Annie, a neighbor’s daughter, was away for her first semester at college this school year. She is in a very_______ girl but just a bit shy. When her birthday came around, I found out she was feeling a bit_______.

Her family is quite poor and finances(金融) are______, so there wouldn’t be any birthday visitors. I wanted to_______ her a card and maybe a small gift to brighten her day a bit. I got her school________ from her mom and planned to pick something up. Then I got a(n)________!

I thought perhaps a bit more birthday cheer was needed here. I ______ some balloons, birthday hats, and other novelties(新颖小巧而廉价的物品) at a store. I took a small_______ and asked three other people in my area at work to________ “Happy Birthday” and send some birthday wishes to her. It was so______ making the recording. Other people found out what we were doing and added their voices, so it______ sounded like we had a party going on!

Then I bought her a small present and a card as_______ planned. The real fun was packing them to be sent. I______ everything, so it was like opening a mini birthday party! At the last minute I_______a pack of cupcakes and a box of birthday candles before sending them off. I got a call a few days_____. Annie said her roommates and one of their neighbors in the_____ got together with her and held a______ for her the moment they arrived. She sounded so______ and I was so glad that she had some friends to share her_____ day with.

And Annie______ me it was the most fun birthday she would remember!

Make the Most of What You Have Got

For Nick Vujicic, life was going to be difficult from the day he was born. When Nick arrived into this world, he _______ everyone. He was not like the other babies and it was _______ obvious to his parents and to the doctors in the hospital.

There was no _______ or answers for his condition. Nick was born without any limbs, that is, he was born without any arms or legs. But despite being physically _______, he was mentally _______ and the rest of his body was working fine.

_______ he had loving parents, Nick would find school hard as he would often be looked down upon by the other children and at the age of 10, he considered _______ his life by drowning（淹死）himself in bathtub（浴缸）. These dark thoughts were _______ by his negative attitude to being disabled and at the time, he thought that he would never be able to do _______ by himself, that he would never have a job and that he would always have to ________ on his parents for help.

However, with his own efforts, things totally change when he becomes an adult. Nick is now a successful public speaker and is famous for his encouraging ________ which focus on life with a disability, hope and finding meaning in life worldwide. He ________ so many people with the story of his life, how he has ________ so many difficulties and most importantly how he is happy every day.

Despite having no arms or legs, Nick lives ________, even finding ways to do almost something ________ like brushing his teeth on his own and swimming. He has to work harder than a full bodied person and he achieves his goals.

At the first impression, you may look at Nick and feel ________. You may feel sad that this man has no arms or legs and you might feel his ________ and upset that he could find everyday situations difficult. But we should ________ Nick, as he is extremely positive and he gets on with life. He ________ every day and makes the best of what he has: a positive attitude, a creative mind and a powerful ________. He also has a very kind and very beautiful wife and they are truly happy and in love.

My parents’ new dog Mercy would rush out of bed and go-go-go all day long. So when they brought home a Christmas tree, they expected _________. But to their astonishment, Mercy didn’t seem to care. She paid zero attention to the tree _________ growing in the living room. Nor did she _________ the fancy gifts under it.

A few days before Christmas, Polly, my step mom, awoke early as usual. As she _________ the living room, she stopped cold. She saw that every last _________ was gone. Only the tree was still there. To find out the burglar, Polly walked toward the back door. She pushed the _________, bathing the backyard in light. Oh, yes, it was Mercy. She _________ in a nest of torn wrapping papers, _________ boxes, and curling bits of ribbons. Clearly Mercy’s self-control had _________. She’d silently carried one after another out of the doggy door and anything edible (可吃的) was __________including cookies, chocolates, and four pounds of Milk-Bones.

Nature took __________ on Mercy, and she eventually survived her midnight snack. Only one problem __________. With all the gift tags destroyed, how could my parents send back thank-you cards?

Mercy presented the problem, so Mercy provided the __________. A few days later, Polly happened to find Mercy __________ licking a plate where a doughnut had just been. Polly shot a picture of the shamefaced puppy and used it to make the cover of the thank-you card. Inside, the whole story was __________. We all laughed off the ruined presents and admitted that amid all the gift-giving, it’s really a season for MERCY.