Standing in the craft (工艺) store, I looked at the painting supplies in awe (敬畏). There were so many items that I had no idea where to start. I saw various tools for painting and several things I had no idea what to do with.

I held gift cards and coupons (优惠券) in my hand. My friends and family had asked what I wanted, and I was very clear this year. I had thought over the idea for months, but I would need supplies. Instead of replying modestly with“I’ll be happy with whatever you choose”, I said pointedly, “Gift cards for the craft store.”

“Are you sure this is what you want for your birthday?” my husband asked hesitantly.

“I’m very sure. I really want to give it a go,” I replied. I was smiling with anticipation (期盼). “I’ve never painted before, and I think it’s time to expand myself.”

He looked at me doubtfully and shook his head.

Truth must be told—this was a secret I’d kept for a while. Every day, he packed up for work and left. I would take care of my son and get him off to school, clean the house, go to the grocery shop and prepare dinner before they both walked in the door at the same time.

It had been a decade since I took any time to follow my own pursuits. I used to love to read; now my books collected dust from lack of time. I used to love to hike; now my boots sat neglected in the back of my closet. I used to love to sew, but my machine was in a state of disrepair for longer than I owned it.

I missed doing all those things, but somehow I never found my way back to them. I had become a drudge (苦工). I wanted excitement and creative expression, but mostly I wanted color.

I selected the most interesting supplies. “Are you really sure about this? I have a feeling you’re going to store all these in the back of a closet and never touch it again.” I almost listened to him. For a split moment, I doubted my commitment.

Squaring up my shoulders, I marched myself to the checkout.

My hand rested on the handle of the vacuum (吸尘器), but I’d been staring at my painting tools far longer than I realized.

5 . To those normal kids, it’s not unusual to hear “Goodnight” when you kiss them, saying “Goodnight” to them. For most parents, it’s just a storm in a teacup. However, for me it’s opposite.

My son James, suffered from the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills whereas James is an exception.

Pre-diagnosis, I’d give James a big kiss and whisper goodnight when putting James to bed. Post-diagnosis, the silence that I received in return was deafening. It had never occurred to me before to be concerned that when I said “Goodnight, James. I love you”, my toddler said nothing in response.

I needed to hear him say something. My husband and I began to promote James to say goodnight back to us. “Say goodnight, Mommy.” For over a year, “Say goodnight, Mommy” was the parting routine of the day. Every night, it made me cry. I never got used to it. But I never gave up hope.

With more efforts, one night, I’d hear something more organic come out of James’s mouth. He dropped the “say”— and his response became “goodnight, Mommy” when James turned four. It was fantastic — but it was still prompted. At six, I got my first unprompted, “Goodnight, Mommy. I love you.” Next to my wedding, and births of my children, this was the most exciting night of my life.

James, now eight, routinely kisses us goodnight and tells us he loves us. The other evening, after giving me a big hug and kiss, James told me, “You’re a great mom! You’re not a mom with feathers, or a mom with colors and markers. I’m glad you’re a... a person!” I don’t know if he had the book Are You My Mother? on his mind, or if this was just one of the many random thoughts that crossed my son’s brain on a daily basis. I do know it was music to my ears.

6 . Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges is celebrating becoming a grandfather and is also happy to be back in acting. But life wasn’t so ______ for him in 2021. He had to fight with cancer and suffered from COVID-19 ______ . Recently, he spoke about those hard days, and what kept him motivated (有动力的).

Life suddenly took a ______ turn for Jeff when one day he started getting pain in his stomach. His whole life ______ when a nine-by-twelve-inch tumor (肿瘤) was found in his stomach. ______ was started immediately and the tumor disappeared soon.

But in January 2021, both he and his wife Sue were ______ by COVID-19. Sue was able to recover in five days, while he ______ with it in hospital for months.

“COVID-19 made my cancer look like ______ ,” Jeff recalled. He couldn’t breathe properly and needed oxygen even to roll over in bed. His wife Sue was ______ that he might die.

