1 . It was the first night of a tiring seven-day 250km race across the Gobi Desert a year ago. Mr. Leonard___________a little dog going around his camp trying to ___________herself.

“Cute, but I’m not giving you any,” Leonard thought. Like all ___________, he had packed just enough for the whole ___________. He’d been running competitively for three years, and he had a___________ to win.

The next day, at the starting line, the dog ___________ him again. He waved her away, worried that she might be stepped on by the runners. ___________, the dog followed him all the way until the day’s race ___________. That night the dog snuggled (偎依) up to Leonard and even___________ to get a little food from him. By then, he was determined to name her Gobi.

The pair went on to finish the seven-day race, with Gobi____________ a distance of 125km on her own, and winning Leonard over, enough for him to make a____________ — he would take her home to Edinburgh. “Seeing Gobi on the race ____________my attitude to things. It made me think more about stopping and helping her, rather than just focusing on winning, ” said Leonard, who finished second. “It also made my running more enjoyable , giving me a lot of pleasure.”

As Leonard was preparing to get Gobi home, she was missing. With a group of 20 local volunteers coming to his ____________ , he finally found her. After that, Leonard never let Gobi out of his____________. Now Gobi’s favorite activity is still running, and she__________ does at least 8km a day with Leonard up the hills.

3 . When I was a child, I suffered from a disease. It is a ________ condition, which makes it difficult fora person to form relationships and can make one very ________ in one particular thing. One of the biggest ________ I faced was communicating with others. I was shy ________ I loved to recite facts. This sometimes made me a ________ for bullies (欺凌). I didn’t really understand as much about the disease or how it ________ my life.

In my 20s, I ________ to Paris. I was deeply attracted by the city, and I ________ a job in a big hotel right then. As an Eiffel Tower ambassador, I ________ guests and visitors as they took the lift to the top of the hotel’s 46—story tower. There, I liked to ________ the local attractions and helped people find the best ________ for taking photos. ________, I had a problem with changes in everyday life, ________ when talking with people who were different from me. But I liked to memorize facts, and that really ________ in my job because people loved to ________ all of the interesting things about the city. Gradually, when I clocked in every morning, I felt it’s time for me to perform for and ________ the guests. I loved it when I learnt something new because I couldn’t ________ to share the information with others.

Everyone is ________, and everyone has a gift. It takes me more than 50 years to ________ that I am different. Just be yourself, be kind, and try to make a ________ in your life.

4 . I was in the second year of my PhD program when a colleague asked what I would do if I had a 25th hour every day. Without much________, I said I would use it to help others. Like many graduate students, I was________with teaching, coursework,________, and some attempts at a personal life.________, I asked myself, “Do I really need a(n)________hour to help other people — or do I need to make better use of the 24 hours I have?”

A short time later, I started to________for an organization that provides________for senior citizens and people with disabilities. To my________, adding this activity to my busy life was just what I needed to________the chaos I was feeling as a first-generation international graduate student.

I was a bit________before my first ride, as I had not________much with people outside school. But my nervousness quickly calmed when I________my passenger: an old woman on her way to church. She was________to see a young international driver and was full of questions about my________. She shared with me how thankful she was to attend________and get some fresh air. She gave me her blessings.________like these and the smiles on my riders’ faces________me to continue driving.

I started to volunteer about 3 hours every weekend — time I otherwise would have wasted________or looking through social media. Sharing stories with my riders was much more________. My previously overwhelming schedule began to feel________.

5 . It has been difficult to sit on the bench most of the time, watching my team from the sideline. I always _______ why I am not good enough to be on the floor. After endless hours of work and devotion, pushing myself through drill after drill, the last thing I want is to be a cheerleader. The feeling of being _______ is sometimes too much and drives me to _______ on the spot. I often feel as though my _______ are wasted and my time is eaten away, _______ nothing. It is heartbreaking to be a spectator (旁观者) for the game I love, knowing that no one has enough faith to give me the chance to _______ on the floor. Tears well up (涌出), but I _______ them back. I shouldn’t be so _______ something so silly.

Away from the game, it’s easier to put my thoughts together, rather than letting my _______ drive my reasoning. I consider why I am where I am. I have played basketball my whole life. I have a strong ________ for the sport and always have. There is nothing like the ________ of playing: the swish (飕飕声) of the net, the sweat rolling off my cheeks, even the bruises (青肿) are battle wounds worn ________ after every game.

Even if I don’t play much, I participate in every ________. I am part of a team of girls who stick together like a family. I am there for them, as they are for me.

Should I move on？Or should I stay with my team and continue playing basketball with great passion just a little longer？The ________ isn’t difficult when I consider the joy that being a part of a team ________ me — and not just any team, but my team. I love basketball and my teammates. When I think about that, my view from the bench really isn’t so bad after all.

9 . Mylea lives in Australia, a country famous for kangaroos, but not for snow. Yet at 12, she _______ to ski at the North Pole.

Despite the lack of _______ training space, Mylea still built her _______ at the gym. She ran with giant tyres attached to her waist to _______ what it was like to pull a sled (雪橇) across ice. By the age of 14, Mylea was _______.

The world’s far north is not a blank carpet of soft snow, but Mylea didn’t _______ to the tough conditions. Even though every part of her body was _______, she never thought of quitting. In April 2016, Mylea made _______, becoming the youngest person to ski at the North Pole.

When talking about her _______, she stated that every human body is __________ whether you are a man or a woman. But when the talk was posted online, some Internet bullies wrote __________ comments like “Make me a sandwich” to make her feel __________.

To prove women’s place is far beyond the __________, Mylea and her team pushed on to the South Pole and made it. Holding a plate with a sandwich, Mylea proudly had her photo taken and posted online. She __________ the bullies, “I made you a sandwich. Now __________ 37 days and 600 km to the South Pole, and you can eat it.”