1 . Katherine would never forget the day when her daughter brought a plate from kindergarten, with a drawing of mouse-like creatures on it.

“Emma, what are these little characters? What do you _________ them?” Katherine said. “Mom, they’re my _________. They come to children who are lonely or who were meant to have a _________ life,” Emma said. It _________ the unemployed 36-year-old mom’s heart during a time when she wasn’t feeling too good about her job _________.

All this eventually _________ a new project for Katherine, unemployed for months—making a line of stuffed animals for sale based on her daughter’s _________. “Every day, I would work on it,” she said. “Over time, it felt like this is what I really _________.” In her basement, Katherine cut patterns, wrote storylines and _________ prototypes(原型样品) to turn “The Partners” into dolls(玩偶).

Today she has four __________ doll prototypes and specific storylines to go with each main character. She hopes to __________ the dolls to parents going through hard times, or may be those preparing to work overseas, leaving their __________ behind with relatives.

She said even if the dolls don’t __________, she’s taught her daughter __________ to keep moving even in down times. It’s really a __________ for those unemployed right now, she said.

4 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is _______ in filling cake orders and updating her website. She _______ Kayke Bakery, a home-based business.

Erica started baking out of _______ in the year 2021. Her first _______ was a failure. Yet she made more cakes the next day and ________ her techniques through teaching videos on a daily basis. “I saw other people’s decorated cakes and was _______ to be a cake artist instead of just a baker,” Erica said. After due _______, she asked her parents about setting up her own business. “Seeing how _______ she was,” Erica’s mother recalled, “we _______ and began to help her cope with all the legalities for its opening.” Soon, she had _______ customers always coming to her for custom cakes. “_______, I came across tough occasions when dealing with both school and a business, but I managed to _______.” she said. “I’m glad to be able to do what I love.”

Always considered as a _______, Erica finished her senior year with almost full marks. She plans to _______ cake decorating after senior high. “I’m thinking about starting non-profit organizations.” In these years, besides learning various techniques, Erica has become more _______. “I realize I possess great potential and power.”

6 . We may have heard that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Now, a man _________ that to be true by achieving his lifelong _________ after 84 years. Earlier this year, 101-year-old Merrill Pittman Cooper _________ his high school diploma during a surprise graduation _________. His family worked with local school officials to _________ the celebration.

Cooper attended Storer College from 1934 to 1938, but life condition _________ him from finishing school and earning his _________. Without his father around, his mother worked as a live-in housekeeper in order to _________ his school tuition and board, but that wasn’t _________. After realizing his mother couldn’t __________ to make the final tuition payment for his senior year, the teen __________ her to move them to Philadelphia to be closer to her family.

In Philadelphia, Cooper worked to help his mother pay the bills and he was __________ as a city trolley (有轨电车) car operator in 1945. That job led him to a long and __________ career in transportation where he __________ became president of the local union in Pennsylvania and later vice president of the International Transport Workers Union in New York City. But despite such a successful __________, he always regretted not graduating and getting his high school diploma.

But now, after 84 years, Cooper was __________ able to see his lifelong dream come true. His family got the idea to __________ him with the honorary high school diploma. Cooper could hardly __________ his tears when he discovered their plan.

The whole thing was a dream come true for Cooper, who now __________ his diploma proudly from its perch (栖息处) on his bedroom dresser. “I can’t think of a __________ day,” says the inspiring 101-year-old man. “I’m really happy to have it.”

7 . In 2019, Thierry Henry, a bus driver, found there was a rise in bike thefts in his city, Reykjavik. Rather than _________ that the bike was gone forever, he decided to take matters into his own _________. He set out to track down the bikes and return them to their _________ owners.

The 44-year-old has helped return hundreds of stolen bikes in the past 4 years. His social media account has over 14, 500 members and helps people track down more than just lost bikes. His page _________ to people who have lost tools, cars and other items of high value. On top of his _________ act, Henry has helped the bike _________ to reform in the process.

Initially, Henry would deal with the thieves with anger. However, over time, he realized that most of the thefts were driven out of _________ and other issues. He went from feeling _________ towards the thieves, to developing empathy (同理心) for their situations. It was very tough at first. But Henry decided to try to _________ them and just talk to them.

From this moment onward, he reached out to the thieves, offering help and __________. After the change in his __________, Henry found that the bike thieves began to often hand back the bikes to him.   __________, some former thieves that Henry helped now __________ him in looking for the stolen bikes.

“It’s like a __________ that has got bigger and bigger,”. says Henry. “It’s not only me. Many times, someone spots a bike hidden in a bush and takes a picture. Then someone else __________, ‘hey, that’s my bike’.”

Thanks to Henry, everyone’s looking out.

9 . A 40-year-old mom has entered the history books by becoming the first female Olympian ever to complete a full triathlon in under 8 hours—smashing the world record by over 40 minutes.

Two-time Olympic Nicola Spirig _________ the finish line in Germany in an astonishing 7 hours, 34 minutes and 19 seconds.

She accomplished the _________ despite earlier this year breaking three ribs, fracturing (使断裂) her collarbone and puncturing a lung in a cycling accident that almost _________ her career. She recovered and went on to fulfill this lifelong triathlon ambition on the edge of ending her 20 years of international competitions and _________ the sport this year.

The _________ race in Germany was organized specifically to let two of the world’s greatest female triathletes _________ against each other, in a challenge to break the 8-hour barrier. _________ athletes broke the decade-long world record for women of 8 hours, 18 minutes and 13 seconds. Not only did Nicola smash her   _________ record of 9 hours, 14 minutes and 7 seconds, she crossed the line in a (n) _________7 hours, 34 minutes and 19 seconds—three minutes after Ironman champion Kat Matthews, a British army captain.

“Nicola has __________ the impossible and is the perfect embodiment (化身) of how the power of __________ can overcome every obstacle toward fulfilling your dreams and ultimate ambition,” says Feliciano Robayna. “__________ your career-long dream as a 40-year-old mother of three shows there is no __________ that cannot be broken.”

Beyond __________ seven 70.3 Ironman titles — and being on the stage at each half Ironman race she has ever __________ — Nicola has also managed to study to become a   lawyer.