1 . With Christmas approaching, I often reflect upon one particular evening in the early 1960s. Back then, we decided to go carolling (唱圣诞颂歌) to spread the Christmas spirit which might ________ someone else’s life. So we needed to take ________ new members, for whom the only ________ was warmth of spirit.

Soon we discovered that carolling brought various ________. Sometimes we were greeted with open doors and open hearts, while other times, folks remained in the safety and cosiness of their homes, watching ________ through their windows.

One stop on our journey particularly ________ our memory. That night, after a couple of songs, one door swung open. A gentleman, gray haired, tenderly ________we go upstairs to sing for his bedridden wife. He added ________, “She loves music and used to be an opera singer.”

We stepped briskly upward into the couple’s ________ apartment. Books, records, and antique furniture whispered stories to us. I reminded myself not to stare ________ showing disrespect to them.

Sitting beside his wife, the gentleman gave us a ________. Then our voices rose and lingered around their small home. Had our voices been given extra ________ and beauty for this occasion? Perhaps they had.

A smile flickered on the woman’s ________, yet beautiful face. She snuggled her head against her husband’s shoulder and both of them heartily enjoyed our performance. Witnessing such a heartwarming scene, we felt it was a holy night, for we were in the ________ of love that was gentle and mild.

At that moment, we found, and maybe even _______, the Christmas spirit.

2 . Goran Kropp was a Swedish adventurer and mountaineer. In 1972, at the age of six, with his father’s help, he_______ Galdhopiggen, the highest mountain in Northern Europe. Twenty-­four years later, he stood on the highest peak in the world, Qomolangma. His journey to the_______ shows just how independent, persistent (坚持的), and determined this outstanding man is.

_______ most people arrive at the foothills of Qomolangma by some sort of modern _______, Kropp bicycled 7,000 miles from his home in Sweden. Traveling by bike was not_______. He stopped many times to_______ his bike because rough roads caused mechanical problems for him.

Kropp _______ to climb Qomolangma the same way he traveled to the mountain: without the _______ of others and without modern conveniences. Unlike other _______ Kropp climbed the mountain without a guide or helper. He did not ________ bottled oxygen to help him ________ at high altitudes, and he carried all of his ________ himself in a pack that weighed about 140 pounds.

It took Kropp ________ tries to reach the top of Qomolangma. The first time, he had to ________ only 350 feet from the top because the weather was too dangerous. The mountaineer waited out the storm, rested, and tried again a few days later. This time, he was ________. After he walked down the mountain, he got back on his bike and rode the 7,000 miles back to Sweden.

4 . The news of Stephen Hawking’s death came a great shock to the whole world. To his family, he was “a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy (遗赠) will _____ for many years”.

His parents, both Oxford graduates, placed a high _____ on education and family members were often seen reading books at dinner. _____ known at school as “Einstein”, Hawking was not _____ successful academically. With time, he began to show talents for scientific subjects and decided to read _____ at university. As mathematics was not _____ at Oxford then, Hawking chose physics instead.

Diagnosed with a rare motor neurone disease, Hawking eventually _____ a wheelchair. Though shocked and bitter, Hawking continued his work in physics _____. After the loss of his _____, he communicated through a speech­-generating device, which ______ him to produce A Brief History of Time with the help of an assistant.

Hawking once ______ how he felt when first informed of his disease, ______ that he would never realize his potential. “But now, 50 years later, I can’t be more ______my life, ” he said.

Hawking also gained popularity ______ the academic world and appeared in several TV shows. He was featured in the film The Theory of Everything, which ______ his rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane.

5 . A long walk is a good way to work up an appetite (食欲), but for Emma Reade, who is six years old, it’s also a way to solve hunger.

Emma is taking part in the FareShare FootSteps Challenge, promising to walk 100 km to _____________ money to help feed people in need. And her efforts are already _____________. So far she’s clocked up 19 km and is on the ___________ of the Little FootStep leaderboard, well on the way to meeting her fundraising _____________ of $2, 000.

“Moving makes you feel happy and ___________ other people makes you feel happy too,” said Emma. “Every _____________ day I am walking, running or riding 1 km. Then on the weekends, I am doing a lot more.” Growing up in the country with lots of fruit and _____________ in her home garden, Emma understands the _____________ of nutritious (有营养的) food. “It helps us grow and stay _____________. It also helps us stay alive and have lots of ____________,” she said.

The FootSteps Challenge is run by charity kitchen FareShare and is ____________ by its chefs (厨师) who walkabout 15 km a day as they ______________ rescued and donated food into 50, 000 free and nutritious meals for the ______________ each week. The charity rescues ______________ produce from supermarkets, manufacturers, farmers and wholesale businesses, which would ____________ be thrown out because it is surplus (过剩的) and has not been used.

A small team off are Share chefs and 1, 500 community volunteers cook home-style meals for hundreds of charities across Australia, including homeless shelters and community food banks.

7 . I’ve heard that it’s better to give than to receive. But I’m here to tell you that the ________ of receiving should never be under estimated (低估).

I was nine when my Dad and Mom ________, and took me to my grandparents. I decided at that age, in my loneliness and anger that I’d become unbelievably ________, needing no one.

Believe it or not, I took care of everyone in my life, even when I was in worse shape. Once in a while, ________, someone would do something for me at just the moment.

Once, when I was a single parent, I took my son to see Santa Claus.

When he ________ me to buy the photo that was taken, I opened my wallet, only to find that I didn’t have enough money. When I got to the counter to ________ the photo, I was told that someone inline ahead of me had seen me ________ my change and had paid for me. I rushed out to thank the person whose small kindness ________ so much. I found no one in sight. I wanted to ________ that I didn’t need this and I just didn’t have enough cash on that day. I ________ then that it’s okay. It’s okay to let someone do something for me, ________ I could have done it myself.

I have received the blessings (祝福) of those whose acts of generosity and_______ have found me when I needed them most. I believe that it’s not about my strength and independence. It’s about allowing the giver to be blessed when the gift is graciously (优雅地) ________. For me, it’s about a long lost little girl who is no longer ________. Now I know that ________ and receiving are two halves of a whole, each incomplete without the other.

10 . It's strange, but I don't really remember the hurricane (飓风）itself. It all happened so________. I was sitting in my room when the roof (屋顶) just ________. All of a sudden, there was the sky where the roof had been and I was very________. Without a roof, staying inside was really ________. It was August, so it was really hot and it smelled so________everywhere because much rotten food was thrown on the streets! Living in the ________air, we became breakfast, lunch and supper for the mosquitos(蚊子). We had lost our home and everything in it. But Mom kept on ________us that whatever happened, we should always try to see the good side of things. Anyway, we were all together and safe. Mom's words made us feel ________ . I remember us all lying under the midnight ________and looking up at the stars. Even though we had lost a lot, moments like those gave us________for the future.

Although it was only a few days before we were ________, it felt like months. We were taken to another town in a faraway county. Now, one year has________and I'm back home in New Orleans. We are working together to ________our home and our lives. Now we have another chance to look up at the ________of New Orleans, their beauty inspiring us and giving us ________ to move on.