2 . Last year, I started the journey of being a remote product designer. The thought of a flexible (灵活的) schedule, a comfortable home office, and the escape from the _______ public transport was incredibly _______ . The first few weeks were filled with a long-lost feeling of _______ .

However, the _______ of working from home gradually set in. I had started my day with the best _______ , promising myself quick breaks and regular stretches (伸展) . But deadlines, endless emails, and virtual meetings _______ me to my computer throughout the day, leaving me little time to _______ . Gone were the short walks to a coworker’s desk and the quick lunchtime walks around the office complex. Finally, my world was _______ to the walls of my home, my steps _______ in meters only rather than kilometers.

One day, I tried ________ one of my favorite dresses and it wasn’t passing through my waist (腰) at all. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a ________ person carrying extra weight, rather than someone enjoying freedom. The ________ of work and personal life had left me feeling like I was a never-ending motion machine.

This incident (事件) marked the ________ of a journey of self-discovery. I made up my mind that I needed a (n) ________ not just for my waistline but for my overall well-being. It was a promise to prioritize my physical and mental health, and a promise that I could ________ control over my life and my body.

3 . A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods for 3 days is now safe at home. But Casey told his parents that he was not ________ in the rainy, freezing cold woods. He said he was with a friend — a ________.

The child went ________ on January 22 while playing with friends at his grandmother’s house. When the other children ________ to the house and Casey didn’t, hundreds of people ________ the search. Then on January 24, someone called the police saying he heard a child ________ in the woods. The police then found Casey at night. He was in good health. After being ________ carefully by the doctor, Casey was sent home with slight ________.

Casey told the police that he had ________ with a black bear for two days and he called it his “________”. His mother told reporters that Casey did not say how he was able to ________ in the woods for three days. ________, she said, “He did say he had a friend in the woods, a bear, with him.” His mother ________ everyone who joined the search for her son. “We just want to tell everybody that we’re very thankful that you took the ________ out to search for Casey,” said his mother. “He is good. He’s already asked to ________ online cartoons.”

4 . Power of Perseverance (毅力)

There was once a young man named David. Born into a humble family, David had to _________ to make ends meet(维持生计). However, he was determined to rise above his _________ and achieve greatness.

When David was in high school, he faced bullying (欺负) from his schoolmates, which left him feeling _________. But instead of giving way to the negativity, he chose to see the situation as a chance for _________________________. He _________ throughout the tough times and found strength in overcoming his difficulties.

After graduation, David had a dream of becoming a successful businessman. However, he had no money or _________ in the business world. But he refused to give up.

David _________ his first business project with just a few hundred dollars in his pocket. It was a struggle at first, but he struggled on. Slowly but _________ his business began to _________. As time passed, his company __________ into a multi-million-dollar enterprise (企业). His __________ and hard work paid off. David learned that tough conditions are not a __________ but a powerful driving force that can __________ us to achieve great things.

David’s __________ indicates that we all have the __________ to turn our difficulties into opportunities for growth and success.

7 . The sun was beginning to sink as I set off into the Harenna Forest. I was on my way to _________ a unique honey harvest. Here, in south-east Ethiopia, hand-carved beehives (蜂房) are placed in the _________. Reaching them to get the honey is difficult and often _________.

I followed beekeeper Ziyad over a wide stretch of grassland _________ entering a thick jungle. Ziyad began preparations. He gathered _________ of damp tree leaves, wrapped them with string, and _________ the bunch to create a torch (火把). Then, with one end of a rope tied to his waist and the other end around the trunk of a tree, Ziyad began _________. He stopped every few minutes to move the _________ higher up the tree trunk.

_________, Ziyad got close to the hive which was around 20 meters above the ground. Sitting on a branch, he __________ towards it and blew smoke from his torch into a tiny hole in the hive. Suddenly, Ziyad __________ a sharp cry. Within seconds, he’d __________ the trunk and was back on the ground.

It was too __________ to collect the honey. A cool summer had delayed __________. Baby bees were still in the honeycombs (蜂巢). The angry adult bees kept attacking as Ziyad escaped from the tree. He had to wait for the right __________ to go back up.

9 . Just before New Year, the principal (校长) called me into his office and asked me to read a poem written by me at the New Year party. “Sure,” I said with a smile, my dreams of being a famous ________ floating in my mind.

For weeks, I worked on my poem, ________ bettering the structure, sound, and voice. I reread my Emily Dickinson and William Wordsworth for ________. I practiced reciting it aloud. I revised, revised, revised. By December 30th, the day of the event, I was ________.

Well, I was confident until I looked around and realized how many people were there. And how big the hall was, and how ________ I felt about myself. How could I ________ a piece of my poetry to 800 people? My heart was beating so hard I thought everyone around me could ________ it. I was nervous. I could feel cool shakes run down my back. I couldn’t remember why I had said yes to the ________. Then the light darkened, the crowd quieted. It was starting.

Suddenly, I was on stage with the bright white lights blinding my view of the audience and the feeling that my ________ was closing up. I leaned in to the microphone and tried out my ________ as I read the title: “Let There Be Light.” My voice boomed (声音低沉洪亮) from the speakers loudly and sounded much more confident than I felt.

The room was ________ as I began my piece, and I tried to focus on the words and ________ the people. The words somehow ________ in the right order, the lines flowed together properly, and I even remembered which words to ________. I finally came to the last line of the poem and breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was over.

The room was dead silent. Maybe no one liked it. I felt like I was going to faint. Then out of the silence there was ________, cheering, and smiling. I had done it. I had shared a piece of my poetry with the world.