2 . Late one evening, I noticed that Lazarus, my beloved German Shepherd, was not acting like himself. He began walking around and just couldn’t _________ to get comfortable. When he started to vomit(呕吐), my husband and I knew a _________ to the emergency vet’s was in order.

Examinations were taken, and he appeared to be _________. However, my boy continued to show signs of abdominal (腹部的)_________. So, we decided that X-rays were _________. The doctor felt that Lazarus might need surgery and _________ he should be kept overnight to keep him safe. I agreed to leave him at the _________, hoping his discomfort would pass by without the need for any further treatment. It was one of the _________ drives home I had ever experienced. I began to _________ as I lay on my bed. “God, I __________ love this dog. He is very special to me and my whole family. Please, please help him __________.” Suddenly my phone rang. It was the doctor at the clinic. My heart __________. The doctor told me that she had started his abdominal surgery and his __________ of survival were not very good. My voice __________ when I spoke. Maybe the next time I would see him, he would be in a wooden box that would be buried under our fruit tree in the back yard.

Luckily, Lazarus stood up and recovered! No one, especially the doctor, expected him to make such a(n)__________ after his surgery.

4 . I am a Russian girl, and it has always been my small dream to climb to the top of a mountain to enjoy the sunrise since my childhood. However, there are no big ________ in my hometown, which makes me very ________.

After coming to China, I heard that there was Mount Huashan. I ________ to climb it to meet the beautiful dawn (黎明) at the top of the peak. On arriving at the foot of the mountain, I began climbing immediately with great ________ and determination.

During the process, a sudden ________ made the stone floor wet and slippery. I had the idea of ________, but the crowd encouraged me to continue the ________. As the steps became ________, everyone lined up, caught the chains and ________ moved forward. When I got close to the top of the mountain, I had nearly run out of ________, so I found a place to rest for a while. Then I heard a voice saying, “Relax, and don’t be afraid. As long as you climb up, you are the best!” Hearing that, I realized if I was frightened by the ________ just now, I could not be the best. So I gathered all the ________ and finally made it!

At the moment of ________, the rolling sea of clouds and the amazing scenery on the mountain changed obviously. I truly ________ that life is like climbing up a mountain. Only with all the way of sweat and the confidence can you reach the top to enjoy a ________ life.

6 . I was taking my fifteen-minute walk break at work today when an elderly gentleman asked me for directions. He was going to see a ________. I pointed him towards what I thought was the ________way, but he seemed hesitant (犹豫的). So, I walked with him up the stairs and down the hall to be sure. He was right! He was not in the right ________! There was no doctor.

We had to ________ a girl and were directed down another hallway and still couldn’t find his doctor’s home. We were ________. Finally, we called his wife and found out that he was in the wrong building. The poor man was so ________ that he couldn’t even find his car. But he tried to stay ________ and kept thanking me.

When we finally found his car, I gave him ________ for getting to the other building which was down the road. I ________ with all my heart that he could find it. The old man was happy and continued to thank me.

In fact, I thought I should ________ him. Before meeting him, I was having a very ________ and stressed day. After being in his presence, I felt myself again. I kept ________ about how much contribution (贡献) he must have made to society in his many years. Now he needed ________. And it was my ________ to help him in this very small way. I wished I could have done more. I hoped a shining light ________ him to his destination and then back home.

7 . Every afternoon for the past 11 years, 83-year-old AI Merritt has been a reliable and cheery presence in his southeast Carlsbad neighbourhood, California.

His wife, Penny Merritt said her husband’s doctor suggested he get more exercise after he had some heart trouble about 12 years ago. When their son, Kevin brought a bike to his parents’ house, AI started to pedal around the local road and hills. At first, his rides were about five miles long, then 10 to 12 miles, and gradually the length of his outings grew due to all the social stops — from an hour to two hours.

Since 2010, Merritt has been on a personal pursuit to cycle the circumference (周长) of the earth — 24,901 miles without even leaving his own neighbourhood. As a result, over the years, he got to know many of his neighbours and send them message of love and kindness. Judy Keene, one of his neighbours, has been waving to Merritt on his daily rides for the past five years.

“He is so reliable, like clockwork. Every day I see him flying by on his bike. He is totally cheerful and takes time with everybody,” Keene said. “He inspires so many people and shows everyone how you can be in your 80s and still have a good time.”

It was not until October 24 that the old man finally realized his daily bicycle trips were as important to them as they were to him. At 3 p.m. that Sunday afternoon, nearly 200 people gathered near his home to surprise and congratulate him on the completion of his “round-the-world” adventure. As he pedaled down the hill towards his house, a roar erupted from the crowd waving international flags, hand-painted signs and Earth-shaped balloons. The outpouring of love stunned and overwhelmed Merritt.

“It’s just unbelievable. I couldn’t have imagined anything like this ever happening,” he said. Although Merritt has now accomplished his cycling goal, he has no plans to change the routine that has become the highlight of his daily life.

9 . When Emma woke up, she knew it was going to be one of those days. She felt unwell — a cold had taken hold of her. Still, she needed to brave the storm of responsibilities at work. Emma dragged herself out of bed and got ready for work. Then she put on her raincoat and went out into the pouring rain. As she walked, she fought against the bad weather. Emma’s umbrella was almost useless as it was raining cats and dogs. Then like a bolt from the blue, the wind blew it inside out. She was immediately wet from head to toe. She said to herself in a quiet voice. “What a day to forget my rain boots!”

At the office, the day was as stormy as the weather. She had a mountain of tasks. Handling endless emails and phone calls should have been a light wind. But before long, she was desperate to take a break so she could get a second wind.

Then, at exactly the moment, her coworker Alex came to her rescue. Alex was not a fair-weather friend but was always ready to lend a hand. With a warm smile, he offered to help Emma. Having Alex assist her was like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. Their laughter and good-fellowship as they completed their tasks made the hours pass quickly.

On her way home, Emma reflected on the day, which had ended up being surprisingly pleasant. She realized that every cloud did indeed have a silver lining. Today, that silver lining had been her wonderful colleague, Alex.

When Emma arrived home, she decided to send Alex a heartfelt message of appreciation. She wrote, “Thanks for being my ray of sunshine in this rainy day!” It was a simple message, but it carried a lot of meaning.

That night, listening to it rain cats and dogs outside, Emma couldn’t help but smile. She had weathered the storm with Alex’s help.