of energy and emotion into the scene. Full of determination, her thin figure ran ______ towards her mother, who was visibly ______ from the marathon. The crowd watched in awe as this young dynamo took charge.

As Avery ______ Courtney, their hands held tightly and the marathon’s final act was suddenly rewritten. Avery, a burst of energy personified, became her mother’s anchor (精神支柱), and her small act of support was ______ in its impact. With a determined look, Avery grasped her mother’s hand. She didn’t say a word, but her actions ______ a lot. They started running together towards the finish line, their hands firmly held together.

The onlookers ______ them, inspired by the ______ of love and support between mother and daughter. It was a heartwarming moment, making everyone ______ that sometimes, unexpected ______ from the ones we love can ______ the strength to overcome even the most discouraging challenges.

As they approached the finish line, the crowd’s applause grew louder, and Avery’s mother’s tiredness began to ______, replaced by a renewed sense of determination. Together, they crossed the finish line hand in hand, sharing a ______ moment that they would remember forever.

3 . Yesterday, my 15-year-old brother Tommy had a fight with my 12-year-old brother Kevin. Later, I heard Kevin crying (哭) in his room. I _________ outside his room and asked, “Kevin, do you want to talk?” No one spoke. I tried again. Still _________ happened.

So, I took some cards and wrote, “If you don’t, you can write your problems on them, and we can try to find some good _________ to solve them.”

An hour later I was still sitting on the floor outside his _________ with two pieces of paper in my hands. One was new and the other was from Kevin. As I _________ it, tears (眼泪) came to my eyes. It said, “Nobody in this family _________ me. Tommy thought I was too noisy and Dad wished to have another kid because I can’t study well. You’re _________ around to stay with me.”

He was right about my part. I wrote back, “Kevin, I do love you and you know that. I’m here for you and everyone loves you in this _________.” After a while, a piece of _________ appeared with “Thanks for loving me” on it.

From then on, Kevin and I have a __________ relationship. When one of us feels that the other is unhappy, we’ll smile and say “Write it on a piece of paper”.

4 . True friendship lasts a lifetime. Years can pass, but the love always stays the same.

For many years Tony Parker from the city garbage collection would arrive in front of the Wierenicz home and there would always be three cute faces_______ for him. However, over time, his route was_______ , and Olivia, Emma and Axel Wierenicz really missed him.

Just for fun, the children’s mother, Carla Wierenicz, posted an old video of Tony _______ over and hugging her 3-year-old kids on Instagram. City officials saw the video and arranged for a(n) _______ stop for Parker at Carla’s house so he could see his young friends again.

Just like old _______, the three kids did all the things they used to do when they saw Tony. From_______ up into the truck to honking the horn (按喇叭), it was amazing for the now-7-year-olds. They even continued their _______ to the end of the street.

For the special meeting they _______exchanged gifts. Tony brought them toy dump trucks and T-shirts. The three kids gave Tony a_______ they spent the night making for him. “I love it. I’m going to hang it on my wall,” Tony said of their drawing.

Carla said Tony was ________ for the love of her kids and loved to play with them. “He loved those kids so much, and the kids love him, he was the kid’s hero,” she said.

5 . When Guo Xiaoyu was born just days ahead of the Opening Ceremony in August, his grandpa Tao Zhenguo was very busy with his volunteer work for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The grandpa was very happy to _________ his newcomer.

Fourteen years later, the 77-year-old Tao is even _________ because Guo has also become an Olympics volunteer. “He is _________ an Olympic boy now,” Tao says. Both grandfather and grandson are volunteering at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. They are helping with garbage _________, traffic guidance and information inquiries (查询).

Guo says he learned a lot from his _________. He listened to Tao’s volunteer _________ when he was a little child, and began doing community work. But Guo is not just _________. He’s now also teaching his grandpa English.

Tao doesn’t speak English, but he is _________ that “as an Olympics volunteer, I have to learn it to at least be able to communicate a bit with foreign guests”. “It’s never too late to learn,” Tao says. “I don’t _________ to become an English-language master, but I hope that I can at least say Welcome to Beijing when I ____________ foreign athletes and guests.”

6 . On my first day in America, I was excited, but nervous as well. It was my dear neighbor Susan who helped me   _________ my new life far away from home.

