1 . Gang (团伙) tensions were rising at Southwood High School. Some community activists held a(n) _______ meeting with parents and the principal. A group of the fathers _______ decided it was time to make their _______ known on campus.

That’s how Dads on Duty was born with its goal — make sure the kids are safe. Around 40 men organized into six-person shifts, with two shifts on campus every day. They _______ the day after the meeting. These people _______ their own schedules and commitments without complaint. Some of them are fathers of kids at the school, while others are not but expect the youth in their community to know they have an entire village behind them.

Now, anyone who wants to enter the school with _______ will have to avoid energetic papa bears, big smiles and many dad jokes. It’s hard to be a tough guy when somebody’s uncle has just _______ you into checking your shoelaces for countless times, only to find that they are not, in fact, untied.

Since Dads on Duty arrived on campus, gang battles have dramatically declined. “The school has been happy, you can feel it,” said one student. Another told the Washington Post, “They _______ all the kids like we’re their own children.”

The dads aren’t meant to _______ security guards. If they do see a fight may occur, they get security on the scene as soon as possible. Their presence is meant to be more ________ than reactionary.

2 . As the foreign English teacher at my school, I have a weekly English music broadcast where I showcase different English songs. I try to get the students to recommend songs to me for the broadcast. At the broadcast, I usually announce who recommended the song and then________   it for everyone to hear during lunch time. I offer everyone an opportunity to share themselves through their music, including one________student of mine.

This student________gets into fights with the other students, doesn’t study, and brings down the energy of the class.Most of the other teachers and students push him away. I knew though that he just needed a friend, or at least someone he could________with.

I could tell he was warming up to me over the last year.I told him to________a song he likes that has some English words in it and I would play it on the broadcast for him.He eventually recommended a song. I actually really liked the song so I put it on the broadcast and made sure to announce his name,so everyone knew that he________and recommended such a great song.

Needless to say,the boy was________, and he’s been much happier and focused in English class ever since. While everyone else misunderstood him and pushed him away, I saw him right through and knew that he just needed someone who________him.

There’s still a language________between us, but words aren’t needed, because you can always sense where you’re at with someone. He recently walked by me and gave me the most genuine smile that I’d ever seen. My coworker turned to me and said “I’ve never seen him smile like that before. How did you get through to him?” “I gave him a________,”I said, “through just one song.”

5 . During my second year in high school, I got sick and missed a few days. When I _________, I was greeted with two essays due, three days of math and history homework, plus several tests. _________ I went home from school that day tired, I had to stay up really late to finish them all.

The next day at school, I got a rude awakening: I’d totally forgotten to prepare for the _________ on Romeo and Juliet, which I’d take _________ my lunch hour! Worse still, I had _________ the in-class discussion and all the notes. When lunch came, I went to the English room to face my certain doom (厄运). All I could do was try to _________ on the questions I didn’t know.

As it turned out, I didn’t know the majority of the questions. I was just about to give _________ when my pencil accidentally fell and broke. Standing by the blackboard sharpening my pencil, I _________ down and there was the answer for the test! “What good fortune! I can kiss good-bye to all my _________ of failing the test!” My heart started beating, and my brain __________, “Yes! Read over the answers—quickly!” This was quickly followed by another voice, “No! You’ll get caught! My mind turning back and forth, Yes! No! Yes! No!...” This went on for ten of the __________ seconds in my entire life.

Finally, I decided to finish the test on my own, without __________! I was satisfied with my decision but pretty __________ I had failed the test.

The next day when I walked into the English room, my great joy of having been an __________ soul changed into a wave of doom as I saw my test paper lying face down on my desk. I knew what awaited me. I stared at it a few seconds before I got up the __________ to turn it over.

You can only imagine my __________ when I learned that I had passed the test! I have never in my whole life been so happy to see my __________ a C-.

My mom says the victories that __________ the most courage are won within. Now I know __________ what she means. Now not only can my conscience (良心) rest easy, but I don’t have to worry about getting caught and meeting a sad __________ like Romeo and Juliet.

6 . Karie double-checked the words on her spelling test. If she got 100 percent today, she’d win her class’s First-Quarter Spelling Challenge.

Three more words to go. N-i-c-e-l-y, Q-u-i-c-k-l-y, H-o-n-e-s-t-y. Wait! She’d spelled honesty, not honestly! She erased the t-y and wrote l-y before handing in her paper.

After recess, Karie hurried into the classroom. She fidgeted (坐立不安) in her seat. Ms. McCormack walked to the front and cleared her throat. “Congratulations. Karie! You did it!” The whole class _________ .

Ms. McCormack presented Karie with her prize—a _________ . Karie grinned as she read the _________: to Karie for her perfect first-quarter score in spelling.

Karie _________ the front door after school. Karie scooped up (抱起) her cat. “Can you spell nicely, Casper? And quickly and honestly, and …” Karie’s stomach tumbled to the floor. Honestly? H-O-N-E-S-L-Y! It suddenly struck her that she had _________ the word.

Karie went to her room and _________ on how she could tell the class she hadn’t earned the prize after all? She couldn’t sleep but kept tossing and turning in bed all night.

