2 . Jonathan Tiong came into the world with a rare disease that gradually damages muscles over time. A doctor _________ a prediction to his parents that he wouldn’t live beyond his second birthday.

Yet, Tiong not only surpassed (超出) the doctor’s _________ but also made great achievements. On the day of his 24th birthday in October, he gave a speech _________ at his graduation ceremony. What’s more, Tiong got a(n) _________ as an editorial writer at a famous wealth fund. However, all these amazing honors were not easily _________, for which Tiong went all out.

Beginning his _________ journey during the rise of remote work has also _________ the effect of his disability. Tiong finds _________ in the virtual field, stating, “Having everyone work online feels really great. Because when everyone is together online, I don’t feel like there’s actually much of a _________.”

Despite the __________ he has earned, Tiong remains a supporter for reshaping society’s opinion of success. “We must admit that living with a disability is a (n) __________ challenge in itself. Every day, countless individuals with disabilities __________ difficulties all over the world without media coverage, fighting their battles __________,” Tiong stresses.

His goal is not to lower expectations for individuals with disabilities but to __________ the traditional idea about success. “If we reconsider what it means to succeed, you’ll find that everyone out there who is doing their jobs quietly is __________.”

4 . Neerja wakes up at 7 o’clock. She finds that she has a birthday cap over her head. She’s both ________ and confused. “Is it my birthday today? But it is in August …” She ________ her phone. It shows August 27, her birthday.

Things are getting more and more ________ for her. In a few seconds, her family ________ the room with a huge cake box. She is almost ________ about it.

She comes forward to ________ the cake, and as she opens the box, everything becomes ________ at once. The box has a joker mask with “April Fool!” written on it. With loud laughter, they make her ________ that she’s been tricked (欺骗). Now Neerja owns the title of “FOOL OF THE YEAR”. And if she doesn’t want the ________, she has to pass it to someone else.

On her way to school, she continuously ________ about how to add a member to the “fool’s chain (链)” till she sees Hari. A(n)________ comes to her mind. She says, “Hello, Hari! The class teacher called you to her office. She wants you to be the new class monitor (班长).” After some time, she sees him coming back ________. She realizes that she has made a huge mistake.

She goes to him and says, “I’m really sorry. I just ________ to pass the title ‘FOOL OF THE YEAR’ to someone else”. “‘FOOL OF THE YEAR’... what’s that?” he asks curiously. Neerja can’t help ________ his innocent (天真的) question. Hari laughs too. Though they are both now members of the “chain of fools”, they are happy that this chain is the beginning of their ________ too.

6 . Twenty years ago, I was months into my first job at a start-up independent publishing company in New York.One afternoon, I ________ a train with a load of hot-off-the-press catalogues (目录薄) our first to list every one of our titles. I was on my way to ________ my aunt, who’d agreed to ________ them to her friends.

Back then, I was much less _______ ; somehow I made it on the train but I hadn’t had time to buy a _______ . I figured I’d buy one on board. When the conductor came to stand next to me, I opened my _______ and found nothing inside. They didn’t ________ credit cards back then. I was told to get off at the next station.________,the man next to me handed $15 to the conductor. I was beyond grateful and ________; I promised him I would send him a check, which he ________. I made him write down his address, though.

Later, I wrote a check, ________ it in a letter, and sent it off. I expressed my ________ again and included my email address. Soon he emailed me and we ________ a lasting friendship.

That ________ action has stayed with me .Thinking about that day, I ________ myself to be much kinder to strangers and to focus on the good in people.

7 . At graduation ceremonies, it’s common to see parents proudly cheering and clapping for their kids. But have you ever seen it _________ the other way around? A heartwarming viral video shows a little girl named Shivaee _________ rooting for her dad during his graduation ceremony.

The video shows Shivaee’s dad, Aashish, walking up to the stage to _________ his master’s degree certificate from Teesside University in England. As the then 34-year-old _________ the stage, Shivaee shouts, “Congratulations, Daddy!” stimulating _________ from those in the room.

The dad,_________ by the act, replies, “I love you,” and blows her a kiss. Excited to _________ a moment with her dad, she replies, “I love you, daddy!” His smile grows even wider, and he looks deeply moved when his _________ is announced and he joins the rest of the _________ on the stage.

“This ceremony would have been __________ without my princess,” Aashish wrote on social media. “Asher __________ spread through the silent ceremony hall, my heart melted along with all the others present.__________ the graduation award, I felt ‘Being father to my daughter’ is the biggest __________ to me.”

Shivaee was barely 3 years old when the video was taken in 2022. That makes the __________ even more sweet, and it’s something her dad will never forget. He added, “This was the cutest moment during my whole graduation ceremony. It would stay __________ forever.”

9 . I took a seat on a park bench under an old tree. I was out of work and didn’t have enough money to support my family, which made me feel ________ upset. A young boy ran towards me out of breath. He ________ right before me and said with great________, “Have a look at what I found!” 

In his hand was a flower, whose petals (花瓣) had fallen. Wanting him to take his ________ flower and go off to play, I forced a ________ smile and then turned around. He didn’t leave, but sat next to my side and put the flower to his ________ and said, “It smells good and it surely looks ________, too. That’s why I picked it. Here you are. It’s for you.” 

I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I ________ for the flower and replied, “Just what I need.” But________ putting the flower in my hand, he held it in mid-air. At that moment, I was ________ to find that the young boy could not   ________ anything at all. 

I was so touched that I almost ________. Tears shone in the sun. I really ________ his kindness. And this time, I said with a big smile, “You picked the best flower for me.” He also smiled, “You’re welcome.” Then he ran off happily. 

Through the eyes of the ________, I finally realized that I had ignored the wonderful world around me because of my family economic ________. After that, I decided to cheer up and face life bravely.