1 . Hey! You have a hairless spot on the back of your head! " Mom’s alarmed cry hit me like a shock.

I tried to shrug it off. “It’ll grow back.” I worked to sound________.

At first, the loss was minimal. ________the spot with my fingers became the top priority every day. No new hair, smooth as an egg. Weeks later, the spot was a little larger and there was still no________ of any hair poking through the skin. I began to________but continued to try to be cool about it.

As days went by, my hair started to fall faster and more. ________my fingers through it, I would stare at the alarming quantity of hair in my hands, wiling this to________happening to me.

We went to see a doctor, who diagnosed my condition as alopecia (脱发症) . He recommended an injection to try, which would be________to the head skin. I underwent several costly injections over a few months, but in vain.

________the injection began to trouble my sleep, and we finally had to stop the________My hair still didn’t grow back.

I had to wear a wig to school every day, worried it might slip one day and that everything would________Though aware that I should________the fact to my friends, I was scared, not knowing how they would handle the information. ________ hesitantly, I told them what was happening after days of struggle. To my surprise, they all thought nothing of it. This was a(n) ________for me.

I came to realize that what had happened was not my fault, and not something I should feel________of. I am learning that being bald doesn’t change who I am, and if I don’t let it affect my self ________then other people are much more likely to accept me as I am, too.

2 . I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And ________ otherwise assigned (指定) a seat by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this ________ after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy idea because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the ________ to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on ________ for it, I would not have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the ________ of it! When I first started ________the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, let ________ what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get ________ and take a shot at the wrong direction—which made me feel really stupid. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to ________ on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t know “just yet”.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the ________ and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive ________ in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the ________—friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

With my ________ self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from “________” in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand—even when I sometimes wasn’t 100 percent ________ I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

4 . A 70-year-old Air Force veteran (退伍军人) from Salem, Illinois is being praised as a hero for his good deed.

Marshall Helm had been ________ his granddaughter to the bus stop early in the morning when the smoke and ________ arising from the house next door ________ his attention. Helm ________ to the endangered home and threw open the garage door only to find flames climbing up one of the building walls:________ , at that very moment he did not ________ to charge past the flames and into the house so he could make sure his neighbors were ________ .

Gary and Kathy Benjamin had been ________ upstairs when they awoke to hear Helm shouting about the fire. Although they were confused by the ________ and had no time to figure out what had happened, they ________ to run into the hallway and escape with. Helm through the back door just as the flames were swallowing the ________ through which he had come in only a minute before: Thanks to Helm’s quick ________, the Benjamins suffered only ________ smoke intake—and even though they lost their home in the fire, they were simply ________ to Helm for saving their lives.

“Lifesaver—lifesaver is all I can say,” Mr. Benjamin said. His wife added, “Hero, he’s our ________.”

5 . I spent all of my 30s saying yes. Saying yes to things I wanted to do, but a lot of the time saying yes to things I didn’t _________. This was a _________ technique (技巧). I thought it would accelerate (加速) people’s opinion on me: the woman who could do it all.

At the time, I thought I was _________ it. I was making new friends and developing new interests. I joined the board of my children’s school and _________ my days with around 20 other activities to do.

And then several events _________ everything: pandemic restrictions (疫情限制), serious medical problems and losing my job. All these helped me see how _________ I was.

All at once, I _________ how good it felt not to be _________ every second of every day. For the first time, I could carefully choose how I spent my days. Having to say yes turned into the beauty of choosing to say no.

Looking back, the _________ to say yes and smile was my choice. I felt that I should say yes, from driving people to the airport to exchanging a carpool (拼车) day, from attending charity events to seeing family every Friday night. I ________ wanted to solve everyone’s problems and offered good __________. I was everyone’s cheerleader, but forgot how to cheer for myself along the way.

But saying no is being my own ________ . And it’s not saying no to caring for family and friends, or helping someone out when they’re in need.__________,it’s a small change in mindset (思维模式), taking a pause before agreeing. I take a breath, and check my energy and ability__________jumping in.

Most importantly, I tell my kids there’s nothing __________ with saying no. To give of yourself is important but to save yourself is important, too.

