I was teaching creative writing at a high school, when Micky gave me a note from his mother. It ___ his absence from class the day before.

I had seen Micky himself writing the note. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my ___. The forged (伪造的) excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The___ didn’t realize honest excuse notes were usually ___.

The students always more brilliant when they ___ excuse notes rather than on any subject. “The excuse notes are ___ to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Micky?” The students looked at me ___.

There will be the first class to study the ___ of the excuse notes. Everyone smiled. “Used your ___to try best.”____ went down. Pens raced ____ paper. For the first time ever I saw students so ____ in their writing.

The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked ____, looking at papers, and then asked me to his office. My heart ____.

He ____ my hand, “Your job was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you.”

Songs bring us through our life. Each time I listen to my favorite song Reach, I am deeply impressed by its lyrics (歌词): “If I could reach, higher, just for one moment touch the sky.”_________ we hear this enthusiastic song sung by Gloria Estefan, we can _________ imagine how she managed to return to the stage after her serious back injury. In 1990, this Cuban singer was _________ down in a terrible traffic accident, and the doctor _________ that she might never walk again. But Gloria did not give up and kept on working hard towards her recovery. Just one year after the _________, she stood up again and _________ this encouraging song at the Atlanta Olympics.

Whenever I think of Gloria, a _________ comes back to me. When I entered university, naturally shy, ordinary looking, and with _________ scores in my lessons, just like an ugly duckling, I seemed to be the least outstanding one in my class. Continuous failures drove me into _________. “Am I bound to take a back seat to everyone else?” __________ to submit to such a fate, I spared no efforts to work on my lessons and joined in many activities, such as English speech contests, recitals, and dramas. I just wanted to catch every little opportunity to __________ myself. My constant efforts finally __________. I received some awards. More importantly, I gained courage and __________ to face any difficulty in my journey through life.

__________ is just like farming. You __________ what you sow. Once you have a dream, don’t hesitate. Keep moving.

Four students from a German high school choir wrote a letter to Peng Liyuan. "Singing ______ songs was the happiest part of the day when we studied at home," they said. The letter, written in Chinese, was in reply to a letter from Peng on Feb 9th to the students and teachers at    Burg Gymnasium, ______ them to contribute to promoting the ______ of China and Germany.

The students said they have ______ Peng's letter many times and are very ______ . “We feel so proud after knowing that you even ______ our video,“ they wrote in the letter, ______a video clip in which students ______ a Chinese song.

Simone Reuen, the principal of Burg Gymnasium, said in her letter to Peng that she was ______ happy that the school had received so much______ . “Your letter is a great praise, acknowledgement and ______ to not only our school but also the ______ of our school's Chinese choir；"     Reuen wrote.

Reuen said that she believed that their songs have played a ______ but very important role in the ______ and mutual （相互的）learning between people in Germany and China. She said she was ______   of the students for ______ the distances between the two peoples.

The students and teachers at the school asked the Chinese ______ in Germany to forward the _____ letters to Peng, together with works of calligraphy and other ______ made by the students.

Burg Gymnasium has been ______ Chinese language courses since 1994. In March 2014, Peng visited the school and joined a Chinese class there during Xi's state visit to Germany.