4 . My son “graduated” from elementary school this week. I put the word in quotations (引语) because as a rising 6th grader, he wasn’t receiving a ______ — and because the school used a ______ term to describe the special occasion. On reflection, the school’s term felt even more ______ than the traditional name of the ______ of one stage of a person’s education: they called it Moving On.

At the Moving On Ceremony, each member of the 5th grade class ______ one sentence of reflection on what they were thankful for or would ______ about their primary school years. One ______ words caught my attention — he said he was ______ for what he called “a step on the ladder”. I was really ______ by this 11-year-old’s ability to summarize the emotional heart of the “moving on” moment. That was totally beyond my imagination.

Growing up is the work of a ______ — a ladder that has no top. And the gift of a “moving on” moment is that we get to celebrate the firm foothold (立足点) we’ve gained on our ______ step, even as we reach upward toward the next. We get to ______— not beyond what we’ve learned and accomplished so far, ______ because we are able to build on today’s experiences to move ahead toward tomorrow.

We look forward to our son ______ more graduations in his lifetime. But perhaps more than that, we pray that he will have the ability to recognize many “moving on” moments to celebrate and enjoy with ______.

5 . The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat (汗水) was pouring off our backs and faces. We stood still without _________ any noise, all hot and tired. But everyone kept standing as straight as trees. It was _________ most high schools give to new Senior One students — military training (军训). We _________ seven days in a closed environment. Although we couldn’t go home at night and the training was _________ and difficult, our humorous young drill sergeant (教官) with a funny accent was a real _________ of our days. We laughed at his jokes, sat in rows singing different songs and _________ him telling true stories about his life. He gave us the feeling that _________ and sweat were not the only things that military training _________.

After this journey, we were more _________ than we had imagined and we were much braver than we had __________. Girls who looked pale rested for a little while, and then right away came back to the team. Boys who were being punished __________ to the playground at once and began to run. Sweat flowed down our faces when we thought about how to shout __________ than other classes.

Military training taught us perseverance (坚持不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be __________ on our faces. We shouted so loud that our __________ could be heard across the heavens. With eyes like burning torches (火炬), we walked into the future. Now the sun is __________ at all of us.

6 . Jenna, a popular girl from Westwood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new _______ in high school.

_________, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts for cheerleaders. She was competing against very smart girls, and she knew it would be _________ for her to be selected. Two hours later, the judge read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart _________ as the list ended without her name. Feeling unhappy, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was struggling. She moved on to English and history, and was _________ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to _________ the math for the time being.

The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school _________. Mrs. Biden wasn’t as warm-hearted as Jenna. “I’m sorry, but we have enough _________ for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we’ll talk then.” Jenna smiled _________ and left. “Why is high school so __________?” She sighed.

Later in __________ class, Jenna spent more time figuring out the problems that had given her so much __________. By the end of the class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d continue to try to fit in at her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to __________. High school was just as her mother had said, “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond __________ a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the __________ fish you can be.”

7 . One day, my 12-year-old daughter participated in a school poetry reading event. All her classmates were invited to write a “lie poem” about how _______ they were and read them aloud. They were supposed to _______ untruths about themselves that made them sound _______ wonderful. As I listened to the poems, I realized that the children were actually _______ the picture of their future. By “lying” to themselves, they were creating a _______ of who they wanted to be in the future.

I couldn’t help admiring the school for _______ the children to dream big in such a special way, even if it might not be the first intention. In fact, most of us are _______ to see the truth of who we could be. My daughter’s school developed an unintended _______ to that difficulty: If it’s hard for you to imagine the _______   in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a __________ , as did the children who wrote the poems.

Think up some stories about who you would like to be. In due course, this __________ exercise would help you build the necessary blueprint for __________ your achievements. Without a picture of your __________ self, you can’t live into that self. So __________ it till you make it. The lie will become the __________ in the end.

8 . Physical Education (PE) is a requirement for all kids in school.________ making kids do laps around a gym track, an alternative school in Iowa is________   their students to earn their physical education credits by helping disabled and senior citizens.

At most traditional high schools, students can finish their PE course by________ sports or other after-school activities. The students at the Alternative Learning Center in Dubuque, however, are being encouraged to satisfy their PE________ by doing yard work for people in the community who are________ to do it themselves.

The learning center is specifically designed for junior and senior high students who are at risk of dropping out of________ schools. Thompson, the teacher who________ the program, has been managing those volunteer students’________ work over the course of the last few weeks and he says it has already had a very________ impact on the teens as well as the homeowners.

“The students come out and help them in sweeping leaves, pulling weeds, and________ grass. It just________ what they need,” Tim said.

“The students aren’t________ excited at the beginning. But once they get involved and________ doing the yard work, they become more________ ,” he added. “What they really like is to________ people. They really like giving back to people and meeting the person.”

10 . Long ago, poems were recited loud instead of being written down. Back when the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry _________ as well as athletic competitions.

Now, poetry competitions have been revived. This year 120,000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud national recitation competition,_________ poems from memory for $100,000 in prize money.

The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to school wide contests, and then they competed in city and state competitions. _________, the 50 state champions, along with the _________ of the District of Columbia came to Washington D.C. last week for the last showdown. After the 51 champions competed _________ another, 12 went on to the _________. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to “perform” a poem. The overall champ, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio,_________ a $20,000 scholarship. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation _________ Poetry Out Loud, because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from _________ it on a page.

It’s not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It’s the tone of __________, the pauses, the gestures and the attitude of the person performing that bring the__________ to life. “Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we understand again what we found __________ and interesting about it,” said National Public Radio Broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listeners.

Not only do the people hearing poems have a(n) __________ experience, but__________ and presenting poems helps the participants understand those poems in a new way. Another __________ of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public speaking skills that can help them for life.