Ms. McCormack was unlocking the classroom door when Karie got to school the next morning. “You are a(n) _________ bird.” Ms. McCormack said. Karie’s hands trembled. She gave her teacher the spelling paper and the dictionary. “I can’t keep this. I misspelled honestly and you didn’t _________ it. ” “Come and sit down, Karie.” For a moment, Ms. McCormack stood quietly reading the words on the dictionary. Then she picked up her pen. She crossed out the word perfect and wrote honest before handing the dictionary back to Karie. Karie’s jaw dropped. “I get to keep this. _________?” “For honestly, no.” Ms. McCormack smiled. “But for __________, yes.”

7 . On Friday afternoon Class Seven had an Art lesson. It was their favourite lesson of the week. Everyone ______ Trudy Hubble looked forward to it. Trudy had arms that stuck out and always knocked things over.

When Trudy came into the classroom, Rob Mason said, “Look out, here comes Trouble!” All the kids ______. Trudy had to smile and pretended she didn’t mind. How she wished she could be more like Lisa Gibbs, who had small hands and feet and never ______ things over!

That day, they were going to paint animals. Again, Trudy knocked over the jam jar. Dirty water spread in a pool across the table and ______ Lisa’s dragon. Every time Trudy tried to do Art, it was always a ______.

“I hate Art,” Trudy thought as she went home on the bus, wishing never to go to school again.

As soon as she got home, Mum asked her to take a ______ to Mrs. Willow.

Trudy knocked on the door and the door opened. There stood an old lady, so tall and elegant, like her house, which was full of ______ china.

“My mum’s your home help. She won’t be able to come tomorrow. She’s got a cold.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. What she needs is my special cold ______. Come inside and I’ll give you some. ” Mrs. Willow opened the door wider.

Keeping her arms pressed to her sides, Trudy stood ______, much like a statue, afraid to move in.

“Why?”

“I am the clumsiest person in our school! I know something will get broken when I’m ______.”

“I used to be clumsy too, a real ugly little duck,” Mrs. Willow smiled. “But I grew up to be a swan(白天鹅).”

“But I don't think I shall,” Trudy doubted. “I’ll just grow up to be an ugly ______.”

“Not if you do as I did. You have to keep telling yourself that inside, where it matters, you’re really a swan.”

“I’m a swan,” Trudy ______ her throat and took the medicine, heading for home.

Next morning Mum’s cold was much better. “If Mrs. Willow’s cold cure is a kind of ______, then her swan cure must work as well.” Trudy couldn’t wait to try it out.

In the school playground some children stood looking up into the chestnut tree. Lisa was in tears.

“What’s the matter?” asked Trudy.

“It’s my kite,” Lisa said, wiping her eyes. “Rob let go and it’s got ______ up the tree.”

“I’ll get it down for you,” Trudy said kindly.

“No, you’ll tear it!” Lisa looked ______. “It’s a special Chinese kite! I got it for my birthday.”

For a moment Trudy felt like her old ______ self. But then she remembered what Mrs. Willow had said. It didn't matter how she looked outside. Inside, she was really a swan.

She jumped up and grabbed the lowest ______ and began to climb. “Swans never rush,” she told herself. It took her ages, but she didn't rush. At last she managed to ______ the kite. But now she had to climb down again using only one hand. Very, very ______ she swung herself down to the ground. The kite was safe!

“Thanks, Trudy.” Lisa showed it to the others. “Look, it’s all right!”

Trudy felt very, very proud and different. Smiling at everyone, she walked swan-like across the playground and into school, so tall and ______.

8 . One Bite at a Time

Stephen was on campus to register when I first met him.

One summer day _______ I was heading for the administration building, I heard someone call my name. I _______ around and saw Philip, one of my colleagues standing with another young man. As Philip introduced me to the young man, named Stephen, he reminded him that he would be taking one of my _______, Introduction to Literature. With a somewhat _______ expression, Stephen asked if my class was going to be “hard”. Would he be able to pass? I _______ he was concerned about failing before the _______ day of classes. We talked about what the class would _______ and I saw Stephen’s eyes getting big with _______.

Then I remembered a bit of classical dialog:

Question: “How do you eat an elephant?”

Answer: “One bite at a time.”

I told him to _______ his work that way. To do his assignment, all of them, and to get them in on time. I added that most ________ students I knew made a timetable of all the assignment so they could ________ their workload.

As time went on, I learned more of Stephen’s story. He had ________ in middle school. It had taken him longer to finish than most young people. Family members, including his mother, kept reminding him that he was a ________. Now, in the face of their negative-saying he had been admitted into college. He told me that before coming to our campus no one had believed he had much ________.

Stephen didn’t become an “A” student. He didn’t make any honor rolls. Still, he managed to ________ most of his courses by being in class every day, turning in all of his assignment on time and breaking down his studying into ________ digestible parts. By passing course after course he began to gain a measure of self-respect. He was a great singer and he was ________ the school’s cross-country team.

Every time I saw him on campus, he would brighten up and say, “One bite at a time.” Whenever he introduced me to his friends, he would tell them that he was ________ when he was supposed to be failing. His ________, he said, was that he was ________ what I taught him before classes ever started: “Take it one bite at a time.”