1 . In the early hours of the morning on April 17, Kevin Record, 43, was sleeping in his apartment on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. His dog, Shogun, jumped onto the bed and ______ him up. Record’s e-scooter (电动摩托车) was sparking. In a sudden, the scooter’s battery ______ and the bedroom was quickly set on fire.

Though suffering serious life-changing ______ on the right-hand side of his body, Record managed to ______ from the flat and survive from the fire. ______, Shogun lost his life. “Losing my hero dog especially made me ______.” Record said. “He was everything to me. I’ll never ______ what he did for me.” Record added: “I can’t explain the ______ of the fire. I had never seen anything like that. Within seconds, it was like a fireball that ______ to everything in sight. It was so quick and ______.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) ______ to the apartment fire. They put out the fire but could not ______ any of Record’s belongings. Fire investigators believed that the ______ in Record’s e-scooter had been overheated while powering up, causing the scooter to catch fire.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Kevin promised he would routinely check his e-scooter and make sure it is in good working ______. After Kevin recovered from his injuries, the 43-year-old was hoping his experience would serve as a(n) ______ for anyone storing or charging e-scooters.

2 . Justin Gavin, 18, was on a walk to a local shop. Then he saw something that made his heart _________. A small SUV _________ in flames (火焰) drove past him.

“I’m yelling (叫喊) to stop the car! Your car is on fire! Your car is on fire!” Gavin said. But the driver — a mother of three kids, couldn’t stop. That’s when, Gavin says, he didn’t have _________ to think and fell into action. He ran after the burning car to help the family _________. “I just felt like if I were in that _________, I would want somebody to help me out,” Gavin said. “I guess my instincts (本能) _________.”

When Gavin finally reached the _________, it had come to a stop. He _________ the car door and helped the mother out of the driver’s seat first. As the flames grew larger, he pulled the three children in the back seat to _________. Moments later the car was swallowed by flames.

“It kind of got __________ because I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time. And __________, I did,” Gavin said.

The mother __________ the teen with saving her family’s life. The police department honored Gavin as a __________ and awarded the teenager with a “challenge coin” to acknowledge his __________ act.

Gavin said the experience was inspiring and changed his __________ of life. “It made me realize life is short and valuable,” Gavin said.

3 . Templer was a tour guide in Zimbabwe, leading a canoe (皮划艇) safari down the Zambezi River. During the expedition, Templer’s canoe _______ the way, with the other two canoes to follow.

Things were going the way they were supposed to go. Everyone was having a pretty good time. Eventually, they _______ a dozen hippos, which were territorial animals. That’s not _______ on the Zambezi, Africa’s fourth-longest river. They weren’t alarmed at first as they were at a safe _______.

Templer tried to steer (率领) the group safely around them. However, the third canoe was off the planned _______ and was attacked by an aggressive hippo. The guide named Evans on the canoe fell into the water. Templer went to _______ him. He was getting closer to Evans. He was _______— it was kind of a made-for-Hollywood movie — Evans was reaching up. Their _______ almost touched. And then the water between them just _______. Before he knew it, Templer was up to his waist down a hippo’s throat. His legs were trapped but his hands were ________. So he tried to hold onto the hippo’s tusks (长牙) to ________being torn apart. The hippo must have been uncomfortable because it spat him out. So he quickly burst to the ________, and breathed some fresh air. With others’ help, Templer and Evans made it out of the river.

Despite the unpleasant experience, Templer ________to work as a tour guide. He also became an advocate for hippo ________, recognizing that the animals were not inherently aggressive but were ________ defending their territory.

4 . Leigh Ann Sondrup, a devoted nurse at Valleywise, earned the title of a hero after a remarkable off-duty rescue.

The extraordinary chain of events unfolded as Sondrup was heading home from _________ one morning. Having just completed her fourth straight night shift, she was _________. Driving on State Route 143 near Sky Harbor, Sondrup suddenly noticed a horrible situation in the distance. As she _________, she found a concrete truck had overturned, with a man _________ inside.