“I was pretty close to ______ . The doctors kept telling me, ‘Jeff, you’ve got to fight.’ But I was about to ______ . I was ready to go,” said Jeff. But he remembered his ______ to his daughter to dance with her on her wedding day, which gave him the will to ______ back. And he eventually recovered. He was not only able to ______ with his daughter but was also happy to be reunited again with his wife and enjoy the second ______ at life.

A wise and wealthy man bought a beautiful house with a huge garden. However, not all people     1     (feel) happy for him. A man who disliked him lived in one of     2     old houses next to him. He constantly tried     3     (make) his fellow neighbour’s stay in the beautiful house as terrible as possible. And he     4     (regular) threw garbage under his gate and did other bad     5     (thing).

One fine day, the wise man woke up in a good mood (情绪). He opened the gate and a big bag full of garbage     6     (see) right in the doorway. He emptied the bag of garbage and cleaned the bag. Then he filled the bag     7     many freshly-picked apples and went to his neighbour’s door.

    8     (hear) a knock on his door, the neighbor excitedly thought, “I finally got him! ” He answered the door, ready to quarrel with     9     (he) wealthy neighbour. However, the wise man gave him the bag of apples, saying, “The person     10     is rich in something shares it with others.” The neighbour felt ashamed and said sorry to the wise man.

8 . The community at Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn recently suffered a tragic loss. Walters, a mother working as a secretary at the _________, passed away after battling against cancer. One of her final _________ was that her daughter Brittany wouldn’t _________ the homecoming party. The devoted mother was always _________ at school events to support her daughter, except for this one.

“She _________ she couldn’t make it out here,” said Sean, Walters’ husband. “She made me _________ to come here with Brittany because she didn’t want to _________ her homecoming day.” She said that was something she would _________ for the rest of her life. The mom _________ that morning, but her family kept their promise. Sean __________ Brittany to the party, where they stood among the __________. Then something extraordinary happened!

Senior Nyla was voted the homecoming queen. __________, after being crowned (加冕), she made a big decision. After asking __________ from school officials, Nyla walked over to Brittany beside her father and put the crown on her. __________, Brittany tried to refuse the crown at first. I told her it belonged to her, and then she was __________, Nyla recalled. “I said, ‘No, come here and get it. You’re your mom’s queen.’ I wanted her to know that. And then I __________ her.” Brittany burst into tears, and there wasn’t a dry __________ on the spot. What a heartwarming scene! What Nyla did shined a light on the __________ family.

While this kind act was surprising, people who __________ Nyla say she is just the sort of person. “She’s always been warmhearted,” Principal Holder said. A person’s real beauty shouldn’t come from appearance. Instead, it should be that of inner self, the unfading beauty of a __________ spirit.

10 . Twenty-eight years ago, best friends Tom Cook and Joe Feeney made a promise to each other that whoever won the Powerball jackpot (强力球头奖), if they were so lucky, would share the winnings with the other. And that _______ to Tom who picked a ticket worth $22 million last June. He remembered his _______.

Tom bought the S2 winning ticket for the June 10 drawing. He was having breakfast the next morning and he froze when he read the _______. He handed the ticket over to his very _______ wife.

Tom said he remembered the promise he and Joe made almost three _______ ago. So he called his friend to share the _______ news. They made the promise to each other while _______ what they would do if they won all that money.

“He called me and I said, ‘Aren’t you _______, man?’” said Joe of his _______. “A handshake’s a handshake,” said Tom. What a ________ guy! Tom and Joe were ________ around $5.7 million each after paying taxes. They could now do anything they ________.They have no extravagant (奢侈的) plans about the ________ winnings, but both are looking forward to spending more time with their ________.

“We both got grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and we’re looking forward to spending time with them, not worrying about if we got time to go, and where we can go, and if we can ________ it,” said Tom.