I love natural science, which came from my     1     (curious) in nature. From an early age, I caught frogs and insects in the nearby woods, I explored the cool streams running     2     the woods and searched for fish     3    (live) in the water.

As I grew up, my interests developed around subjects in school, particularly in biology, chemistry and physics. These interests     4    (increase) with more time spent in the deserts and forests of Arizona,     5     we moved when I was in my teens. The desert was not entirely new to me, since I     6    (visit) relatives in Phoenix several times before moving there. However, exploring the desert on my own was new. I checked under every rock and bush looking for signs of life, I found many incredible animals. Once I happened to discover     7    (poison) snakes under a rock. I was very scary. However, I     8     (eventual) grew to be cautious of them and now snakes are my favorite study subject.

I am now     9     ecologist. I have done research in deserts, forests, streams and lakes.     10    (find) new species still excites me, I am glad to have a strong interest in the natural world. My hobby makes me what I am now.

Recently, here in Melbourne, a 12-year-old kid was bitten by a king brown snake, the     1     (three) most deadly snake in the world. He was treated immediately, but as usual, some people point out     2     necessary it is to get rid of our beautiful and unique animals, so that they do not bite anyone again.

Now for anyone who     3     (know) anything about snakes, it’s simple: they are territorial (地盘性防卫的) animals, they have many methods of     4     (warn) people before they strike, and if the unlucky person does decide to accidentally step across the striking range, they won’t think twice to attack.

Australia is home to     5     10 most deadly species of animals in the world and many animals     6     (not) be found anywhere else in the world. They have basic animal instincts (本能) to attack as a     7     (protect) for their home, but we just refuse to see that. Our ignorance is causing hundreds of thousands of our native species of animals     8     (die).

We have a great number of deadly animals here, but these creatures should     9     (understand), not feared. Must we destroy everything in this beautiful country     10     ours before we decide that we have nothing more to fear?

Therapy dog earns degree

People graduate from college and are awarded degrees every year, but what     1     a dog finished the same?

    2    (recent), an 8-year-old therapy (治疗) dog named Moose     3     (receive) an honorary   doctorate (荣誉博士) from Virginia Tech’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia, US.

Moose has been at the school’s Cook Counseling Center since 2014,     4     (serve) as a therapy animal and     5     ambassador (大使) for mental health awareness.

As one of four therapy     6     (dog) in the center, he has taken part in more than 7,500 counseling sessions (咨询时段) and over 500 outreach events in six years.

“Some humans haven’t had the     7     (good) experience with other humans, or even other dogs. In both cases, Moose provides a     8     (complete) safe and comforting force in the room,” Trent Davis, a licensed counselor at the center told CNN.

“These students see Moose as someone     9     is going to accept them. They don’t worry     10     him judging them.”