3 . For almost 18 years, my mom has given time from her life to devote her care to my growth. She has washed _________ clothes. She’s planned doctors’ appointments_________ all parts of the body, cut hair, taken pictures, bought presents, _________ vacations and basically kept a small boy’s life_________ smoothly.

When I was 12, I got into_________ arguments with my older and wiser parents. The _________ never lead to any achievement for me, but I still took part. Many times strong feeling of anger caused tears to _________ up in my eyes by the end of the quarrel with them. _________, I’d return to my room and stay for as long as my parents allowed. Then I’d _________ a knock and hardly manage a weak, “Come in.” My mom, acting as a peacemaker, __________ slowly enter and sit next to me on the bed. I’d again try to __________ what I had said was true, __________ this time less angrily. Then mom calmly, strictly and lovingly showed to me her voice of __________. After that she’d hug me and I’d stop crying; all would be __________ in my family again.

Hugs will __________ be her trademark: warm hugs for goodnights, good-byes and a thousand other such situations. “You’re never too old to __________ your mother.” I’ve heard those eight words since I came to the world. They ring true. For some reason, those words possess the unbelievable __________ to reduce anxiety, cool an angry head, __________ fears and put wrong things right.

Perhaps my mother, now worthy of the title “Mom” can be an example to mothers everywhere. Being a mother is not so __________. Any female has the ability to become one. The challenge isn’t in becoming a “mother”, but instead, becoming a “mom”. Mine does that quite __________.

6 . When I was 19, I was in a really bad car accident. I woke up with a severe_______injury and I learned that my IQ had dropped. Worse still, I had to_______ from college, and people said to me, “You’re not going to finish college. There are other things for you to do, but that’s not going to work out for you.” I had identified with being smart, and had been called_______as a child. Having my _______taken from me, I felt entirely_______.

I worked and worked, and_______graduated from college, which took me four years longer than others. After that, I applied to a graduate program and_______someone, my advisor Susan to take me on, and so I _______at Princeton. I still felt I was not supposed to be there. The night before my first-year _______I was so afraid that I called her and said, “I’m________” She said, “You’re going to stay, and this is what you’re going to do. You are going to________it and do every talk that you ever get asked to do, even if you’re________ until you have this moment where you say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m doing it. I have become this.’”

So that’s what I did. I spent five years in graduate school and got my degree. Now I am a public speaker. I realized that I had not just faked it till I made it, I had faked it till ________it. Our________can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our ________.

7 . My grandchild, Harold, was celebrating his 7th birthday. Asked what _________ he wanted, he said he wanted me to make fudge (乳脂软糖). I _________ it perhaps 20 years earlier with little success. What I once made was either fudge _________ or a hard and burnt rock.

Harold remembered me telling of these _________, but he held the _________ that I could successfully make fudge for him. Since he eagerly wanted it, I _________ and I tried my best to make it.

I followed the _________ step by step, which told me to “continue stirring the cooked mixture until it turns white and shiny”. I _________ stirring it. And then something _________ happened. I felt the fudge start to harden. “This is just the ____________ moment,” I thought. I stopped stirring immediately and poured it into a big plate. How happy! The fudge came out ____________ for the first time!

As I presented the perfectly crafted fudge to Harold, his eyes sparkled with ____________ and a wave of pride ____________ me. It dawned on me that life is about a series of challenges and, more importantly, opportunities for ____________. It’s about embracing the unknown and believing in oneself even when past experiences may suggest otherwise. Harold’s simple ____________ had become a catalyst (催化剂) for personal growth and overcoming my own limitations.

8 . I would be regretful if I did not write about the incredible people we met in Thailand. The staff at the hotels we stayed in went out of their way to make us feel ______.It could be argued that they were just doing their______, but this is not how it felt to us.

At the IuDia Hotel in Ayutthaya the staff went above and______what we would have expected. The dining room was not open in the evening and when we asked where we could get a takeaway meal, the front desk clerk______us to the nearby restaurant. After we returned, the hotel staff______us with what we needed—plates and cutlery. Not only did they put our food in servicing bowls, but also they______the clean-up while we slept. We were______and deeply touched by their kindness and_______

On one of our walks my brother and I were offered bottles of freshwater by one of the locals. She felt that we needed it and did not want to take ______for the two bottles she offered. She ______agreed to take 10 Thai bahts; instead, we gave her 20. My brother______that her kindness deserved more than the 20 Thai bahts. We all laughed, sharing a moment of comradery that still______my heart.

Our experiences were a______to be open, willing to interact with______and to share parts of ourselves with them as well—a ______worth learning and remembering.

9 . Every year, I look forward to meeting the Teacher of the Year for Washington. It’s always fascinating to hear ______ in their field talk about their teaching.

This year’s conversation was ______ though. Unluckily, because of something unexpected, I couldn’t talk with Amy Campbell, this time’s winner, ______. The meeting had to take place over video chats. Unlike any others, Amy is ______ —and so are her students. That’s because Amy is engaged in special education and all her students have ______. So she has to put forward ______ ways to draw them into their schoolwork.

I was ______ by how Amy customized(定制)learning programs. She told me about a schoolboy, who was completely non-verbal, visually damaged, and couldn’t move his arms or legs. Rather than focus on what the boy couldn’t do, Amy ______ what he could do, like nodding and shaking his head. She ______ a writing system for him to effectively record what he did like his classmates.

Amy’s goal is to create an environment where all her students can ______ well and live happily. Instead of being taught in the ______ model where special students are kept alone, her students are ______ into the school. They have professional places to study and live in. They learn and socialize in the classrooms, eat in the cafeteria, and play sports in the ______.

Amy takes great pains to figure out exactly what ______ for each student. Her students with special needs are ______ treated as the school members. They’re lucky to have her by their side.

10 . Mark grabbed his keys. He needed to get out of the house quickly. He had been trying to save as much money as possible due to his _________.

He lost half his right arm in a car accident several years ago, and it was _________ to find a job in his town. One of his friends had got him an interview and he was on his way. But after closing and locking his door, Mark _________ and got the shock of his life. A pregnant (怀孕的) woman was lying in his yard. He _________ to her side, kneeling. Mark was _________ about her although she was breathing lightly.

He grabbed his phone and called 911 quickly._________, it started to rain. With his full _________, he brought her into the house. Finally, the ambulance came.

The following day, he was sitting inside when his _________ rang. He opened the door and saw a man _________ him. He was Connor Lawrenc. Mark saved his wife Marissa yesterday in the yard. Thanks to Mark’s timely __________, his wife was safe.

Then Connor said, “Mark, I got a(n) __________ as soon as I saw you. I’m an engineer, and I work with the hospital all the time, creating prosthetics (义肢). Have you considered getting one?” “Of course, I have. But I don’t have a job or the money.” Mark __________, a bit ashamed about revealing his __________ situation.

“It would be a gift,” Connor __________.

Mark agreed. It took about two months for Connor to __________ the prosthetic for Mark. During that time, the couple became Mark’s closest friends.