AI was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two sons. One night, his older son _________ a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only common intestinal (肠的) _________ , the couple didn’t take it seriously. But the disease was actually _________ appendicitis (阑尾炎), and the boy died that night.

Knowing the death could have been _________ , AI’s emotional health worsened under the enormous burden of his _________ . To make matters worse, his wife left him soon, leaving him alone with his six-year-old son. AI could not _________ the hurt and pain, and he turned to alcohol. As the alcoholism _________ , AI began to lose everything-his home and his art objects. _________ AI died alone in a motel.

Hearing of Al’s death, I reacted with disdain (鄙视). “What a complete _________ !”

As time passed, I began to __________ my earlier harsh judgment. I knew AI’s now adult son, Ernie, is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men. One day I __________ my courage to ask him, “What on earth did he do so that you became such a special person?”

Ernie sat quietly, __________ for a few moments and said, “From my memories as a child until I left home, AI came into my room every night and gave me a kiss, saying, ‘love you, son.’”

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a __________ I had been to judge Al as a loser. He had not left any material __________ behind. But as a kind loving father, he left behind one of the finest, most __________ men I have ever known.

Talk to any “successful” person and you’ll quickly realize success doesn’t come suddenly. First comes _________, and it takes perseverance to _________ past the discouragement it brings.

Popular actress Meryl Streep has been winning awards since the 1980’s. Yet, she shares a story from before she _________.

Before she earned herself the _________ of “the best actress of her generation”, she had to _________her own insecurities and setbacks. Meryl says, “I didn’t have _________ in my beauty when I was young.” So, imagine how disappointing it was for a (an) _________ actress to be denied by a major role based _________ on her looks!

It was the mid-1970’s, and Meryl Streep was struggling to make a _________ for herself. Certainly the young actress was __________ excited when she was __________ to meet a major Italian film producer. But as Meryl walked into his office, he turned and asked, “Who brings me this __________ thing?”

Had she accepted this __________ opinion as fact and considered herself “too ugly” to ever succeed in Hollywood, Meryl Streep would have never become a __________ name. “I think the most liberating thing I did early on was to __________ myself from any concern with my looks,” Meryl says. “For an actress, worrying about appearance is a horrible, horrible __________.”

Meryl refused to __________ her dream, and she’s since enjoyed a __________ that’s spanned several decades. The actress has won 2 Emmy’s, 8 Golden Globes and 3 Oscars, among many others, and currently holds the __________ record for the most Academy Award acting nominations (提名).

Meryl bravely chose not to place her focus on her looks but on her __________. Failure is part of life. But when we do encounter it, it’s important to fight on.

Philip was looking out of the windows while his grandchildren were playing around the house. “Look!” One child shouted ________. Philip looked up only to see a small plane a few hundred yards away, losing altitude. As a(n) ________ Navy commander, he realized it was going to ________ in the icy river.

Philip didn’t hesitate. He ________ down to the waterfront. The plane had slid to a river far from shore and was now sinking. The ________ was standing on the wing. Philip knew from his Navy training that even a few moments in the icy water could ________ the pilot. Philip tested the ice with his foot and decided not to risk ________ on it. So he and his son, Michael pulled two canoes (皮划艇) out from their back deck. The two men set off, ________ their boats across the ice. It was tough work.

When Philip reached the plane, it had broken through the ice and ________, with only its tail stable. With his son nearby, Philip focused on keeping the pilot ________, joking, “Just hang on to the boat as if you were hugging your wife.” The pilot ________ grabbed the paddle and the two men were floating together, but Philip knew he had to get the pilot onto the shelf of unbroken ice before the man lost too much body ________. Just at that time a ________ appeared and radioed for help (用无线电呼救). After a while, a rescue boat arrived to help the policeman, breaking through ice. It ________ the pilot and rushed him to safety. Philip recalled. “I’m 60 years old,” he says. “There was no way I could get him to shore.” Still, he was ________ he’d gone the right way that day.