1 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been ______ a position there as a Civil Engineer. Accompanying him, my aim was to find a job shortly after. As you can imagine, I was very excited, even rather ______, as I’d never been abroad before. So, my first ______ was to get settled in this small town called Dodoma in the middle of Tanzania.

As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the ______ towards us. Completely out of breath, she said, “We’ve heard you’re from England and our school ______ needs an English teacher — please say you’ll help us.” I felt tired and ______ a shower after the journey. Though shocked by her ______, for some reason or other, I agreed to ______ it!

I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was ______ to the two local teachers and my ______ at 8 o’clock. It felt like being thrown into the deep end, as my teaching timetable began ______ at 8:30! Although I’d hardly had time to get my breath, I never ______ my sudden decision.

Though my entry into this ______ was unexpected, I found joy in teaching those youngsters and gradually became part of the local community in the following years. I’ve been fortunate to ______ lifelong friendships, which has left a lasting ______ on both my students and myself.

2 . Jane is an Australian girl. She likes sports very much. Last year, she went to climb a _________ mountain. When she began to climb, she wanted to _________ the top quickly. _________ she ran fast all the way. Then she arrived at a ridge (山脊). She was very _________ to the top now, and she could see the other people on the top. She couldn’t wait to _________ them.

Suddenly, she saw that there was a huge stone _________ the way. She wasn’t able to see a road up to the top. “How can I get to the top?” She _________ loudly. So she thought, “I will have to jump over the huge _________.” She tried again and again but she couldn’t _________ it. It’s too high. How all those people get to the top? She said to __________ “Perhaps they are taller and __________ than me.”

Just at that moment, a middle-aged woman __________ behind her. “Would you like to reach the top of the mountain?” She asked. The girl said yes. “You follow me.” the woman said. The girl followed the woman to the far side of the ridge and saw there was a winding (弯曲) road.

Climbing the road was __________ . Soon they got to the top.

At times the fastest way to get where you would like to go is to take many small __________ instead of one big jump. It needs patience, courage and wisdom said the woman. __________, the girl understood what she should do on the way to success.

5 . I think I lived rather sustainably last year. I composted (堆肥) fruit and vegetable scraps, ________ my own clothes and even grew food on my balcony. I grasped every chance to make ________ in my lifestyle.

I became accustomed to getting up early, which I think came with various ________. I devoted the morning hours to breathing in the flesh air. I kept my evenings ________ to meet friends, read, or connect with family, and slowly get myself ________ to rest as dusk approaches.

The biggest ________ for me was to take a walk wholeheartedly. Having spent much time staying indoors, I wanted to take a ________ kind of exercise where I could enjoy the natural scenery, rather than an intense one. Walking not only ________ me to the beautiful creatures that lived among us, but helped me to ________ my own life.

I found out how much organic waste even a small household could ________. It is reported that U. S. households waste approximately one-third of food they buy, ________ $ 240 billion per year. Although I got my composting into place, I needed to find a ________ for the plastic waste from deliveries and takeaways. ________, I was offered a door-to-door recycling service that visited every two weeks and ________ the waste.

While I’ve always been getting clothes made by the family ________, this stopped during the pandemic. Last year, as the traveling exhibitions which ________ artisans and help them sell their products came back to the city, I bought some ________ which was made into fashionable sets and dresses. I also ________ an old block-printed dress into a jumpsuit.

Thanks to my ________, I found my life was eased back into a healthy one. I’ll stick to my ________ lifestyle from now on.

6 . Juleus Ghunta and his three sisters lived in a rural part of Western Jamaica. They were _______ by a single mother, and his mother often had to make _______ choices about how to use their limited resources-including a decision to send his oldest sister to school, but to _______ Ghunta at home.

When Ghunta finally went to school, he couldn’t catch up on his reading skills. “I _______ in school with a deep sense of loss and _______,” he said. Not only had he been kept home from school as a child, but he had not been exposed (使接触) to _______.

When Ghunta was about 12, a young teacher decided to start a special _______ program for struggling students. Ghunta was the first student to _______. “The teacher was _______ kind to me.” he said. “She was patient. She did not require anything of me, except that I ________ in myself and work hard.” Under her ________, Ghunta’s reading skills finally started to improve. And his sense of inadequacy (能力不足) ________ to lift.

After Ghunta’s experience with the teacher, his life ________ a new direction. He went on to college, and later, graduate school. Today, he is the author of two children’s books.

He would like to thank his teacher for seeing his ________. “I would love for her to see the significant ________ that she has made on my life, and how it continues to be a source of joy.”

