Since first grade, I had always done well on tests. When it came to fifth grade science, however, I was _______. I couldn’t seem to understand or _______ it no matter how hard I tried.

My mom and dad had always been so _______ of my grades, and I didn’t want to let them disappointed. So just before the test I had written several _______ from the textbook on my desk in pencil. The writing was so light that it could hardly be seen. I went _______ as the teacher started to hand out the test paper. I didn’t want to be caught, but I didn’t want to _______ either.

As the teacher was starting down my row, suddenly the _______ went off. We all _______ the door and stood together, waiting to be allowed back into the building.

As I stood outside in the warm sunshine, I realized what a fool I had been. I knew my mom and dad would still love me no matter what my _______ were. As soon as we came into the classroom, I walked to my desk and ________ the notes away. I had been given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to ________ it. I took the test, did my best and felt ________. I don’t remember what my grade was, but what happened that day has stayed in my mind ever since.

Life is full of second chances, but you have to be willing to ________ them. You have to be willing to accept your ________ and grow from them. When you are given a second chance in life, cherish it! And use it ________!

Andrea Macasaet fell in love with the stage as a kid. Encouraged by her parents, both immigrants from the Philippines, she ________ in karaoke contests.

When she was 19, after many auditions (面试) and ________ parts, she thought she was finally on her way to an acting career when she was ________ in the title role in Miss Saigon. But then the big roles stopped coming. She had to work to help ________ herself while going from one audition to the next. Eventually she ________ she’d had enough, and went back to school.

But if she was prepared to ________ her dreams, her dreams did not abandon her. She spotted a casting call for a musical about Henry VIII’s wives. It had done well in London and was prepared for a North American ________.

She sent in a(n) ________ of herself singing Lady Gaga’s song. The show’s co-creator and director, Lucy Moss, was ________ very much: “She had an amazing voice, ________ there was something else, this concentrated hilarity (欢闹，狂欢). It was that rare thing where everyone knew, we’ve got our Anne Boleyn (one of the wives).”

Though the tour went well, with audiences ________ the houses in many cities, it wasn’t a given that she’d get to play Boleyn in New York. That stage had always seemed so far out of ________. “I used to hum Disney princess songs,” she says. “But I couldn’t ________ myself as Cinderella or Ariel.” Then she got the call. “When I received the offer for Broadway, I was in the car. I had to ________ to cry.”

This September, Macasaet made her performance on Broadway. She was over-joyed. Now she wants to pass that sense of ________ on to the next generation. “The feeling of being up there, there’s nothing like it.”

Adam Klenovich, 17, a student from Beaver Area High School, Pennsylvania, US, talks more like a seasoned CEO than a ______ teen.

He has big plans to build a fashion label that would double as a ______ to promote other creatives. He also ______ holding events someday that are part concert, part fashion showcase.

But he doesn’t just talk the talk. He spends most nights after school and weekends trying to make his dream ______ He’s showcasing and selling pieces from his fashion line IMPERFECT in Gallery 4413 in the Lawrenceville neighborhood.

On display and for sale in the ______ are lots of colorful pieces. IMPERFECT’s ______ for now is on shorts, T-shirts. Eleven percent of the money from each sale will be ______ to charity. “This is how we want to help people,” said Klenovich, who ______ IMPERFECT nearly a year ago. “We’re using clothing to draw people in and then explain to people what we’re trying to do.”

Klenovich got the bug to start his own business while in pandemic quarantine (隔离). He wanted to use his time being ______ at home because of COVID-19 “to put my mind to something that would ______ help me and others, too”. He liked fashion but often had trouble finding things he actually wanted to wear and things that didn’t cost a lot. “I ______ as well start making my own stuff,” he said.

As a creative, Klenovich is like a sponge (海绵) who soaks up ______ wherever he goes, so the clothing he comes up with is pretty abstract. One thing all clothing has in common, ______, is that no two pieces are exactly the same.

Klenovich strives to wear something IMPERFECT wherever he goes. “It ______ a conversation,” he said. “People may ask, ‘Where did you get that?’ and I’ll give them my business card.”

Klenovich and his friends are also at work on a website that helps to promote their brands. On the website, Klenovich highlights six nonprofits at a time and ______ can purchase to support.

“I want to be able to plan my own missions and help people,” Klenovich said. “That’s the biggest thing for me.”