Jack,     1     was a ten-year- old boy, didn’t like doing any work. He had to go to school, of course, but he didn’t study hard there and tried     2     (do) little work. His father and mother were both doctors and they     3     (hope) that their son would become a doctor, too, when he grew up.

But one day Jack said     4     (happy) to his mother, “When I finish school, I want to be a     5     (clean).” What? his mother asked,     6     (feel) very surprised. “That’s not a good job. Why do you want to do the job?” his mother said. “    7     I would only need to work one day a week,” Jack answered at once. “Only one day a week?” his mother said. “What do you mean? And how do you know about it?” “Well,” Jack answered, “I know that the cleaners come to work     8     Thursday every week, because I only see     9     (they) that day.” And then his mother laughed and said, “But     10     cleaners go to work in other streets on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.”

3 .    Lots of kids like to talk about sports, but Joseph D’Avirro talks about sports like a professional host in a show called Sliders & Curveballs. The 9-year-old from Newington, Connecticut is a natural at sports talk and has been broadcasting the show—which is about baseball, basketball and other sports—with his dad, Mike D’Avirro, since September 2019.

   The D’Avirro started the broadcast after two former college roommates of Mike died, which made Mike want to spend more time with his son. Then the idea came to him. So far, they have done about 50 programs. Joseph’s favorite is when the father-and-son team interviewed Jim Calhoun, the coach leading the Connecticut Huskies to three national titles. They have also interviewed important sports authors.

   The father and son make about one 30- to 40-minute podcast each month. They prepare for the podcasts by deciding on the questions they want to ask the guest. Joseph asks half of the questions, and Mike handles the other half. Joseph reads his questions again and again to get them in his brain well. It is a lot of work, but Joseph says it is “a lot more fun than homework”. Joseph has also learned to speak up and speak clearly. He has to listen and to go with the flow of the conversation. For example, he said, “If the guest is talking about sports in the 1990s, you have to think about sports in the 1990s.”

When asked how long he and his dad will continue doing the show, he answered, “Until my dad starts growing gray hairs.” Joseph has other ambitions when he grows up—to be a sports player, a sports broadcaster or to own a basketball team. Those are big dreams, but Joseph is already living a dream: talking sports and spending time with his dad.

6 . Graduation is a significant milestone for everyone. An 89-year-old man called Rene Neira had been trying to finish a degree since the 1950s. However, in the 1960s, he was so passionate about urban and economic development of the southside of San Antonio that he stopped school and got involved with the local government. From that time, one of his life goals was to earn a degree in economics. In 2017, the grandpa and his 19-year-old granddaughter both enrolled (入学) at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“There were times when we would get lunch together, be in the library together, and just work silently side-by-side,” Melanie Salazar, Rene’s granddaughter, recalled. “He always had something to say, especially if his professors had different opinions than him,” Melanie said. “And there were often times when a professor would invite him to talk about the past.”

Rene’s college years weren’t easy. “He has worked very hard over time. Especially in recent years, with hearing loss and going through seasons of not having a car, there was a term where he had to take medical leave because he had a stroke, so he couldn’t go back to school that term. And then the pandemic started,” said Melanie.

After four years, their hard work finally paid off—they graduated. Together, they stood on the stage. Everyone broke into applause and cheered for this fantastic pair.

Their story has been making waves online. People have nothing but good words for them, “Awww... I love stories like this. This was such a beautiful moment. Congratulations to both of them. Grandpa definitely demonstrated that one shouldn’t give up their dream no matter how long it takes,” one wrote. Another wrote, “I’m motivated to go back to school myself, thanks to his example.”

Rene had the determination to finish his degree even at an advanced stage in his life. Hard work, patience, and determination are the keys to success, especially when the path is not easy or clear.

7 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.

Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.

Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.

Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”

8 . In high school, I did a scientific experiment. The experiment made me _______ that science could teach us a lot. It teaches us the _______ so we know where we are from. That day, I firmly _______ to be a scientist. Ever since that day, I have studied harder _______ in all my science-related subjects. After school, I do much research on how I can become a _______ scientist in the future.

One of my _______ in becoming a scientist is Barbara McClintock, who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. At 25, she already had her PhD in botany. After that, she started her _______ as the leader in the development of maize cytogenetics (玉米细胞遗传学) and she _______ herself to that research for the rest of her life.

If I am lucky and given the _______ to achieve my ambition as a scientist, I want to be like Doctor McClintock. She ________ something that helped the other scientists ________ the things about genetics (遗传学).

I know I will be able to achieve my ________ as long as I put my heart and perseverance into it. If I achieve my goal, I will share my ________ of success with all the kids who also love science and want to become scientists. My future will be as ________ as the stars in the night sky. However, my future is still far. I will make the most of the ________ to achieve my greatest ambition of becoming a scientist.