My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back — the sign (迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.

I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five or six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back towards the forest, before returning for another attack — the first time I felt panic.

Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.

   How can I forget the day？On 14 July 1974 I travelled in an overcrowded bus to an unheard town called Shendurni. The next day，I was to join the department of a junior college there. _______ about my new job，but anxious and fearful too，I was out of my ________ zone. Around 7 p.m.it started pouring with rain. Wondering about my new career in an unknown land，I had _________ in my seat. I woke up with a（n）_______ to the sound of the conductor announcing（宣告）the name of my bus stop. I looked out. It was pitch-dark. Ah，a power cut. _________ was unusual during heavy rains. "Conductor Sahab，can I get some _________ for myself here？I'm new to the place，"I heard myself ask _______."Arme bhai，get off my bus and let us go. We _______ to reach the next station on time. Get yourself a place to stay. "he shouted back. In increasing panic，I felt a ______ tap on my shoulder. As I looked back，a warm smile ________ me. "I'm Sawant，from the next town. The bus _______ there for the night and returns tomorrow morning. You can spend the night at my place，and join work tomorrow. "I thanked him from my heart and accepted his ________ .He and his wife took great _________ to make my stay comfortable. I was ________ with warm water for a bath，followed by a hot _________ and a comfortable bed. I was up early the next morning and Mr Sawant came to __________ me off. I could nol see his face clearly，as it was ________ dark. I made it ________ the college in time and taught there for almost 11 years. I still ________ him，even asking my new friends and students to help find the kind soul. But Mr Sawant remained ________ .Perhaps I had got his name wrong. My only regret was that I could not thank him again.

   When we got ready to go to the rink (溜冰场), Mom always helped me tie up my skates. Then she _____ her own. Mom and I had been coming to the rink every _____ since my lessons began. That was our deal. I went to _____ on Tuesdays, and we skated together on Sundays.

When we were ready to _____ on the ice, Mom took my hand and put an arm around my shoulder. I looked up at Mom and smiled. She seemed _____ but still smiled back. I took a short gliding (滑行) step, and she stepped with me, holding my hand tight. We went across the rink very _____ After a few minutes, we _____ in the center of the rink. I gently took my _____ back from Mom’s and glided slowly away.

While Mom stood still, I _____ the move my teacher taught me this week. I put one foot on the ______ , leaning forward a little. I slowly raised my back foot as ______ as I could behind me. I stopped and ______ a moment when some bigger kids skated quickly by. ^“OK, Mom. It’s ______ for you to skate alone,” I said. “In fact, there is ______ to be afraid of. Skating alone is no ______ than skating with me.”

Then I did what my teacher did when he was teaching a ______ skater. “ Watch my face, Mom,” I said. “Not your feet. Now, step.” She took a baby step and ______ We stayed until Mom could skate across the rink three times by herself. When she was ______ , she glided over to me and gave me a big hug. “I ______ you could do it,” I said.

She smiled and said, “I couldn’t have done it without my excellent ______.”

   36-year-old Victoria Murden McClure is a real adventurer. She has been on many mountaineering expeditions（探险）. She was also the youngest person in a team that skied 1，200 kilometers across Antarctica to the South Pole in 1989，and became one of only two women ever to travel to the Pole by land.

The journey across the Atlantic was her third attempt. The first time she failed because of illness，and during her second attempt，in 1998，she nearly died. She had rowed nearly 5，000 kilometers when her boat was hit by Hurricane Danielle. McClure was suddenly in the middle of 80 mph wind，and surrounded by waves that were 20 meters high.

Her little boat turned over five times. McClure was sure that she was going to die —she took the video recorder that she had brought with her and recorded a goodbye message to her family and friends. The hurricane continued into night，and The Pearl turned over five more times.

McClure was determined not to send a signal asking to be rescued-she didn't want other people to risk their lives. But after the eleventh capsizing（倾袭）of her boat，she finally sent it and a large ship came and found her. However，they couldn't get her boat out of the rough sea—it was found months later near the coast of Portugal.

Victoria Murden McClure had concussion（脑震荡）and a dislocated shoulder when she got home. Many people might have given up after an experience like this，but one year later，McClure was back in her repaired boat and tried again. This time she was successful，and although she again met a hurricane on the journey，which stopped her from breaking the record for the fastest transatlantic rowing crossing，she only overturned once！

   One afternoon I had been driving down the freeway when I spotted what looked like a stalled (熄火)car. I _____ that other cars had slowed down in order to briefly look at the stalled car. I decided to _____ behind the car and find out what was going on. Suddenly, a pregnant woman stepped out, and she appeared to be _____.I approached the woman asking if I could _____ She said, “Please call my husband. I am trying to get to the _____ . I am about to give birth！” _____ as I was, I said, “ We have no _____ for that. Quick! Get in my car and I will _____ you.”

I tried to drive both quickly and steadily _____ my passenger would not move around a lot. I also tried offering a ______ talk on the way, like “Everything is going to be OK.” and “We’re almost there.” ______ , we met no obstacle all the way and arrived at the hospital in no time. It seemed a bit ______ to answer the staffs questions about her since we had just met a few minutes before and I ______ nothing about her besides her name.

11 minutes later her ______ came, out of breath. Upon seeing me, he thanked me and handed me a $ 100 bill. At that moment I ______ the SMILE card in my glove box. I walked out and ______ with it to the room where the woman had been settled. I told her that something ______ happened to me when my second child was born and we had a good laugh over the ______ .

On the way out I ______ a nurse to give the couple an envelope with the SMILE card. Its ______ included the $ 100 bill with a note that read “Baby’s college fund”. Whew! What a day!