1 . Jonathan Tiong came into the world with a rare disease that gradually damages muscles over time. A doctor _________ a prediction to his parents that he wouldn’t live beyond his second birthday.

Yet, Tiong not only surpassed (超出) the doctor’s _________ but also made great achievements. On the day of his 24th birthday in October, he gave a speech _________ at his graduation ceremony. What’s more, Tiong got a(n) _________ as an editorial writer at a famous wealth fund. However, all these amazing honors were not easily _________, for which Tiong went all out.

Beginning his _________ journey during the rise of remote work has also _________ the effect of his disability. Tiong finds _________ in the virtual field, stating, “Having everyone work online feels really great. Because when everyone is together online, I don’t feel like there’s actually much of a _________.”

Despite the __________ he has earned, Tiong remains a supporter for reshaping society’s opinion of success. “We must admit that living with a disability is a (n) __________ challenge in itself. Every day, countless individuals with disabilities __________ difficulties all over the world without media coverage, fighting their battles __________,” Tiong stresses.

His goal is not to lower expectations for individuals with disabilities but to __________ the traditional idea about success. “If we reconsider what it means to succeed, you’ll find that everyone out there who is doing their jobs quietly is __________.”

3 . Lobb and Jafri were queuing up for a lunchtime workout on Pier (码头) 15, overlooking the East River, when Lobb froze. What he saw was a person ______, lifeless. Before Jafri could respond, Lobb climbed over the ______ at the edge of the pier and jumped into the cold water. Jafri then took off his shoes and swan-dived.

Approaching the ______ victim, Lobb saw that it was a middle-aged man. The ______ felt around, grasped the man and kicked ______ until they both resurfaced. Jafri was there now. They floated the man on his ______. As Jafri looped (环绕) his arms around the man’s shoulders and Lobb ______ the hips and knees, the pair undertook the slog (重担) back to Pier 15. Their lungs heaved (起伏) and ______ burned as they pushed and pulled the ______ figure through the cold water.

On the pier, a crowd had gathered. From somewhere, the onlookers ______ a rope and a life preserver and threw them to Jafri and Lobb. The friends ______ the victim’s arm and head through the life preserver ring and tied the rope around him.

With the two men pushing from below and the crowd pulling from above, the victim was pulled onto the pier. Both men, thoroughly ______ from 15-plus minutes in the water, watched as rescue workers loaded the ______ drowned man into an ambulance and ______. Lobb and Jafri never ______ who he was, what became of him or how he’d fallen into the river.

4 . Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova is a physics professor at Texas A&M who aims to show her students, especially the young women, that there are no limits.

Only 25% of physics undergraduate students are female. Perhaps it is because boys grow up playing with machines and making drawings of fast cars and rocket explosions. But girls are just as curious about the way the world works — they just haven’t jumped into the culture of chemical reactions, energy and magnetic force with as much enthusiasm. That is, until they see one of Tatiana’s videos showing the science behind real life’s magic. Tatiana is really one of the few living female examples they could follow.

Her videos get millions of views. She is a ball of energy with a short haircut, a Russian accent and a lively personality that makes physics accessible to the younger audience. Young girls are attracted to Tatiana’s attractive demonstrations the way they flock to pop concerts. This is real. This is science they can participate in. This is an open door to endless possibilities.

“These short clips are the spark that inspires,” Tatiana says with so much excitement that it lights up the room. Everything she does involves students. She believes the magic in learning is when your peers are part of the demonstration, when you are part of the teaching process.

“She wants everything to be a celebration of science,” says one of Tatiana’s former students. And indeed, the classroom is in a party atmosphere, with students cheering when amazed by Newton’s law of motion, demonstrated by a spinning bicycle wheel held upright by the professor. It’s hard to tell who is more delighted, Tatiana or her students. She is an attraction for female students who are graduating college and working in the sciences in higher numbers than ever before.

