1 . My mom is about to have a spinal (脊柱的) operation. The operation is ______ minor, but does carry a risk of paralysis (瘫痪). Friends and family have ______ to this news by talking in such pessimistic terms that Mom has come to ______ this kind of talk as “psychological theft”. It occurs when other people increase your anxiety ______ providing comfort.

Last week Mom ______ Geoff who works for the local school. “How are you?” he asked. “Not great,” she replied, “I have been having some trouble with my back and I’m going to need a(n) ______.” “Oh, the back the most ______ place to operate on! My mom had that and she was in terrible pain.” He responded. Geoff’s ______ had been kind. He’d given his own mother’s story to show sympathy, ______ Mom only heard danger and pain.

People could have ______ things that would be equally true, but more ______ to patients. “The specialists in our hospitals are among the best in the world.” — that’s a good one. “You’re going to feel much better ______.” — that’s another.

I’m not suggesting patients should be ______ from the reality of the risks they’re taking. But if the decision to have an operation can’t really be ______, what’s the purpose of stressing the ______? It’s just common sense to say, “Get well soon, and how can I help?”

4 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider (局外人), bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt __ alone in my small town.

When I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to __ kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I __, the more kindness and __ I received. I realized my purpose in life would be to __ to people, especially teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my __ friends back then. I was so __ that the authors wrote those books. After __ terrible experiences at school, I made a choice to take the __ , positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream __, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is __ I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this __ opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness __ me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is ___. But by practicing daily kindness, you can become a(n) __ of positive change.

6 . It was our first Thanksgiving in the new house and I wanted everything to be perfect. But my plan for everyone to do some preparation work had been ______ by my husband's business trip. Even worse, a project for me that week had wasted two days of planned vacation. By Wednesday, my task of a table with fresh flowers, ______ drinking glasses and various home-made desserts had already failed. I just hoped that I'd find a clean tablecloth and eight ______ forks.

In my perfect Thanksgiving, there wouldn't be any orange in my salad because it hadn't made the grocery list. There would be no perfect family photos to record that day because I hadn't got the broken camera ______. Someone had brought home the wrong toilet paper, which was the last straw that made me ______.

I don't remember what my son asked me as he was doing some cleaning, ______ I do remember twisting into that mean-and-tight mum-face before making an ______. This combination of noise and anger is a universal signal to kids everywhere that they had better ______ me. But he didn't.

Instead of disappearing from view, my second-grade boy turned ______ the cleaning machine and walked across the room to face me. He never said a word. He just ______ me, making me feel ______ of myself until today.

It turned out a(n) ______ Thanksgiving. The people I loved gathered around my table and dined on just one choice of the pie. My dad used a mismatched fork without ______. My daughter drew a picture of us where everyone smiled.

My son took a(n) ______ to teach me that sometimes we need a hug most when we are least huggable. This is the best gift you can give: one size ______ all and no one ever minds if you return.

7 . A few years back, I suffered from a strange vertigo health issue, which caused me to feel dizzy. Around that time, I had to travel to North Carolina for a business trip that I could not _________. My wife said that she wanted to_________ me on the trip.

On our hour-long Uber ride to the airport, vertigo_________. As I sat in the front of the car, I couldn’t _________ myself. Vertigo came on in such a_________ that I threw up all over the seat. I was so_________. Quietly, I asked the Uber driver to _________ so that I could deal with the_________ I created. After some clean-up and freshwater, my wife asked me if we should_________ the trip and head back home. I told her that I felt OK and asked to go to the airport.

The Uber driver got us to the airport safely and even helped us __________ the luggage into a cart. When he was about to__________, I told him I was sorry for what happened and I thanked him for his understanding and kindness. With a__________ smile he said, “No worries, my friend. Take care.”

The Uber driver never showed a tinge of__________ or anger toward me. My wife and I were recalling the__________ of the Uber driver and were so glad that we could give him a generous __________. May his tribe grow.

