1 . In a bustling city in Arizona stood a high school where most of the students live in poverty. Among them were four sons of Mexican immigrants, Juan, Oscar, Luis, and Alfredo. These boys, coming from ________ backgrounds, often found themselves overlooked and underestimated. Bonded by fate and friendship, they shared a common passion for ________. Two science teachers there decided to enter their high school into a complicated ________ robotics competition sponsored by the NASA and the Naval Research. Excited for the news, these four boys signed up for the competition.

With enthusiasm and energy, they started calling mechanical engineers for design help. They were ________ that these kinds of robots require glass syntactic flotation foam, a type of floating material used in various marine applications.________ money, all they could afford was some PVC pipes and duct tape (强力胶布).________, they searched the city for various spare parts, gathering whatever they could to bring their vision to life. With the teachers’ guidance and encouragement, they ________ together a robot with no more than metal and wires.

As they worked on their robot, the boys also faced personal challenges. Juan struggled with the weight of family responsibilities; Oscar ________ a deep-seated fear of failure; Luis’s heart ached from the constant peers’ mockery (嘲笑) for his ________ accent, and Alfredo longed for acceptance and belonging.________ these obstacles, they persevered, leaning on each other for support and inspiration.

After a few test runs of their robot, they piled into a second-hand van to head to the competition. Upon entering the main pool area, they noticed the college teams wearing matching outfits, with robots sponsored by big companies. Feeling a bit nervous, the boys put the robot in the water for a test run.________, the PVC didn’t hold up, causing the robot to leak and sink.

However, instead of letting this ________ ruin their spirits, the boys put their heads together and came up with a brilliant solution. 12 hours later, armed with 8 super-absorbent pads to plug the leak, the robot was ________ into the pool again. This time, their robot performed admirably. Gliding gracefully through the waters, it navigated the course with precision and speed,________ the judges and audience alike. This underwater robot, a symbol of their determination and ________, conquered the waters, defeated engineering powerhouse MIT and ranked first in the country. This was not just a win for those four but a victory for every underdog with a dream.

3 . I was preparing for dinner with my husband when our daughter Rikki stormed into the sitting room and marched to the sofa. I glanced out of the window and saw our neighbor Lexi walking slowly back to her house with her head down, looking so _______.

“I don’t want to play with her,” Rikki complained, “I wish she would stop coming over here all the time. Her dress looks terrible and smells disgusting. Everyone in our class chooses to _______ her.” “That’s not her _______ , Rikki. Maybe she doesn’t have anyone to help her.” I said.

“You see, baby,” her father began to say, “I really know how she felt when you showed your _______ to her because I had the same experience when I was a kid. I was the poor kid with hand-me-down clothes, the kid who others looked down on. That _______ never goes away.” He told her he wanted her to be kind and _________ , not judgmental and hurtful. Tears were streaming down her face.

Then we _______ Lexi to come over and have dinner with us. I remembered Lexi coming in all smiles. We gathered together and soon I saw the girls talking and _______ . They had a great time. I could even see a sweet glow in Rikki’s eyes.

Rikki began to think _________ from that day on. Lexi came over a few times after that. They became good friends.

Today, Rikki has a heart of gold. She is always the first to welcome those whom others might __________ and is generous in helping others. I truly believe that day made a major difference in the person she has become today.

4 . Umar Fox searched his whole life to look for the firefighter who saved him and his sister from a house fire in 1978. The search _________ came to an end with a heartfelt reunion.

Umar was 3 when the _________ happened in their house. He and his sister were home for Christmas break. Joseph Gilmore was one of the first people on the _________. He rushed into the fire, risking his own _________, and took the children out. Photojournalist George Rizer happened to photograph the _________.

Umar had always hoped to _________ the man. But the picture taken by Rizer was all he had, which _________ his wish not being realized. Forty-five years later, that picture ended up being _________ thanks to social media. Once Umar _________ Joseph, he and the firefighter had an emotional reunion. Umar’s sister had planned to __________, but she canceled due to illness. Joseph __________ when strong-built Umar walked in, “Oh, man! I wouldn’t want to pick you up now.”

Umar said that he and his sister “wouldn’t be __________” if it weren’t for Joseph. He went on to __________ that his act “brought more into the world”. Umar is __________ to be a father of five. His sister also “has great kids” who are “all grown up and doing big things”.

As for Joseph, he considered he was __________ doing something he did every day for 38 years.

5 . A boy in Florida called 911 but didn’t have a real emergency. Instead, he wanted a hug from an officer, and the responding officer understood.

Footage (镜头) from the home’s doorbell camera _______ the officer Scott Pracht responding and talking to the boy’s mom.

“We had a 911 call,” Pract says in the video.

“We can talk to my son.” the mother says.

Her young son _______ the door with his cellphone and when asked if he called the police, he says, “Well, I wanted to give him a hug.” Then the boy runs out to hug Pracht _______, who embraces him back.

After hugging the boy, Pracht _______ that 911 is for those who need help. “You need to be _______ when you call that number.” he tells the boy. “Only when you are _______. And if you’re hurt, or someone is doing something they’re not _______ to do, give us a call, okay?” The boy _______, and Pracht tells him not to worry about it.

