Our oversized, male Golden Retriever (金毛寻回犬), Rusty weighed much more than most Goldens. Though big, he was _________. When Karen, my 18-month-old daughter, held a cookie out to him, he’d take it gently. Wherever she went, Rusty would _________ her. If we grown-ups held out food for him, _________ , he ate it like a hungry wolf.

One day, I was occupied with chores all the morning in the kitchen. When I looked out the window, my heart _________! Our back yard had two levels, with stone steps leading from the lower level to the larger open area above. At the highest point of the steps was a _________ of 1.5 meters to the lower level. Then and there, I saw Karen on the upper level walking along the edge!

Though _________, I didn’t shout for fear of frightening her into losing _________ and falling to the ground below. Then I noticed Rusty beside her, moving to _________ the way. Not to be stopped, Karen walked to an open spot. Just as quickly, Rusty moved himself in front again, _________ her.

That repeated a couple of times. Finally, she got __________ and moved back to the center. Sighing with __________, I ran up immediately. “Come on, Karen,” I said, “Let’s go inside and get a __________.”

She clapped her hands and grabbed mine, making her way down slowly. Rusty stayed by her side, moving at her pace. When we got to the door, she __________ my hand and crawled through the doggy door. Rusty followed. This was how they got outside with the door __________. By the time I got to the kitchen, Karen and her four-legged nanny were waiting for the __________ cookie.

I never worried about Karen playing outside after that.

One day six months ago I found a tumour(肿块)under my left arm, but I thought it was harmless. Soon a second _______ on the left side of my chest, so I _______ to see my doctor. When the doctor _______ studied the X-rays, I asked if he thought it was a(n) _______ He nodded.

Arriving home, I told my wife and son what my health condition was. After a quiet dinner, we were silently _______   that we would do everything _______ to beat it as a family.

Two days later, the surgeon confirmed it was cancer. He admitted to being _______   because there were tumours all around my chest, stomach and legs. I had no idea when or where the _______   started. Two powerful drugs would aim to activate my own immune system to _______ the cancer cells. I’d worked out my own ________ to getting well: enjoy every day, enjoy time with family and friends, stay ________ with the world. Swimming was helping, too. One morning I ________ four kilometres. The next week, five. Three weeks later, six.

Soon it was November—-time for scans to ________ how the treatments had worked. I had barely sat down when the doctor breezed(轻盈地走)into. The scans, he said, showed the treatments were working effectively. I had a coffee in the hospital garden, ________ to work out whether to believe what had just happened. The sky, I couldn’t help but notice, seemed especially ________ .