The stage lights dimmed, and I took a quick look from behind the heavy black curtains into the audience. ________ by the lights, I quickly pulled back. It seemed that a great number of eyes were looking at me. I took a deep ________ as the music of my dance began to play. I entered the stage and began my ________, the graduation test of the classical Indian dance.

After a decade of learning this art form, I had ________ been considered ready to take on the most difficult act. The test is the most important ________ in my life as lots of effort has been put into making it a ________.

The performance is undertaken only by the most ________ and determined students. It is a difficult process that requires much ________. For more than six months, I spent two to three hours every day ________ these dances. Many times, I ________ myself to my physical and mental breaking point, but still I would not stop. I could not give up. There was always so much more to do and so much more to ________.

I ________ a lot about myself in those tiring hours. I learned that I was far too ________ to give up, and I was too proud to prove myself ________ after I had set an unrealistic goal. Even with physical pain and mental ________, I forced myself to ________ my expectations. Even when I was at the end of my ________, there was always something driving me on, forcing me not to give up.

Fortunately, I made it. What I had done ________ the success. It was in those hours that I learned what a dancer ________ is. That period of time was evidence that I could ________ something I set out to do.

As a young man, Alan was a skilled artist, a painter with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son_________a bad stomachache. Thinking it was only some_________intestinal (肠的) disorder, neither Alan nor his wife took the condition very________. But the boy died suddenly that night. Knowing the death could have been ________if he had only realized the seriousness of the _______, he always felt the loss of his son was due________ him. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, _______ him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Alan could _______, and he turned to alcohol for help. _______ Alan became an alcoholic. ___________the alcoholism progressed, Alan began to lose everything he _________— his land, house, etc. Finally Alan died alone in a small bar. Hearing of Alan’s death, I thought, “What a totally wasted life! What a complete_________!” As time went by, I began to reconsider my earlier_________. I knew Alan’s now ________ son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most_________, most loving men I have ever known. I saw the love between Ernie and his children, thinking that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere. I hadn’t heard Ernie talked much about his_________. One day, I worked up my_________ to ask him what on earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said __, “As a child until I left home at 18, Alan came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘love you, son.’” Tears came to my eyes as I realized what I had been a fool to_________ Alan as a failure. He had not left any ________ belongings behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.

My son left our home in California for Cornell University several days ago. Yesterday he called, saying he was feeling ________ , He had no ________ to go down to the dining hall because he had hardly ________ the whole night before due to food poisoning.

I googled and found a convenience store on campus. I immediately ________ and got Seth, the manager, on the phone. I explained the trouble and asked whether I could buy some items to be ________ in my son's room.

After hearing me out, Seth said, "I'm so sorry that your son is having such a（n）________ start to the term. Don't worry. I'll ________ it for your son. What would you like to buy?”

I told him what I wanted and he ________ to send these things to my son as soon as he could.

My son texted me within one hour that the things had been ________. I was ________ to know he had some food at his bedside. Grateful, I called Seth to ask how much I owed him and that I could let my son ________ him later on.

“Forget it,“ Seth said immediately, "We got this. Hope your son feels better soon.”

“Oh, no, no, I can't take your things for nothing, I ________ .

"You can send us some of the California sunshine,"   Seth replied ________, leaving me speechless and touched.

In fact, it is Seth who has given me ________ that will last a lifetime. He made sure my son's first week at college was warm and sunny, and helped him build ________ that the world is a friendly place.