Our ancient nomadic(游牧的)ancestor would often sing or dance to show others where to find food. In my family, we’ve always had music around us too and this influence is starting to _______. Our seven-year-old son has _______ to perform his own raps which are quite excellent even without considering how _______ he is. Our four-year-old daughter is showing her musical _______ too — she started to make up little ditties(小调).

What is most joyous about our shared _______ of music are those moments when we all come together as a _______. My favorite time happened in April when I was feeling quite _______. I was cooking breakfast when the kids _______ that I was playing dance music. My seven-year-old son then started to join in dancing. This _______ his four-year-old sister, soon the three of us were jumping up and down. It was a moment of real ________ and it turned around how I was feeling.

At that point, I felt like music would be the way to ________ to the kids. I’ve sat down with my son and together we’ve remixed his voice and I’ve sat with my daughter and we’ve played the guitar. We might not be ________ anything about the whereabouts of food as our ancestor did. But we are giving them an ________ through song. We’ re teaching them “Flower of Scotland” so that they might know something about their heritage.

Through ________, we have all become a ________ family.

My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing(驾船). Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at ________. As for me, I ________ both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together is really ________. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and ________ Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the calm lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything ________ well with the tiller(舵柄)in his hands.

When we were in the middle of the lake, a ________ wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit violently. Dad was always at his best in any ________, but at this moment he froze.

“John! ________!” he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his ________.

In my memory he could fix any ________. He was the one I always turned to for strength and security(安全). Before I could respond(回答), a wave of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ________ it was too late. Another huge wall of water turned over the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad ________ and assisted him in climbing onto the hull(船壳)of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward(尴尬的)about his flash of ________. “It’s all right, Dad. We are safe now,” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency(紧急事件). More importantly, I found it was my turn to start ________ for my father.

Shortly before Dad died, I got a call from Betty. She was a ________ of our family who lived right across the street. She asked me if I’d noticed that Mom was getting ________ and was starting to tell stories and ask questions time and again. My thoughts ________ my phone calls to Mom. I agreed with Betty. I had noticed some things, but I ________ wasn’t too concerned. After all, Mom was in her 70s. Don’t all people in their 70s ________ things?

I got another call from Betty. She told me about the card game they had ________ one week ago. And it was Mom and Dad’s turn to have it at their house. Everyone ________ but Mom just forgot that and ran around trying to find the cards. That never happened before.

Betty phoned again, telling me one day when Mom drove, she ________ in front of oncoming cars to make a left turn. Mom, in Betty’s opinion, was becoming a very unsafe ________. At this point, I had no idea what to do about that.

Looking back, Dad had been ________ for Mom. And the rest of us were ________ these things as part of her growing old. For months after Dad passed away, we all blamed her forgetfulness on ________.

Alzheimer (阿尔茨海默症) is a very ________ process and most people experience symptoms for nearly three years before being confirmed by doctors.

I am ________ that our friend Betty was right across the street for all the time I couldn’t be there. It’s still ________ to me to think what could have happened without Betty in those days.