1 . People say I was born middle­aged.It sounds _______.I took on many family responsibilities at an early age，which meant _______ childish things long before my childhood was over.When you have adult _______ on your mind，it’s hard to find time for play.

As an adult，I was much _______ and had less time to play.But things changed one night.When I was cutting across the local park，I saw some swings there.Then I suddenly _______ happily playing on one，only several times，as a kid.And I suddenly _______ to play again without others around me.I _______ one swing，pushing myself to go high.Then I thought，“What if I get injured?” But that _______ couldn’t bring me down.The best feelings of childhood hit me as I flew through the air.

Later，neighbors with dogs came out.Some neighbors clearly _______ my swinging.Their eyes seemed to say，“Strange and crazy people appear when there’s a moon!” I didn’t ____________ what they thought of me.After all，my ____________ weren’t hurting anyone.Besides，they’d understand the ____________ if they tried swinging themselves.____________，I came down from the swing and went back home.The next night，I continued swinging.Some neighbors even ____________ me.I was glad they found the fun of riding a swing.

My childhood may be over, ____________ that doesn’t mean my playtime is over.Whenever I walk through the park，I will play on a swing for a while.

2 . My neighbour Orlando is a paramedic (护理人员). He and his wife are some of the nicest people I have ever met. A few years back we started this sort of “favor war”, where one of us would do something for the other, such as shoveling (铲) his driveway or helping him build a shed, and next time the other would try to top it with another favor.

Yesterday morning there was maybe 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground and I remembered he shoveled my driveway for me last snowfall. So I took out my shovel and took care of both our sidewalks and driveways because it was my turn to do a favor back. It took a while but I finished and got into my car for work. What I did not realize was that Orlando had to work that day too.

Fast forward to this morning I got a knock on my door. It was him. He immediately shook my hand and informed me that because I shoveled his driveway and sidewalk for him, he was able to get to work earlier. As soon as he started his shift, a call came through that a young boy was in a medical emergency. Luckily he and his partner were only about 2 minutes away, but the next closest ambulance was in 10 minutes. This kid didn’t have 10 minutes. He barely had 2 minutes. Because my neighbour got to work sooner, the young boy got to live his life.

This isn’t a brag (吹嘘). This is to inform others that even the smallest favors can have the biggest impacts. It wasn’t too much of trouble to shovel his driveway for him, but because I did, the young kid got to see his family again, go back to school again, talk to his friends again and live his life.

4 . Rick Anderson says he isn’t scared of sharks and he is appealing to others to learn to love them.

“I try to convince people that looking at a shark eye to eye is totally different to sitting on a surfboard or a boat looking at every shadow that goes underneath thinking it’s a shark coming to get them,” he said. “Eye to eye they look at you, you look at them and you go your own way.”

“I find that once people see their first sharks, their whole attitude changes. They realize that they are not as scary as what they thought they were,” Mr Anderson said. He compares sharks to dogs, in the way they show their behavior and attitude towards humans. “You’re not going to go up to a dog that is arching (拱起) its back and making a low sound in the throat at you,” he said. “If a shark is arching and its fins (鳍) are down, it’s telling you to move on.” He admit he thought the shark was trying to attack him the first few times.

Mr Anderson is against the controversial policy introduced in Western Australia to kill a shark if it presents a threat to humans. He said many of the same things that occur in Western Australia are also happening in New South Wales.

Mr Anderson said that sharks come closer to shore because they are attracted to the smell of whale carcasses (尸体) which have broken down after being buried in the sand on many beaches.

Mr Anderson often sees grey nurse sharks, fur seals, leopard seals, penguins and fishes of a range of colours in the Pacific Ocean along Bellingen Shire. “Depending on the time of the year, you can get a good mixture of sea creatures moving through there,” he said. Tiger sharks are his favourite kind of sharks. He describes them as pig-headed but also graceful creatures.

6 . What do you do with a withered orchid (兰花)?____ you’re an expert, you may find that they never ____ for you again.

Everything has a life cycle and orchids don’t ____ forever. I can’t ____ throwing out orchids. I have tried my best, but in ____. After so much ____ and error, I was almost ____ that they have died.____, my wife had other ideas.

