3 . My childhood was a painted picture of sunny sky and rolling green fields stretching to the horizon. It tasted of sharp berries and smelt of sour grapes. My family lived in a cabin(小木屋) in the countryside but I lived in my mother’s arms. They were so delicate but strong, her red hair falling around me like a curtain separating me from the world.

Childhood was simple. The borders of my village were the furthest my troubles went and monsters only lived in the pages of books. Every day was a waking dream of running races and muddy knees. My village was archaic, dying cabins housing dying farmers with dying traditions. There weren’t many children but me and the other boys; boys of butchers and sellers formed our own group.

They called us wild. I suppose we were. Trees and mountains formed our playgrounds and fights broke out as easily as sudden laughter. Liberated from the restrictions of society, we would bound into the woods, deeper and deeper until we found a lake which, with a wild yell, we would jump into all at once.

My most vivid memories from boyhood center around that lake. Water shone brightly and the sounds of our screams broke into the outcry from birds. The shock of cold water against sweating skin would wake every nerve in my body and my bare feet would hit the sinking muddy bottom. As we submerged(淹没)， time would suspend， movements slowing as bubbles rose around us.

I was drowning. I was living. I was living. I was drowning.

For timelessness or a second (both felt the same), we would suspend, curl up, and then be forced back out into breathing air.

We should have known that it wouldn’t last forever. Yet, even under the best circumstances, there’s something so tragic about growing up: to have your perspective on the people and life around you change;to always struggle to reach a mirror only to find yourself tall enough to see your reflection one day. And find, a different person staring back out at you.

5 . Camping is a rite of passage (成人仪式) if you grow up in Canada. It’s a child’s first_________of what living in the wild really means. But growing up as an immigrant from India, I thought it was ___________ .

Then I __________26 and started trying new things. I had been __________mental health issues for quite some time and I discovered being out in nature helped me calm down._________, I decided to try camping.

Then I overheard a(n)__________ between my father and mother. “Why does she have to do this? Doesn’t she know she can just stay at home?” my father asked. “This is what Canadian kids do, it’s okay, she’ll be fine!” my mom__________ . My parents had no___________in me surviving one night in the wild.

My friends and I___________our campsite in the woods. As the day went on, we ate, played by the water and met our camping neighbors. Time felt like it __________; life felt gentler and easier. As the day turned into night, the stars came out and I was amazed by all the__________lights above me. Morning came. I didn’t even realize I was __________ to leave until we started packing everything up.

I wasn’t just leaving, having accomplished something I ___________thought I would do. I was leaving with a real sense of community, a real sense of __________for what the great outdoors had to offer, and a completely different __________ to an activity that I had thought strange for so many years.

A couple in Virginia Beach is forever thankful to two surfers (冲浪者) who also happen to be health care workers. “We’d like to express our appreciation to the heroes who saved Todd on that beach, ”the couple said.

Todd, 59, and Donna, 58, woke up early on October 2 to go for a bike ride and take pictures of the sunrise. While walking barefoot along the shoreline and enjoying the sights, Todd suddenly fell down.

Donna thought her husband was joking. But she quickly realized this was no laughing matter. Todd’s heart stopped beating and he turned blue. “I called his name and cried for help:’Help! Please help Todd’, ”Donna said later.

Tyler Volpe, a surfer, was in the water when Todd fell down. Volpe is also a physician assistant. He heard Donna’s cries for help. “I knew it wasn’t normal, ”he said. “I came flying out of the water. ”

Paul Roy, 24, a health care worker at a local hospital, was also surfing that morning. Volpe started chest compressions (按压) while Roy breathed into Todd’s mouth. Then, they switched positions, A woman on the beach put her arm around Donna and prayed with her. “I really thought he was dead, ”Donna said.

As Roy and Volpe continued CPR, Todd breathed a few times. The sea water was starting to come in. Other surfers used their boards to form a wall between the rescue effort and the water.

“They kept him alive until the ambulance got there, ”Donna said. “It could have been two minutes; it could have been 10 days. I was watching my life end with his. ”

Doctors used a defibrillator (电击器) to shock his heart and bring back his heartbeat. On the second shock, he finally came to himself.

Seeing Todd was out of danger, Roy and Volpe quietly left. They continued surfing.

Soon Todd was taken to the hospital.                    

