1 . Last summer, I was suffering from too much stress. I’d just graduated from a(n) __________doctoral program and was exhausted from the years of research, study and writing. I took a __________to celebrate, but the academic intensity had become a __________. Sitting on the beautiful lawn of the hotel on Mackinac Island, I just felt like I should be studying or working __________.

Generally seeing natural beauty would have __________ me, but I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t help looking at my cellphone __________in case I missed something important. “Enough,” I murmured. I needed to unwind, but why couldn’t I?

A dragonfly (蜻蜓) buzzed around me.With each __________, this creature’s wings __________ color — blue one moment, green the next. Dragonflies usually fascinated me with their quick movements that __________ me of acrobats (杂技演员) in the wind, but I wasn’t in the __________ that day. What I needed then was stillness, not movement. Suddenly, the dragonfly came to rest on a blade (叶片) of grass in front of me.

I watched that dragonfly carefully for many minutes. So did the dragonfly. “It’s not a matter of relaxing,” it seemed to say. “Life is so short.Be here in the __________ and let the mood take care of itself.” Suddenly, it __________ me that this beautiful creature, which only had months to live, was “instructing” me about the __________ of life and I felt much relaxed. The dragonfly seemed __________ that its message had been delivered. It sprang from the grass and flew away. I didn’t see it again. But I would never forget what it taught me: Be here and _____________ yourself.

2 . After my cancer diagnosis (诊断), my friend gifted me a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl. Despite my physical limitations, _________ the green plant became an achievement during a time when I felt _________.

As a family physician I was used to _________ care, now I was the one relying on others. The _________ change left me feeling unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, _________ me to my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver and be _________.

Through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (化疗), I _________ looking after the plant, and it thrived (茁壮成长), so did I.

But before long, _________, it began to show signs of stress. No matter what I did, the _________ kept browning and dropping to the __________, which made me frustrated and uneasy. I seemingly related its struggle to my own health, fearing it __________ the return of my tumor (肿瘤).

As my anxiety eased, I __________ guidance online to figure out how to better take care of the poor little thing. Following the __________ found, I transplanted it to a larger pot, allowing more room and nutrients it required. When it returned to the sunny window, we both began to thrive again!

Now, the lucky bamboo was not just a __________ item in my home but a representation of life, and the ability to find __________ even in challenging circumstances.

3 . “Tom, you have a hairless spot on the back of your head!”Mom’s alarmed cry hit me like a shock.

I tried to shrug (耸肩) it off. “It’ll grow back. ”I worked to sound ________.

At first, the loss was minimal. ________the spot with my fingers became the top priority every day. No new hair, smooth as an egg. Weeks later, the spot was a little larger, and there was still no_________of any hair becoming visible through the skin. I began to________, but continued to try to be cool about it.

As days went by, my hair started to fall faster and more. ________ my fingers through it, I would stare at the alarming quantity of hair in my hands, willing this to ________ happening to me.

We went to see a doctor, who diagnosed my condition as alopecia (脱发症) . He recommended an injection ( 注 射 ) to try, which would be ________ to the head skin. I underwent several costly injections over a few months, but in vain.

________, the injection began to trouble my sleep, and we finally had to stop the __. My hair still didn’t grow back.

I had to wear a wig ( 假 发 ) to school every day, worried it might slip one day and that everything would________. Though aware that I should ________the fact to my friends, I was scared, not knowing how they would handle the information. ________, hesitantly, I told them what was happening after days of struggle. To my surprise, they all thought nothing of it. This was a(n) ________ for me.

I came to realize that what had happened was not my fault, and not something I should feel________of. I am learning that being bald doesn’t change who I am, and if I don’t let it affect myself ________ , then other people are much more likely to accept me as I am, too.

4 . Martin is my youngest son. He likes staying alone and be seldom laughs. As the boy’s mother, I was _______ about him. I took him to see the _______ in many hospitals, but it didn’t work well.

Nothing could make him happy except the recycling truck passing by my house. Every afternoon, he raced to the front of the house, waiting for the _______.

When we were late and _______ the truck, Martin would be very disappointed. One day, I stopped the truck and _______ myself.

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Vince.” The driver greeted me in a happy _______.

“Your coming is the most exciting moment for my son.” I smiled.

