Not long ago, my daughter’s shoes     1     (damage) with a knife. She burst into tears. I took them to the shoemaker’s. The man said he would add more scratches on both shoes as if the openings were made on purpose for a special style. I didn’t fully understand him, but I decided to leave the shoes. Two days later I dropped by from work     2     (collect) the shoes. I found more scratches on each shoe, but all the openings were patched by red leather and the stitches were twisted. The appearance looked     3     (interesting) than ever.

2 . When Roosevelt was a kid, his doctors claimed that he was too weak to live a normal life like most children of his age. They strongly recommended him to avoid participation in any physical activities, fearing that it could worsen his health condition and potentially lead to his death. Their opinions implied that he would face up to a life full of all kinds of limitations. Instead of permitting their limiting beliefs about what he could do and achieve, he chose to live a meaningful life.

Despite his doctors’ strong suggestions that he remain inactive, he didn’t want to be a carefree observer of the world as it passed him by. He was determined to force himself to be active. Roosevelt had daily adventures in the woods as a boy.

He continued to play sports when he got to college. In fact, he didn’t just play, but he excelled in both boxing and rowing, both of which require astonishing levels of strength and endurance. When Roosevelt graduated from college, his doctors were still not completely sure about his health condition. They still believed that he would be putting himself in serious danger, because his heart problems had not improved. They firmly believed that it would be best to find a desk job for him after completing a college degree. Once again, Roosevelt decided to challenge himself to his physical limits by living an extremely energetic adult life. In about every field he took part, he would aim to push his physical limits. Impressively, he was excellent as an explorer, a hunter, an author, a soldier and a politician.

Eventually, Roosevelt went beyond the mistaken limitation upon him and lived an amazing life.

I was sure everyone in my junior-high drama class saw the paper in my hands shaking when I stood up to audition for a lead role in the annual Christmas play. I was there, not by choice, but because teacher Alice wanted each of us to try out for a part.

As a “good” student, I did what I was asked, even if it was scary. I was small for my age, wore secondhand clothes and cried easily. At school, I was often the object of jokes and laughter and had few friends. I wanted desperately to shrink back into my seat and be invisible. But there I was, on stage. Reading was, at least, something I loved. So, I read.

I finished reading and rushed back to my seat. The spell was broken. I wanted to curl up and disappear. When the teacher read the cast list and called my name, I wasn’t paying attention. No one ever chose me for anything.

“Patty,” she repeated, “you are Star. Come and get your script.”

This is impossible! How can it be? With a pounding heart and cold, sweaty hands, I felt nearly dizzy, but incredibly happy. I walked up unsteadily to get the papers. On returning to my desk, I felt regretful. I should have refused. I felt as if everyone else were looking at and laughing at me. I buried my head in my arms. Gently patting my shoulder, teacher Alice said, “Be confident, Patty. You can do this. I know you can. I’ll help you.” With tears in my eyes, I raised my head and nodded firmly.

So, I practiced every day — while walking to school, at lunchtime, before bedtime, even on weekends. At first, I was worried about forgetting parts of a long monologue that took place in one scene, but I managed to memorize it. I felt more confident after that. At last, it was the day for the show.

Everything went smoothly until it was my turn to give the long monologue.

Fighting back tears, I continued my performance.

5 . If I have a goal in life, it isn’t to be driving a Rolls-Royce. It’s to be giving away more than $1,000,000 a year and having an impact on people’s lives. I have the success today because I always had to work for what I wanted. I grew up accustomed to risks and disappointments, so I was used to moving forward, no matter what.

In 2008, I went to Los Angeles where I tried to get hired as an agent, an analyst and a financial broker. Unfortunately, all these doors slammed in my face. The world’s economy was in a bad state, so I knew I would have to do a little spinning of my own.

Youth involves a certain innocence but also perseverance. The word “can’t” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I partnered with a friend buying distressed multifamily properties around Houston. Even though we were enthusiastic and backed with start-up sums, I didn’t make a deal work. My friend moved on to other projects. Alone, I put all my money into the next real-estate project. I put the time in, I dreamed it, but once again the deal fell through. Two months later, though, the deal came back around. That was when the path opened, luck changed, and I was ready to form my own company. I haven’t looked back. Only ahead.

I’m now able to give back to communities and causes. I donate about $500,000 a year, much of that going to research to cure rare diseases. We also support a lot of services for disadvantaged children in Houston and other places.

I have always been someone who can see the big picture and have never been distracted by things that get in the way. There are lessons to be learned, and the biggest of those is to keep going. You may have to change the path, but always keep that vision in front of you.

6 . When I got my first smartphone, I loved it.It gave me instant ______ to my music, thousands of photos and videos and a(n) ______ of information. But over time, my feelings became controversial. I would repeatedly ______ my email, shop online for stuff I didn’t need and ______ click on links to websites. I’d often ______ to my husband and to my seven-year-old son, Louis, that I felt trapped by it.

