1 . When trouble hits someone in your community, how can you respond? This year, a wildfire has left many people in my community _________ with damaged homes. The community where I live is coming together to _________. How does each of us show our _________ for those who lost their homes?

Imagine a Circle of Care. _________ a circle and write the name of a person in _________ in the center. Draw _________ rings around the first one and write in the names of the people next closest to the crisis. _________ outwards. Distant friends and family are within _________ circles. The entire _________ itself becomes the outer ring. After the firestorm in Santiam Canyon, people posted __________ signs saying “Canyon Strong!” and sent supplies to resource centers.

When I am in the center of such a circle, I do not want to __________ someone who has not experienced my __________ say, “I know exactly how you feel.” Helping people closer to the center of the circle requires more listening than __________.

When you are in a closer ring and __________ someone in the center of the circle, you may __________ their burden and want to express your own feelings. Do it with those further out in the circle. I find this gives me __________ to continue helping those in rings smaller than my own.

Whenever you are in the circle of care, __________ what you are about to say and do. Sometimes it is possible to give physical aid. Sometimes the damage is __________ . Can you calm by __________ to go for a walk with them?__________ others and hold them dear.

2 . I grew up in a small North Dakota town. Dad was a farmer, so we kids were taught _______ to drive farm vehicles. I started driving the tractor (拖拉机) at age 15 .

One summer day, Dad asked me to back his truck up. _______, I backed it into a tree, damaging the truck. I was _______ because I wasn’t sure how Dad would react. Luckily, Dad wasn’t _______, and moved the truck himself.

As a teenager, I usually worked part-time on Uncle Jim’s farm in my _______ time. One day, I drove the tractor to get gas from the farmyard fuel tank, which was _______ on a big metal shelf 12 feet high. I _______ the shelf, bending one of the vehicle’s wooden bars. I stopped the vehicle anxiously and got off. I _______ Uncle Jim would help me. To my _______, he said, “Get back up on that tractor and you can do it.” And I did! During harvest, Jim had me do farming chores with that tractor, which made my confidence ________ greatly.

The “can do” ________ Uncle Jim had toward me carried me through ________ times in life. Whenever I encountered difficulties, the ________ on the summer day on the farm came flooding back to my mind and my spirit wasn’t ________ ! It just goes to show what a huge impact can be created by small gestures of ________ in a person.

3 . As a traveler with a disability, I have always avoided cruises. This expedition-style small-ship cruise changed my mind.

When our expedition leader ________ we would make a Zodiac (卓迪船) ________ at Jan Mayen, a tiny island in the Arctic Ocean, I stepped out onto my balcony aboard our ship, ________ to find clear skies and calm seas. ________, I was met with a gust of wet wind and a view of mist-covered mountains in the distance. Jan Mayen wasn’t on our itinerary (行程), and due to its ________ location and often unpredictable weather, very few people ever ________ the island. I knew the ________ weren’t ideal, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

In fact, the possibility of ________ adventures was one of the reasons I chose this small-ship cruise. So I ________ joined my shipmates in the mud room, where we put on waterproof clothes and life jackets before hopping in the Zodiacs for a bumpy ________ to a black-sand beach. Even the fierce wind and rain couldn’t ________ our excitement as we ________ our way to the beach and hiked to a viewpoint, pausing to photograph little purple flowers ________ the volcanic rocks.

Our visit there wasn’t about what we could do or see. It was an opportunity to just be—to exist in a brief ________ on a tiny, often inaccessible, volcanic rock in the Arctic. And that’s something I never thought I’d ________ in my lifetime.

4 . We will all experience pain, disappointment, and almost certainly loss and sickness. Yet some people ________ by rising to the challenge, while others sink under the weight. What’s the difference? I ________ clinical psychologist Dr. Robert Puff, host of the Happiness Podcast, who speaks ________ about pain and suffering. He explains that ________ is an unavoidable physical feeling. ________, suffering comes from the thoughts we have about the pain we are experiencing-for example, “Why is this happening to me?” or “I’ll never feel good again.” These ________ are what cause suffering, and we can choose to ________ them.

