Once in a physics class, the teacher asked students, “Why do we have brakes（刹车）in our car?” After a few minutes of thought, students gave ________ answers. A student got up and replied, “Sir, to stop the car.” Another one said, “To reduce and control the ________ of the car.”

However, none of the ________ were the same as the teacher’s. Then he said, “I agree all of your answers. But in my opinion, the brakes in our cars make us be able to drive faster.” Listening to this, the whole class was silent ________ no one had imagined this answer. The teacher continued, “If our cars have no brakes, then how fast are we ready to drive our car? It is the brakes in our car that gives ________ courage to drive our car faster and reach our destination（目的地）safely.”

Similarly there are many such brakes in our life. They seem to ________ us. For example, our parents may ask us about our decisions in life. Their questions and advice may be considered as brakes that slow us down. But what will happen if we see them as our supporter that can ________ ourselves while we are taking risks? From time to time, we have to stop or even ________ so that we can take a big step.

In fact, we should be thankful for brakes in life. Without these brakes, we could lose ________ or get into danger. So we need to understand that brakes in our life don’t mean to push us back. Instead, they help us move forward ________ than before.

One bright morning, l was out for my usual run when I met an elderly lady who was waving her phone at me and speaking in a language I couldn’t understand. It sounded like she was ________ a hurry to get somewhere. I quickly ________ that she was lost and couldn’t speak any English.

She showed me some map screenshots (屏截图) on her phone, ________ I had no clue how to read them. So I quickly downloaded a translation app (翻译软件) and we used ________ to communicate. She spoke into the microphone (麦克风) in her language and it ________ her words into English for me to understand, I typed my responses and we were ________ to communicate!

We ________ figured out that she needed to get home, which was a long walk away. She didn’t want to use any ________, so I walked with her to a bus stop where she could call her daughter for a ride. As we ________, we laughed and joked, even though we couldn’t understand each other’s language. It was a pretty ________ experience!

The elderly lady was very ________ for my help and kept thanking me for my time. I had to keep ________ her that it was no trouble at all and that I was happy to help. It was amazing how just a small act of kindness made such a big ________ to her.

Finally, we ________ the bus stop and she made her call. We said our goodbyes and she gave me a heartwarming ________ that made me believe in the goodness of humanity. Even though we used a technology to communicate, it was lucky that we could help each other out and not be stopped by our different languages.

It does not always come easy to know oneself. From a young age, I had a strong sense of who I was to become, ________ an accident made me think about myself again.

To me, skating was above all. There was ________ in this world that filled my heart with such joy. I spent twenty-four hours a week practicing my ________. Having no social life or interests but skating, my devotion brought me first place medals in nearly every competition.

Unfortunately, in one show, I fell down and hurt myself ________. After several X-rays, the doctor told me that I couldn't return to my sport any more. The pain in my back was hard to bear and even the common daily tasks became difficult.

As my passion (激情) was ________, I had little sense of who I was to become. After eight months of suffering, something had to ________. Instead of wasting my days sitting around painfully, I began to put my ________ into local community service projects. By volunteering ________ a swimming teacher and summer reading assistant for kids, I got an idea of who I wanted to become. After a few months, I devoted time to my interest in the arts. Little by little, I ________ out of the shadow (阴影) and rebuilt my confidence.

Sometimes, some large rocks block (阻碍) our way. We can choose to stay behind or try to climb over. My accident was a rock that ________ to stop me from reaching success. Today I'm a very confident and optimistic person.