Dr. Tatiana’s story began in Russia and her parents were both physicists. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Tatiana moved to Texas with her husband, also a physicist. They both teach at Texas A&M, and when Tatiana isn’t in the classroom, she is doing outreach with schoolchildren, amazing them with spinning lights that soon form words, liquid oxygen that shrinks objects and chemical reactions that expand matter to 10 times its size. But most importantly, she is expanding the audience of female physicists.

Susie Smith came home from school one day, and had no sooner entered the sitting room than she burst into tears.

“What is the matter, my dear child?” said her mother, drawing her daughter to her side and smiling.

“All our class must bring in compositions tomorrow morning, and I never, never can write one. We must write twelve lines at least, and I have written only a few words after trying nearly all the afternoon. See what work I have made of it!” sobbed Susie.

Mrs. Smith took the rumpled (皱巴巴的) and tear-stained paper which Susie held in her hand, and glanced at what she had written. In a careful hand she had tried to write upon three themes: Time, Temperance, and Industry.

Time is short. We should all improve our time.

Temperance is a very useful thing.

We should all be industrious if we wish to do anything in the world.

These sentences were all she had written. Susie continued, “I can’t think of another word to say upon any of these subjects, and I know I shall have to go to school without a composition, for I won’t be so mean as to copy one from a book, or to ask you or papa to write one for me.”

“That is right, my dear,” said her mother. “You will be far happier with a poor composition, if it is all your own, than with a fine one written by somebody else. But cheer up. You have not begun right—you have been trying to write upon subjects that you know nothing about. Run into the garden and play. I will call you in half an hour.” “But my composition,” began Susie. “Don’t think about your composition while you are gone,” said Mrs. Smith, “but have as pleasant a time as you can.”

It seemed but a few minutes to Susie before she heard her mother’s voice calling her. She went into the house at once—her hands full of sweet flowers, and her cheeks rosy with exercise. “Now, Susie,” said her mother, “I want you to sit by the window with this nice sheet of paper and a pencil, and write something about what you can see.”

“But my composition, mother,” said Susie, “when shall I begin that?” “Never mind your composition, my dear. Do this to please me, and we will talk about that by and by.” replied Mrs. Smith.

Susie thought her mother’s request was a strange one.

“A composition!” exclaimed Susie. “Is that a composition?”

In our family, we have a beloved pet named Max, a golden retriever (寻回犬) with a heart of gold. Max has been an integral part of our family for the past five years, bringing joy, laughter, and countless precious memories into our lives. His intelligence and adorable personality never fail to bring joy and laughter into our lives. Every day, when I come home from school, Max greets me at the door with his tail wagging and his eyes sparkling with excitement. He always seems to know when I need a comforting presence, and his playful bahavior never fails to cheer me up.

Max’s intelligence is truly remarkable. He has learned numerous tricks and commands over the years, and he never ceases to amaze us with his problem-solving skills. One time, I accidentally dropped his favorite toy behind the couch, and without any prompting (提示), Max fetched a stick and used it to fish the toy out. His creativity and resourcefulness never fail to impress us.

Max’s playful personality brings endless joy and laughter into our family. Whether we are flying disc in the backyard or going for walks in the park, Max is always ready for a good time. His boundless energy and enthusiasm are contagious (有感染力的), and he has a way of making even the simplest activity feel like an adventure. His playful barks and exaggerated jumps when he’s trying to catch a ball never fail to make us laugh.

Max’s ability to sense our emotions and respond with love and affection is truly remarkable. He seems to know when we are feeling down or stressed and always finds a way to comfort us. One warm summer evening, as the sun was beginning to set, I was sitting comfortably in my living room, buried in a captivating book. Max, my loyal golden retriever, was lying peacefully beside me, enjoying a well-deserved nap. However, as the day drew to a close, Max suddenly sprang to his feet, his ears got a lift, and his eyes fixed intently on something outside the window. Without warning, he let out a series of loud, urgent barks, as if trying to alert me to a potential threat or disturbance. Alarmed by his sudden outburst, I set my book aside and joined Max at the window, curious to see what had caught his attention.

