2 . Math had never been something I was good at since middle school. Classes became harder in high school, and I was even further from a math teacher’s dream student. So at the start of my freshman year, I had an aversion to math. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do well, but simply that I didn’t think I was able to do well. “I can’t” became my state of mind in all things related (有关的) to math.

However, I was soon to learn that “I can’t” was not a choice in Mr. A’s class.

Mr. A always greeted (迎接) us with open arms as he said, “Welcome! Smile! It’s a great day to be alive!” It was clear that Mr. A had a true passion (热情) not only for math but for teaching. If Mr. A ever experienced bad days in life, he never showed it. Mr. A greeted us with that same smile every day. He encouraged each student, from the top achiever to the “I can’t” student.

I found myself looking forward to math class, although I still hated the subject itself. Being in Mr. A’s presence made me feel good, as if I had the chance to succeed. As the year progressed, I spent increasingly more time on my homework, and I met with Mr. A weekly. My classmates began to do the same, and it became “cool” to have lunch and talk with Mr. A. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was changing our attitudes (态度).

Though my story is not one of overnight success and I didn’t become a straight-A math student, my hard work did begin to pay off and my grades slowly began to climb. There were hard times, of course. Difficult math questions sometimes succeeded in bringing me down, but Mr. A kept reminding (提醒) me, “Kate, smile! It’s a great day to be alive!”

Richard is our foreign teacher, whom is from England. He has a interesting way to make his classes attractive and lively. For example, in last Friday, when he explained the meaning of “crawl” to us, he did not just tell us their definition from the dictionary. Instead, he lay on his stomach and move forward on his hands and knee slowly. We watched him with interest, laughed loudly. Thus the concept of the word rooted in our mind. Richard can speak some Chinese, and his pronunciation is not well. However, everyone in our class considers him an excellent teacher.

4 . What’s the difference between having a dream and making the dream come true? Hard work and perseverance. Wanda Smith always wanted to be a _______ , but sometimes meeting life’s demanding realities can mean a dream _______ .

Smith, a mother of three, had to care for her mom, _______ her family responsibilities, she took jobs as a bus monitor and gatekeeper for Brenham Independent School District in Texas. The time was _______ for her. But rather than let her dream die, at the age of 37, with the _______ of her husband, she added night classes to her _______ . Nine years on, she _______ graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University.

Smith’s story came full circle when she was _______ as a first-grade teacher back at Brenham Elementary School. _______ , her mom and beloved sisters didn’t live to see her accomplishment, but she knows they would have been ________ of her. ”When I stand in the front of my classroom, I know I am ________ my dream finally,” Smith said during a show celebrating Teachers’ Day.

During the pandemic, as some of her students ________ to take up distance learning, Smith stepped up to help them. She risked her life to deliver schoolwork to students to ensure that the learning could be ________ as smoothly as possible, which really ________ her students and their parents.

It’s no wonder Smith’s kids ________ her. In a special surprise ceremony, they shouted their ________ and held up big colorful signs ________ their love. Smith’s life is an example as well as a(n) ________ for us. With great determination and ________ , she graduated from cleaning classrooms to ________ classrooms.

Richard is our foreign teacher, whom is from England. He has a interesting way to make his classes attractive and lively. For example, in last Friday, when he explained the meaning of “crawl” to us, he did not just tell us their definition from the dictionary. Instead, he lay on his stomach and move forward on his hands and knees slowly. We watched him with interest, laughed loudly. Thus the concept of the word rooted in our mind. Richard can speak some Chinese, and his pronunciation is not well. He often asks us to correct his mistakes. Have you heard of a teacher who learns from student? Richard does!

7 . A professor was teaching his class. All the students were listening to his _________ with great interest. But there was one student whose absence of mind showed he was in a bad mood.

The professor took notice of this student on the first day _________ did not say anything. But when this _________ for a week, he asked, “You are _________ in spirits all the time. What is the matter? Have some trouble?”

“Sir, that...” the student said. “...something has happened in my past, _________ which I remain troubled. I don’t know what to do.”

The professor was a(n) _________ good person. He called the student at his house in the evening.

When the student _________ the professor’s house, he was greeted with a _________ welcome. The professor went to the kitchen and started making lemonade for his student. He _________ put more salt in the lemonade.

__________ the student had a taste of it, his mouth became sour. __________ this, the professor asked, “Did you not like the lemonade?”

“No, sir, this is not the __________. Just a little more salt in the drink,” the student said. “Now it’s useless. I will throw it away.”

The professor __________ his hand to get the glass of drink from the student. But the student refused, saying, “No, sir. If you add more __________, the taste will be fine.”

Upon hearing this, the professor became serious and said, “You are right. That’s what I want to __________. Just as salt cannot be taken out of the lemonade, those bad experiences also cannot __________ life. Adding more sugar can change the taste of lemonade. In a(n) __________ way, sweetness has to be dissolved (溶解) in life to forget bad experiences. I want you to take the sweetness in your life into __________ now.”

To his relief, the student __________ him and decided from then on he would not be troubled by the __________.