Scott Pracht’s office _______ the video on Facebook on Thursday, where it was ________ nearly 10,000 times. In a statement, Hillsborough Sheriff (警官) Chad Chronister said they “deeply appreciate the ________ shown by this young child.”

“Our officers are more than ________ to share a hug and spread love to children in our community. However, it’s ________ for everyone to remember that 911 is a lifeline,“ he said. “We ________ parents and educators to teach children about the ________ use of emergency services.”

6 . Last year, my friend, Kydee Williams, and I started a non-profit project because we wanted to do charity work differently. Thus, The Pop-Up Care Shop was _________.

TPUCS is a traveling shop of _________ donated goods for people in need. During the holidays, we _________ clothing drives and then went to women’s shelters. Our main goal was to help inspire women who were _________ with hope as well as bring a little holiday cheer to our local communities. _________ any project or movement wasn’t easy. Brainstorming and coming up with cool ideas was the _________ part, but actually bringing those ideas to life can seem almost _________ at times. However, there were lessons about _________ that we didn’t fully realize until we started this journey.

From our experience, we learned smaller shelters, especially those in less-commercialized areas were often _________ when it came to getting community support. Actually, they were typically more __________ to new and creative ideas and would greatly welcome __________ who offered help. Under our inspiration, many __________ people devoted themselves to non-profit work. Many shelters are understaffed and the staff overworked. Working directly with them helped us __________ the specific needs of the shelter.

While material things like food, clothes, money, and shelter can help people survive, what __________ helps people live is the intangible (无形) necessities like love, presence, patience. Even though we can’t help every single person in the world, we can __________ a world of difference for at least one person.

7 . Pingtan, the biggest island off the coast of Fujian Province, is popular with tourists these days. It has also attracted many ________ seeking a pleasant place to settle down. Among them is Italian fashion ________ Filippo Strada, who has lived on the island for four years.

Born in Milan, Strada has a well-developed ________ of fashion design. It is this love of fine clothing that led him to a career in the industry. Over the past decade, he has ________ his career in China, living in various cities. ________, due to his growing business and ________ travels, Strada spent a lot of time away from home. After his daughter was born, he made up his mind to go back to his wife’s hometown of Pingtan in 2018.

Strada ________ Pingtan with his family, determined to build a happy home on the island. But he also had a dream of building a successful business there, making the most of the local ________ development. Strada had a winning idea. He would ________ his heritage to provide goods and services with an authentic Italian ________. Starting from zero, Strada now ________ a high-end tailor shop, a cafe and an Italian restaurant in Pingtan, ________ exotic (异域风情的) experiences to both locals and tourists.

As for the future, Strada plans to ________ Chinese and English salons (沙龙) in his Italian restaurant to ________ more knowledge of Western culture. “I’m very willing to do my part to make Pingtan a (n) ________ and diverse community that is popular around the world,” he said.

9 . Adam Wolfers believes that his son’s autism (自闭症) has a positive impact on his hobby of photography. 10-­year­-old Morgan has always possessed a _________ eye for capturing the world around him through his camera. Diagnosed (被诊断) with autism at the age of 3, Morgan has had a hard time _________ with others.

_________ these difficulties, he has shown an exceptional talent for noticing details that _________ others. Morgan has found clarity and focus in nature, particularly in the vivid colors and shapes of plants, leading him to _________ the art of nature photography.

Not _________ with merely capturing pictures, Morgan has even established his own photography business, becoming one of the top sellers in a local shop. _________, he donates ten percent of his _________ to support autistic artists through the Blue Ribbon Arts Initiative.

However, his motivation for photography _________ financial gain, as he simply wants to share the beauty he __________ with others. His work has gained __________, with one of his photos picked by National Geographic for __________ in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

His parents teared up as they told what his photography means. Morgan’s photography has become his saving grace (体面) because it gets people to look __________ his issues. “He’s going to make his __________,” his mother said.

Morgan advises all of us to try new things and explore our __________ and what we want to do. In other words, don’t be afraid to see things differently.

10 . Asli Samanci, a food scientist, was driven by her childhood dream of becoming a scientist, leading her to pursue a career in food science. “It ______ everything: biology, microbiology and chemistry all together,” Samancil said.

With this passion, she established a company that ______ health products made from propolis (蜂胶), a natural substance produced by bees. Samanci’s dedication to ______ is evident in every step. of her product development process. “All products are ______ by science,” Samanci said.

The ______ behind Samanci’s venture also lies in her son, who experienced frequent health issues during his early years. Upon a doctor’s recommendation, she ______ propolis as a means to help strengthen her son’s immune system. However, not ______ with the products on the market, Samanci worked ______ with a beekeeper to craft the ideal solution for her son’s needs. Gradually, Samanci has made her specialized products ______ to a broader range of consumers.

Meanwhile, Samanci and her beekeeping partners have witnessed a significant ______ in the bee population, Recognizing that 80% of all plants rely on bees for pollination (授粉), this development has proved to contribute to ______ nature. Samanci firmly believes in the concept of a win-win business model, where ______ can make a positive impact on the environment. And she urges all entrepreneurs and scientists to find that ______ . Samanci says, “To get something from nature in a(n) ______ way, we urge more food scientists and agricultural scientists to join us. ______ , nature will not give us anymore.”