Emergency first responders had not yet made it to the _________. Despite her tiredness, Sondrup didn’t _________ to make a decision to intervene.

She _________ her car. No other cars were moving on the road, _________ her to safely walk across the usually busy highway. She got closer to the truck and then quickly _________ the situation. She discovered the driver was still conscious, but severely injured and losing __________ at an alarming rate. Every second counted. She __________ crawled (爬) underneath the overturned truck. In a display of resourcefulness, she __________ the man’s belt to stop the bleeding.

Months later, the man who had suffered a life-threatening injury reached out to Sondrup to express his gratitude for a second __________ at life. The Phoenix Fire Department recognized Sondrup for her __________ actions. When interviewed, Sondrup said she maintained a strong __________ that everyone serves a purpose in life and that she was glad to have done her part when duty called.

5 . Like many families, we had a dog — Little Joe. We all loved him dearly. He always trotted (小跑) around the streets. We tried to teach him about the ________ of the road, and finally locked him in the yard. However, one day, Little Joe dug a hole under the fence and ________.

Sometime later, the ________ news came that a truck had seriously injured Little Joe. We children ran to the ________ of the accident. Apparently unable to move, he lay with his eyes open, awaiting death by a policeman’s bullet, the ________ method in those days of dispatching (处决) injured animals. Tears filling our eyes, we ________around him, frustrated by our inability to respond to the ________ for help in his eyes. The policeman ________ us away from the dog and drew his gun. Wide-eyed, we began to back away with feet that seemed to be made of ________.

Suddenly the crowd began to ________ . My father elbowed (用肘推) his way through and spoke with ________ to the young policeman. “Put that thing away!” Then, ________, he removed his worn jacket and carefully ________ it around Little Joe. Little Joe’s broken body could not have been moved with more ________.

I’ll never forget that homeward journey. My father led a group of admiring children. We held our heads high with pride as we ________ behind the man who had saved our dog.

After struggling for several days, Little Joe finally survived. He went on to live a long life.

6 . On a Monday morning, a bus full of bright-eyed kids was on the way to school along with Connor and his brother Seamus. The bus was being driven by a 60-year-old driver, McDougal. _______, both the brothers heard McDougal fall to the floor of the bus.

“I didn’t see him fall. I heard him _______ the ground, and then the bus started veering (转弯) all over the road,” Connor recalled the moments before _______ set in.

After the bus driver fell down, Connor and Seamus _______ the emergency situation. They realized that they must jump into action. Otherwise, the students on the bus would be in danger of getting _______. Connor knew that no matter what happened, he needed to get the bus to stop moving. So he _______ and pressed on the brake (刹车) and told Seamus to call 911.

Meanwhile, Seamus tried to keep his fellow classmates _______ and in their seats. He told everyone it was going to be okay and the police were on their way. Seamus even gave one crying frightened student a _______.

The bus didn’t veer off the road because of the _______ thinking and actions of these two brothers. The bus could have hit another vehicle or perhaps something worse could have happened. Thanks to the ________ efforts of these two young men, they managed to save the lives of everyone on the bus.

7 . Helen was sitting in the garden one evening when she heard a loud crash. As she walked to the front of the house, she could see a small crowd ________ on the road outside. A 19-year-old boy was ________ in a pool of blood near a crashed motorbike. His leg was bleeding ________.

Helen had ________ a British Red Cross first aid course. She used her training to make a quick judgement of the situation. And then she ________ back inside her home to get lots of thick towels to stop the bleeding.

Helen raced back to the scene, ________ in hand. Someone had called an ________, but the other people were afraid to come forward and ________ her. She used the towel as best as she could to apply pressure to the wounded ________ until help arrived.

Helen successfully managed to ________ the bleeding while waiting for help to arrive. Before long the ambulance crew were at the scene.

________, doctors weren’t able to save the boy’s leg. But they did save his life — and Helen’s ________ played an important role. Without the simple but ________ first aid skills Helen used, the result of this crash could have been far ________.

