Vincent got up at half past six in the morning. He hurriedly _________ his clothes and finished the _________ prepared by Grandma. His grandparents were the only two people _________ with him. As soon as he waved goodbye to them, Vincent _________ out to the small car park. Dad’s car was already there.

“Good morning, Dad. You are earlier than I _________ ,” said Vincent. And he got into the car happily.

“I _________ you,” Dad smiled and drove off.

“Me, too. _________ can I live with Mum and you again?” asked Vincent.

“I’ve told you hundreds of times. Mum will be back in two months. We will live _________ again then. Mum always loves her _________ and she wants to take the chance to meet more clients,” Dad explained. “And her boss told her that she might become the __________. Are you __________?”

“Not at all. Is work more __________ than me?” asked Vincent.

“No, of course not. You are the most important to Mum and Dad, __________ we have to work. You will understand us when you grow up,” said Dad as he __________ at the school gate.

Vincent got out of the __________. Dad drove off, going back to his office.

It was a mid April－a time when the planet Earth turns under the hot rays of the Sun. There was a large desert in Africa with no trace of _______ except a little rose. There was not a bird or a tree in _______ . The sand dunes(沙丘) became piles of burning coal as the days _______ . But the little rose _______ the cruelty of the Sun. The Sun was very _______ to have seen the rose’s ability to _________ such unfavorable conditions.

One afternoon, the Sun said to the little _______ , “Dear Rose! I am the supreme power in this universe. I have the _______ to give and take life. Thousands of living things _______ every day, as they are not able to bear with my heat. But, you have been weathering even my hottest rays ________ any complaint. May I know the source that gave you this great ________ ?”

“Oh, mighty Sun,” the little rose said ________ , “I don’t know much about this desert. But it appears ________ and there seems to be no one else in the whole world my eye could stretch. I began to feel ________ for the loneliness of this desert and ________ to help it as possible as I could. And in this process, I never ________ anything that causes pain to me. My whole ________ has been to be a good friend to this desert and ________ its loneliness.”

________ by the little rose’s care for the large desert, the Sun offered a(n)________－millions of other roses filled the desert with their sweet smells and thus turned the entire stretch into a great oasis of life.

My history with music was not good. I still remembered when I took my short-lived piano lessons, my grandfather said _____ to my grandfather, “Why didn’t he make any progress with much practice?” I______ to make my piano performance attractive, but my efforts were______ .

So I gave up playing any musical instrument until my old friend Leroy ______ me to play the violin with him when I was 57. It made me enjoy the joy of playing music again. One day, Leroy sent a text________ me that there was a music performance and he wanted me to join him. Thinking of my past, I _________ his invitation. I expected to hear his words that I would become_______ with practice on stage. But he said, “OK, only play if you want to.” I was totally_______by the unexpected answer and made no reply except to tell him goodbye.

No one was_______ me to participate, but I faced a special ______. Should I play on stage or just watch a movie? I had chosen the “movie route” too many times and this time I was_______ to grasp the opportunity. After a long and careful______, I played my violin with Leroy. ThoughI didn’t lose all my nervousness, it was enough for me to overcome ________ fear. Finally, I________ a full performance in front of the audience.

A short time later, my friend Leroy passed away, but his ______ stayed. It helped me not only in music, but in all aspects of life. When I focus on what I wanted to do, fear is replaced with joy.