5 . Scientific studies show that laughter produces chemicals to make people feel better, which ________ clown doctors can be helpful.

I chose this ________ because of my experience of going to hospital when I was a kid. Although the doctors and nurses did a great job, hospitals weren’t really designed for ________. I stayed there feeling ________ and a little bored.

After years’ ________ training, I work as part of a program known as “hospital clowning”. Being a clown doctor means I can help people by ________ them.

One day, ________ my curly rainbow wig and big red nose, I walked into the waiting area, where there was a familiar atmosphere of ________ and tension. At that time I spotted a small girl crying in pain, with her ankle was twice its ________ size. Her ________ parents, sitting ________ on plastic chairs, were trying their best to ________ the nervous and crying girl.

While the doctor concentrated on ________ her ankle, I got her ________ by doing a magic trick. Although she was clearly still in some pain, her scared and anxious look had been ________—first by a small smile and then by loud laughter as I ________ produced her sock from out of my pocket. Seeing their daughter so much happier ________ made her parents more relaxed. My magic medicine did indeed seem to ________.

Even today, I still ________ a big smile as I remember all the fun and laughter of the day. After all, it is true that ________ is the best medicine.

6 . Chris Smith looked like any other young boy in his class: thick hair, a wide smile, and playing sports. By all appearances, life for Chris was the same as it was for a hundred other boys in the small town where he grew up, except for the constant evictions (驱赶), and eventually being homeless.

Chris’ father was reckless (鲁莽的) with finances and dishonest in business. His mother tried her best to run the home until Chris’ little brother drowned (溺亡), then his father went to prison, and finally the family fell apart.

“My mom shut down emotionally. Everything got worse,” Chris remembers. Then she was gone and ran away from home without telling Chris. He did the best he could, sleeping on his newly married sister’s sofa. “They didn’t have much money, and I know it was a burden to take me in at 17 years old, I was going to drop out from high school and make it on my own.”

But Chris’ history teacher had different ideas. When Chris’ study began to go down, she cornered him. “You’re the smartest kid in the class,” she told him. “If you don’t graduate, you’re going to regret it.”

“School was my safe place,” Chris says. School also offered him heat and food. It became the closest thing to home he could find, compared to his father’s old truck that became his bed and his study space. He remembers his hair freezing onto the window in the winter.

When graduation came, Chris earned a full scholarship to college and graduated in the top 10 of his class. When it’s time to apply for medical residencies, Chris set his sights high. He applied for residencies around the country and included the No. 1 program in the nation: Johns Hopkins. And then the letter came. Chris was in.

“I didn’t really think I had a chance. But I had learned to give everything my best shot. Life is never fair. But if you don’t give up, you will give yourself a better chance to make it,” Chris says.

7 . Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.

The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.

The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.

Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.

“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.

Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.

Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.

“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”

Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.

8 . Lexi is just a little girl from Canada who found herself in a heart-stopping situation. It started off as a normal car trip. Angela Shymanski, Lexi’s mom, was at the wheel, navigating the tricky roads of the Rockies with her daughter Lexi and her baby Peter in the car. An unexpected animal ran into the road. Angela swerved (突然转向) to avoid the animal. Unfortunately, their car was off the road, falling down a steep embankment (路堤).

The crash was nothing short of terrifying. Angela ended up with a broken back. She was unconscious, and unable to help her babies. Meanwhile, baby Peter’s cries echoed in the chaos. But Lexi, only five years old, didn’t freeze. Instead, she showed courage that would leave many grown-ups in awe.

She quickly jumped into action. The little girl, without even shoes on her feet, wrestled free from her seatbelt and climbed the 40-foot embankment. Once she reached the top, Lexi did everything she could to flag down a passing car in order to get help for her mom and brother.

Lexi’s insistence finally paid off. A car stopped, and the people inside didn’t hesitate to help her call for emergency services. When the paramedics (护理人员) arrived, they found Angela in a severe state, and her heart had stopped. Thankfully, they managed to bring her back.

Lexi’s dad, reflecting on the incident, couldn’t help but be amazed by his daughter’s bravery. He stressed how important it is for kids to be prepared for emergencies, shocked at how Lexi remembered and acted on what she had been taught. It’s a powerful reminder of what kids can do when push comes to shove.

And Lexi’s heroism didn’t go unnoticed. She was awarded a Bronze Medal for Bravery by the police. But for the Shymanskis, the real prize was being back in each other’s arms, safe and sound.

10 . Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and _________ us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I rose to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a _________?” I laughed and _________ responded “Why not!”

“Why are you in college at such a(n) _________, innocent age?” I asked. She _________ replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get _________, and have a couple of kids…” “No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have _________ her to be taking on this challenge at her age. “I always _________ having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and _________ a chocolate milkshake. We became __________ friends. Every day for the next three months, we would __________ together after class and talk __________. I was always listening to this “time machine” as she shared her __________ and experience with me. Over the __________ of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she __________ made friends wherever she went.

At the year’s end Rose finished the college __________ she had begun all those years ago. One week after __________ Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute (致敬) to the wonderful woman who taught __________ that it’s never too __________ to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please remember, growing older is mandatory (强制性的). Growing up is __________.