Some of the plants were moved to a table in the living room, and others were ____ on the kitchen window.

Actually, everything has its own life cycle. Sure, you can ____ hope. It was easy to believe that those orchids would never flower again—that is, until my wife decided to come to their ____.

My wife kept moving the plants around the house looking for the right light.____, the orchids stayed alive. Tiny new stems (茎) grew from the old ones a year later. And now, nearly all of them are flowering.

Yes, you can ____everything you think is important—your beauty, your wealth, even your family — but as long as you are alive, you can find new life within something you thought was never going to bloom (开花) again. Never lose ____ on finding new life, even if the chance is ____.

7 . By the time I was 12, my family had owned many types of pets—a rabbit, countless fish, frogs, and even birds. But I always _______ a puppy. So when I returned from sleep-away camp in sixth grade and was _______ by a little dog named Tyler, it was quite possibly the _______ day of my life.

A couple of years went by and Tyler was the picture of perfect _______, until we came home from a family vacation to find him acting unlike his _______ happy self. He had no _______ in playing or eating, and he was losing tons of hair and weight.

Filled with _______, we rushed him to the doctor’s to run tests. A terrible tumor(肿瘤) was found between his heart and lungs. Every doctor we spoke to _______ he should be put to sleep. We were told that _______ we tried to treat his cancer, he would only live another two to three years.

However, we decided not to give up this little ________ thing. An operation was performed on him and his health was ________ improving, but we still couldn’t ________ what the doctors had told us: “Only two to three years...” So with that in mind, we ________ him like a prince. We loved him like no puppy had ________ been loved before—at least in our minds.

Tyler is turning 11 years old this year. The only ________ doctors have offered to us is that he is still alive because of the strong tie he has with my family.

8 . It was an extremely hot summer day. A thunderstorm had passed and now the clouds were cleared and the sun returned. Steam was coming off the ____ sidewalk as I parked my car. I ____ into the local store to buy my son a shirt. The air conditioner there was welcome ____ from the heat outside. 

Having made my ____,I walked back into the heat. I got into my car but had to wait to ____ because all the cars were lining up at the red light. I looked out of my car window and saw something on the pavement. A single butterfly was ____ fluttering (拍打) its wings but couldn’t get off the ground. Besides, it was right in front of a truck’s tire. Without a second thought, I got out of my car, ____ my hand so that the truck driver wouldn’t move ____,and then bent down to look at the butterfly. One of its legs was ____ in what looked like spilt soda. I reached down and ____ the butterfly in my hands ____. I lifted its leg and it was ____. I opened my hands and up it flew towards the shining sun. My own eyes shined brighter and my own heart was ____ as I watched it. 

Lots of people might wonder why I would step out into traffic like that to ____ a single butterfly. All I can say is that my heart was ____ me at that moment. And when I had done it, I felt more like my true self than I had all day.

10 . I arrived late in Thessaloniki after my flight was delayed (延迟) over three hours. _______, my Airbnb hostess still picked me up from the _______ and made the 40-minute _______ to her place. We got there at around 11 pm!

Sadly, I realized I had almost reached my _______limit. I decided that I wouldn’t be spending any money on dinner that night. _______, I’d choose a budget-friendly breakfast the next day.

Upon hearing this, the mother of the lady running the Airbnb gave me a _______, said something in Greek, laughed, and left. I _______this was a goodnight embrace (拥抱) and I prepared to go to bed.

A little bit later the older lady _______, with a big plate of cheese, boiled eggs, and salad. She wouldn’t allow me to go to bed _______a late-night dinner. I was totally ________by this kind gesture towards a stranger (me).

The meal was delicious, and ________I tried to offer the lady money as a thank-you for her ________, she refused. All the worries of the day disappeared and I went to bed smiling and with a(n) ________stomach.

When I was leaving the next morning, I left 20 euros and a thank-you note, and I ________them to make sure they would be found after I left.

This hospitable (好客的) Greek family fed a hungry stranger and really ________my time in Greece. I loved everything Thessaloniki had to offer in the way of history, culture, and natural beauty.