2 . My experience with reading, as a child, probably differs from most people in my position. Nearing 40 years of age, I am finally at a point in life when I can honestly say I _________reading.

Growing up in Anthony, I gave my mother and primary school teachers headaches because I had no _________to read. This was especially troubling to my mother, who was _________ a teacher. She was an eager reader._________, my lack of enthusiasm did not sit well with her.

Though I wasn't a fan of reading growing up, I was, and still am,_________with sports. My TV watching was almost only sports. On the ________ occasion I did read something, it was ________. My mom had a(n) ________. She began leaving the sports page from the morning paper out for me and buying sports magazines and books of my favorite players. ________, she met with my teachers and shared her“plan”with them. Before I knew it, I was reading regularly.

Looking back, I am _________that my mom persevered in _________me to my literary niche (归宿). Had she _________me to read selections I had no interest in, I may have never developed the love of reading I have today.

Fast forward to today and I ________myself principal (校长) of that elementary school I attended so many years ago in Anthony. My experience ________me to reach out to all of my students and provide them with every opportunity to ________.

3 . To beat the blues of staying at home all day, I _______ an ‘online book exchange’ on account of my friends. Details were _______ to understand, and I spent hours trying to make it clear.

I had my doubts, though. For one, it involved _______ a copy of your favorite book to a complete stranger, and then waiting for a series of people to _______ the chain, till you received some books _______, from complete strangers. A natural pessimist I am, I _______ if I would receive any books. But _______, I sent a copy of my favorite, Jeffrey Arche’s The Eleventh Commandment, to a stranger. Days later, I was _______ when the first book arrived! And soon followed another 10 books that I had never in my wildest dreams imagined I would receive. Over the next two weeks, books kept _______, ranging from Dr Abdul Kalam’s autobiography (自传) to Charlotte Jane Eyre and a bestselling Japanese thriller. I even ________ my afternoon nap (午觉), ready to open the door ________ another book was delivered.

There is something intimate (亲密的) about exchanging books with strangers. By ________ a book with someone, I believe we end up sharing a part of our soul with them.

The posting about the book exchange on social media brought me ________ to many old friends, with whom I had lost touch due to the ________ schedules we all had before COVID-19 ________ our plans. It fired long discussions about trying out wine in Vietnam.

5 . There are some books that I will never take off my daughter’s bookshelf. Most of those books are_________, books.

Picture books create concrete (具体的) images in readers’ minds. They come alive when they’re being_________. My daughter, 8 years old, is a_________reader. She can sit down with almost any book and read it all by herself for hours._________, I still read to her. When it’s bedtime, she asks me to_________her a picture book, which gives us lots of joy.

Picture books are the campfire (篝火) story of the reading world. Picture books are so_________that they are able to bring people together easily. They’re_________enough to be compelling (引人入胜的) or short enough to hold your interest. They’re better than other books when it comes to the_________of language. They can tell complete stories in thirty-two pages or less. Reading a thirty-two-page book is not a(n)_________for a girl who can read a 500-page book on her own. However, reading isn’t always about challenging oneself. Sometimes reading is about sharing a__________with a loved one.

Some picture books aren’t fit for my daughter as she__________. But the ones that really draw her in and need to be read aloud will always be__________for her. So this is why I’ll never stop reading picture books with my__________. We’re reading together because it__________us pleasure. That’s why I’ll always keep picture books on her__________.