2 . I found a brown bag outside after our move. “Grass Seed,” it said in big letters. My husband and I ________ the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. “I have no idea if they will ________,” I told him, “but it’s worth a shot.” Just like our ________ to move to the rural Arizona.

Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was ________ to tourists. I got a job offer to ________ the cottage. I’d worked in hotels for years, so when offered the ________, I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I ________ that it would be a right move.

While we waited for our grass to grow—or not—we ________ settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the ________ in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became ________, and I got to know them well. I felt ________ to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than ________.

But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. ________, our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have ________, just like our new life. And it remains a powerful ________ of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.

6 . Whatever makes you fall in love with horses happened to me.I often _______myself owning my own horse.

After taking riding lessons for a year,I decided to buy a horse and Dad agreed—if I _______ half the money.I worked and saved 100dollars,a _______ those days.

_______,200 dollars wasn’t much to buy a horse.But I was _______ to look for one on a limited _______.I was introduced to Rusty,a 20-year-old horse,who had been abused and had a mistrust of _______.When I approached,he looked _______ at me.However,he was my dream horse and I decided to take it!

Gradually,we became inseparable and he grew strong and energetic despite his _______.But one morning,Rusty was suddenly ill.The vet said he had cancer and suggested humanely putting him to ________.The next morning,Dad loaded Rusty into the truck and I waved goodbye to him,pretty sure it was for the ________ time.

Later that day,I was crying in bed when Dad called me.There,inside the truck was Rusty!I jumped up,hugging him and crying with ________.Rusty ________me for another happy year before the cancer finally took him.By then,we were a little more ________.

Rusty isn’t here ________,but love lives on,and Rusty will live in my heart forever.

7 . Since the age of three, Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. "The only thing that I loved was dance," she told CBS News. That ambition nearly _______ in 2010. Hill, then a 17-year-old student in a small town, was in an accident that left her paralyzed from the _______ down. For most people, that would have _______ any hope of a dancing career. For Hill, it was the beginning. _______ being an obstacle, her wheelchair empowered her. "I wanted to _______ to my myself I was still 'normal'."

Hill danced in her wheelchair alongside her school dance team. "Half of my body was _______ from me," Hill told Today. "and it definitely took a lot of learning and _______ After graduation, Hill wanted to _______ her dance network to include women who had _______ various spinal cord injuries but shared her ________. "It was such an amazing experience?”

Hoping to reach more people in a ________ city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed the Rollettes. "I want to ________ the stereotype （模式化观念）of wheelchair users."^, Dancing on wheels can be just as artful as the foot-based ________ . In dance competitions, they rocked their bodies to ________, and struck poses in dynamic routines. They're having fun, and as the audiences' reactions ________     , the fun is infectious. Hill has ________ what many of us never will: her childhood dream. ________ the Rollettes have helped her find something else just as ________. Every year she holds a dance camp for wheelchair users to help them find their ________ strength they've never seen before. In 2019, 173 participants who used to be restricted lonely attended her camp. For many, it was the first time they'd felt they ________.

8 . Joe spent 16 years as a fireman and emergency medical technician. He has been honored for his_______in risking his life on numerous occasions to save others. However, one emergency call_______him to poisonous chemicals that later led to repeated strokes (中风). At only_______, the man who had grown 38 to having the physical strength and mobility to save lives was now: _______to tie his own shoes or button his own shirt. Worst of all, the strokes left him _______ seizures (痉挛) that would strike _______,

Before his health _______, Joe was known for being active and optimistic. But after his strokes, he spent day and night in bed, dangerously _______. One of his only _______ joys was Lucky, his 12-year-old Dalmatian, but Joe’s wife Kim ______________something terrible would happen to Joe when Lucky______________. She didn’t want to wait to find out, so she suggested a new dog should be ______________to the family.

Then entered Meatball. He was saved as a puppy from an Afghan war zone and brought to the United States for ______________by Puppy Rescue Mission. Joe and Kim went to the airport to meet Meatball upon his arrival. The moment Meatball came out of his cage, he peed (撒尿) all over Joe — and Joe ______________his first genuine laughter in months!

Two years later, one night, Kim was awakened by Meatball’s ______________barking. She went to see what was wrong and found Joe having a______________seizure. Joe was ______________to the hospital — Meatball had saved the day. And it wasn’t the only time. “He’s always there ______________me, helping me, making sure I’m okay,” says Joe. Since I got sick, some of my friends have fallen by the wayside,______________this beautiful dog always stays with me. That means I’m worth ______________after all. Pets are the emotional, physical, and spiritual gift we didn’t know we needed.