1 . When my father and I traveled to Paris, Notre Dame was our first stop. But when we arrived at Notre Dame, we saw a long line outside it. Even so, we didn’t want to _______. We decided to go to the back garden of Notre Dame where there were few tourists.

Immersed in the beautiful natural scenery, we wanted to take some _______ photos. As we tried to find a photographer, a tall, slim Frenchman _______ toward us and showed us he was willing to take pictures for us.

Trying to get the perfect shot, he kept changing the _______ of the camera. However, after a few _______, he didn’t return our camera. His behavior confused us. But after a while, it became _______. He asked for 10 euros as payment before he would return our camera.

At that point, I was so angry that I _______ to argue with him. But my father stopped me and paid the money, with a (n) _______ expression on his face, the man walked away quickly to search for his next _______.

Later, my father ________ to me: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. So it’s ________ to ask for a payment after taking photos for us. But if someone offers to help you, never ________ the kindness just because of this particular event. Most acts of kindness are pure and without any ________ intention.

________, we met a lot of warm-hearted locals who guided us and lent a hand when we needed them. So just remember, we can’t throw away the ________ because of its core.

2 . Liam Gamer was just 17 years old when he started out on his big adventure—a 32,000-­kilometer bike trip from Alaska to Argentina. In early January, 2023, he finally finished his trip, 17 months after he started.

Liam, an experienced cyclist, had previously ridden from Los Angeles to San Francisco. He made short videos of that trip, and shared them on the social media app TikTok, some of which became quite popular. After reading a book by adventurer Jedidiah Jenkins, who biked from Oregon to Argentina, Liam decided to cycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States accessible by road, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America.

Liam set out on August 1, 2021. At first Liam’s parents weren’t too happy about him taking such a long bike trip by himself though it wouldn’t take that much money. But as he carried on, his parents became his strongest supporters.

After about three months, Liam had crossed the US, going south along the West Coast. By early December, he had reached Mexico, from which his parents came to the US many years ago. “So crossing the entire country on a bike and reconnecting with my culture and learning the language in the place my family is from is so deeply important to me,” Liam explained emotionally. But Liam also faced challenges in Mexico.

He was robbed in Mexico, and at one point, he considered quitting because the incredible heat made biking extremely difficult. In all, he was robbed five times on the trip. He got very sick more than once. In Colombia, he had a bike accident that left him injured and required surgery. In spite of it all, he kept going through rain, sun, heat, cold, deserts and mountains.

Liam finally arrived in his destination on January 10, 2023—527 days after he started. He had travelled through 14 countries along the way.

Mount Tai, a perfect combination of culture and natural landscapes, is awesome    1     (admire).     2     (locate) in central Shandong Province, Mount Tai    3     (rise) 1,545 meters above sea level. It is its highest peak Yuhuangding    4    stands over deep valleys and above other peaks. A seemingly endless flight of stone steps leads you to the Heavenly Southern Gate, where you can anticipate    5     (enjoy) spectacular views. There looking around in the distance, you will be astonished    6     (find) yourself admiring the fantastic views of beauty beyond scenery. Take    7    duration of two days, and you are bound to    8     (reward) with great scenery.