Dad got me to play football when I studied in high school. I did enjoy throwing the ball around with friends, but I never thought I had what it took to play on a team. “I'm not a football player,” It old my dad. “You'll never know what you are able to achieve unless you give it a try, Sam,” he told me. So, I did. It gave me a strong sense of belonging and some confidence. I still remember how proud he was when I won some awards and the hug be gave me after I received my congratulation letter. There was no such game where Dad wasn't on the sidelines, cheering me on.

Four years' pre-season football camps finally came down to my last game. I asked my dad to bring our video camera.

I waved at my parents before the opening kick-off, and then put on my face seriously. I grabbed at the clothes of the opposing team's running back (跑卫) and dragged him to the field. Aloud cheer came from the sidelines. There was my dad with the camera, cheering crazily. By the end of the game, I had stopped seven players and a sacking(擒杀)—my best performance ever. I ran into my dad's arms. I was sweaty and smelly, but be hugged me anyway. I couldn’t wait to watch the tape(录像带) to experience every moment again.

As soon as we got home, I took the tape out of the camera and played it on the TV screen. My dad, mum, sister and I sat down in the living room together in front of TV. I pressed the “Play” button, and the video started. The two teams, lined up before the game, then the running back taking the handoff(传球), running up to the line, me reaching out, and then...the sky and clouds! I could hear my dad screaming “Way to go, Sam!” as images of the sky shook up and down on the screen.

8 . A young man was about to go to the office when he received a phone call from a nurse who told him his father was injured and in hospital. So he _________ to the hospital by taxi. He had gone into the hospital when he found he _________ his cell phone in the taxi. What’s _________, he had forgotten to ask the nurse which ward his father was in. He had to run hurriedly around in the hospital _________ his father. Seeing a nurse, he asked her with _________, “My father is in hospital. He...”

The nurse _________, “Oh, my God. It’s you. Come with me!” She _________ the young man to the bed side of an elderly man. “Your son is here,” she _________ to the elderly patient several times. The old man was too weak to stay awake, only to look _________ at the young man standing beside him.

Throughout the night the young man __________ after the old man, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength. The dying old man said nothing. The nurse__________ the young rest for a while but he __________ her advice.

Sunrise __________, the old man peacefully died. The young man placed the lifeless hand on the bed and informed the nurse. After the nurse did what was __________, she just found the young man had left, leaving a letter __________ “Thank you, lady! My father is fine. I knew right away the old man was not my father. But I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. So, I stayed.”

A’Driane Nieves didn’t attend art school, and she never dreamed of     1     (become) an artist. That changed when Nieves began to struggle     2     mental health. Painting is not only treatment for her, but it’s her career now. “Painting is now the primary way that I express     3     (I),” Nieves said. Nieves experienced deep     4     (anxious) after giving birth to her second son in 2010. Later, she was diagnosed (诊断) with Bipolar II disorder. “My doctor suggested to me that I find something creative to help manage the pressure,” she said.

Nieves tried crocheting (钩编) for about two weeks. She admitted she was     5     (tire) of it. And one day, she picked up painting. As she poured the paint and moved it around with her hands, she felt     6     sense of relief. “Within 45 minutes to an hour, I felt     7     (complete) different from what I had before,” she said.

Since she started painting in 2012, Nieves     8     (create) more than 1,000 pieces. In 2012,she set up her workshop. “I would like to encourage anyone     9     is living with a mental disorder to be kind to themselves and remember that you are worthy. You have the right     10     (live) a full and healthy life even while managing a mental health condition like this.”

10 . I was unemployed in 1994. Fortunately, I_______that it wasn’t going to last forever. I returned to my_______life and got a Master’s degree in animal behavior in 1998. For 55-year-old then, it just_______as if it were something I could and should do.

My wife and I came to Tasmania on holiday in 2000. We went into a wildlife park because I wanted to_______Tasmanian animals. During that time, as we were sitting in the cafe looking outside, a(an) _______went like this “Oh_______I could spend the rest of my life here.” “Well, I see it’s up for sale.” my wife answered.I knew she would support me.

We_______the park in 2001. When we arrived, we realized it was messier than_______. So immediately we had to_______out the park. We were 58 when we_______, but we were working 16 hours a day, finally building the park up and_______many animals’ lives. We_______the rules on animal protection with local authorities, and tried to get other wildlife park_______to join in it.

In 2007, I ran the London marathon to raise funds for the project with my family. I_______completed it, with_______funds collected. As people always say, life isn’t rehearsal, but a mission. If you don’t do it now, you’ll never do it.