When I started playing soccer, I just fell in love with it. As many ________ do, I wanted to be a soccer player when I grew up. But when I was nine, I started losing my eyesight, and it got increasingly difficult to play.

At first, I tried to just work harder. But everything was becoming more ________. At some point, if you don’t have eyesight, and you are trying to play a sport that you have to see the ball, it doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much you train. It becomes impossible for me to keep playing against people with ________ eyesight.

My elder brother is the one who got me started on the right way after I ________ rock bottom. He had swum for a couple of years and ________ me to try it. That brought me back to a better place mentally（精神上）, and I was able to change from playing soccer to sports that I ________ do, like swimming, cycling, and running, and that is called triathlon（铁人三项）.

I was lucky that my parents could ________ me. They worried about my safety, but never stopped me. In my senior year, I signed up for my first triathlon and I had never done anything like it before.

I loved it. That first race was excellent. ________, that race was a turning point. It opened a new door in sport and in life for me. When I went to Michigan for college, I started the triathlon team there.

Perseverance（坚持）is a learned skill, and it ________ from facing difficulty and challenges. Sometimes you have to change the path you thought you’d be on, but you can still keep moving on that ________ road. That’s the most important life lesson I have learned.

There was once a couple named Sue and John. Both of them were _______.

In the late autumn , John was badly ill and became bedridden (长期卧床的). After the doctor visited John several times, he told Sue, “His condition is quite _______. John seems to have lost all will to live. If he doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help him.”

Sue tried her best to _______ John. She sang and danced, she painted their favorite pictures, and she told jokes, but John did not respond (回应).

“Five,” he said _______ one day, as he looked out of the window. When Sue asked what John meant, he explained slowly. “There are ... only _______ leaves left on the tree now. When the last leaf falls, I ... shall go with _______ .” Upon hearing this, Sue couldn’t help crying. She went to their neighbor, Mr. Smith, who was also an artist.

Mr. Smith was sorry about John’s poor health. He _______ his friend to get better, and then he painted a leaf.

Over the next few days, it rained heavily, but the last leaf on the tree held on firmly (坚固地). Every day, John would look _______ and see the same lone leaf on the tree.

Then, one day, the doctor came in and said _______ was improving. John said to Sue, “I have realized that life is hard, but I shouldn’t give up. That leaf has stayed on that tree for so long. It has taught me to _______!”

The doctor smiled, so did Sue.

Henry is going through a very hard time. His wife has just passed away. He feels that life without her is ______. For months, Henry sits in his house, doing nothing. His family try to ______ him to do new things and enjoy life, but they’re not successful.

Henry’s ______, an old woman named Lisa, sees him from her yard one day. She has not seen him outside in days! She asks him to come closer to the fence (篱笆) next to her house.

“Hello, Henry! Just look at this fence. It is falling apart. You are a strong man. Can you help me fix this fence?” Lisa asks.

Henry is ______ inside. He is the one who needs help right now. He thinks the old lady is being kind of rude. But she is too old to fix the fence herself, so he agrees.

Henry works on the fence for days. Lisa brings him lemonade while he works. When he finishes, she thanks him. Henry ______ for the first time in months.

“What a wonderful job! Could you please ______ it for me?” Lisa says to him.

Henry cannot believe she is asking for more help. Doesn’t she know how sad he is? But because he respects her, he ______. He works hard painting the fence in the hot sun, but Lisa’s lemonade and encouragement are helpful. As their neighbors _____, they all tell Henry what a beautiful job he has done. Henry feels very happy.

Henry no longer feels that life is pointless. He finally realizes that Lisa wasn’t being rude. She knows that staying busy can help us forget our ______. He helped her, but she ______ saved him.