1 . 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.

2 . 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.

3 . I finally climbed into bed at 1:20 in the morning after my 31th birthday celebration. I was about to fall asleep when I was awakened by the sound of ______ water, as if I were lying beside a waterfall instead of in my bedroom. When I got off the bed, I was ______ by the cold water rising to my knees and rising fast.

It has to be from a burst pipe in the ______, I thought. Shaking and in darkness, I grabbed my cellphone and ______ the flashlight. When I stepped from the bedroom to the bathroom, I saw it wasn’t a burst pipe at all. ______, water was shooting through the gaps of the door from outside. All around me, things were ______ -the lamps were shattering (破碎), the cupboards were being torn apart.

I ______ that I began to panic. Any effects of the celebratory drinks I’d had earlier were now gone; ______ cleared my head. And the water was now ______ my waist. I struggled to wade (趟过水) to the door. Finally, I made it to the door, through which I squeezed into the street. I stood there in the ______, wet and panting (喘气的). What was once a lovely, cozy street was now a waterscape, with ______ furniture and trees. The flood had drowned the neighborhood. Many of the houses around us were ______. Luckily, I was ______ by rescuers.

I came close to drowning that day. But rather than dwell on (沉湎于) that in my head, I prefer to ______ what my mother told me afterward: “Christian, don’t remember the day when you ______ everything. Remember the day you survived.”

4 . I was working in my upstairs study when the doorbell rang. I _______ ran downstairs. It must be a(n) _______, I thought. I didn’t even remember ordering anything, but I was still delighted by the possibility. It’s almost more _______ when you don’t remember; it’s like receiving a gift you never _______.

I quickly opened the door, afraid they might leave, only to be _______ by a Jew who came to collect tzedakah (the Jewish tradition of charity). I was _______ not just that the expected material item hadn’t arrived, but at the _______ of the petitioner (请求者). I even thought, if only I hadn’t been in such a _______; if only I hadn’t opened the door.

I made my contribution — politely but with little _______. The recipient, on the other hand, showered me with blessings. I felt ________. Why was he, the one in ________, able to keep such a(n) ________ attitude? And why was I, the more fortunate one, so depressed and bitter? It was time for a little self-examination.

Firstly, I wasn’t even ________ whether I had ordered anything. Secondly, even if I had, did I really think that material item, whatever it might have been, ________ the level of excitement I was feeling? I knew it was just a thing, something that would eventually be ________ or given away, that wouldn’t give me meaning or blessings. Thirdly, if I had so ________ myself from others’ needs that I was unable to understand their pain, that I saw them as disturbing rather than as an opportunity to ________, to uplift others?

Now I know I made a ________. I realize how unfriendly I was. But at least I still have a little ________. And I want to be better. So let the doorbell ring. I’ll ________ a heartfelt smile. I’ll greet all petitioners with love and generosity.

5 . Once upon a time, a boy was walking through the countryside when he saw, among some ________, an angel singing a beautiful song. The angel soon ________.

The boy thought that it must be the doorway to heaven, and that it would be fun to see what was up there. So he ________ building a big tower of wood, reaching up to the clouds. ________, when the tower was very ________, it collapsed (倒塌). Later, he ________ building it with bricks, and then with steel, but his tower always collapsed.

Just when he was about to ________, the angel returned, this time ________by other angels. The angel ________ again, and the boy listened closely. The ________ of the song was that you could only reach that heavenly (神圣的) place if you really wanted to, with all your heart.

No longer was the boy just ________; now he desired with all his might (力量) to go up and visit heaven with the angels. But he just couldn’t ________ it, and, overcome by his sense of powerlessness (无能为力) and sadness, he ________ and began to cry. However, he smiled when he suddenly saw the sun appear from behind the clouds and ________ a beautiful rainbow. The rainbow led ________ up to the door of heaven.

The boy traveled up the rainbow, filled with joy, knowing that only with sincere and heartfelt (衷心的) desire could one ever open the door to heaven.

6 . As the saying goes, “A father is a treasure, a brother is a comfort, but a friend is both.” I am so ________ to have found my good friend, and I still remember how I built up my friendship with Jerry.

We became friends soon after we entered the senior high school. We played together and ________ our meals sometimes. We kept our ordinary friendship for quite a long time until that day when I broke my leg while playing basketball. He called the teacher ________ and even gave up his lessons and accompanied me to hospital. He didn’t stop helping me until I fully ________. I knew I got a(n) ________ friend then.

A good and true friend is a ________ that you can find pleasure in and a comfort that you can turn to when in trouble. When I was in junior high school, Jerry was not a good choice to make friends with, because he had ________ skin and looked ugly. I didn’t play with him, didn’t talk to him and even walked away when he ________ me. However, one afternoon, when I was ________ by several tough guys to give them money, it was Jerry who stood out, shouted loudly and ________ them away. I was very grateful and began to notice him ________.

