One summer weekend, my wife, son and I entered a running race on mountain trails（小径）. When the race started, our son took off _______, but my wife and I stayed back and ran together, enjoying the scenery. After some time, while running down a narrow, _______ trail, I walked on a big stone and had a _______, and in the process, I jammed my toe pretty hard. I realized I’d got my toe _______, but I didn’t take off my shoe and sock to check my _______. Instead, my wife and I kept running.

____, after going about half the course, I realized my watch on my wrist was _______. Slightly discouraged, I encouraged my wife to go on ahead, and I would _______ to see if I could find it. After running back for some time, I _______ my broken watch off the trail. I picked it up, and quickly put it into my pocket. Then I ________ down the trail. When I was near the end, I saw my son, who had finished 30 minutes earlier and had run back up the trail to ________ me. He ran with me to the end.

As it turned out, both my wife and son had ________ first place in their age groups, but I had no chance of placing. As I sat down to ________ after the race, I decided to take off my shoe and check my toe, and I found that my sock was in blood. Painful and hurt, there was a bright side. I ________ to receive any award in my age group, but the race ________ had a special award which was given to the most injured runner in the race.

So, how does this ________ relate to you and me in everyday life? Although everyone wants to live a life of comfort, the ________ is that we often face pain and ________. However, the key to real happiness is ________pain into something positive. In other words, ________ can make us stronger if we face them bravely.

   I was one of the young US soldiers in Saudi Arabia. At one time before the Internet，our only lifeline to friends and family was the mail we sent and received.

One evening the mail soldier called my name and，instead of a letter，handed me a large box from my grandmother in Oklahoma. One of the great hardships of the war for me was the absence of my grandmother's cooking—her fried chicken and onion，corn bread，and，most of all，her desserts. But on that evening I was about to take a gastronomic（美食的） journey home: I opened the box and found two dozen pies made by my grandmother.

A man from New York approached and asked me what I had received. I couldn't answer；my mouth was full of pie. So I just offered him one. “So nice！”he said. “What are they？”He had to wait a few moments for an answer，but eventually I explained. As insurance，I offered him another pie to keep him quiet.

Once a day for the next three weeks，I imagined returning home to my grandmother's kitchen，if only I had had a few sweet bites at a time.

Some of my earliest memories are associated with my grandmother's pies. She had been baking pies since before the Great Depression. She would have astonished the judges on today's TV cooking challenges. I remember coming across a persimmon（柿子）tree once while out hiking. It was autumn，and the fruit was soft and sweet. I picked a few dozen and brought them to Grandma. Guess what！The next day I walked into her kitchen to find a persimmon pie waiting for me.

   “We've been good friends for so many years. And I don't think you _______ to do that…” I said to myself,looking at Jack, my friend who was running across the _______ field.

How I _______ I could join them! But it is impossible because of the pain in my left foot, _______ by Jack.

I first met Jack in a football match in the elementary school. When my team looked as if we were beaten,Jack, who was watching, volunteered to join us. He was so _______ and skilled that we won. _______ , Jack and I often _______ together and became best friends.

But something happened before an important football match between Class 6 and my class. My class had so many good players that we had to _______ the best ones. Jack and I were in the same team. The match was close in the first half. I saw my chance and was ready to score a goal. Suddenly, Jack slid to stop the ball ,but _______ me in my left foot. I knew I had lost the ____________ to score and was carried off the field. But what really hurt me was that Jack didn't apologize to me. And when some of my teammates said he did it on purpose to ____________ me from scoring,I felt even ____________ .

Now I stand here, with tears in my eyes. I don't want to ____________ those words but I don't know how to persuade myself they are ____________ . Then everything changes when Jack scores and wins! How excited I am!

While I am still ____________ in excitement, someone pats my shoulder. It is Jack, with a smile on his face. “I'm sorry that you cannot join in because of my ____________ . But you see, Jason, we ____________ them! No matter whether you joined in or not, you've made a ____________ . Come on. Let's celebrate!” Suddenly, I am ____________ by the players. The sunshine is so bright that I close my eyes. Riding high above my teammates, I feel so happy. And I know the ____________ between Jack and me will last forever.

   Suffering the bone-weakening disease, Gary Rosheisen was a wheelchair-bound man living alone.His house felt_________and he brought home Tommy, an orange cat that soon became his best_________.

Because of his significant___________problem including seizures（疾病的突然发作）, Gary always kept the___________in the living room on the floor, and it had a speed-dial button_________to call 911. Gary trained Tommy in how to_________that button whenever he felt better___________there were any emergencies.

Then one day, while in his bedroom, Gary had a seizure which_________him to fall out of his wheelchair and onto the floor. Once the seizure_________, Gary soon realized he was unable to   _____. What made him feel terrible was that he__________to put his cell phone on the bed. So he lay there,__________and desperate.

Meanwhile, the police received a call from Gary's  _______. No one said anything. The line was__________，and then disconnected. And the dispatcher（调度员）__________, hoping to get an answer. When the phone just rang and rang, police were sent to______________.

Officer Patrick Daugherty entered the home and found Gary and his__________cat, Tommy. Tommy was lying next to the phone, while Gary was_________on the floor in his bedroom， And so, the only_________was that Tommy's training had been far more_________than Gary thought.

Thanks to the call made to the police! Both he and the police considered Tommy a hero.

   The moment Aleeya opened her eyes from sleep, she knew it was Mom’s birthday. She _______ quickly and ran to the kitchen. There was no birthday _______. Then Aleeya went to the refrigerator, _______ its door and looked inside. There was no birthday cake in the refrigerator and no birthday cake _______.

She could not _______ that; she opened the door of the refrigerator again and put her head all the way in. Maybe there was a birthday cake _______ somewhere. But there was none, and she felt very _______. Just then she saw the apple butter-Mom’s ________! Aleeya took the jar of apple butter and ________ it on the table. She got a plate, a spoon, and a piece of bread. She opened the jar, took some apple butter and spread it on the bread the ________ Mom liked-not too thick, and evenly（均匀地）to the sides.

Aleeya became happy then and a gentle smile ________ over her face. It became bigger and bigger as she _____ to Mom’s room with the ________ bread. “Happy Birthday to Mom. Happy Birthday to Mom,” she _______.

Mom was ________. She took the plate and held her daughter in her arms.

“Pretend（假装）there are ________ ,” Aleeya said, “and blow them out.”

Mom closed her eyes and ________ a wish. Then she blew out the imaginary candles.

“Was it a good ________?” asked Aleeya.

“It was the best one ever in my life, my baby,”said Mom.