1 . Age is truly just a number if our hearts are young. Lee Minor, an 85-year-old retired psychologist, has________this by finishing his 600th marathon race with 32 members of his family by his side. “Runners don’t have a________line. We just keep going,” he toldGood Morning America. “I felt________running with my family.” Minor has been running three days a week since 1969, and his heart is filled with enthusiasm for running.

“I like to run in all kinds of________. It is so childish as the rain touches your face. And I love to come here after snow and you watch your________as you go along.” he concluded.

Minor’s enthusiasm for running is________. “It is my joy. And I want to live as long as I can. And I mean live, not________.” His words ring true for Ron Robert, a man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease who decided to ________ a three-year bachelor of artsprogram at King’s University College in London, Ontario. “I was always taught early in life that the brain is like the most ________instrument we have in our body,” said Robert.

Last fall, Robert graduated from the university, despite the challenges of his illness. “When I went across the stage, and as I’m getting my________, the kids all stood up andyelled and clapped,” he________. “I had to hold back the tears. It was something else, just wonderful.” He hopes that his story will give hope to others facing________difficulties. “There will come a time when I won’t be able to, and I fully________that. Butin the meantime, I’m living a full life.”

The stories of Minor and Robert are reminders that age and illness need not________us. We can choose to pursue our________and live life to the fullest, no matter whatchallenges we may face.

2 . Egyptian table tennis player Ibrahim Hamadtou didn’t win a medal, or even score a victory. But he has become one of the most_________stories at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Hamadtou lost his_________ in a train accident when he was just 10 years old. But that did not_________his love of sports. He used to play both football and table tennis. After the accident, he felt lost and stayed _________at home for three years. Then he went back to football, but football was too_________ for him. With no arms, he couldn’t protect himself when he fell!

After several _________, he found that he could play table tennis with his mouth. It took him nearly a year of_________to hold the racket (球拍) with his mouth and make the _________with his feet.

He first competed at the Rio Paralympics, and was finally able to fulfill his lifelong _________of competing in Paralympics. He lost his first two matches, but did _________ the respect of other players like David Wetherill. “He’s a legend in table tennis,” said Wetherill. “I know I won today but I think he has_________ far more skills than I have.

In Tokyo, he lost to a Chinese player and a player from South Korea,_________all the competitions at his second Paralympics. However, he has a(n)_________ for the world about what disability really means, in his eyes.

“I want to tell everybody that nothing is _________, and everybody should work hard for what you love and what you think is good for yourself,” he said. “The _________ is not in arms or legs; it is not to stick to whatever you would like to do.”

3 . There isn’t a book that I always _________ to at this most wonderful time of year, as jingle-bell _________ has it. Having said that, my husband is much more Christmassy than me and there are two texts he has made a(an) _________ part of the family festival, like the _________ tributes to the dawn of next year led by the calendar.

This Christmas, then, the following unchanging ritual (仪式) will be _________. He shooed us to the sitting room, withdrawing a shiny black long-playing _________ from its ancient, crumbling sleeve and place it on the turntable.

When he did this the first time our children were _________, as up to that point in their young and tech-centric lives they’d never seen such a thing before. They were quite happy to watch it go round and round _________ the point of the ritual was the spinning disk, whatever sound was coming out of the two ancient speakers.

“Richard Burton is the best,” my husband then cut in _________. As the dark Welsh __________ of Burton began to narrate (解说) Dylan Thomas’s radio drama Under Milk Wood, the children would settle in silence, __________ their listening positions in the sitting room by the fire, only slightly anxious about how to convey without complaining out loud their deep concerns about being detained too long from toys, televisions and presents.

My husband will sonorously (洪亮地) __________ his favourite bits so we all benefit from hearing the words in stereo (立体声). Our Master’s Voice and Burton’s declaiming Under Milk Wood together.

“It is a spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black…”

Filled with seasonal feeling and wonder as any bible reading or carol, the best bit for me is watching my children’s faces as the __________ words make pictures in their heads __________ Dylan Thomas’s unimprovable formulations: they see the dogs in the wet-nosed yards and they hear the hushed town breathing.