There was a knock at the door. When I _________ it. Susan came in with a homemade apple ple. She hugged me and said, “Wow, you   _________ be the precious (珍贵的) Chinese dull (娃娃)!”

With a big smile, she   _________, “Alice, I am sure you have never tried a home-made apple pie before! You are going to _________ it so much!”

To be honest, I was greatly surprised by this welcome from a _________. And the apple pie made me _________.

Susan was very helpful to me.

When I was thinking about the clothes to wear on Halloween, she suggested I _________like a traditional Chinese girl. “I happen to have a traditional Chinese dress and guess _________, I’m a great make-up artist!” She said. Susan did not hide (隐藏) her excitement, when she pushed me to the __________ to examine our work after an hour of hard work. The clothes fit me perfectly! I am sure that I stood out from the crowd that Halloween, and I am __________ for her help.

My first Thanksgiving was another highlight (亮点). __________ the festival morning, I was surprised to find a gift box in my front yard. There was a note on it: “Hello Alice, I’m the Thanksgiving bunny (兔子)! Enjoy your __________!” I looked around and caught Susan looking at me from her porch (走廊). Seeing that she had been __________, she hurriedly picked up a newspaper and pretended (假装) to __________ it. I couldn’t help __________. When I walked up to her, she said, “ __________ was not me. It was the Thanksgiving bunny!” Susan is such a __________ person; She is the American above all others I need to thank.

I saw that the spirit of the Chinese saying, that “Neighbors carry more__________ than distant relatives”, is alive and well in America. Susan filled my heart with   __________ and joy, just as angels do.

7 . Most kids have nothing to worry about except homework and basketball matches. But things are ______for the kids who have lost their parents. _____ these is Milly Bell, a nine-year-old girl from Exeter, England. She is doing something to make life _____better for children like her.

A few years ago, Milly’s father ____ a serious disease. Milly was very sad and thought that only bad things happened to her. Her mother told her that ____ a lot of kids like her, however. So Milly began to think, “_____can I help other children if they are also losing someone?”

Sadly, Milly’s father   ____ since 2006. Then, Milly found a way to help other children. She has written a book _____My Daddy is Dying.

“Although I’m still sad and often think of Daddy, it_____ easier as time has gone by. I know it’s important to speak out and cry about my feelings _____when I feel sad.” Milly said. “I hope this helps other children get through the same thing, and lets them know that they are not the only ones.”

8 . I sat behind the wheel of my dad’s car and tried to fight back my fear of driving. For years, my dad _________ me to and from work without any complaint. He knew I was _________ of driving, so he never pushed me. It seemed as if he actually liked driving me around and I_________ it as much.

Now he pushed me to drive and I wondered what had caused this___________. My chest started to feel as if someone was sitting on it, and it was becoming harder to _________. He put his hand on my shoulder to _________ me. “Just take a deep breath and start the car.” I_________ and eased my way out of the parking lot and onto the street.

I couldn’t believe it. I was_________ driving. I didn’t know why I was scared in the first place-until I saw a speed sign that someone had run over. Scenes of_________ car crashes flashed into my mind. I held the wheel tightly.

“Remember your first cycle ride?” He tried to__________ my fear. “You kept falling off but you were so__________. I told you that you could do anything you set your mind to.”

“Why did you make me drive today?” I asked. He said, “My__________ was poorer, and I even ran into a sign. It’s probably just my blood pressure again.” My dad once again eased my fear.

__________, that was the last drive I had with my dad. It wasn’t his blood pressure; it was__________ that had given him only a few months to live. I never__________ driving. Every time I get behind the wheel, I could feel his comforting hand on my shoulder.

9 . When I was a primary school student, I didn’t like doing housework at all. I thought I was a little child and that I just needed to study hard to get good grades. So I didn’t do any_______at home.

One day, my mother_______back home from work. She found that I had made a mess (乱七八糟) in the house. My books and clothes were everywhere. She was annoyed (恼火) and said to me_______, “From now on, you must do some housework every day!” Hearing my mother’s _______, I felt unhappy. But I still did as she said.

Doing housework was more difficult than I had expected. I began to understand that life was not _______ for my parents. They had to do a lot of housework after they came back home_______work. So I decided to do more housework. I tidied my room and _______my clothes. I helped my_______cook meals in the evening. My parents praised _______for my changes.

Now I realize that doing housework can not only reduce our parents’ burden (负担)________also help us to learn many basic life skills.