“I take comfort in the fact that knowing first aid helped me to ________ a stranger’s life,” said Helen proudly.

8 . Madden is an 8-year-old boy. He was playing with his toys in front of the window. Suddenly, he saw water flowing into the ______. He shouted to his mom Sandy. “Look, Mom, here comes the ______!” Sandy saw the house lifted up off its ______ and it began to be carried away by the water.

Sandy thought quickly and found a big basin (盆) to put Madden in. They ______ out of the house. The flood was so strong that the basin ______. Sandy managed to put Madden in again. But the flood suddenly took Sandy away. She lost ______ of his son. All she could hear was Madden crying, “Mommy!”

After being ______ from his son, Sandy tried all her best to find safety and she was ______.

But as a mother, she couldn’t imagine ______ his son. She cried for help, wishing someone could lend a hand. Then came a rescue team and the ______ started. One hour, two hours, three hours… But there was still no ______ of Madden. Worse still, it was growing ______. Sandy began to ______.

Then came good news. Madden was found on the top of a small house, safe and ______. He said he believed his mother was waiting for him. Sandy said she couldn’t ______ the rescuers’ efforts enough.

9 . It was a regular school day, and the air was filled with the usual sounds of chatter and laughter as students prepared for their lessons. Little did I know that this day would soon take a ________ turn, making it an unforgettable day.

As the bell rang, signaling the beginning of our English class, we entered the classroom, completely ________ of the coming danger. The teacher began the lesson, and we were really ________ our literature lesson when, out of nowhere, a loud fire alarm ________ everything.

Panic spread as we understood how ________ it was. Smoke filled the hallway, and a sharp burning smell hung in the air. The neat classroom turned into a mess as everyone ________ to the door, trying to get away from the coming danger.

In all the chaos, I noticed my ________ Sarah looking obviously scared by her desk. I quickly ________ she needed help. Without hesitation, I rushed over, took her shaky hand, and told everyone to stay calm. We went through the thickening smoke together, and each ________ felt like a really long time.

As we reached the door, it felt hotter, and we knew we had to hurry. With hearts ________, we hurried into the playground where teachers and students were making sure everyone stayed sate.

Outside, we took a moment to catch our breath, ________ by the loud sounds of approaching fire trucks. Seeing parts of the building on fire, a sense of ________ washed over us, knowing that we had made it out unharmed.

After everything happened, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events of that day. ________ it taught me it’s important to stay calm when things get ________ and how helping others during hard times matters. It was a day when ordinary students became unlikely heroes, bound together by the shared ________ to overcome the unexpected challenges.

10 . Skydiving has always held a fascination for me. Despite the fear, there is something that _______ me to it. It is an adventure, making me feel _______ but thrilled, with the world opening up before me in mere seconds.

November 24, 2021, a day perfect for my solo skydiving — sunny, with little wind.

After going through safety rules with my coach, I _______ with faith. As I flew through the air, the adrenaline (肾上腺素) ran through my veins.

However, after 30 seconds, I realized I was lower than anticipated. Urgently, without stabilizing my body position, I _______ to pull my parachute, only to have it wrap around my leg. I tried to untie the lines, but my efforts were _______.

With the ground getting closer, I prepared to _______. As an optimist, I didn’t think it would be destructive. _______, the automatic reserve (备用) parachute opened. I gained some control, directing myself toward grass, which I hoped would _______ a softer landing.

The _______ turned out far from gentle. I lay in ________ pain, screaming for help. The skydiving club members arrived quickly but they didn’t dare do anything due to the risk of ________ my injuries. Soon, the air ambulance crew came with ________, offering temporary relief.

Severe injuries cast ________ on my future. No one could guarantee if I would walk again. Sticking to my determination, remarkably, I took my first steps in three months.

My enthusiasm for skydiving ________ after that horrifying experience. As I embark on another journey later on, I will carry with me the undefeated ________ that pushed me to challenge my limits.