3 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to ________. But life has a ________ to throw obstacles in the way. Growing up, she was always on the move, ________ 25 different schools as her mother divorced and remarried several times.

________, she had good grades and considered herself college bound. But when her stepfather ________ tragically, paying for college became ________. She got married, found a job and tried to figure out how to ________ a life off her planned track.

The ________ came one afternoon, when she found two stapled (钉好的) pages ________ “Mrs. Clark’s Book List” in her bedroom. It was from the English teacher she’d had her ________ years, Dorothy Clark. “Some of you might not go on to higher education” Mrs. Clark said, “but you can continue to ________.” It wasn’t ________, the teacher announced, but it could be a road map.

And so it began. It was 1970. “I was ________ and determined to improve myself,” she says. Starting at the ________, she would read every book in the order they appeared.

Now Steph is 70 and she ________ did get to college. But she has only four books left. She expects to ________ them sometime in 2023.

“Each of the books has ________ something to who I am and how I see the world,” she says. “They’ve opened so many doors for me. I’m no expert, but I now have the ________ to see why things happened and what it might mean.” She wishes she could thank Mrs. Clark and share with her teacher ________ reading the works on her ________ has changed her life.

4 . The British Cohort Study found that children reading for pleasure at a young age are not just better at language learning, they are better at other subjects. It can also________their growth greatly.

Reading for pleasure is________to problem solving. A fourteen—year—old boy who________the study said, “When big stuff happens in my life, I’ll think about what my favorite________would have done. They are the ones I________, who have different________to handling things. Then I try to________them to my life, to see which way works for me.” The situations children read in books give them________on how to react to________experiences in real life.

Besides, like any other hobbyist, readers often________with those who love reading. These interactions help children develop________skills at a young age. They learn how to________opinions as well as building their understanding of other cultures and perspectives.

Extending love of reading to the________is important. Have books________to be read at any place around the house. Instead of watching television, have a family reading night. Once your children are reading on their own, spend time________them by reading a book you like. It can________them to ask about your book and possibly introduce them to a whole different subject or series!

Reading for pleasure has benefits that go beyond students’________development at school. Reading for pleasure means giving students________about what they want to read, which helps create a lifelong________. Practice it and see where it________them!

5 . Near my house is a library. As an enthusiastic reader, the idea to be surrounded by books itself is ______. So I volunteered to ______ it, managing books. But never had I realized reading had such ______ until I met an old lady.

One day I was arranging books when I heard a lady ______ something at the information desk, where I went to give ______. She was in her 70s with a beautiful smile.

After communication, I was ______ that she came to take the membership. Without family, she had ______ her house and settled in a nursing home, living off ______ the interest from her savings account. Her love of reading, even at such an age, never ______. Her confidence, whenever she ______ reading, livened her up.

The membership was ______ for her, so I explained the fee. She didn’t hesitate to open her purse and ______ for the amount. Noticing her ______ look, I offered to pay for her but she insisted, “I’ll come and pay tomorrow.” I failed to ______ her. The next day she returned, paid up and got her membership card. When I took her into the world of books, her eyes shone with excitement. She became a regular visitor, one I’d ______ every few days.

Now her cute smile in my mind still reminds me of the magic of reading.