We made friends at last. In addition to that ________ move, I found out more ________ in him under the dark skin and ugly face. Thanks to Jerry’s being my friend, I learned a lesson: one can never judge a person from his appearance. If we simply ________ these people, we’ll lose a lot of good friends. Furthermore, not only people ________ everything follows this golden rule.

7 . A father and his son went to a kite（风筝） festival. When they ________ , there were many parents and their children playing in the park   ________. The son was happy when he saw the sky filled with colorful kites. He wanted to fly a kite, too. So they went to a kite shop and   ________a beautiful one.

The father was good   ________ flying kites. Soon the kite was high up in the sky. After a while, the son said, “Dad, it   ________ that the string ( 线 ) is stopping the kite from flying higher. ________we cut it, the kite will be free and fly even higher. Can we cut it?” The father said   ________but just cut the string off. The kite really went higher. This made the little boy   ________ .

But then, a few minutes later, the kite started to ________ slowly.   It soon fell onto the ground. The son was ________ to see this. He asked his father, “I thought that after cutting the string, the kite would fly higher. Why did it fall down?”

The father smiled and said. “The role of the string was not stopping the kite from going higher, but was ________it stay in the sky, because the kite   ________can’t fly up. You helped the kite go up in the right   ________by using the string. But when you cut the string, it could no longer support (支撑) the kite.”

In our life, we may sometimes feel like there are certain things that are holding us back and stopping us from growing. ________ in fact, these might be the things that support us the most. We can really   ________ and become better by knowing the importance of these things.

8 . I was then in my early twenties. Even though I was armed with a degree in Education, finding a ______ teaching job was not easy. I had to try some temporary ones.

This year, when a golden opportunity ______ to teach 5th grade students in a local school. I ______ it and took things seriously. I ______ myself with lesson plans, taught with enthusiasm, and stayed ______ with the students. I had no hesitation in ______ the kids when they got the answer right, and encouraged them if they didn’t.

One day when the kids were _______, a girl approached and handed me a ______ before she went home. On it was a lovely drawing full of childlike wonder, ______ by the words, “You are the best teacher I have ever had!” It really amazed me that one of my kind comments had ______ that girl’s heart greatly. I took that note home and ______ put it in a folder, looking on it as a ______ because it was very important. Anytime I was feeling down I would look at it and it proved to be a ______ .

That experience showed me the ______ of just a single kind word. It encouraged me to continue to try my best each day to ______ love and kindness through my words and actions. Wish the same for others.

9 . Every Friday night the Chevron gas station food mart offers a discount on the leftover food. To ensure the best selection, my mother and I pile into our old car and _________ in front of the mart at five p. m. sharp, ready to get our _________.

Chevron shopping _________ like this: One day my mother suddenly realized that she had maxed out (透支) almost every credit card except the Chevron card and we needed groceries for the week. Since our first _________ there, I’ve learned to believe in flexibility. In my life, it has become necessary to _________ the idea of grocery shopping. My mother and I can no longer shop at real grocery stores, _________ we still get the necessities.

Grocery shopping at Chevron has its _________. The worst is when we have so many items that it takes the cashier what seems like hours to ring up everything. A line of _________ customers formed behind us. It’s that line that _________ the most-the way they look at us. My mother never notices — or maybe she __________ not to.

I’m __________ to shop there, and I’m afraid of running into someone I know. I once expressed my fear of being seen shopping at Chevron to my mother, and her eyes shone with disappointment. I know that I hurt her feelings when I try to __________ our weekly shopping trips.

And that is why I hold on to the idea of __________ so tightly. Whenever I feel the __________ rise to my face, I remind myself at this point in my life I am struggling does not mean that I will always struggle. I know that whatever happens, we will always __________ a way to survive.

10 . Automation certainly has its advantages. I am grateful for my cellphone that _______performs services. But I also miss the interactions with people that these devices have _______. The most precious byproduct of these interactions was the unplanned, friendly jokes that often _______.

I recently decided to spend a day _______ all of my goals in a non-digital manner. So I rose early and _______ on my visit. I began by going to the bank. When I entered the hall, I found the _______ was mine: I was the only customer, with three clerks at my _______. After my transaction we chatted for a few minutes, sharing news about children. After that pleasant _______, I moved on to the post office, where the letter I was sending to Iceland triggered a/an _______ comment by the clerk, who longed to visit that country. The last visit was the ________ where I was welcomed by a cashier, who ________ that for only one penny more I get an additional potato.

That evening I told my ________ to my friend. She ________ that I could have done these with the ________, and it would have taken less than an hour. True, but I would have ________ all those kind words and friendly smiles.