1 . My daughter Rachel had severe ADHD (多动症) as a child. The most _________ moments often came when we were out _________. All parents have been there trying to remain calm while their child is having an tantrum (耍性子) and shoppers are _________ their heads.

Rachel is now twenty-four and has grown into an amazing young woman. _________, those old terrible memories feel not-so-distant when I _________ a child’s similar behavior. The screams caused flashbacks that I would rather _________.

Last week, Rachel and I were shopping in the supermarket when we heard a child’s _________ that lasted more than fifteen minutes. My daughter asked, “Mom! Is that what I used to sound like?” “Yes, you sounded just like that,” I _________.

As we approached, I could see people whispering to each other and shaking their heads. Then I saw the embarrassment and _________ in the young mother’s face. I then did something I’d never done before. I walked over to the mom and put my arms around her shoulders. “I know exactly what you are ____________ right now, and I know how you feel. It does get better. Believe me.” I said. I then introduced Rachel to the mother. I ____________ that my daughter had been just like her son when she was little.

She hugged me back, so tightly that I knew she was ____________ to me. Her son stopped screaming for a minute and looked at us with a(n) ____________ expression. At that moment, I could see ____________ wash over her.

Sometimes, a stranger’s kind words during a ____________ moment can mean the world to someone.

3 . I’ve wanted a cat for as long as I can remember. _________, my whole family, except for Dad, has wanted a cat for a long time. About a year ago, Dad finally _________. He went to the animal shelter to bring home three-month-old Larry. My two younger sisters and I jumped for joy. At first, Larry _________ constantly because of our two large pet dogs. It wasn’t long, though, before he taught us an important _________.

The day was very _________ outside. Our family of five, along with our two dogs, _________ the warm fireplace. The dogs, weighing about ninety pounds each, were sleeping in _________ together in their new dog bed after a long day of activity.

Larry had been keeping a(n) _________ eye from his cat post. All at once, he bounced off the floor, raced over to where the dogs were sleeping and _________ them sharply. Larry wanted the new dog bed for himself. The second Larry __________ them, the dogs jumped up. Both raced off their bed and out of Larry’s __________, their tails between their legs.

Seeing the funny scene, we couldn’t help but __________. What had just happened? Had our cat just kicked two ninety-pound dogs off their bed? Perfectly placed next to the warm fireplace, Larry fell asleep and had a wonderful nap(小睡). No one __________ him, not even the dogs.

We learnt something important from Larry that day, which we won’t soon forget: __________ doesn’t matter. If you want something, go to __________ it.

4 . I once worked on a farm. One day, a powerful wind slammed (猛推) me against a post. My left arm got totally _________, and it was later cut off.

Back home after an operation, I found everything a(n) _________. My husband tried to help me, but I wanted to be _________. I called my left arm “Stumpy” and tried to _________. I learned to squeeze toothpaste; I developed a technique for pulling the toilet paper.

“Mom can do anything,” my daughter said _________. The one thing I really wanted to do, though, was get back into _________. First, I tried to swim. When I swam with Stumpy, there was no forward motion. _________, I kept going and finished the lane at last. Then I tried the triathlon (铁人三项). I _________ how to balance the bike with one arm and start running. Within a year, I became an _________ athlete, winning a silver medal at the Paratriathlon World Cup.

In 2020, I decided to do New Zealand’s __________ event. Competitors have to run for 36 km, cycle for 140 km, and kayak (皮划艇) for 70 km. I __________ hard over the next six months. Then the big day came. After kayaking for a long time, my legs felt like jelly. “Don’t __________,” I told myself. In the last few kilometers, I heard loud __________. Many people came to support me.

Life in __________ for me, but I choose to change it. “Just because you’ve got only half a wing doesn’t mean you can’t __________ to achieve your dreams,” I said to myself.

6 . A man took a little too long to complete his PhD. While a majority of PhD programmes are _________ to be finished in five or six years, a 76-year-old student who studied for a PhD in 1970 completed it after 50 years.

Dr. Nick Axten received a scholarship for a PhD in mathematical sociology in 1970 at the University of Pittsburgh. _________, he returned to the UK after 5 years with an unfinished PhD.

Dr. Axten _________ his studies again in 2016 when he was aged 69, studying an MA in Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He then studied for a PhD in Philosophy at the same university and _________ in 2022, aged 75. This year, he _________ his doctorate in front of his wife and 11-year-old granddaughter.

“What I was trying to do in the early 70s was extremely _________,” said Dr. Axten. “Some problems are so _________ that it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. This one has taken me 50 years, which is simply _________.”

Dr. Axten’s research is a new theory for understanding human _________ based on the values each person holds. Dr. Axten says it can __________ our view of behavioural psychology.

“I have loved being a __________ again at the University of Bristol. All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23 but they __________ me as one of their own,” said Dr. Axten. The 76-year-old considered his classmates as __________ and expressed that he loved spending time talking to them.

