This was my grandmother's first Christmas without grandfather. When we reached her house, it did seem a little 1 without grandfather.

    Grandfather had always said the Christmas 2 was the most important. So we set to work assembling (组装) the beautiful 3 tree that was stored in grandfather's closet (储藏柜). After we finished, we stepped back to 4 our work. It looked wonderful. But something was 5.

    "Where's the star?"I asked. It was my grandmother's 6. As we emptied box after box and found no star, my grandmother's eyes 7 with tears. Grandfather had given it to grandmother fifty years ago. Now, on her first Christmas without 8, the star was gone, too.

    "Let's 9 in the closet where the tree was, "my sister Donna said. We 10 under beds and over shelves, inside and outside 11we had excluded every possibility. We could see grandmother was 12, although she tried not to show it. By now, it was 13 outside, and time for bed, as Santa would soon be here.

    The next morning, my sister and I 14 early to see what Santa had left under the tree. After breakfast, the family sat together to 15 presents."The last gift is to grandmother from grandfather. "Father said, in a puzzled voice.

    "From who?"There was 16 in my grandmother's voice.

    "I found that 17 in the closet when we got the tree down, "Mother explained.

    My grandmother opened it. Her face lit up when she pulled out a(n) 18 golden star. There was a note attached. Her voice trembled (颠抖) as she read it:

    Don't be 19 with me, dear. I broke your star while putting away the tree. Thought it was time for a new one, I hope it brings you as much 20 as the first one. Merry Christmas.

In 1882 a baby girl caught a fierce fever. She 1 but the fever left its mark—she could no longer 2 or hear. So how did this child grow up to become a world-famous 3 and public speaker?

    The fever cut her off from the outside world. It was as if she had been 4 into a dark prison cell from which there could be no release. 5 she was not someone who gave up easily. Soon she began to 6 the world by using her other 7. She followed her mother wherever she went, hanging on to her skirts. She touched and smelled everything she came 8. She learnt to 9 people by feeling their faces or their 10. She could also tell where she was in the 11 by smell of the different plants and the feel of the ground under her feet.

    By the age of seven she had 12 over 60 different signs by which she could talk to her family. If she wanted bread, for example, she would 13 to cut a loaf and butter the slices. But even so she had 14.

    At five she began to realize she was different from other people, which made her so 15 that she used to kick and scream in the room. As she got older, her frustration 16 and her anger became stronger and stronger. Fortunately, with the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan, she 17 to be a remarkable scholar. While she was still at college she wrote The Story of My Life, which enjoyed immediate popularity and 18 enough money to buy her own house. She 19 the country, giving lecture after lecture and she also received many 20 from foreign universities and kings. The girl was Helen Keller.

    When I settled in Chicago, my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a 1 problem and had to go to hospital for a 2 examination.

    It seemed a small 3 compared to the one I was about to face, but things started to go 4 right from the beginning. Not having a car or 5 the city, I was depending on the buses to get me from A to B. 6 I'd left myself plenty of time, soon it was 7 I was going to be late, because I had mistakenly boarded a bus that was taking me in the 8 direction.

    I 9 the bus and stood on the road not knowing what to do. I looked into the eyes of a 10, who was trying to get past me. 11, instead of moving on, she stopped to ask if I was 12. After I explained my 13 to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my 14. Sitting there waiting, I felt 15 that someone had been willing to help. 16 , hearing a horn（喇叭）nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend 17 at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a 18 to the hospital.

    Such unexpected 19 from a passer-by was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose 20, for all things are possible.

    I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes(糖尿病) in 2017  And then I was told that I couldn't 1for a few weeks until my blood sugar levels had 2.

    Driving was a 3very soon after diagnosis for me. I needed to get to the chemist's shop for my diabetes 4and to hospital appointments, but initially couldn't - having been told not to drive. I didn't want to be a 5 -having to ask for lifts all the time.