After knowing our story, he said, “Could you please give me your _______ number? Maybe I can send you a message _______ I arrive.”

Then began our _______ with Vince.

Recently, I said to him, “It’s my little boy’s birthday tomorrow. Can you do something special for him?”

The next day, as I was standing by the driveway with Martin, we saw the ________ truck running down the street with a loud beep. Like a superman in a movie, Vince stopped and walked towards us with a box in his hand.

“Today is your birthday, Martin, and here’s a gift.”

He handed the box to my son. Inside, there was a green model truck like his. My son, surprised, looked up ________ and thanked him.

After chatting for several ________, he was about to leave for work. I tried to give him some ________ for his help. He kept shaking his head and ________ my money, saying, “Today you, tomorrow me.”

I was deeply moved by these ________ words. And I have been ready to help others whenever I can. You will never know when you’re going to be the one that needs help.

5 . “I just think, a year ago, at 54 years of age, I couldn’t swim. I was terrified at the thought of going into the water. Now, I have just _________ my 200 meters. It is all thanks to Everyday Swim.”

It’s never too late to learn swimming. Angela King, 55, is a perfect _________ of it. In August 2020, the family went to an attraction they hadn’t _________ for 15 years. Angela thought, “All this time, I still can’t swim. When I get back home tomorrow, I’m going to find out more about swimming _________.”

In the cold light of day, she felt a little _________, but her husband David searched the Internet for swimming classes. He found Everyday Swim at the local Hadleigh pool and _________ Angela to sign up. When she turned up for her first training, she said, “I felt a bit sick and _________, but this soon passed. The instructor really put me at ease; so did the other people in the class.”

As the lessons _________, she learned to become more _________ in the water. At first, it was a simple __________ of learning she wasn’t going to sink. Then during the third lesson, the Olympic gold medal winner Duncan Goodhew turned up to offer __________ “I couldn’t believe it. He held my hand and we all held hands in a circle and splashed under the water. What he did made me believe that I could __________.”

When the 10 lessons for £ 100 offer finished at the pool, she __________ to sign up for lessons. In fact, from originally being __________ of the water, Angela is now becoming a regular swimmer and __________ some certificates (证书) along the way

6 . It was Near Year time. We were travelling in a van(小型货车) _______ toys to the homeless. When we approached the spot, something caught my eye. Something or someone was moving in the rubbish. Soon I _______ that it was the home of a poor family. There were two _______, both about my age at the time, and a lady I supposed to be their mother. They sat there _______. 

As a little girl myself I was especially interested in the little girl. How _______ our lives were! She lived for the day, _______ through the rubbish for something to fill her stomach. I, on the other hand, was well looked after and never had to worry about _______. I had a good education and thus a _______ future. I looked at the little girl. The only _______ she had was the worn-out dress that she was wearing. 

Seeing this little girl I made the decision to ________ a doll that had belonged to me for a while. When the van came to a stop, I stepped out, called the girl over and ________ the doll in her hand. At first she looked at me with ________ and wasn’t certain what to do, but then she smiled and I saw hope in her eyes. I went back into the vehicle and we started to ________ off, and that’s when we realized the little girl was running behind. We stopped again and opened the door. The girl had ________ with us. She looked directly at me and said two ________ words “Thank you”.

7 . One day, the sewer line (污水管道) under our house burst. My first _______ was to call the plumber (水管工)．I expected the man to _______ of such a miserable job._______, he simply asked, “The address?”

An hour later, Steve arrived in his truck. I _______ anxiously as he walked down into the damp depths. A few moments later he_______, saying, “It’s broken.”

“Can you fix it?” I asked with a mixture of doubt and _______.

Steve looked at me as if scolding me for my lack of   _______ saying, “Sure.” Then he told me that he had to get a backhoe (挖土机) and   _______the street to the main sewer line and that it wouldn’t be done until evening.

I felt somewhat_______upon driving off in my clean vehicle, leaving Steve to such a(n) ________task. I went into town and visited a few friends.________, around 6 p.m., my curiosity got the better of me. I went home and saw a sweeter________: the newly-paved street and a covered-up excavation across my front garden.

I sat down, lost in________. I was taken by the very idea that, sometimes terrible things might happen to an unlucky homeowner, ________ there is always somebody who is ________in its solution.

9 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.