“Nick was a(n) __________ energetic and hardworking student,” said his professor. “It’s great to see him graduate half a __________ after he started his original PhD.”

7 . Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. In sum, this was our ______: I asked questions and he told the ______. When I grew up and moved out on my own, I seldom called him. But when something broke in my ______ and I needed to know how to ______ it, like the toilet, I would call him. Gradually, I called him less, because I got ______. My husband had most of the knowledge and skills I ______.

Our phone call developed into three ______. I said, “Hi, Dad.” He said, “Hi, sweet. Here is your mom.” Because I still ______ my mother. I usually asked her questions like “Do need to call the ______ for my daughter’s fever?” Sometimes. I ______ if my dad had already shared everything I needed to know.

This past summer, my husband and I moved in with my parents for three weeks while our house was being decorated. Dad asked me to help him ______ the bulkhead (防水壁). I didn’t ______ to do it. It was the least I could do for free rent.

As we put the new bulkhead together piece by piece, my dad knew ______ which piece went where, so I asked, “Why do you know how to build a bulkhead?” “I spent a summer in college building it on the Jersey Shore,” he answered. I felt ______ and I thought I had knew everything about my dad before. After that, I often called my dad and talked about daily little things. To us, it was a (n) ______ beginning.

8 . Oscar Wilde, a famous poet and playwright, is probably known for his conversation as much as for his literary works. There are some stories _________ the fact that the man, as well as being a great wit (说话诙谐的人), was also often rather wise.

When Wilde was studying Classics at Oxford, he took part in a(n) _________ once. As a result, he needed to _________ a chosen passage from the story of a famous person. After several minutes, the examiners were _________, and signaled him that he could _________. For most students, they would have _________ finished there, but Wilde ignored them and _________ to translate. Again the examiners attempted to give him a(n) _________, and this time succeeded, telling him that he did a good job and could leave. “Oh, do let me go on,” said Wilde, “I just want to see how it _________.”

On another occasion, Wilde __________ that one day he was hard at work __________ his poetry. “I was working on my poems all the morning and __________ a comma (逗号),” he said to his friend. “And in the afternoon?” his friend asked. “Well, I put it back again,” responded Wilde.

But it’s __________ that there is always someone who is much smarter than us. The renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt was once talking to Wilde when he went to __________. Wilde inquired, “Do you mind if I light up a cigarette?” Bernhardt shot back, “Oscar, I don’t mind if you burn.” Did the witty Wilde meet his __________?

9 . Shortly before Dad died, I got a call from Betty. She was a ________ of our family who lived right across the street. She asked me if I’d noticed that Mom was getting ________ and was starting to tell stories and ask questions time and again. My thoughts ________ my phone calls to Mom. I agreed with Betty. I had noticed some things, but I ________ wasn’t too concerned. After all, Mom was in her 70s. Don’t all people in their 70s ________ things?

I got another call from Betty. She told me about the card game they had ________ one week ago. And it was Mom and Dad’s turn to have it at their house. Everyone ________ but Mom just forgot that and ran around trying to find the cards. That never happened before.

Betty phoned again, telling me one day when Mom drove, she ________ in front of oncoming cars to make a left turn. Mom, in Betty’s opinion, was becoming a very unsafe ________. At this point, I had no idea what to do about that.

Looking back, Dad had been ________ for Mom. And the rest of us were ________ these things as part of her growing old. For months after Dad passed away, we all blamed her forgetfulness on ________.

Alzheimer (阿尔茨海默症) is a very ________ process and most people experience symptoms for nearly three years before being confirmed by doctors.

I am ________ that our friend Betty was right across the street for all the time I couldn’t be there. It’s still ________ to me to think what could have happened without Betty in those days.

10 . Can you imagine the power of a father? On Sept.17, 2022, a man and his son ______ to begin the first of three legs of the Ironman competition in Cambridge. Jeff Agar, 59, and his son, Johnny Agar, weren’t the ______ participants. Johnny has suffered from a brain disease and finds difficulty in ______. Consequently, throughout the race, Jeff would ______ as Johnny’s, arms and legs.

The race began with a 2.4-mile swim in a river. With one end of a rope ______ around his back and the other to a kayak (皮艇) with Johnny in, Jeff ______ into the water. Swimming while dragging another person is ______ enough. The pair completed the swim in 90 minutes, and here came the next ______: a 112-mile bicycle ride. Their special bike has an additional seat in the back for Johnny that ______ backward, which made it easier to observe and cheer on other ______ behind.

After roughly nine hours, they set their sights on the final leg — a 26.2-mile marathon with Jeff ______ Johnny in the racing chair. ______, Jeff and Johnny managed to pick up the pace. With only 200 feet to the finish line, Jeff ______ to help Johnny out of his racing chair. After years of tough ______, Johnny was determined to finish the last part of the race on his own.

Eventually, the ______ pair crossed the finish line together. As the crowd. cheered loudly, the tired Jeff just kept a low profile. “He didn’t want his finish line moment,” says Johnny. “He wanted it to be mine.”