3 . Boundaries are everywhere. Some are for security. Some are for privacy. But some are just for us to _________.

One day, after supper, I took a walk on the _________. Taotao, my 5-year-old son, was bouncing excitedly behind me. He _________ a thin stick and acted as the Monkey King all the time. The sidewalk was paved by red bricks, _________ sharply with the pitch (沥青)-paved bikeway and formed a clear _________. “Use the sidewalk. It’s safe”, I _________ my son frequently.

Suddenly a maple leaf was blown off and _________ quietly on the bikeway, about two steps away. Taotao was totally _________. He stopped, bent down and tried to fetch it but failed. He _________ his stick, tried hard again but still failed. A bit _________, he stood up and moved one step forward, but not beyond the boundary. After several more attempts with the stick, the leaf was still not moving to him. I was right beside him, worried a lot about his further _________.

Finally, he stood up, threw away the stick _________, stepped across the boundary and picked up the leaf directly. Yeah! I saw a _________ smile on his face!

Many times we _________ our thinking within a boundary and can’t find a good solution; many times we hold existing _________ at hand, never thinking about whether they are still useful. We are not lacking in knowledge but short of knowing how to break the thinking boundaries.

4 . On a summer day, the sun was shining brightly and the hotness was into Lerable. All I could_______was cooling down with my favorite ice cream. So I decided to make a quick trip to the newly opened ice cream store close by for a midday_______. I ordered my ice cream and asked the server to_______two tubs (盒) of chocolate ice cream for my daughter and my husband, which I had_______to them. While waiting for the ice cream, I was_______my own ice cream and watching so many people coming in and out of the store. It seemed that they, just like me, could hardly_______ the hotness that day, so they wanted to cool down with ice cream too.

I went to_______when the ice cream to go was ready._______, the cashier had forgotten to bill (将……记入账) the ice cream I had eaten and counted only the ice cream for my daughter and my husband. A few seconds passed by as I_______between doing what was easy—clearing the bill and________, and doing what was right—pointing out the error. I knew if I didn’t bring the error in the bill to his notice, my ice cream would be paid from his salary (工资). That moment, my decision was made. I pushed away my________and pointed out what he had________. He thanked me for__________ him of the error. The others around also praised me for my________. The smile on his face made me smile too.

I came out of the ice cream store feeling really good about myself. I knew that day how wonderful it felt to do what was________rather than what was easy.

5 . It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly my mother will push the conversation into the Third World War. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major (主修专业) in English, she nearly had a heart attack.

“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she shouts all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship (奖学金) and is now earning 70, 000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to say except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve something because of loving it, not because of fame (名声) or salary.

I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes back home around 6:00 pm or even 7:00 pm. Tired as she is, she still cooks supper for me and then does other housework staying up late into the night. Additionally, she never wears fancy clothes and expensive jewelry.

I am fully aware that what my mother has done is out of her deep love for me. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather pursue my dreams and create my own future.

6 . Soon it would be the holidays, but before that, there were year exams. All the students had been studying hard for some months, reviewing their lessons for the exams. If they didn’t _______ the exams, they would have to resit (补考) in September. There were usually a few students who _______ in them, and Lucy didn’t want to be one of them. So Lucy worked very hard to _______ that she could pass the exams. And Lucy was working so hard that her mother was worried about her. Her mother thought she went to bed too late. So the night before the first exam, her mother_______that she should have an early night. Her mother also advised Lucy to take a sleeping pill (药片) if she felt too much stress. Meanwhile, her mother_______ to wake Lucy up in the morning.

_______on the bed, Lucy found it very difficult to fall asleep. She was afraid that she might oversleep and missed the exam. Her _______kept jumping from one subject to another. At last, with the help of _______, she fell sleep. In no time at all, she had a dream: she was sitting in the classroom, looking through the_______ on the desk but she couldn’t answer any of the questions. ________ around her was writing confidently. ________she worked very hard, she couldn’t find anything to write about. She kept looking at her________. Time was running out. There was only an hour left. “It is impossible to finish all the questions within an hour,” Lucy told herself, “but if I ________ now, all my efforts would be useless.” Without any other solution, her body started shivering(颤抖). It shook so much that she ________up. Lucy opened her eyes. ________ came into her view was her mother trying to shaking her awake.

8 . Adonis Lattimore, 17, was born without a right leg, a partial left leg and only one arm. Although there were doubts from his classmates, Lattimore won Virginia’s Class 6 106-pound wrestling (摔跤) championship, capping off his high school career in a major way.

“That feeling when it finally pays off is the best feeling in the world,” Lattimore said. Lattimore’s wrestling career began in primary school when his dad found an ad about a local wrestling club and brought him to a practice. He was attracted and knew he wanted to continue in the sport. “After that, I never stopped going. I guess what kept me there was the competitive spirit and the friends I was meeting on the way,” he said. At times, others would judge his outward appearance, but he didn’t let the doubts weaken his drive. Instead, he remained focused on his technique and never once thought about giving up.

In March, Lattimore took part in his last regional match. Though he was filled with nervousness, he remained focused for each of the three-minute wrestling periods. Then came the moment he worked so hard for. His name was announced on the loudspeaker as the 2022 state champion. “I cried a little bit,” Lattimore said, “I watched so many finals from the stands or just from videos and to actually be the one to win it was a pretty dreamlike feeling.”

Lattimore is now planning on heading to college to continue wrestling and get a degree in computer science. Through his journey, he hopes to encourage other young athletes to enjoy the ride and do whatever they dream about. “Put everything you have into doing what you love,” he said.

9 . My father was a strong fisherman. He loved the sea and would stay out until he caught enough to ______ the family.

When we met ______ weather, he would drive me to school with his old track. And after we arrived, he would bend over and give me a ______ on the face and then tell me to be a good boy. I always felt very shy in front of so many other ______. I was already a twelve-year-old young man, but my father still kissed me goodbye!

Then on a rainy day I ______ to tell him my feeling. When we stopped at the school gate, the ______ big smile appeared on my father’s face. I ______ what would happen next. I ______ put my hand up and for the first time said “No” to him. The smile on his face immediately changed into a ______ look. He looked at me for a long time, and tears began to appear in his eyes. I was shocked. I had never ______ him cry! Then he said, “You’re right. You are a big boy... a man. I won’t kiss you anymore.”

Not long after that, my dad went to the sea on a bad day. Most of the ______ stayed at home, but not Dad, because he had a big family to feed. But after that day, be ______ came back. Later his boat was found with its nets half in and half out. He must have ______ a strong wind and was trying to save the nets.

How I wished I hadn’t ______ my father’s kiss! And from this I have learnt that we should take every chance with our family and friends as the last one in our lives. We can have ______ regrets(遗憾)by doing this.