1 . The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go. Many people _______ it this way, “A man comes to this world with his fist clenched (紧握), but when he dies, his hand is _______.”

Surely we ought to hold fast to life, for it is _______, and full of a beauty that breaks through your own earth. Sometimes we recognize this _______ only in our backward glance when we suddenly realize that it is no more.

We remember a beauty that _______, a love that disappeared. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered, that we _______ to respond with love when it was tendered.

A recent experience re-taught me this truth. I was _______ following a severe heart attack and had been in intensive care for several days. It was not a pleasant place.

One morning, I had to have some additional tests. The required machines were located in a building at the opposite end of the hospital, so I had to be _______ across the courtyard on a gurney (轮床).

As we _______ from our unit, the sunlight hit me. That’s ________. And yet how beautiful it was — how warming, how sparkling, how brilliant!

I looked to see whether anyone else enjoyed the sun’s golden glow, but everyone was ________ to and fro, most with eyes fixed on the ground. Then I remembered how often we had been ________ to the beauty of each day, too preoccupied with chores. Life’s gifts are ________ — but we always pay no attention to them.

Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Embrace each hour, ________ each golden minute. Hold fast to life… but not so fast that you can’t let go. We must ________ our losses, and learn how to let go.

5 . It was a regular school day, and the air was filled with the usual sounds of chatter and laughter as students prepared for their lessons. Little did I know that this day would soon take a ________ turn, making it an unforgettable day.

As the bell rang, signaling the beginning of our English class, we entered the classroom, completely ________ of the coming danger. The teacher began the lesson, and we were really ________ our literature lesson when, out of nowhere, a loud fire alarm ________ everything.

Panic spread as we understood how ________ it was. Smoke filled the hallway, and a sharp burning smell hung in the air. The neat classroom turned into a mess as everyone ________ to the door, trying to get away from the coming danger.

In all the chaos, I noticed my ________ Sarah looking obviously scared by her desk. I quickly ________ she needed help. Without hesitation, I rushed over, took her shaky hand, and told everyone to stay calm. We went through the thickening smoke together, and each ________ felt like a really long time.

As we reached the door, it felt hotter, and we knew we had to hurry. With hearts ________, we hurried into the playground where teachers and students were making sure everyone stayed sate.

Outside, we took a moment to catch our breath, ________ by the loud sounds of approaching fire trucks. Seeing parts of the building on fire, a sense of ________ washed over us, knowing that we had made it out unharmed.

After everything happened, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events of that day. ________ it taught me it’s important to stay calm when things get ________ and how helping others during hard times matters. It was a day when ordinary students became unlikely heroes, bound together by the shared ________ to overcome the unexpected challenges.

8 . “Hi! Ms Brooks!” It was Sunday morning, my daughter and I were visiting a model home when I heard a(n)_________ voice. Standing in the yard was a boy. “Evans! What are you doing here?” I cried, feeling surprised and a little annoyed. “I’m helping my father grow flowers,” he answered _________. Looking at his happy appearance, I stood there, _________.

Then my daughter pulled me away, but Evans stayed on my mind for the rest of the weekend. Evans was a _________. He was very fond of plants and animals. _________ he struggled with his reading, he never once complained.

Evans’s grades showed no sign of _________ despite his determination. So I sometimes _________ whether he would be able to pass the exams. It was not until we studied the life cycle of plants together that I changed my _________. Evans behaved attentively. I had never seen him so _________ in the classroom.

In a class project, I __________ a task to each student. That was planting a sunflower seed in one container. Sowing the seeds was __________ for many of the students, but the growing part was much less so. Except Evans, they all lost interest and forgot to __________ their sunflowers-to-be. Every afternoon, he __________ the plants in his container. Some time later, few seeds successfully fully sprouted (发芽) because of too dry soil, but the __________ in his container were about four inches tall. At that moment, I saw that special seed planted inside him. And one day, he would __________ just as his sunflower.

9 . One day, Fainsilber Katz, who is 60 years old, went to visit her favorite ______ . She parked her car and ______ the beach with everything she ______ for the day: a chair, a beach umbrella, flippers, sunglasses and a cooler. With so many things, it was ______ for her to keep her body balance when climbing over some rocks.

When she reached a part of the beach entrance, she found there was a large step down. Unsure whether she could take the step ______ , she stopped, ______ what to do. ______ a young man, about 30 years old came over to Fainsilber Katz, and asked, “Do you need some ______ ?” “Sure!” Fainsilber Katz ______ .

The man took some of the things that Fansilber Katz was ______ . Then he gave Fainsilber Katz his ______ to walk her down the ______ . Fainsilber Katz felt ______ .

The man’s act of ______ comforts Fainsilber Katz and reminds her that when life gets hard, one doesn’t have to do it ______ . Where there is a help, there is a hope.

10 . Castillo wrote a letter to her father for his 50th birthday. Her father, who suffers from Down’s syndrome (唐氏综合征), had at one point been a(n) _________ in her life. But in her letter, she wanted the world to know how much she _________ and loves her father.

Castillo said it took years before she had the courage to _________ the truth about her situation and her father. She got bullied at school because the other kids saw her father as “_________”. She didn’t understand at the time why the kids were bullying her. _________, she thought of herself as a “coward daughter”.

“You _________ love, understanding, patience and acceptance as any individual with Down’s syndrome should,” she wrote.

Besides having Down’s syndrome, her father has a wide _________ of health complication (并发症). Therefore, her father has been in and out of the hospital getting all sorts of _________. Castillo wrote that her father is the “most _________ person” because of what he went through, yet he rarely complained. But there were times when he couldn’t __________ the pain and broke down in tears, which hurt her greatly and made her cry. But her dad kept persisting (坚持), which gave her __________.

“Dad, no words can sum up how __________ I am for being a(n) __________ daughter. If there is one thing I regret, it is __________ you from my life because I was afraid of getting bullied. But I love you more than you could ever __________ and I am always inspired by you,” she wrote.