As I approached the window, I witnessed my elderly neighbor, Mr. Thompson, lying motionless in his backyard.

In the days following Mr. Thompson’s accident, Max and I visited him at the hospital as often as we could.

As Valentine’s Day, a time for expressing affection through the exchange of presents, drew near, Kendra found herself seated at the kitchen table, carefully penning her name on Valentine’s cards for her classmates. She recognized her own hesitation; words didn’t come easily to her. While she envied the ease with which her peers talked and laughed, her shyness often kept her quiet.

Kendra grabbed another card. . Her eyes lit up at the phrase “You’re dynamite (引起轰动的人或物)!”—a term that would undoubtedly delight her Grammy, who frequently used the expression to praise their festive decorations. “Well, that looks dynamite!” Grammy would exclaim, her approval filling Kendra with warmth.

Just as Kendra was signing the cards, her mother came in, sharing the sad news of Elise, their neighbor, and her recent accident that led to a broken leg, restricting her to home schooling for the coming weeks. Kendra felt sorry for Elise, and quickly picked the most splendid valentine, hurrying to Elise’s home.

Upon arrival, Kendra’s look fell upon the life-sized deer statue decorating the front yard. She studied it, saying to herself, “Wouldn’t this deer look cool with a big heart around his neck? Elise could look out of the window and see it decorated for Valentine’s day.”

With this idea, Kendra got the sizable red heart her Grammy had given her, tied it with string, and hung it around the statue’s neck like a festive chain. The next day, she decorated the antlers (鹿角) with a variety of smaller hearts. It was during this act of kindness that Colin and Amy, Elise’s fellow classmates, happened upon the scene. “Are you decorating Elise’s deer for Valentine’s Day?” they asked. Kendra confirmed with a nod, explaining her intention to cheer up Elise. Despite her uncertainty about what to add next, Colin proposed adding some color, while Amy suggested putting decorations on the deer’s back and forehead. United by a shared purpose, they agreed to meet later.

That afternoon, they met to decorate the deer with the materials they had sourced.

Just then, Elise’s front door opened, and Elise stuck her head out.

8 . At just 17, Lauren Schroeder has already made a significant impact on her community. Her voyage began at 14, volunteering at a food shelter. While packing boxes with canned goods for needy families, Lauren detected a substantial shortage: fresh vegetables. This observation sparked an idea that soon grew into a community-wide initiative.

Lauren pictured transforming part of her family’s 150-acre farm into a garden committed to growing produce for local families. Her proposal was met with a hint of concern from her mother, Katie Schroeder. While supportive, she also foresaw the extensive labor involved. Despite the agricultural background—her family typically planted soybeans and corn—vegetable cultivation was a novel pursuit. Nevertheless, Lauren was eager to tackle the nutritional deficiency she had uncovered.

The hard work began in earnest. Not discouraged by potential obstacles, Lauren dived into research to be a seasoned vegetable cultivator and secured a grant (拨款) from the National FFA Organization to cover initial costs. Subsequently, she spent two to three hours daily watering her crops by hand through the hot Iowa summers, sandwiching this commitment between softball practices. Furthermore, she carefully tended to her garden, combating weeds and harvesting crops, with green beans proving particularly challenging.

Eventually, with assistance from her younger brothers and sisters, Lauren’s half-acre garden produced 15 varieties of vegetables. In its first year, the garden generated 40 pounds of produce, benefiting food banks, nursing homes, and soup kitchens.

Motivated by the early achievements, Lauren doubled the garden’s size. To date, she has donated over 7,000 pounds of produce, valued at approximately $15,000, commanding community respect. Her work has found a deep echo among others, notably a mother from a local shelter who was grateful for the fresh food that reminded her children of home.

Lauren’s inspiration is straightforward yet deep-seated. “I wanted to have something that would impact people,” she told KWQC. Her actions demonstrate her belief in the power of community and the joy obtained from helping others—a feeling that will undoubtedly shape her future initiatives.