Donna posted a message on Facebook to look for the two helpful surfers.          

7 . Snow had just melted off the ground that April day at our house in Regina Beach. My husband, Carl, had just cleaned up the pool in preparation for selling our ________. The year before, Carl had lost his job, and now our ________ situation was serious, so we had finally put our home on the ________. The thought of losing our beautiful home was almost more than I could bear.

Deep in ________, I sat typing up a job application letter for Carl. Out of the corner of my eye I could see our thirteen-month-old son, Forrest, playing near our two beloved dogs, Nana and Sasa. I hadn’t typed more than two sentences when Nana, began ________ violently and running back and forth, overlooking our pool.

I ________ to see what was happening. Suddenly, I realized Forrest was nowhere to be seen. Then to my horror, my eyes ________ Forrest’s yellow sleeper in the pool. Sasa was ________ doing her best to keep him afloat by holding on to his sleeper with her mouth. I realized that Forrest had somehow fallen into the pool.

In a split second, I dove in, lifted my ________ baby out and carried him inside. But when I realized Forrest wasn’t breathing, I began to go into ________. Thankfully, Carl, who was trained in CPR, arrived and then ________ I stood by with my heart in my ________, and after about three minutes, Forrest began to ________ again.

Things in our lives are much better now. Most importantly, almost losing Forrest-and then getting him back-________ any despair I might have had about losing our home.

A house can always be replaced, but knowing we have each other is the greatest ________ of all.

Emma was very excited Today was the championship baseball game! The winners would all get trophies(奖杯) and be the number one players in the town. Emma decided to bring home a trophy to put on her shelf. She had never won a trophy before.

She put on her red uniform and pulled her hair through the back of her baseball cap. She picked up her gloves and looked in the mirror. “I hope I get a hit today,” she said to herself.

On the way to the field, Emma felt nervous.

“Are you feeling OK, Emma?” her mother asked.

“I really don’t want to strike out(三击不中出局),” Emma said.

“Just keep your eye on the ball and don’t feel afraid. You can do it,” Emma’s mother said.

Emma was a great hitter in practice, but she had never hit a ball during a game. She always struck out.

When the game started, Emma cheered loudly for her friends. She caught a fly ball in the Outfield, and everyone cheered for her. Emma struck out when it was her turn to hit the ball, but her team was doing well.

The game was tied(平局), and it was her team’s last chance to score. The team’s coach encouraged, “Believe in yourselves, and you are the best.” Frankie was up first, and he hit the ball hard to get on base(垒). Next up was Henry, but he struck out. Kara hit the ball, but she was tagged out at first base. Frankie was able to run to third. That meant he could score and win the game if the next batter(击球手) got a good hit. Emma was the team’s last hope.

Emma stepped up to the base.

Emma’s team won!

9 . As a Ph. D. student in a new country, lockdown and homesickness combined to leave me feeling lonely and desperate to meet people. To find the connections I was missing, I searched for opportunities that would involve teamwork as a volunteer on the Internet. A position matching graduate students with jobs drew my attention. It needed someone who would lead teams of graduate student volunteers to help bring in industry partners, and work with the university administration and student applicants. The chances to interact with all these different groups were appealing. I had no relevant experience and worried a disturbance to my study, but I still decided I might as well go for it and apply.

The first few weeks in my new role were challenging. Along with my routine study, I was suddenly managing a team of four volunteers and meetings with industry professionals. At first, I was nervous in meetings with them, feeling I wasn’t prepared enough. But as I gained experience, the interactions became truly enjoyable and rewarding. Sometimes the conversations went beyond regular business to touch on career paths, personal challenges, and more. I began to enjoy the daily mix of activities.

I also learned about leadership. At the start, things seemed to go well until one of my team members told me I wasn’t including her fully in decision-making. I was upset; didn’t she trust my leadership? But after I calmed down, I saw that maybe she had a point. So I began to ask team members to lead some of our meetings and encouraged them to express their views. This new approach allowed us to meet our targets while helping everyone feel more content and connected — as colleagues, but also as friends.

Beyond building relationships and skills, this experience expanded my horizons about my own professional future. Before I joined, I had only been exposed to academic career paths, and I assumed that was my future. Now I’ve realized I particularly enjoy feeling part of a team and affecting the lives of others. As I get closer to completing my Ph. D., I’m approaching job searches with a good idea of what I want.