2 . When my father, who grew up on Tyneside, moved to the country in the 70s, he rapidly began accepting invitations to blood sports. He enjoyed the company, the sport and the hours spent out in the wild.

From about the age of eight, I was invited to accompany him on these weekend excursions, much like a child being taken to their first football matches. I was fed up with the early starts and standing around in freezing conditions, waiting for birds to be driven into the sky, to their deaths, over a line of booming guns. But I wanted to please my dad.

So years later-aged 27, I accepted an invitation to go deer hunting in Scotland with my father.

The hunting party assembled one Friday in September. The driver was also our ghillie, a tough figure whose job it was to identify elderly or weak deer that were selected for hunting and guide us to them through wind, fog and rain.

“Why are you doing this?” I kept asking myself. “What would have been wrong with a walk? Or a guided wildlife tour?”

And then, suddenly, the ghillie almost pushed me to the ground. He pointed at a cloud of fog about a hundred yards ahead. I was baffled, until the cloud lifted like a curtain to reveal-directly in front of us one of the most magnificent living creatures I have ever seen.

“Now!” the ghillie hissed in my ear. “Now’s your chance. The deer! Remember. You want to kill it, not wound it.”

I adjusted my position, focused down the scope once more and placed my finger on the trigger (扳机). And, of course, I didn’t fire. Another curtain of mist came; when it lifted, seconds later, the stag had disappeared.

But I wasn’t disappointed. I was elated. I had come — via a telescopic sight — face to face with an old but most beautiful, iconic and noble beasts of Britain, roaming free in an empty and deserted land of his kingdom.

It was moment of truth and lasting inspiration. I could never have killed that deer-not in any context, for any reason But I would, a decade Inter, write a story about him Not just one book, but four, about little boy and the stag that persuades him to help save the world’s last remaining animals The encounter with that magnificent stag changed my life And guess what-those stories did please my dad.

3 . When we moved into our home in Maui, Hawaii, 16 years ago, one good thing about this house was the huge avocado tree growing in the backyard.

This tree gave the most delicious avocados I have ever tasted. I lived on these avocados when nursing my first child. Fresh avocado was the very first food for my kids. This tree was so huge that it cast a massive shadow over our backyard. It was truly our magical tree.

Until one day, someone from the Health Department came to tell us that our avocado tree was too large and needed trimming. In New York, you get in trouble if you don’t clear the snow off your sidewalk. Here, it’s when your trees are too high. So along came the trimmer, leaving just the trunk and a few branches. I was sad. The kids were all sad. Some friends who knew it would say, “It’s going to grow back. Your next avocados will be crazy!” Yeah, whatever. The tree is gone, so stop doing that. It just didn’t work.

But a few days later, I noticed some unusual butterflies flying around the yard. And then, the sun came in the kitchen, creating this pleasant warmth once blocked by the huge tree. After about a month, I started to notice some tiny green shoots coming out of the cut branches, which eventually turned into full-on bright green leaves.

I started to feel like all was going to be fine, kind of like life. Little do we know what seems really difficult is actually life’s way of making us stronger. It’s life’s way of bringing in the butterflies, the sunshine, and the delightful flowers. We all know that saying, “It will be OK in the end. If it’s not, it’s not the end.”

Ben was worried these days. His father Michael was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease.

Michael was once proud of his good memory. He would keep a note, a list of daily activities, in his pocket as a reminder in case he forgot something. Also, he would prepare Ben a similar note. The family would like to call it “the magic note”.

Michael loved his family. No matter how busy he was, he never failed to show himself at the school gate every day. He made it a duty to pick up Ben at 4: 30 p. m. in the kindergarten. When Ben grew into a big boy, he would still do his duty, but in a different way. He would wander about the school area at round 4:00 p.m., keep an eye on the school gate, and check his watch a thousand times before greeting Ben in a natural, yet awkward way.

“Hi, Ben.”

“Hi, Dad. What are you doing right here?”

“Well. I was just passing by. Well. You see. I grabbed some fruit for meal tonight.”

“Really?”

“Sure thing. Let’s go home. How is it today?”

Whenever Ben recalled these sweet moments, a wave of warmth swept through him.

However, Michacl’s condition was becoming worse recently. This week, he lost his way in the neighborhood once more. Ben attempted to keep him home in case he got lost again. “Are you joking? Me? AD? I know where I am and who you are.” Michael argued, “You are always the tenth to come out when the school day finished. You see. I remember everything about you, your voice and look!” Ben had no other choice but to put a note with the address and a phone number into his pocket.

This afternoon, when Michael was at home alone, he decided to get some fresh air outside. Though he kept telling himself not to go too far, he lost his way and ended up at a crossroads. “Where am I?” he whispered. He kept moving forward and found himself at a school gate, the gate of Ben’s primary school. Looking at his watch, he realized it was about 4:30 p.m. “Right! Ben is waiting for me!” he almost shouted.

There went the bell and children kept walking out of the school gate.

“Not my Ben,” he sighed, putting his hand into his pocket habitually.

If you asked my friends whether they’d call me shy, they’d laugh their heads off. But with _________, I instantly turn into the shyest mouse.

One day, my karate (空手道) friend Wyatt invited me to his birthday party. I _________ imagining friends playing merrily.

That day, I entered his house but didn’t _________ anyone other than Wyatt. I tried to become as _________ as possible. I bent down to pet a cat and wished I could _________.

Later, a girl came over and stood next to me. _________, she said, “Hi, I’m Maddy.” “Hi, Arizona.” I _________, smiling.

