1 . Every Saturday we trained with the same marathon running club. I had no idea he was blind because he _________ past me alongside his guide runner. It took a few weeks before I was _________ asking him what, if anything, he could see. I wasn’t just _________ by his running times. He also had a beautiful smile that lit up the room.

We had our first _________ date climbing the famous sand dune on Pacific Coast Highway. Eight years into our marriage, Adrian decided to learn to _________, so he could fulfill his dream of competing in an Ironman triathlon.

Adrian’s first lesson was a _________, but his coach’s enthusiasm was short-lived. His next instructor was easy to give in and recommended my husband _________ swimming. So, being a competitive swimmer in high school, I was _________ I could teach him.

Soon I realized how much of a _________ swimming was for my husband, even with a tether rope. His progress at each lesson was slow but __________. Nearly a month later, he tried without the tether rope, but __________ going in the wrong direction. Every time I raised my voice over the roaring waves he felt so __________ by my instructions.

Fortunately these days we laugh because Adrian is even faster than I am. He has grown more __________ with me when I have to raise my voice. I, __________, no longer say, “You went the wrong way!”, which makes him feel bad. Instead, I say, “Over here,” to which he ________ , and then swims back toward me.

3 . To start a business, my father moved our family from New Jersey to Massachusetts when I was seven years old. The ______ was especially hard on my mother, as it was the first time she had placed her hours away from her mother and sisters in her life.

Settled in our new home, my brothers and I were ______ with making friends and dealing with schoolwork. However, it was harder for Mom to ______ new people. On top of that, we had a ______ budget while my dad worked to ______ his business. Consequently, Christmas gifts were not really in the financial ______ that year. Moreover, we ______ most of our Christmas tree ornaments (装饰品) had broken during the move.

Therefore, my mother took an unexpected ______. One day in early December when I came home from school, Mom was arranging a ______ crafts station on the picnic table in the back yard. “We ______ our Christmas ornaments,” she declared, “so we’re going to make our own.” Mom had ______ spray paint and glitter (发光物) to process the unlikeliest of decorations: tin can lids. And that day, she ______ waited for us kids to arrive before cutting them into stars, bells, and angels. What a ______ mother!

That December afternoon at the picnic table was more ______ than most Christmas mornings full of shiny paper and expensive gifts. The ______ of that particular Christmas came through my loving mother, who could turn tin cans into angels, and darkness into light.

6 . Born with no right leg, Anthony Robles, one of the best wrestlers in the NCAA, started wrestling when he was in high school. When his cousin first ________ him to wrestling, Robles wasn’t a/an ________. However, he gradually fell in love with it and he has been doing it ever since .

While some people might have ________ his decision to take on the sport, his family was a huge ________ of support and encouragement. He said: “They ________ in me from a young age that I could do whatever I ________ my mind to. “They didn’t give me any special ________. They raised me like others.”

While the physical aspects of the sport seemed to be the most challenging part, at one point Robles realized he needed to be ________ tougher. After ________ seventh at nationals in his junior year, he took a ________ from wrestling for a little while. He said. “I was ________. That really just helped me to mentally get back to the sport.”

Then came the last match. Robles was so scared that he was almost starting to cry. When he defeated defending national champion 7-1, the ________ were quite different. “I couldn’t even ________ it.” He said, “It was just a great experience.”

Now Robles is ready for the next page in his life, “I really want to help other people achieve things in their lives that others might say are ________.” Robles plans to put his amazing attitude and energy to ________ as a motivational (激励) speaker.

7 . 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.

9 . Buried deep within the cracks of an old, wooden desk, a worn-out notebook lay forgotten. Its pages, yellowed with _________, were scattered with handwritten notes and drawings, each ________ a dream or aspiration of its owner, Emily Dickinson.

Dickinson, a ________ teacher, had passed away peacefully in her sleep, leaving the notebook as one of her few _________. There were drafts of traveling to foreign places, notes about learning a new language, and even a few ________ about publishing her own book of poems in it.

One ________ sketch caught her children’s eye as they looked through the pages. It was a drawing of a small cottage ________ in the hills, surrounded by greenery and a stream. Dickinson had always dreamed of retiring to such a place, a place where she could find peace and ________.

Her children decided to fulfil her mother’s dream. They found a cottage ________ to the one in the sketch and bought it. They ________ it with the furniture and kick-knacks (小摆设) that Dickinson had treasured and turned it into a ________ to her life and her dreams.

The cottage became a place where Dickinson’s family and friends could gather and shared stories about her. It was a place where they could feel her ________ and be inspired by her firm determination. The notebook, now ________ on a small table in the cottage’s living room, remains a constant ________ of Dickinson’s dreams and aspirations. Her children hope that by keeping it there, they can honor her memory and continue to inspire others to ________ their own dreams, just as she had done.

10 . Imagine suddenly waking up at midnight, ______ for air, heart pounding, feeling tense and experiencing this night after night. The ______ of the lack of sleep was the ______ need to lie down and fall asleep for 2-3 hours. This was my experience throughout the summer of 2021.

I guess it may have been in part the ______ the pandemic had on my mental health as well as other worries. During the daylight hours, I ______ myself in various ways but at night during sleep my fear and ______ would come to the surface. I ______ I needed to find ways to deal with my worries.

After much ______, I began to seek the assistance of medicine, which was a tough decision to make. But it ______ well. I made sure to walk in nature as much as possible and continued my yoga practice. Slowly, I found my way back to myself.

However, life ______ another curve ball into my life. In December 2023, those nighttime feelings that ______ me flowed into my days again. I turned to friends and family, who encouraged me to seek professional help. I ______ to a therapist specialized in this field, and together, we analyzed the problems and applied the related ______ to coping with them. While the process didn’t go ______, my symptoms gradually disappeared with my efforts at last.

In conclusion, this is what I would like to say —when in trouble, reach out for help, talk to family and friends, your doctor or a counsellor. Take time to take care of yourself, you are worth the ______.