So I began to research studies on the mental health effects of smartphone use. I ______ that smartphones are linked with anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality. Unsurprisingly, they also impact your ability to ______ and to remain in the present moment with your kids.

______, one day last summer, while I was playing with Louis, I was once again distracted (分心) by dings and pings. He finally related to my complaints about my smartphone: “Mommy, just ______, please!”

I decided to try. Instead of going cold turkey — no ______at all — I bought a flip phone (翻盖手机) and cell plan for $30 a month. With no touch screen, texting is ______. I can’t access email, music or social media and don’t even try browsing the web without a touch screen. While the adjustment hasn’t always been smooth sailing, it’s ______ than I thought it would be and the benefits are worth it. Now when I’m playing with my son, I can see the positive effect ______ his smiles. And after he’s gone to bed, instead of fixing my eyes on the ______, I light candles, grab a book and ______ the atmosphere of the room I’m in.

7 . Wang Fang, a Suzhou native, has given her heart and soul to Kunqu Opera. Wang, who has twice won the Plum Performance Award — China’s top award for theater and opera performances-started to learn the traditional art form in 1977.

Born with a melodic voice, Wang loved to sing and dance when she was little. She performed frequently, and was recruited by the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe (剧团) when she was in middle school. However, her parents refused the troupe’s invitation, insisting that she should concentrate on her studies and not drop out of school. After members of the troupe visited the parents repeatedly and showed great sincerity,Wang’s parents finally agreed.

Learning the traditional art form was never easy. She started to learn how to pronounce words, sing them lyrically and make gestures gently. As an actress playing martial artists roles at first, she had to spend extra time practicing kung fu movements. Years later, Wang used the word “unimaginable” to describe how hard the days were when she first learned Kunqu. She was soaked in sweat when practicing movements in summer, while in winter she often had chilblains (冻疮) on her hands when training in shabby classrooms with broken windows. “But I was young and determined at the time. No matter how difficult, I always got up early the next morning to practice,” Wang recalls.

Wang says she did not love Kunqu at first, but in her early 20s,when she watched the show Peony Pavilion performed by Zhang Jiqing, a master of the art form, it clicked. “I was shocked,” Wang says. “Her every movement was full of elegance and delicacy. Each of her lines and songs was perfect. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Kunqu for the first time in my life, and it has stayed with me since.” Now, Wang has herself become a master of Kunqu. Her performances have impressed generations and helped to promote the art form among young people.

8 . I was picking through coat pockets and madly shaking all my old purses and wallets. I was looking for pennies, quarters — anything that would help me make it to the end of the week. It sure was feeling heavy.

A hopeless girl in her twenties,I was a single parent, with a one-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.

Life consisted of ups and downs. One year, I was having baby showers and taking vacations in the mountains of Tennessee. The next, I was searching around my small, two-bedroom apartment collecting loose change to buy food and gas. Suddenly, I found myself becoming poor, and it was hard.

I’ll never forget the joy of finding one penny during my hunt, then two, then fifteen, and then twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six. Every time I found one, I felt excited. Looking back now, I see that it was somewhat ironic (讽刺的) because I had looked down on pennies at one point in my life.

I sat in my bedroom that night and sorted all the change from my hour-long quest. I smiled and made jokes with my daughter while we packed our pennies. Her brother joyfully bounced up and down in his bouncer. They had no idea how many nights I would cry with my face buried in the pillows, wondering how I would keep a roof over their heads, lights on in the house, and food on the table.

I remember those days like they were yesterday, but I don’t remember them with sadness. I remember them intentionally because I promised myself that if I were ever to escape the pains of poverty, I would never forget the value of a penny.

I’ve kept that promise, too.

10 . Spring Festival means a lot for Chinese people. However, given the sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks in different places, many cities ________ residents in any city with confirmed COVID-19 cases not to travel during the holiday in order to prevent any more outbreaks. ________, I stayed in Beijing during the Spring Festival of 2022. It was my first Spring Festival in China. I ________ it with my Chinese friends.

Several of Ralph’s coworkers came to our apartment to have ________ with me. They brought the meat and dough (面团) to make the ________ dumplings. While I was not ________ in making them, I certainly did enjoy eating them. As soon as all the food was ready, we ________ to enjoy the delicious foods.

Linda brought me Spring Festival couplets ________ good wishes and asked me to paste them on the door. Scott ________ me with many firecrackers. Some students gave me paper cuts to ________ my windows.

Eric invited me to ________ his family to spend New Year’s Eve together. Among the many ________ at dinner, they served a ________ fish. However, I was told we would only be eating half the fish that night because the ________ of it would be eaten the next day. This was done to ________ the good fortune over into the following year since leftovers are thought to be a ________ of prosperity. After dinner, we watched the Spring Festival Gala together. A martial art performance ________ me deeply. The show entitled “Walking Clouds, Flowing Water” starred three tai chi ________ practicing their moves on top of landmark buildings in three cities: Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou of Guangdong province, which was amazing. I went to my ________ at midnight.

It was a very happy time and we have many good ________ of this festival holiday.