8 . From the top of Mount Qomolangma to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, plastic continues to pollute our environment, and it poses a significant threat to all life forms on Earth. _________ knowing the ecological, eco-toxicological, and economic effects of plastic pollution, we have not been able to forbid the use of plastic products. Now, _________ the invention of a 17-year-old girl, we finally have a much better alternative. This plastic-like material is made from prawn shells(虾壳), and it divides 1.5 million times faster than most of _________ plastic products we use today.

She extracted the carbohydrate called “chitin” from the shells and used chemical change to turn it into chitosan(基糖). She then mixed it with an insoluble protein called “fibroin”, which is found in silk cocoons. Using the _________ of these two organic materials, Arora created a plastic-like material that _________ completely within just 33 days. Moreover this plastic _________ nitrogen(氮) when dividing, which is why it can be used as mulch or plant fertilizer.

In the 2018 Broken Hill Proprietary company(BHP) Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards, Arora was awarded the Innovator to Market Award. She also gained international _________ through the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Thousands of _________ students from over 81 nations participated in the competition, and Arora came in fourth for her creativity. She also won a comprehensive _________ to one of the best universities in the United States.

The 17-year-old, now a student of medicine, is on a search to __________ the usage of traditional plastic. She has produced the final prototype of her product, and it is ready to be produced commercially. However, before that happens, she has to __________ legal formalities(合法手续) such as patenting. She is also talking to supermarkets and __________ them to use her biodegradable plastic, which is insoluble, durable, and transparent. It can be used for all kinds of packaging, and the producing cost of the product is also __________ than most biodegradable products.

An __________ young woman, Angelina Arora wants to make a difference in the world, and she wants to encourage other young people, especially young women, to __________ their passion and make a positive difference however they can. Thus, women are now getting stronger and stronger.

9 . Be a Good One

“Whatever you are,” said Abraham Lincoln,“be a good one.” He prove it with his own life. And in the present age his words ______ an improvement.

Composer Frederick Loewe was not always famous. He learned the piano from the great masters of Europe and achieved huge success as a(n) ______ and composer in his early years. But when he immigrated to the United States, he ______ as a piano genius. For a while he tried other types of job including looking for gold and boxing

During those hard years, he could not always ______ to make payments on his piano. One day, bent over the keyboard he heard nothing but the music that he ______ with such rare inspiration.When he finished and looked upon, he was ______   to find that he had the audience of three men who were seated on the floor. They said nothing and made no movement toward the piano. ______, they stood from the floor and dug into their pockets collected together enough ______ for the payment, placed it on the piano and walked out, empty handed. Moved by the ______ of his music, these men recognized excellence and______ to it.

Whatever you are, be a ______ one. If what you do is worth doing, if you believe that who you are is of value then you can’t afford to be______ with mediocrity (平庸).When you choose the path of excellence through this life, you will bring it to your best and ______ the best it can offer in return. And you will know what it is to be satisfied.

10 . It was 2002. It was suggested that I should learn to drive, so my father decided to teach me.

Easier said than done. The driving plan was quietly _______ after I almost crashed his car into a stone wall. My next _______ was in 2006. This time, the_______ was a very nice friend. But after three sessions, he _______. “I can’t teach you,” he said. “You have no _______ at all.” To be honest, that was _______ to me. Actually, I thought I was afraid of many things — thunderstorms, forest fires, bears, but these were not the _______ kind for driving.

Nine years later, I had a life partner — Graeme Gibson — and a baby. One day, Graeme got his _______ seriously bitten when he helped _______ a dog trapped in the wire fence. Even so, he had to drive himself to the hospital ________ thanks to my inability to drive.

This accident ________ me and awoke my enthusiasm for learning. “That’s it,” I said, “I’m learning to drive.” I must ________ myself to support and protect my family. This time, I ________ a professional with nerves of steel. Despite various ________ ,I got my license finally. I was pleased with myself: it seemed I now had the appropriate kind of fears. Learning to drive makes me a more grown-up and ________ adult.