“This is the most awkward _________ for me,” she said. “I’m the only one from Wyatt’s swim team... I _________ nobody here.”

“Same!” I responded. “I’m the only one from karate class.”

Right then, Wyatt called for __________. “Everybody, pick a partner and come for the egg toss!” “Want to?” I asked. Maddy shrugged (耸肩), “Why not?”

The group games were fun and funny. We were all __________ so aloud, and I found myself talking to many guests the way a __________ person would! When the party ended, I really did not want to __________! Maddy and I exchanged numbers for future __________.

Dear Shy, after the party where I had tons of __________, I say you should absolutely take the chance to try something new!

Arizona

6 . I went to the bus station for a long trip yesterday. Feeling very bored, I had nothing to do but wait on the bus as there was still about half an hour to go. But it gave my curious eyes enough time to look around. The bus station is a noisy and restless world, where people from all walks of life come and go. Looking around, I saw people saying goodbye to their families and peddlers (商贩) selling their bottled water. My sight finally rested on a girl who sat by the window on the bus next to mine and buried herself in a book.

The moment I caught sight of her, my heart just skipped a beat. And then, it beat so fast. All that just happened in the blink of an eye. We were about four meters away from each other and only blocked by the windows of our buses, but I could not have a clear view of her face from behind, only a view of her back. I thought that she was young for vigor of youth from her long hair.

She kept reading without a move, so I supposed what she was reading was so appealing that she did not move her sight a little except for turning over the pages. She paid attention neither to the crowd outside nor to the passing of time. It is actually rare to see a young woman concentrating on reading in such a noisy bus station and what she was reading doesn’t matter. It was really a touching picture since in this material world there are still people willing to sit quietly and read. Which one of us would like to find time to read since we have long been distant from books, the carrier of words?

The time finally came with a bell ringing. Maybe I could never see her again, but this beautiful encounter should last in my memory for the rest of my life.

When I was 4, I wanted to go to Disney World. For most young kids, it’s a normal request, but I would walk into Disney World. I was born three months premature, and because of this, I have cerebral palsy (脑瘫). It is a condition     1     doesn’t allow me to walk on my own. Even so, my dad and I had a detailed plan.

Over the next three years or so, I worked with physical therapists, acquired a walker and practiced walking, standing and balancing—all skills that I would need to turn my goal     2     a reality.

Then I went, walking so slowly at first, then gradually       3       (speed) up, comforted and encouraged by all my friends and family. I lost my balance, bumping into something. Luckily, we       4       (practice)and planned for this type of situation in advance. Holding fast onto the handlebars, I gathered up all of my six-year-old strength, picked up my walker and straightened out, picking up my pace once again. It wasn’t too long     5     cheers came because I had made it to the end,       6       my mom was waiting with tears in her eyes and arms open wide ready     7     (hug)her son and tell him how proud she was.

Looking back on that experience, I realize something pretty     8     (essence). Every once in a while, life will throw a few     9       (bump)in the road. Though it may set you back for a bit, don’t let it stop you. Pick yourself up after you have fallen and go on walking. It’s worth     10     . Besides, there just might be someone cheering you on along the way.

8 . 65-year-old Somerset native Carole-Ann Warburton experienced a plot twist that led to the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream she’d never even spoken of aloud.

After a life-threatening illness weakened her, Warburton was left with the question of what to do forward. During her recovery, her daughter brought around some real estate (房地产) listings for the sort of homes in which she thought her mother might best spend her golden years. Coincidentally, among the notices was an offering for a small barbershop with an above-stairs apartment.

For Warburton, although she admits “the place was awful”, it was love at first sight and the perfect opportunity to do something she’d yearned to do for almost as long as she could remember—running a bookshop.

Less than three months after coming to her decision, Warburton had handed in her retirement notice, sold her house and bought the store, and using a personal collection totaling between 8,000 and 9,000 titles she began her new life chapter—The Book Rest.

Warburton has been an avid (狂热的) book collector since she was a child. As an adult, she married a man with a similar hobby. The four-bedroom home she and her ex-husband shared with their children was filled with books.

Warburton admits learning to let go of her beloved books was a bit of an adjustment, but one she feels better for making. “It still feels, when a special book goes out, like a bit of a loss—as if some little part of me has been taken away,” she said in an interview. “And then I make common sense come back to me and say, ‘Let someone else learn from it.’ It’s acceptance.”

The Book Rest recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Although the pandemic has slowed foot traffic, since Warburton’s driving motive isn’t monetary profit, but rather, something of a deep personal value, she has no plan to close up the bookstore.

9 . The popular Toronto hangout Swan Dive posted that it was struggling to pay the rent through the pandemic (瘟疫). So customers ______ all its stock (存货) to help out. Owner Abra Shiner was trying to keep her pub ______lockdown (禁闭) by operating as a bottle shop, but it was becoming very ______ that the costs were just too high. She decided to be ______ about her dilemma on social media.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to pay ______ towards the end of the month,” Shiner said. “So, I______ on the Internet asking people to come to buy the beer we had in our stock room... and it _______. The post spread quickly.” People from all over the neighborhood were showing up to ______ their beloved bar. “People just started coming out of the woodwork, some people we hadn’t ______ in years,” Shiner said.

Within a few days, the Swan Dive had off-loaded more than 90 ______ off craft beer. In fact, it had ______sold out of stock. Combined with a government rent subsidy (补贴), the ______ the community added to the bar’s float in recent beer sales has reached a new level. It will ______ this much-loved pub around until spring, when it can safely open its ______ once again. “You guys are pretty great,” Shiner posted to the Swan Dive’s online______.