In early December, Zhang Guimei was named a national outstanding member of the Communist Party of China for her     1    (contribute) to education in China.

About 20 years ago, while on the way to visit a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, a teacher in Huaping, noticed a girl     2     (sit) on the hillside. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married. It was decided by her parents. “But I want to go to school,” the girl said. Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return to school and promised to pay for the school fees     3     (her). However, they didn’t agree.

From then on, Zhang dreamed     4     building a free high school for girls. After years of trying to raise money,     5     (eventual) , Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school, was founded at the foot of the Shizi Mountain in Huaping,     6     Zhang is the headmaster.

Her efforts paid off. Since 2008, more than 1,800 students     7     (enter) college, which is considered a “miracle (奇迹)” in that far area.

Zhang plays     8     active part in local education. It is reported     9     she was given the honor at the country’s “role model for teachers” in February, 2021. Her     10     (move) stories encourage thousands of people.

Victor Hugo once said, “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. “Up to now, nobody     1    (be) able to create laughter like Charlie Chaplin. He brightened the lives of millions through two world wars     2     the hard years in between. He made people laugh at a time when they felt depressed, so they could forget their difficulties.

Charlie Chaplin was born in London in 1889. His parents were music hall     3    (performer), and he first appeared on the stage in     4     dance show at the age of eight. He was taught to sing as soon as he could speak and dance. Such training was common in acting families at that time,     5    (especial) when the family income was often uncertain. Unfortunately, his father died,     6    (leave) the family even worse off, so Charlie spent his childhood looking after his sick mother and his brother. By his teens, Charlie had, through his humor, gained great     7    (popular) in England. He could mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks. No one was ever bored     8     watching him – his subtle(细微的) acting made everything entertaining.

Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and produced the films he starred in. In 1972, he     9    (award) a special Academy Honor, for his contributions to the film industry. He lived in England and the USA, but spent his last years in Switzerland,     10     he died in 1977. He is loved and remembered as a great actor who inspired people during dark times.

6 . Confucius (孔子) was a great thinker and educationalist. He was born in 551 BCE in Shandong Province of China. His beliefs ______ the importance of showing kindness and goodwill. They have a great ______ on the majority of Chinese Culture.

Confucius has left many ______ sayings, which are still remembered and followed ______. For example, his quotes, “He who learns but does not think is lost.” “He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger,” are well known to all.

Although Confucius is ______ for his great thoughts do you know that he is also known for his sense of ______? There is evidence that he was very humorous. His ______ were very amusing and uplifting and he often used humor to make his students ______ and take interest in the teachings.

One time Confucius was ______ with his students when they came across a man who was ______ in the river. His students were hesitating but Confucius jumped into the river without ______ and saved the man in time. Then, he ______ to his students and joked, “I suppose none of you ______ that he was wearing a valuable jade (玉) ring!”

This story serves as a reminder that even the most serious figures (人物) in history ______ their share of lighthearted moments. It is possible that wisdom and humor both ______ hand in hand with joy!

7 . In 1867, Caroline Shawk Brooks and her husband, Samuel, had a farm in Arkansas. Life on the farm was not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Caroline and Samuel milked cows, gardened, and picked cotton. This left Caroline no time for her dream of becoming an artist.

Time was not the only problem. Money was a worry too. The cotton crops were failing. What could Caroline and Samuel do?

Caroline decided to make butter from their cows’ milk and sell it at the market. But other farms also made and sold butter. How would Caroline set her butter apart from the rest? This is where Caroline’s artistic talent came in. To draw attention to her butter, she began making small butter sculptures (雕塑). She used many different tools, such as broom straws, and tree sticks. She also put the butter in a small tin plate, which sat in a larger tin plate filled with ice to stop the butter sculpture out of shape.

Caroline’s butter sculptures were a huge success. Before long, she was showing them at markets and exhibitions. One of her largest butter sculptures was a life-size statue called A Study in Butter. It was transported all the way to Paris for the 1878 world’s fair.

Caroline also made sculptures using marble (大理石). She finally opened a studio in New York City where she created many marble sculptures, some of which were shown at the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago.

But Caroline never stopped making butter art. She considered butter an excellent material to work with. At the 1893 market, she also displayed her butter techniques with a sculpture of Christopher Columbus.

Caroline Shawk Brooks died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1913. She is remembered as the first known American butter sculptor (雕刻家).

9 . About 20 years ago, while on the way to a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Ljiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl sitting on the hillside. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married though she wanted to go to school. It was arranged by her parents.

Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return to school and promised to pay for her tuition herself. However, they didn’t agree. Zhang felt sorry for not being able to help. “We always say that each child should stand on the same starting line, but these girls didn’t even have a chance to get on the track,” Zhang said.

It persuaded Zhang to build a free high school for girls with the aim of helping break the cycle that saw women drop out of education, marry early and spend their whole life in the remote mountain. He met many difficulties in building up the school. Zhang had spent years trying to raise funds. However, what troubled Zhang most was how she could change the villagers’ thoughts. Over the decades, Zhang has walked thousands of kilometers, visiting students’ families in the deep mountain, talking to villagers, and persuading girls to go back to school. In the end, all work paid off. In 2008, Huaping High School for Girls. a free public high school, was founded, where Zhang is the principal An efforts have been worth It. More than 1,800 graduates have been admitted to college. It is regarded as a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.

Though lacking full health, Zhang insists on a daily routine—get up around 5 a.m. to call students to get up with a loudspeaker, accompany students to classes and sleep after senior students’ study ends at midnight. Zhang’s husband died in the 1990s. She doesn’t have children or a house, so she lives at the student dormitory. Besides girls in her school, Zhang also donates all her income to help rural education and poor people.

In early December, she was given the honor of the country’s “role model for teachers” and “outstanding woman”. Her commitment to her education career inspires thousands of people.