In high school I had a math teacher, Mrs. Davies, who took her job seriously and expected her students to show the same degree of commitment (投入). Strict but fair, she held our attention with her great method. One of her _______ was for students who were more academically advanced. I chose to take it and soon realized that the course was a bit over my head. I _______ with the complex problems that others seemed to learn without much effort.

One Friday we were tested on our ability to use a theorem (定理) that no one in the class thoroughly understood. The teacher would _______ our papers based on our ability to progress through the problem which easily filled two pages with formula notations (公式符号). I was absolutely _______. Finally, I didn’t use the required theorem. Instead, I decided to use more familiar theorems to arrive at an _______. I knew I had failed because I hadn’t done the required assignment, I became resigned (顺从) to my fate.

Our test papers were _______ back the following Monday. Everyone received a “C” except me. To my surprise, I received an “A”. I _______ that there must be a mistake. I watched nervously as the teacher approached my desk, smiled, and asked for my test _______ back. She then went back to copy my work onto the blackboard, _______ the class how I had arrived at the correct answer. “Mathematics is meant to be a creative tool, pushing our minds to a rewarding answer,” she said with confidence. __________ I didn’t use the required theorem, she seemed really proud of how I’d worked out the problem. The class saw her fold my test paper and put it into her textbook. She announced that it would be __________ with future classes.

My teacher could have been justified (合理的) in giving me a __________ grade. Instead, she used the __________ to deeply influence a student who often struggled. And after forty years, I still cherish the memory. It helped change my self-image. I __________ up a broad boundary of possibilities which made my life an adventure. She understood that teaching went beyond strict demands and could be used to ________ people. Thank you, Mrs. Davies.

Michael wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. When the other kids began to ________ that he was wearing the same pants and shirt day after day, Michael, a college preparatory high school freshman, became the ________ of ridicule and laughter. But there was ________ Michael could do. His mother simply couldn’t ________ to buy him new clothes.

Two of the kids were Antwan and Kristopher, big freshman football players. But over time, they ________ that their disparaging（毁谤的）words felt like bullying and seemed to be slowly breaking Michael’s ________. Something finally clicked.

Kristopher felt like he needed to do something. So he and Antwan ________ a plan. They went home and ________ through their own drawers and closets. The next day at school, they ________ Michael at their third-period class and asked him to come into the hall. Michael was ________ uncomfortable about being called out by the ________ boys.

Kristopher told him, “We’re in the same third period, and I ________ for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to ________ it up.” He then ________ Michael a large bag. Inside were clean shirts and shorts, plus a brand-new pair of New Balance ________.

Michael was blown away. He was very happy, ________, completely. And Michael got much more than new clothes. He no longer sits ________ at lunch. Now he ________ with his new friends, Antwan and Kristopher.

Reflecting on the ________ Antwan and Kristopher called him into the hall, Michael said, “The best day of my ________ life, basically.”

I was nine when I arrived at the Children’s Home in Nashua, New Hampshire. I failed third grade that year, and barely _____ it through a second time, and had squeaked through(侥幸通过) fourth grade by the time I reached Pauline Jambard’s fifth-grade class at Charlotte Avenue Elementary School.

I was _____ I wasn’t as intelligent as the other kids. _____, Ms. Jambard took an instant liking to me. Of all the _____ in school, reading was my favorite. She would tell me, “Terry, you _____ reading. If you can understand what you’re reading, you’ll be _____ than most kids.” After I read all the books in our program, I started reading the classroom’s set of Encyclopedia Britannica(《不列颠百科全书》). And gradually I started to really _____ school life.

That _____, our school threw a Christmas party for family and community members. My brother and I had no family to _____. I still remember looking up and seeing Ms. Jambard walk through the front door and _____ she was there to see me. I was deeply moved. That was the _____ Christmas of my life!

After I graduated from Ms. Jambard’s class, my brother and I _____, and I lost all touch with my teacher. Years later, I was on a business trip and had to drive through Nashua. I took a chance and _____ Charlotte Avenue Elementary School. I was walking toward her _____ when she came out into the hallway and said, “Terry!” It was as if I had _____ left! I was in seventh heaven on my flight home.

We have stayed in _____, and I call Ms. Jambard at least once a year. Because of the _____ she instilled(灌输) in me, I went on to have a _____ career in engineering. I don’t know if Ms. Jambard realizes how much she _____ me, but I’ll never forget her _____ and faith in me.