I settled into my seat in the audience at Good Morning America and stared down at the shoes I was wearing, My little sister’s shoes. Emily had died eight months earlier, a slow,____death from cervical cancer. I had inherited her gray, slip-on Converse sneakers with white laces. I loved those shoes. I____them too. Every time I put them on, I was____that I wouldn't see my sister or hold her again for a long，long time.

Emily and I hadn’t been close growing up. We were quite the____. She was the type to jump up in the morning and start her day, with GMA on the TV, while I liked____better than a quiet morning with coffee and Scripture. When she got sick，I flew from New York to her home in Louisiana to____her. As if the Lord and his love were working through me, our____melted away，and all I felt for Emily was love.

That made her passing all the more devastating(令人沮丧的）.I looked at her____and thought about how she’d suffered. I thought about how much I____her, how I just wanted to feel her presence again.

Going to a taping of GMA had ____Emily’s wish list. Emily had drawn hope from the host Robin Roberts，a two-time cancer survivor. She was more than just a star. Emily had felt a spiritual ____to Robin. I'd scored tickets to a show featuring the singer Mandisa,____music video for “Overcomer” had____my sister during her illness.

I just wanted to wear Emily’s shoes to the show and glance at her two heroes, my way of living her____for her. As soon as Robin Roberts stepped on set, I felt Emily's excitement rush____ me，pushing up from her shoes. Oh, sister. This is it! I thought.

At the first commercial break, Robin mingled(与…交谈)with the audience. Maybe I can get a picture with our shoes? I thought. I pushed my way through the crowd until,____，I was standing in front of her. “I’m here in my little sister’s shoes,” I said. “She died of cancer eight months ago. You were her absolute____. Can I take a picture with you?”

Robin’s eyes filled with____“Thank you for sharing that with me,” she said, pulling me to her. “God bless you. Of course, we can take a picture.” I sat down again, my heart____Robin Roberts now knew Emily in some mystical way, two souls connected in the wide world. It was so much_____ I could have hoped for.

Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really envied them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could _______ play basketball.

I like playing basketball though I’m not good at it. I’ve had a basketball _______ I was a child. At first, I could play freely because no one _______ when I was just a kid. But as I grew up it seemed harder for me to enjoy basketball. At school, boys always played basketball during PE classes. The girls were _______ allowed to play volleyball or badminton. My parents did not _______ me play basketball at home.

“Basketball is not fit for girls,” they said. _______ I went to play basketball with my friends, boys _______ at me on the court as if I were an alien. I was feeling _______ and had lost hope of playing basketball. _______, something changed the first day of high school. I made some friends who also enjoyed playing basketball. They ________ me to get back on the court.

One of them told me with a smile, “Go your own ________, let others talk.” This girl would always play basketball with me. Even the boy who sat next to me in class talked about ________ with me almost every day.

I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion ________ to my heart. I will play as well as I can, ________ for me, even the sky is boundless (无限的).

Basketball has become an important part of my ________. I am interested in it. I watch matches and enjoy playing almost every day. Through basketball, I not only feel happy and confident, but also ________ a lot.

I’ve heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, “Nothing is impossible.” I have ________ to realize that life is just like playing basketball. You should have an ________. After that, just be confident and ________ going. Never give up and you’ll make it sooner or later.

I love the motto of the NBA. It can ________ my strong feelings for basketball, “I love this game!”

The Road Less Travelled

Pennsylvania is one of the oldest states in America full of mysterious places. One of those places has been_________for decades. My dad loves history. When he learned it was_______to the public, he decided to take a bike trip with me to_______this historic road. I was 14 then.

My dad chose a 16-mile section of the road for us to ride. Part of it included an old and long tunnel(隧道)called the Sideling Hill Tunnel. To_________, we checked our tires and made sure our bike lights had batteries. In the morning, we_______our bikes into the trunk of the car. Then we set off on a cool fall afternoon.

After a two-hour drive, we reached the road. Then our bike trip started. It went smoothly.

As we approached the Sideling Hill Tunnel, I felt_________as it was black inside! But my dad_______me. He said be would be right beside me. He reminded me to be_______all the way and keep my_______on!

When we entered the tunnel, the sound of our bikes________through the darkness. I shined my flashlight around and saw walls covered in graffiti. I was pretty scared, but________following my dad helped me relax. That gave me________to keep going. And I was so happy to ride out into the________afternoon!

Whenever I am going through hardships in life, I remember this__________. It reminds me that my dad is always beside me. He turns on the light of__________in my heart. And he gives me courage to keep riding through life’s dark tunnels.