John O’Leary is the host of the Live Inspired Podcast. When he was just nine years old, John suffered ________ burns over his entire body and doctors told him that he had one percent chance of ________. No one expected him to ________. However, after dozens of surgeries and years of treatment and deep inner work, he is a fairly happy, ________ man with a beautiful family. He inspires others through his ________ as a motivational speaker, author, and life coach. He feels that what happened to him was his greatest ________: the realization that, regardless of our personal and professional challenges, we can navigate and overcome to reveal a ________ vision. In John’s words, “You can’t always choose the path you walk in life, but you can always choose the ________ in which you walk.”

5 . It’s 3 am. I _________ the phone on the wall, ending the conversation with the last of my friends. I can no longer press them for their _________ on what I should do: accept a job as a university officer or move to New York to be an actor?

I feel _________ about what to choose. My eldest sister says that deep inside, I know what the _________ path is, and if I just get quiet enough, that _________ will come up to the surface. But I don’t know how.

I _________ the advantages and disadvantages repeatedly. I can see myself being happy with either _________. “Safe but predictable (可预见的)? Creative but _________? Which should I choose?” I said _________ taking a deep breath.

Suddenly I had an idea. If it’s true that I can be happy with either path, then why not let __________ decide? From my jeans pocket, I __________ a coin. Heads, university. Tails, New York, I flip (轻抛) it.

It __________ beautifully on the table. Heads, Bad luck, Bad luck?! At that moment, I know what I must do. My passion (酷爱) __________ by itself, just as my sister says.

We make __________ every day. Some of them are important: others are not. My __________? Bring lots of change with you, and, like me, let it lead you to your heart.

6 . At 13, I resolved to be an amazing teacher, overwhelmingly driven by a _________ desire for superpowers, which some of my gorgeous teachers had.

In fifth grade, Ms. Charlotte, an English teacher could magically _________ us to different worlds every day. She encouraged us to find something beautiful on our way home or to school. Perhaps, it could be a _________ of freshly baked bread drifting from someone’s house, or the sound of breezes slightly rustling leaves. She _________ curiosity into us. She guided us to bravely _________ joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, modesty, loyalty, duty, kindness, friendship, sympathy, generosity, creativity, truth and faith.

She told us stories from books we would otherwise never _________. Currently, I still remember highlights of the classic she shared, The Old Man and the Sea. After Santiago, an old fisherman came in empty-handed for eighty-four days, we couldn’t imagine what difficulty he had _________ a huge marlin. At the sight of the beautiful huge _________, he was unable to _________ his excitement, with a bright smile __________ to his face. Yet, a __________ battle lay ahead. He felt faint but held on the great fish with all his strength. “I moved him,” he thought, “Pull, hands. Hold up, legs. Last for me, head. You never went.” For two days and nights __________, the huge fish dragged the boat drifting. The elderly was in danger. Once, twice more, once more he tried and he felt himself extremely __________ when he turned the fish. Finally, the fish was stabbed (刺，戳) and tied to the boat.

What a man! So Ms. Charlotte inspired us to fight for our own pride and defend it, __________ the fact that life will set obstacles on the way to future with challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which will take all of our courage. It is true that a man can be destroyed physically but cannot be defeated spiritually.

Now, dear teachers, we love you and thank you from the bottom of our heart! I will keep the __________ song you’ve taught us in mind.

When your dreams come alive you’re unstoppable

Take a shot, chase the sun, find the beautiful

We will glow in the dark turning dust to gold

7 . None of my friends are going to the art camp. Despite my ______ for drawing, I decided not to go because I had a hard time jumping into something with no ______ faces around.

Sitting under the bright sun, I thought about the art camp and wished I felt a little braver. To distract myself, I started sketching a pine. ______ myself I was happy to skip the camp, I drew the pine’s strong trunk and ______ the graceful branches, making sure the upper ones ______ gently toward the sun, At this time, Mr. Weston, my neighbor ______, “You’ve done a great job capturing the strength of that tree on paper.” He added, “Actually, you have to spread out the ______ near the surface so the tree can get enough water and grow tall. If you ______ the root ball too deep, the tree withers (凋零). I learned that root grow out, not down from my experience of planting pine trees.” “That ______,” I said. I made adjustments to the root part and then added shading to the branches to give them depth. “You have a good ______,” Mr. Weston said, and then nodded goodbye.

