1 . Johan and his younger brother, Rahim, had an unforgettable fishing experience. They could not spend the evening _______ their schoolwork with their mother. They had to go out fishing. Their father, a fisherman, was feeling _______ . The brothers had to catch some fish so that their father could _______ them in the market the next morning to support the family.

That evening, Rahim decided to _______ the sea early. He knew that if he and Johan were to set off late, they might not be able to find a good _______ at sea to catch plenty of fish. Rahim urged Johan to hurry and instructed him to _______ the fishing net onto their boat quickly.

While out at sea Rahim helped _______ the boat when Johan cast the net into the waters. Although it was _______ work, they were glad to be able to help their sick father. While waiting to pull the net in, the brothers took out their _______ from their bags to revise. It was not easy as they could not see clearly under the dim light from the oil lamp. Suddenly, their boat ________ hard from left to right. Rahim gasped(喘气)and held his brother’s arm ________ . Although he was ________ , Johan remained calm. He went to the ________ of their boat to take a look. He saw the net shaking.

Excited about the ________ , Johan decided to pull in the net. To his surprise, there were no fishes. Upon taking a ________ look, Johan found that the net had a huge ________ in it.

”A big fish must have damaged the net while trying to escape,“ Johan ________ seeing this.

________ , the brothers returned home. However, their parents were ________ that they had persevered(坚持)and put in their best ________ that night.

2 . When I was a teenager, I was invited to a formal dance party. I was _________, but also nervous about what to wear. Mom suggested I wear high heels (高跟鞋).

“Mom, I don’t know if I can wear these,” I said, feeling _________. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Just take small _________ and keep your weight centered,” she suggested.

As I arrived at the party, I tried to be _________ and act like everything was fine. But _________ struck when I stepped onto the dance floor. I _________ my own feet, falling to the ground in front of everyone.

I quickly got up and laughed it off, pretending like it was _________. But deep down, I felt like a tomato, wanting to _________.

My friend Lilly helped me _________ that incident and managed me another high heels as a support so that nobody would understand my hesitation. But a little bit __________ continued in my mind.

When I returned home, I told Mom I felt like a complete __________ at the party. “It’s okay. You tried something new, and it didn’t go as __________. But that’s how we learn and grow. Don’t be too __________ on yourself and wear what you feel __________ in,” Mom said, giving me a hug.

From that day forward, I stuck to flat shoes. I learned to __________ my true self and not worry about what others thought.

3 . It was snowing in the midwinter, in a rural highway outside of town. Pepper and Cooper, a pair of beagles (小猎犬) walked with great difficulty through the ________ night. Cooper, a father-to-be ________ the roadside for a spot, where his struggling companion might rest safely. Her way was made ________ by the new life growing inside her. They needed a ________, dry place safe from the bitter wind.

That December night, Gus Kiebel was driving home from work when he ________ the pair in the flash of his headlights. Feeling curious and ________, he parked his truck and ________ the animals. Gus ________ down and stretched out his hands to the beagles, which made no effort to ________. He ________ the dogs on the passenger seat of his truck. Then he ________ his phone and called the number from the dogs’ tags. A man answered and immediately grew ________ and impatient when Gus told him why he was calling. ________, the man declined to ________ the dog. These beagles were ________, no home at all in this world. Then he called his wife Katie. “You can’t put them back in the ________,” she said. “Bring them home.”

Without enough ________ for two more dogs in their small house, the next day, Katie took them to a shelter nearby. In the days following, Katie phoned the shelter ________ to check up on Pepper and Cooper. Soon after Christmas, the beagles were ________ - as a pair, by a loving family. This touching story speaks to the best of our nature. And when kindness and love overcome ________ and neglect (忽视), it can feel like the greatest miracle of all.