7 . I received a call telling me that my brother and his wife had been killed in a car crash. Shocked and grieved, I _______ down on the couch.

Several friends phoned me, _______ kindly, “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.” “Thank you very much.” I’d reply. But I didn’t know what to _______ .

When the door bell rang, I _______ and moved slowly across the room. I opened the door to see Donna, a friend of mine, standing in the doorway.

“I’ve come to clean the shoes.” she said.

_______ , I asked her to repeat.

“I remember when my father died, it took me _______ to get the children’s shoes cleaned and shined for the _______ . So that’s what I’ve come to do for you.”

Donna settled herself on the laundry room floor and _______ whole-heartedly on her work, saying nothing. The love in the act released my tears, washing the _______ off my mind. I didn’t know when Donna left. But in a ________ against one wall stood all our shoes, totally ________ .

Now whenever I hear of an acquaintance who has ________ a loved one, I no longer call with the ________ offer, “If there is anything I can do.” ________ , I try to think of one special task that suits that person’s ________ — such as washing the family car or house-sitting during the funeral. And if the person asks me, “How did you know I needed that done?” I respond, “It’s because a friend once cleaned my shoes.”

8 . I am a Russian girl, and it has always been my small dream to climb to the top of a mountain to enjoy the sunrise since my childhood. However, there are no big ________ in my hometown, which makes me very ________.

After coming to China, I heard that there was Mount Huashan. I ________ to climb it to meet the beautiful dawn (黎明) at the top of the peak. On arriving at the foot of the mountain, I began climbing immediately with great ________ and determination.

During the process, a sudden ________ made the stone floor wet and slippery. I had the idea of ________, but the crowd encouraged me to continue the ________. As the steps became ________, everyone lined up, caught the chains and ________ moved forward. When I got close to the top of the mountain, I had nearly run out of ________, so I found a place to rest for a while. Then I heard a voice saying, “Relax, and don’t be afraid. As long as you climb up, you are the best!” Hearing that, I realized if I was frightened by the ________ just now, I could not be the best. So I gathered all the ________ and finally made it!

At the moment of ________, the rolling sea of clouds and the amazing scenery on the mountain changed obviously. I truly ________ that life is like climbing up a mountain. Only with all the way of sweat and the confidence can you reach the top to enjoy a ________ life.

9 . I have no memory of my mother feeding me when I was young. But I’ll never ______ the first time I fed her.

She was in her late 90s, a few years into what’s become a six-year ______ at a home for dementia (痴呆) care. I happened to be visiting around dinner time. I ______ her a bite-sized piece of chicken and added some potato. In years gone by we might have been playfully debating the relative benefits of ______ the food on the plate, which she liked, versus (与……相对) my ______ for eating each individual item to its full. But Mum wasn’t speaking much by this point.

That first bite was ... ______. It had been a decade and a half since I’d spoon-fed my own kids. And ______, this was my Mum. I was ______ at first. She wasn’t. We soon fell into a deeply familiar pattern, even if the ______ weren’t.

Remarkably, Mum now has a full ______ behind her. Most of her friends have passed. Visitors are_____. Her world is all but as ______ as it was when she was new. When the past is ______ and the future immaterial, maybe there really is nothing more to say. As I sat there with her the other day, ______ her hand, and letting all the noise of my world ______, I felt something new. It was ... love. Just love.

10 . In the community of Mudgeeraba, a remarkable story has occurred, displaying a more connected society.

Living far from her own family and with her husband having no parents left, Nina, a new mom, was feeling the weight of   ________ in her motherhood journey. Nina found herself ________ not just for company, but for a unique form of cross-generational ________. So she determined to take a ________ step.

Nina put out a heartfelt ________ in her community for an “adoptive grandma” for herself and her baby Millie. The outpouring of support was nothing short of ________. Among the sea of ________, 61-year-old Christine, a resident in the same suburb as Nina, emerged as the perfect ________. Desperate for a grandchild of her own, Christine was seeking for a ________ for filling the emptiness left by the ________ of grandchildren in her life.

Since their initial meeting six months ago, Christine has lovingly ________ the role of Grandma Christine to little Millie, to whom she ________ she has an unlimited supply of love to give. The newfound relationship goes beyond just a ________, with weekly park walks and play dates becoming precious moments for both Nina and Christine.

The unexpected ________ rooted in a simple act of reaching out has not only provided Nina with the care and wisdom of the older generation, dramatically ________ her tension after giving birth, but offered Christine a sense of purpose and connection in her later years.