Did you ever have one of those dreams that seemed to go on forever? I had one like that last night. I was ______ down an old, side road that I used to walk along as a teenager. I wasn’t quite ______ where 1 was headed, but I felt very determined to get there. Like in many ______, time seemed fluid and people seemed ageless. As I walked along I kept meeting people from both my ______ and my present. I saw both my Mom and my Grandma who have passed away and 1 was able to ______ them both one more hug. I ______ many childhood friends and we talked, joked, and laughed just like we were ______ again.

Still, I kept walking, hoping to reach ______ I was headed. Around every turning, though, there was ______ new. I saw strangers ______ and stopped to help them. I met a smiling, old man who ______ shared his life’s wisdom with me and then I ______ passed it on to young children further down the road. With every few steps it seemed there was a ______ adventure in learning and love. I never got to where 1 was going and ______ feeling like I had lived a lifetime in a single ______. It ______ me a bit that I never ______ where I was headed,______ then I realized that this dream was a lot like our life. It is the walk that ______. You will meet a lot of wonderful people and ______ a lot of interesting experiences.

Songs bring us through our life. Each time I listen to my favorite song Reach, I’m deeply ______ by its lyrics: “If I could reach higher, just one moment touch the sky...” When we hear this ______ song sung by Gloria Estefan, we can ______ imagine how she managed to return to the stage after her serious back injury. In 1990, this Cuban singer was ______ down in a terrible traffic accident, and the doctor ______ that she might never walk again. But Gloria did not ______ and kept on working hard toward her ______. Just one year after the disaster ______, she stood up again and ______ this encouraging song at the Atlanta Olympics.

Whenever I think of Gloria, a ______ crowds in my mind. When I entered university, naturally shy, ordinary looking, and with ______ scores in my lessons, just like an ugly duckling. I seemed to be the ______ outstanding one in my class. Continuous failures drove me into ______. “Am I to take a back seat to everyone else?” ______ to give in to such a fate I spared no effort to work on my lessons and joined in many ______, such as English speech contests and dramas. I just wanted to catch every little chance to ______ myself. My continuous efforts finally paid off. I received some ______. More importantly, I ______ courage and confidence to face any difficulty in my life.

____ is just like farming. You ______ what you sow. Once you have a dream, don’t hesitate. Keep moving!

Everyone has something that he or she cherishes a lot.

Dad had a green comb. He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his ______ and say, "Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?"

I was ______ to do it. At age five, this dull task brought me such ______. I would excitedly turn the tap ______ and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I'd done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would ______ affectionately at me and place the comb on his wallet.

Two years later, Dad started his own ______, which wasn't doing so well. That was when things started to ______ . Dad didn't come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became ______with him for placing our family in trouble. With ______ , an uncomfortable silence grew between us.

After my graduation, Dad's business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home ______. As usual, I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, "Hey, would you help me ______ my comb?" I looked at him a while, then ______ the comb and headed to the sink.

It hit me then: why, as a child, ______ Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine meant Dad was home early to ______   the evening with Mum and me. It ______ a happy and loving family.

I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and ______ placed his comb on his wallet. But this time, I noticed something ______. Dad had aged. He had wrinkles (皱纹) next to his eyes when he smiled, ______ his smile was still as ______ as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good ______ for his family.