I found it really 6 to be unable to drive, but things settled down after that and seemed to be7 —--for a while.8, to my surprise, I had a severe hypoglycemia(低血糖) last year and wasn't able to 9it myself. I called an ambulance and was taken to 10, where I saw doctors and nurses I didn't 11as none of them were connected to the diabetes team who usually cared for me. That's where my 12began - they advised me not to drive on the basis of this 13. They told me to call the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency(DVLA) and 14what they'd told me to them. This 15my license being withdrawn.

    I couldn't 16 all that had happened - it seemed 17. I needed answers and 18, so I phoned the Diabetes UK Helpline number I got from their website. They 19 I was right in thinking that the DVLA shouldn't have 20 my license based on this hypoglycemia, according to the law. With their help, the DVLA sent me a letter admitting making a mistake. I got it back in six weeks.

They talk about the straw that broke the camel's back, but really it should be the password that wiped out my memory bank. 

I was going along fine -with instant recall of my bank PIN (密码)，my mobile phone number and the date of my cousin's birthday before I downloaded a gas station payment app for its new customer discount. It asked me to create a password. When I typed in "gas 1", it was rejected for not being complex enough. I tried again: "IHateHearlessOilCompanies@". But that was too long and didn't include "at least one number". But here is the thing: as soon as 1 added the fresh password into my memory, I instantly forgot all the others. My brain had hit its limit for passwords. I now know nothing. 

I had entered some passwords in a notebook. Of course, I didn't write down the actual passwords, in case it fell into the wrong hands. Instead, I masked them in a way that only a family member could figure them out. For example, I combined my bank PIN with our postal code, then added it to a list of phone numbers. It would fool even Albert Einstein.

Maybe we need a system like the one we use to remember people's names. You know, you form an association between a person's characteristics and their name by whispering "Skinny George, Skinny George" in heart after meeting them. The risk is that, upon seeing him, you'll burst out the phrase. "Skinny George" might not mind, but it's possible "Boring Betty" will. As for remembering passwords as you change them, you could simply use the first and last letters of your favorite singer's greatest hits, together with the year of their release.

Maybe I'll try that one out- -but only after describing the system in the notebook. Then I'll hide it in a place so secret that I'll never remember where it is. 

In Hollywood, few actors have experienced a career as diverse and prolific as Harrison Ford. From the fearless Indiana Jones to the charming Han Sol o and the world-weary Rick Deckard, Ford's portrayal（饰演） of iconic characters has left a permanent mark on cinema and pop culture. Yet, the irony lies in how many of his career-defining roles fell into this "late bloomer's" lap by chance.

Born in Chicago, Harrison was discouraged from pursuing a career on the silver screen early on, having failed to land any significant parts. Instead, he turned to professional carpentry（木工） as a means to keep his family fed.

But fate had other plans. While working as a carpenter in Hollywood, Ford crossed paths with numerous celebrity clients such as Joan Didion and, most notably, director George Lucas, who hired him to build cabinets for his office. Little did Ford know that this chance encounter would lead to his breakthrough role as the charming Han Solo in Star Wars. Lucas was impressed by Ford's presence and offered him the iconic role. In time, Ford rose to a star.

Ford's next lucky moment came when he tried out for the role of Indiana Jones in a massive project by Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg initially wanted Ford for the role, but Lucas was hesitant as he had already worked with Ford on Star War and 1973'sAmerican Graffiti. Then the production team tried many other possibilities but without luck. Eventually, the role went to Ford, strengthening his status as a Hollywood legend.

The film series became a worldwide sensation, stimulating people's imagination and inspiring a generation of future archaeologists. Over 40 years and four films later, Ford found himself completing the series with the fifth and final installment. Eighty-one-year-old Harrison received a five-minute standing ovation（鼓掌） at the Cannes Film Festival Premiere and picked up an honorary Palmed' Or for his achievements.

Ford's commitment to his career is evident as he said, "I love the work! My luck has been to work with incredibly talented people, to find my way into this crowd of geniuses." Despite his legendary status in Hollywood, Ford's humility shines through.