2 . It was a dream born in fire. When Andrea Peterson was 5, she and her mother were trapped on the balcony of a burning building. “Throw the kid down!” said one of the firemen below, and little Andrea jumped into lifesaving arms and a lifelong goal. She wanted to fight fires like her rescuers did.

But in the early 1960’s, little girls weren’t even allowed to fantasize about such great dreams. She told that to the men who had saved her, and they laughed. “You’ll be a good mommy,” the firemen told her. “You’ll be a good teacher, maybe you’ll be a nurse, but you can never be a fireman.”

And then, as it tends to do, life didn’t give her a chance to realize the dream. When Peterson was studying for a degree in aviation technology (航空技术) — the only female in her class, she met her husband, Dennis, a Vietnam vet who later developed cancer. Peterson spent 31 years caring for the man she loved and, in 2007, Dennis left the world.

At 61, She earned her emergency medical technician license (执照) and responded to fire calls with the ambulance (救护车). It turned to be a life-and-death situation, and Peterson felt that long-ago childhood calling. She found that her years of caring for Dennis had prepared her for dealing with different hurts and ills.

A year later, she told her boss she wanted to be a firefighter. The fact that everyone else in her training team was between 18 and 21 didn’t discourage her. She passed the writing test and she cleared the physical difficulties and finally, that little girl’s dream became a reality.

Peterson knows that the window on her physical abilities won’t stay open forever. But when interviewed, she said, “I worry a little when I get too old ... However, I did get my dream.”

3 . I was said to be the worst student in my class, and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to_______grade six. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school. 

One day after class, she_______that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a_______conversation. After that day, she gave me particular_______and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that someone believed me, and my_______started to improve in her subject. 

Months later, she moved into a house near my home. We would walk home together after school. Her constant (不断的 ) support helped me,_______in my studies, as I knew she would_______my grades both in her subject and other subjects. I finally _______second in my class. 

Then, after grade six, she started to drift away(渐渐疏远)_______still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in grade seven, we hardly spoke, but by then I had become the best in my class. When I left my school, I was ________with her, as she never answered the ________when I called her. 

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths(路)________again. I met her at a wedding. I could not________asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?” 

“You are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree standing on your own roots, not depending on (依靠)others. Now here you are and I feel________of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to________a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.

On a bright, warm July afternoon, Mac Hollan, a primary school teacher, was cycling from his home to Alaska with his friends. One of his friends had stopped to make a bicycle repair, but they had encouraged Mac to carry on, and they would catch up with him soon. As Mac pedaled (骑行) along alone, he thought fondly of his wife and two young daughters at home. He hoped to show them this beautiful place someday.

Then Mac heard quick and loud breathing behind him. “Man, that’s a big dog!” he thought. But when he looked to the side, he saw instantly that it wasn’t a dog at all, but a wolf, quickly catching up with him.

Mac’s heart jumped. He found out his can of hear spray. With one hand on the bars, he fired the spray at the wolf. A bright red cloud enveloped the animal, and to Mac’s relief, it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later, it was by his side again. Then it attacked the back of Mac’s bike, tearing open his tent bag. He fired at the wolf a second time, and again, it fell back only to quickly restart the chase(追赶)。

Mac was pedaling hard now. He waved and yelled at passing cars but was careful not to show down. He saw a steep uphill climb before him. He knew that  once he hit the hill, he’d be easy caught up and the wolf’s teeth would be tearing into his flesh.

At this moment, Paul and Beeky were driving their car on their way to Alaska. They didn’t think much of it when they saw two cyclists repairing their bike on the side of the road. A bit later, they spotted what they, too, assumed was a dog running alongside a man on a bike. As they got closer, they realized that the dog was a wolf. Mac heard a large vehicle behind him. He pulled in front of it as the wolf was catching up fast, just a dozen yards away now.

The car abruptly stopped in front of him

A few minutes later, the other two cyclists arrived.

6 . Last week, I was stuck on a crosstown bus during rush hour. The bus was filled with cold, tired people ________ with one. another. Two men barked at each other for an unintentional push. An elderly woman got on, and nobody ________ her a seat. Anger was in the air; no mercy (怜悯) could be found here.

As the bus ________ Seventh Avenue, the driver’s words came from the ________ “Folks,” he said. “I know you’ve had a(n) ________ day and that’ you are depressed, but I will help out. When each of you walks by before getting off, ________ your troubles into my palm (手掌). My ________ goes right by the Hudson River, into which I’ll cast them.”

It seemed as if a spell had lifted. Everyone ________ laughing, their faces shining with ________. The passengers who had been ignoring each other’s existence were suddenly grinning (咧嘴笑) at each other — is this guy ________?

At the next stop, just as ________, the driver held out his hand, palm up, and. waited. All the ________ passengers performed the gesture of putting something into his palm. The driver ________ the same action at every stop that followed.

Occasionally we may sink into a grey world, but someone can ________ it like a ray of light, showing us hope. What if we are the light? Actually, anyone possesses the ________ to shine on others’ dark days.

8 . Two weeks ago my grandfather passed away. It really put me into deep _________ because my grandfather held a unique position in my life. For me, my grandpa was not only a _________ family member but a tutor (导师) who encouraged me to work hard and _________ well. I’ll never forget the first time I read a long piece of his writing. It was when I _________ for Princeton and he offered to write to the university on my behalf. He wrote in beautiful _________and used poetic language, unafraid of sounding too “flowery”. I read the _________out loud so that I could hear the rhyming sounds. My grandfather _________ hard work. Every time he came to visit us in New York, he would _________ my brothers and me for our good performance, which inspired me. I knew he had worked hard to _________ the big family during the Great Depression. He was awarded many military __________ for winning many battles in the Navy in World War Ⅱ. At the funeral, a friend of my grandfather’s walked to me and said that my grandfather had told him about a small __________ I had written. After it came out, I sent it to my grandfather __________received no reply. This man told me that my book hit my grandfather’s heart and brought __________ to his eyes. My grandfather said he was so__________of me. Now I feel it’s even more worthwhile to write well because I know my grandfather __________ it. I know he lives in my heart forever.

9 . Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass. While he was alive, he_______me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important_______:“Believe in yourself.” If there was one phrase my dad_______liked to hear, it was “I can’t!” He never got to finish high school and_______two jobs to support his large family，_______he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.

When I was in high school, I had a_______time with maths. He tried to help me, but I still struggled. So my maths teacher suggested I meet with him at 7：00 each morning before school for_______help. I told Dad, “That’s crazy! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school. Every morning at 6：45, we’d leave the_______ Despite working 12 hours every day, Dad never once_______driving me to school.

After months of learning I was facing the final exam. I was so________. On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke,________yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my________and in the hours of work I’d put in. When I got my________proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!” Even now, whenever I________that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how________something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever grateful to Dad for that lesson.