I thought about what Mr. Weston told me as I ______ at the towering pine. I’d never realized how ______ a tree’s roots stretch outward. It made me think about art camp and my own roots. I wasn’t stretching them out at all. ______, I was planting myself into one deep spot because it felt safer. I ______ realized that if I wanted to grow, I had to start reaching out too. That night, I took a deep breath and filled in the ______ for art camp.

8 . As an ordinary senior school student, I’ve discovered a wonderful way to _________ life with a positive attitude — my daily bicycle rides. Riding my bike has become more than just a fun activity. It’s like a little _________ that has taught me important lessons about staying positive, facing challenges and being _________.

When I get on my bike and ride around familiar streets, it feels like I’m on a small quest. It’s not just about reaching a(n)_________; it’s about enjoying the ride itself. Cycling has turned into a kind of teacher, helping me understand the _________ of practice and having a can-do spirit. One of the coolest things I’ve learned is about not giving up when things get hard. You know, when I’m trying to pedal up a steep hill, it’s hard! But guess what? Even when my legs feel super tired, I keep going and do not give up, till I reach the _________. Life is kind of like that too. When I have a challenging task or any problems in my studies, I remember those steep hills. I know if I keep trying, I can _________ anything.

Another thing that cycling has taught me is to be ready for surprises. The road isn’t always _________. Sometimes there are bumps, and you have to ride around them. When something is wrong with my bike, I do not _________. I try to find a solution. Life’s a bit like that too. It’s not always easy, but being flexible and staying positive helps me rise to the challenge and handle __________ problems.

The most important part, though, is how cycling makes me feel happy and __________. The wind in my hair and the rhythm of pedaling makes everything seem OK. It’s like a secret power — no matter what’s going on, it keeps me happy, lets me __________ my batteries, and lets me come back feeling __________.

In the end, my daily bike rides have become more than just a way to get around. They’ve become a(n) __________ for how I want to live my life. Cycling has shown me that being positive, facing challenges with __________, and keeping an optimistic attitude can turn the life journey into a fantastic adventure. So, here’s to more bike rides and more fun!

9 . A few days before my high school ended, I was sitting in my English class. My classmates were talking about who would be the first person to shed tears at _________ . Then, everyone looked at me, and I began to ________ right then and there. I am not an emotional person,but the _________ of leaving this place hit me hard. I never knew how much this building and the people in it ________ to me, until my last days.

High school isn’t for everyone, but there is something for everyone in high school. You just have to ______ out what your“thing”is. I ______ found my “thing” in high school and that was Student Government. For once I had a(n) ________ . I served as the representative of my class, and it gave me a ________ to convey not only my own, but my classmates'_______ to teachers and our school.

But there were a lot of times when I felt ______ . I sat in the classroom looking at the clock, ______ for the end of school day. I ______ the days until summer like it was my job. But now I ______ I could take back all of those moments.

My biggest ________ to anyone still in high school is to make your school a place where you want to go. High school goes by very quickly. You only get one chance to be a high schooler, so take ________ of it.

10 . Until 2001, I had worked in a technology company for 20 years. On November 6, I learned I was going to be _______ . That afternoon, my manager suddenly requested me to join him for a(an) _______ meeting before my shift ended. Given that some of my co-workers had already _______ this situation, I thought I had known the _______ of the discussion. Even so, it was still hard to describe the _______ going through my mind then, when I was told the date of my last day. You couldn’t help but feel a bit of _______ in being chosen even though it was unrelated to your past performance.

Unwilling to let people _______ about my result, I created a brief email to tell my friends and co-workers the news. Soon, I received over 20 e-mails expressing _______ . I really appreciated every one of my co-workers. However, Jerry, my co-worker, who had already been _______ of his leaving over a month prior, was especially ________. He introduced me to a firm assisting laid-off(下岗的) workers in getting ________ and signed me up for a career workshop. He tried his best to help get me back on my feet, even though we were in the same job classification and we would ________ with each other in job hunting.

Jerry’s caring attitude made a difference to many lives, and I was ________ . So later I was able to follow his ________ when my manager was in trouble. From Jerry, I learned that relationship and people are more ________ than a temporary job.