4 . Beep! Beep! Beep! I rolled over and turned off my alarm clock. It was still _________ outside so I turned on the light. I got dressed quickly because I knew both of my dogs would be _________ to get outside for their morning walk. I reached over to grab a _________ and stopped. It was technically still fall but the _________ here in the Appalachian mountains of my home didn’t follow the _________. It had been cold and snowy two days ago and chilly and rainy yesterday. I had forgotten to _________ the weather report for today, however, so I wasn’t sure if I _______ my light jacket or my heavy coat.

I _________ my light jacket, pulled it on and leashed up my bigger dog. I opened the door and stepped outside. Instantly I knew I had made the _________ choice. Each breath I exhaled was a frozen mist. The wind chill was bitter cold. The grass was covered in __________ and I tried to keep my __________ while my dog dragged me along behind him.

I shivered (打寒颤) and __________ a bit but finally turned my head up to the heavens. I looked up at the __________sky and saw it was full of twinkling stars. It was so beautiful and so peaceful. __________, I felt a warmth inside of me and __________ shivering. While my dog sniffed the ground, I opened my heart to the __________ of nature’s creation. In all of its sweet seasons it had never __________ to touch my soul. It had heated my heart on the coldest days and     ________ my spirit on the darkest nights.

Our lives here are full of sweet __________ as well. From the innocence and youth of Spring to the wisdom and wrinkles of Winter. __________ all your sweet seasons. Make each day a creation of your love.

5 . Close to the king’s palace stood a little house. In it lived a ______ gardener who worked at the palace grounds from dawn to dusk. It was hard work. Yet he ______ complained. He always seemed to be at peace with himself.

The king wondered, “I wish I could be as happy as him.”

One evening the king found the gardener packing up his tools after ______ the day’s work. He was covered with dust and mud. But he kept singing to himself. The king ______ him and said, “You are always happy. I wish I could be as happy as you. What is the ______ of your happiness? Won’t you ______ it with me? ”

“Why should I be unhappy when I get two meals a day and have a ______ to sleep in at night? I’m happy that I have the ______ to work from morning till evening to earn my bread. I’m so ______ now that I can enjoy anything, even hard dry bread. And I am tired too. So I can ______ on the hardest floor, and drop off to sleep ______ . When I wake up in the morning, I feel fresh and full of ______ to welcome another day. I take every ______ as it comes. This moment is what ______ to me the most,” the gardener bowed and replied ______ .

“But what if tomorrow you fall sick! Shouldn’t you think of the future too?” the king asked.

“And start ______ ? Then I will lose my appetite. I will not get good sleep. I will fall sick and ______ my job. I will starve and die. I can’t ______ to worry about the future. Only this moment counts. Nothing else,” the gardener explained.

“You said it. Thank you,” the king nodded and ______ to change his attitude and to make the best use of the ______ .

6 . Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you’ve experienced a deep disappointment? Maybe the most ______ thing most of us can do is to be with people when we don’t feel like being around anybody.

A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be ______ . He dropped out of his community and ______ all of the activities he and his wife were used to for year. He ______ socializing at work and returned ______ home to an empty house after work. He turned down ______ from friends and co-workers.

His friends became ______ . One came by to visit and invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat in comfortable chairs by a ______ . The visitor extended the dinner invitation and ______ him to come, “You may need to ______ others to share your pain.”

The man responded that he felt better ______ staying with other people. “And ______ ,” he said, “it’s just too difficult to get out anymore.”

They sat in ______ for a while, watching the wood burn in the fireplace. Then the visitor did a(n) ______ thing. He took tongs (火钳) by the fireplace, reached into the fire, pulled out a ______ coal and laid down by itself on the earth. “That’s you,” he said.

The man sat in silence, ______ the red-hot ember. Neither man looked ______ as the once hot coal gradually transformed into a black lump. After some moments, the man said, “I get the ______ , my friend. I’ll be over tomorrow evening.”

We cannot ______ in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the roots need the rest of the tree. We are ______ . And in that connection life and vitality (活力) are found.