This is as much a part of Christmas as a Festival of Ten Lessons and Carols from Kings to all my family, and this is __________ :Even though cold and silence and blackness run through the piece like a layer of __________ , it beats with heat and warmth. It is a celebration of humanity. Compare the words of “Silent Night” to this:

“Time passes. Listen. Time passes. Only you can hear the houses sleeping in the streets in the slow deep salt and silent black, bandaged night. ”

Of course, on the face of it, Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales is the more __________ text, and my husband will often play or read that too. The __________ lines of A Child’s Christmas, “I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I __________ ,” are perfectly final. Dylan Thomas rounds off his little story of his Welsh childhood as Shakespeare rounds off our little lives — with a sleep.

All is dark, all is bright in both, but the one I ponder __________ my heart is Under Milk Wood.

4 . The Language of Flowers

Ding dong! I looked up from the couch. Who in the world could that be? My body was troubled with illness, so I’d ________myself away. Friends telephoned, texted, emailed and sent cards. I didn’t ________, thinking that I had nothing to offer anyone in the miserable condition I was in.

I ________got up and opened the door to a flower delivery. As I put the flowers on my dining table, I was struck by its ________. It was comprised of solitary blossoms of many varieties that shouldn’t really ________yet somehow did. The mystery flowers had come in a blue jar, without a card.

Instead of returning to the couch, I ________ the florist. He told me some of my friends were behind the ________, secretly. “They wanted to get a ________to you, ” he said, “through the language of flowers.”

The group had followed him and picked very ________stems after consulting an old book. “I learned some things,” the florist said, then ________: “The red carnation (康乃馨) meant ‘Our hearts ache for you’. The yellow tulip (郁金香) wanted to see ________in my smile again. The pink carnation had a few ________words to say about never forgetting me.”

The more I understood what the flowers were ________, the more I started to remember the woman who might have ________them before I separated myself from everyone and everything. My friends knew I was still that woman, with ________beyond my health.

5 . When I was 16， I wanted to buy an album(专辑)from my favorite band,but I could ________pay for it. My parents were not the type of people to give money to me ________, or even for workdone at home.

This led me to search for work opportunities in my neighborhood, and I was ________to Mrs. Hudson, the oldest person in the community. At over eighty years old, Mrs. Hudson could no longer ________ her garden, and I offered to help her out.

My first job was to ________ weeds in her front yard and backyard. After this________task, I mowed(修剪)her lawn．With the ＄10 earned from my first day of work， I bought that________．Listening to music, I felt a cool ________running through my heart, which made me realize all the efforts I had made were worthwhile.

However, my desire for material possessions did not end there. I later set my ________ on a Gameboy, which was very fashionable at the time. I started to work for multiple clients, in order toearn enough money to purchase this ________ possession.

After many days of working, I ________ enough money. But just after one day of playing on it, I realized that it was not as fun as I had thought. I ________ in the hot sun for hours doing yard work to buy something I did not ________．So the next day，I returned it for a full refund(退款)．

Ever since that day, I have come to________ the value of money, realizing that the sweat and dedication that________earning it are truly invaluable assets that cannot be taken away from us.

6 . Students at an elementary school in California, with the help of their art teacher, created a telephone hotline that people can call to get _________ advice from kids during difficult times. In just days, the hotline began getting thousands of calls an hour.

Jessica Martin, who teaches art at West Side School in Healdsburg, California, _________ her students just might have the magic words needed to bring _________ to people in these difficult times. “To hear the pure _________ from kids is extremely comforting,” she says.

The project was called “PepToc”. Actually, they called it “Pep Talk” (鼓励话语) first.. But when Ms. Martin’s 6-year-old son drew an advertisement for the hotline and _________ it “PepToc”, they _________ they liked that even better.

The hotline is _________ in English and Spanish. It offers the happy voices of _________ of different ages sharing positive messages. For example, by pressing 3, you can _________ a group of kindergartners saying together, “You can do it! Keep trying! Don’t give up!” Pressing 4 __________ the sounds of children giggling and laughing—a sound certain to bring a __________ to anyone’s face. Pressing 1 __________ ideas for people who are “feeling mad, frustrated, or __________ ” Helpful suggestions include “punch your pillow”, or “go get a cookie”. Pressing2 results in “words of __________ and life advice”. This includes messages like “The __________ is a better place with you in it.”

7 . One day, rain was falling. I saw an old, wet dog walking to my house. The leather collar around his neck was _______and faded. I could see the ribs (肋骨) sticking out of his sides and knew he hadn’t had a (n) _______ meal in many days. My heart _______! I ran into my kitchen, _______ an old bowl, filled it with some food and went outside.

