Sam was very nervous. It was his first day in new _________, and lunch was only thirty minutes away. For most students, lunch is the _________ part of the school day. It is time when you talk with your friends, get to know what interesting things everyone is doing, and, of course, _________. Sam, however, didn’t know anyone or anything, like where to sit or with whom to sit at lunch.

Sam’s _________ was in the army, so his family moved a lot. He had really liked his old school and _________ leaving his two best friends. They still talked to each other through phone calls and emails, _________ he couldn’t see them every day. He wondered if their _________ would continue. He didn’t want to lose them, but he knew it would be _________ for them to stay close.

“I know this is hard on you,” his mother said as he got ready for school this morning, “and I’m really _________ you have to keep changing schools.” Sam could see __________ in her eyes, but he didn’t want her to feel that way. He gave her a smile and told her not to __________. Even if he was still worried, he decided to do something to fit in with the new school.

The __________ time came quickly. As Sam was walking to the dining room, a voice behind him said, “Excuse me.” Sam __________ and saw five friendly faces.

“Would you like to join us?” asked one of them.

This __________ invitation was exactly what he needed. Sam nodded yes __________ and joined them. He was sure about his future school life now.

For Canaan Elementary’s second grade in Patchogue, N. Y. , today is speech day, and right now it’s Chris Palaez’s ________. The 8-year-old is the joker of the class. With shining dark eyes, he seems like the kind of kid who would ________ public speaking.

But he’s ________. “I’m here to tell you today why you should... should...” Chris ________ on the “-ld,” a pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers. His teacher, Thomas Whaley, is next to him, whispering ________. “...Vote for... me...” ________ some stumbles (结结巴巴地说), Chris is doing ________ well. When he brings his speech to a nice ________, Whaley invites the rest of the class to ________ him.

A son of immigrants, Chris started learning English a little over three years ago. Whaley ________ how at the beginning of the year, when called upon to read, Chris would ________ himself to go to the bathroom.

Learning English as a second language can be a ________ experience. What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes. “It ________ a lot for any student,” Whaley explains, “________ for a student who is learning English as their new language, to feel ________ enough to say, ‘I don’t know, but I want to know.”

Whaley got the ________ of this second-grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to ________ their hands if they thought they could never be a president. The answer broke his heart. Whaley says the ________ is about more than just learning to read and speak in public. He wants these kids to learn to boast (夸耀) about themselves.

“Boasting about yourself, and your best ________,” Whaley says, “is very ________ for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”

The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat(汗水) was pouring down our backs and faces. We stood still without _______ any noise, all hot and tired. But everyone kept standing as straight as trees.

It was something most high schools give to new Senior One students—military training. We _______ four days in a closed environment. _______ we couldn’t go home at night and the training was _______ and difficult, our humorous young drillmaster(教官) with a funny accent was a real _______ of our days. We laughed at his jokes, sat in rows singing different songs and _______ him telling true stories about his life. He gave us the feeling that _______ and sweat were not the only things that military training _______.

After this journey, we were more _______ than we had imagined and we were much braver than ________. Girls who looked pale rested for a little while, then right away came back to the team. Boys who were being punished ________ to the playground at once and began to run. Sweat flowed down our faces ________ we thought about how to shout ________ than other classes.

Military training taught us perseverance(坚持不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be seen on our faces. We shouted so loud that our ________ could be heard across the playground. With eyes like burning torches(火炬), we walked into the future. Now the sun is ________ at all of us.