There are some books that I will never take off my daughter’s bookshelf. Most of those books are_________, books.

Picture books create concrete (具体的) images in readers’ minds. They come alive when they’re being_________. My daughter, 8 years old, is a_________reader. She can sit down with almost any book and read it all by herself for hours._________, I still read to her. When it’s bedtime, she asks me to_________her a picture book, which gives us lots of joy.

Picture books are the campfire (篝火) story of the reading world. Picture books are so_________that they are able to bring people together easily. They’re_________enough to be compelling (引人入胜的) or short enough to hold your interest. They’re better than other books when it comes to the_________of language. They can tell complete stories in thirty-two pages or less. Reading a thirty-two-page book is not a(n)_________for a girl who can read a 500-page book on her own. However, reading isn’t always about challenging oneself. Sometimes reading is about sharing a__________with a loved one.

Some picture books aren’t fit for my daughter as she__________. But the ones that really draw her in and need to be read aloud will always be__________for her. So this is why I’ll never stop reading picture books with my__________. We’re reading together because it__________us pleasure. That’s why I’ll always keep picture books on her__________.

It is just past five o’clock on the Chinese New Year’s Eve. The dinner table is already ________ with white china plates and bowls, full of all sorts of dishes. Luo Yan, ________ the cover of a large bowl to breathe in the ________ smell of the soup his wife and mother have prepared. His son, Bofeng, happily takes a ________ of the chicken his grandfather has already ________ for him.

Six-year-old Bofeng has not ________ his grandparents in person for almost a year, and he is full of joy and excitement. ________, the whole family could not be happier to be together. Despite (尽管) the ________ outside, their happy faces fill the air with warmth while merry ________ rings (环绕) throughout the house. The young couple and their son have settled in the ________ city. Every year, like most Chinese, they travel a long way back for the Spring Festival. It’s ________ for Chinese to get together to enjoy the joy of “three generations under the same roof” on this special day.

After, dinner, the whole family ________ around the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while eating snacks and ________ each other excitedly. In the warmth and ________ of the room, Luo Yan talks about his plan for the future. “I hope we won’t have to be separated again,” he says, looking at his ageing parents. “We’ll come back more ________. After all, home is where all family members are together.”

My mother was not only my best friend, but also my life instructor. While I was young, she ________ me with her actions and advice. Thanks to her, I can be a good ________ player. She taught me one important ________: “Trust yourself.”

There wasn’t “I can’t.” in my mother’s mind. She didn’t have the opportunity to finish high school and ________ two jobs to support her large family. ________, she never complained. Through self-education and years of hard work, my mother became an excellent reporter. When I was in high school, I had a ________ time playing football and even I wanted to ________. She tried to help me, but I ________ struggled. So my coach suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for ________ training. I told Mom, “That’s ________! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” She replied, “You can do it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the ________. Despite working 12 hours every day, Mom never once ________ driving me to school.

After months of ________, I was facing an important match. I was so ________. On the day of the match, my Mom hugged me and said, “Peter, ________ yourself. You can do it.” Her words made me realize I should be confident with my ________ and the hours of work. When I finished the ________ excellently, the first person I called was my mother. She cried, “Yes! You deserve it!”

Even now, whenever I ________ that a task is too much for me, I think of my mother. No matter how ________ something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever ________ to Mom for that lesson.