I am a volunteer teacher   in   a   village   in   Kyrgyzstan,   a   small    1       (mountain) country in Central Asia. At 7:40 a.m., I arrive at school and unlock my classroom. It is a large room,    2     a row of windows and pictures and maps all   over   the   walls.   The   white   board   that    3     (buy)   the   other   day   leans against an ancient and unusable blackboard. I turn the light switch on. Nothing happens. Although     4     sun has risen, it’s still dark in the building. My first   class, 11^th Grade, piles into the room,     5    (speak) among themselves in a mix of Russian and Kyrgyz. My job is to teach them English. It is going to be hard to follow my lesson plans    6     the students can’t even see the white board.

A Kyrgyz high school goes up to the 11^th Grade. After graduation, many students   will   get    7    (marry).   The    8    (bright)   students   will   go   to     university for five years; however, most of them will end up back in this village, raising families, taking care of cattle, and farming beans and    9    (potato). A   chosen few will work their way to a job in their capital city. The common dream, however, is to   travel   to   America or Europe,    10    is   only possible if they first   learn English.

Parental Instincts

Last year in early summer, I was walking up the hill to my house in suburban Brisbane when I saw two birds, each about 6 centimeters tall, standing in my driveway. They didn’t seem to notice me     1     I was right in front of them and then they immediately flew into the nearby bushes.

It was the first time that I     2     (see) two special birds make a nest in my front yard. I hadn’t really expected them to as wild birds don’t usually nest so close.

A few weeks later, the birds reappeared. I found them crouching beside a tree off to the side of my driveway. As I approached them, I imagined they would run away like they did last time, but instead, they     3     (stick) out their heads and made a threatening croaking sound     4     came from deep inside their throats.

I did some research and found that the birds are burhinus grallarius (长尾石鸡). I still didn’t know     5     they were croaking at me until a short time later I made an amazing discovery: they had laid two eggs which hatched into two small birds racing around now.

As I crept towards the birds, careful not to make any sudden movement, they started their croaking again,     6     (stretch) their necks forwards so they seemed longer and more threatening.

I was watching them in awe when I suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. The birds took this     7     a threat and the father raced towards me, spreading his wings to shield the mother and the chicks while making     8     (it) appear larger.

To them, my appearance was likely to be     9     (frighten), so I left quickly. I was amazed by their brave actions. It was their parental instincts that did     10     (wonder) and made them so courageous. It is hard not to be awed by nature.

As you can see, the reason     1     I’m here to tell the story is that I made the right decision. Some time after I left the boat, with my brother in it, it was pulled into the bottom of the whirlpool. Soon after that, the whirlpool became less wild. Then the sky was clear, the wind calmer, and the moon was shining. Still I     2     (tie) to the barrel and the waves soon carried me to an area     3     the other fishermen were. In the end, a boat picked me up. I was very tired. The fishermen were my old friends, but they were unable to recognize me.

Wang Tianchang and his family moved into the Gobi Desert 22 years ago. They have been fighting with the desert ever since,     1     (become) a symbol of China’s anti-desertification(治荒漠化)campaign.

Wang,     2     native of Gansu Province, grew up with the Gobi Desert. In 1998, Wang’s family moved into the desert. They started planting bushes and sapling. To fund their efforts, they sold most of their farm animals and there were only 6 sheep     3    (leave) to support themselves. To make matters     4     (bad), the trees they had planted in the first two years       5     (blow)away by strong winds, because they weren’t familiar with the environment. Then they learned that adaptable grasses were ideal for holding down the sand. A bush known as the sweet-vetch has an 80 percent survival rate even in severe desert conditions,     6     has become a key part of the Wang’s efforts.

Now, although Wang is suffering from serious health     7     (problem) and is in his late 70s, he has no plans     8     (quit) his mission. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Chinese government not only appointed(委任)Wang Tianchang and his sons     9     forest ranchers(大农场主), but also started funding their work. The family’s home is now surrounded by a     10     (beauty) vegetable garden, proving that land can in fact be transformed from the desert.

Three years ago, I became a high school student. In the beginning, I was     1     (puzzle) about which path to follow. So in my spare time, I searched     2     any clues (线索) that might answer the question.

When a teacher offered     3     (I) a chance to work as a volunteer, I found the answer. I     4     (remind) that the activity would require countless hours of service. Without     5     (think) much about it, I     6     (glad) accepted the big challenge. Looking back now, I know the decision was correct. My work of serving as a volunteer was     7     (success) and the experience was valuable. Since then, I     8     (become) more generous, reliable and independent. Now as a senior in high school, I have volunteered many hours of my time.

Graduating from high school will be a moment of both joy and sadness. I will always remember the days     9     I stayed with the people I helped. Although high school is coming to     10     end, I hope more teenagers can continue to follow the path I chose.