The old dog _______ me with alarm. I could see he didn’t completely trust strangers. I called him _______, put the bowl down and _______ a few steps back. I kneeled down in the wet grass and _______. Finally, the old boy smelt food and moved slowly forward. His own smell came before him. He hadn’t had a _______ in a long time either. I wondered if he was ________ or just lost. He bent down his head and rapidly ate the contents of the bowl ________. Then for just a moment he gave me a(n) ________ little smile. I hurried inside, refilled the bowl, and went backout but he was already gone. I had wanted to ________ him and give him a home. Instead we just shared a meal and a moment of love. I sent up a little ________ that his future would be better.

Every moment of love you create is a ________. But caring doesn't necessarily go the way we want it to.

8 . American author Gary Hopkins tells us, “A suitable apology can be a wonderful thing, so long as it is from the heart.” However, an apology is ______ to make.

A few years ago, I was a guest ______ at a conference for professional trainers. I was well ______, knowledgeable about the topic, and I felt confident as I ______ my speech. But afterwards, an experienced female delegate ______ me. We exchanged a few greetings, and then she dropped something unexpected on me. She said, “Do you know how many times you ______, from the moment you ______ to the microphone until the moment you left the stage?” “Sorry, I don’t know,” I replied. “Nine times,” she said. “And all of them were unnecessary.” I was ______. It was the first time someone had ever made me ______ my “sorry habit.” So what was the first word out of my mouth ______? “Sorry!” We both burst out laughing.

Of course, apologies shouldn’t be ______ that way. This incident raised my awareness of how we routinely use apologies. I know ______ to apologize is a big mistake as we’ve made a mistake or wronged someone else. How to do it? First and foremost, we need to understand real apologies or wholeheartedly saying “sorry” is ______. It’s like a big ______ into a relationship account and there’s no alternative for it. Actually, there are ______ apologies, which are tools of dodges (搪塞). They are awful and we should stop them. ______, habitual apologies are an unnecessary automatic response, as I ever made at the conference.

Generally, over apologizing ______ to happen when there’s a lack of ______ in your position, which will make others ______ you or even get unhappy. So we need to use apologies ______ and our attitude must be sincere. Refusing to apologize is a big mistake, and so is over apologizing.

9 . My mom loved to pass her wisdom to me: ”Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.” She was referring to her bitter-taste foods like dill pickles and rhubarb (大黄叶). But I was not a big fan.

Three years ago, I finally decided to ask if I could ________ out her rhubarb while weeding the garden. “________ not!” Mom gasped, throwing me a(n) ________ look. Clearly, I had underestimated her________ for it. However, as I continued ________, I thought about how rhubarb is one of the first to appear in spring. It ________ the snowy ground before the arrival of other plants. How can anyone fail to ________ it? When those first sprouts (嫩芽) appeared, Mom would count them like a ________ counting a newborn’s fingers and toes.

When I was a kid and my mom gave me that pie, it made me ________ to try. In my teens, it made me complain about the bitterness. Even ice cream or candies did not ________ the deal for my young taste buds (味蕾). Rhubarb was something to be ________ at all costs.

Then, last summer, I came across the ________ for her rhubarb pie in an old drawer. So I decided to give it a ________. A few attempts later, I served rhubarb pie to family and guests. All agreed, including me, that it tasted incredible.

Since then I’ve come to a ________ about rhubarb. Rhubarb’s taste may be lost on children, but adults can________ it. Like my wise mother, I now understand that “Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.”

10 . As families across Hampshire, a village in Britain, opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees (乌克兰难民), Jennie Maizels began a new chapter in her life.

On watching news report of people________ from Ukraine for a place to live in, Jennie had no________ in becoming a host family and presented her________ to Homes for Ukraine, a Facebook group, through which Marilia was________ to her.

Marilia arrived at Jennie’s house on an April sunny day when all the daffodils (水仙花) ________. It was like everywhere was saying “welcome”. Jennie even arranged a(n) ________ Ukrainian Easter party for Marilia in her garden. Naturally, there was much for Marilia to________ to, such as the driving on the left and the language. ________ since Jennie downloaded the translation app on Marilia’s phone, it had been amazing to see how her English had________.

Besides, Marilia was welcomed with open arms by the neighbors. “As soon as Marilia arrived, I phoned a local bar whose landlady was just________. She immediately offered Marilia work and paid a good________.” Jennie recalled. Jennie’s action had a huge amount of________ on the neighbors. ________, they invited Marilia for tea and cake in their houses.

Jennie was________ more people to consider________, since this had been so enriching and could make life fuller and happier.