_________, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts (选拔赛) for cheerleaders (拉拉队队员). She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be _________ for her to be selected. Two hours later, the _________ read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart _________ as the list ended without her name. Feeling _________, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was _________. She moved on to English and history, and was _________ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to _________ math for the time being.

The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school __________. Mrs. Biden wasn’t as ____________ as Jenna. “I’m sorry, but we have enough ____________ for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we’ll talk then.” Jenna smiled ____________ and left. “Why is high school so ____________?” she sighed.

Later in ____________ class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much ____________. By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d continue to try to ____________ her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to ____________. High school was just as her mom had said: “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond ____________ a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the ____________ fish you can be.”

My husband and I changed our front yard with something eatable, adding apples, bananas, oranges, and pomegranates (石榴).

Every crop brought us ______ to neighbors and strangers. The food was a(an) ______ to communicate. Kids in the neighborhood (including our son) learned ______ and gentle timing. When we had extra, we would ______ it. Then, we received a powerful lesson: a gift hidden as a ______. Our first-ever crop of pomegranates had ripened (成熟). ______, at harvest, they all disappeared in the middle of the night. We were ______, sad and angry. Friends had fun suggestions. One ______ suggested we post a sign to curse (诅咒) those who _____ our fruits.

And suddenly, the ______ was clear. We did need a sign. But our sign would encourage sharing and community. Last autumn, we had a larger crop of pomegranates. We put ______ a sign that read, “If you’d like one, please knock and ______ yourself, and we would be ______ to cut one off the bush for you. Cutting saves the branches and is good for future growth, so we can ______ to share pomegranates with ______ friends like you. Thanks, the Green Family. “

Out of eight fruits, one pomegranate was taken and most of others were ______ to new friends. This year, we won the Kindness Contest award, ______ we planted three trees —a peach, a pear, and a plum. Before they fruit, I’ll ______ a big sign to the yard to encourage sharing. Today I’m happy to be a role model of ______ for my young sons and to have the opportunity to ______ an eatable front yard for others.

As a science teacher, I am always looking for innovative ways to engage my students and make learning fun. One of my most memorable experiences involved an egg, a bottle, and a group of curious 4th ________.

We were learning about air pressure, and I had planned a simple ________ to demonstrate the concept. I brought a hard-boiled egg, a glass bottle with a narrow neck, and a small piece of paper. The ________ was to get the egg inside the bottle without breaking it.

I ________ my students around the table and asked them how they thought it could be done. The children shared their ideas, and we discussed the ________ reasons behind each suggestion. It was fascinating to see their ________ at work, trying to solve the problem.

Then, I lit the piece of paper on fire and dropped it into the bottle. As the ________ consumed the oxygen inside, the air pressure decreased. I ________placed the egg on top of the bottle, and to the amazement of my students, the egg was sucked ________.

The room was filled with gasps and ________ chatter, as the children marveled (惊叹) at the demonstration. This simple experiment ________ their curiosity and reinforced the concept of air pressure in a(n) ________ and memorable way.

Looking back, I feel grateful for moments like these, where the ________ of learning comes alive in the classroom. It’s a reminder of why I chose to become a(n) ________ —to provide students with experiences that arouse their passion for ________.