It was a week before I saw Captain Nemo again. Then, I received a note from him. He invited me to go ________ with him in the forests of Crespo Island. When I saw him, I asked him ________ he was so interested in Crespo Island. “I thought you preferred the sea to being on land.”

“I do,” replied the captain. “But these ________ are under the sea.” He explained he had made diving suits allowing us to stay under the water for ________ hours. He had also made lights and an air gun for hunting. Conseil and I put on our ________, and so did Captain Nemo and one of his men. I believed it was a(n) ________ experience.

We were about ten meters under the water. Everything looked very ________. We enjoyed the colors of the shells, fish, and seaweed. Two hours later, we were 100 meters under the water. The suits ________ very well, and it was easy to walk and breathe.

At 100 meters deep, we could ________ see quite well. We walked on for about an hour, and then we lay down to rest. We all ________, and when we woke up, we walked further. Suddenly, a large sea spider was going to attack me. Nemo’s man killed it, but it reminded me the sea could be as ________ as it was beautiful. When we reached 150 meters, it was ________. The sun’s light could not reach this depth. We ________ our lights.

We walked back toward the Nautilus. However, we spent double time going a different way. At last, we could see the Nautilus. I was happy to see it ________ I was now quite tired. Suddenly, Captain Nemo pushed me to the ground and lay beside me. Several large________ swam over us. Luckily, the sharks did not see us. Half an hour later, We re-entered the Nautilus. I was tired but amazed by what I had seen.

——Taken from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Crachit, Tiny Tim—everyone knows these names. The same goes for the phrase “Bah! Humbug!” Probably one of the most beloved Christmas stories in history, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has it all: heroes, villains, ghosts, time travel, long-lost love, and a happy ending.

The story centers on Scrooge, a rich businessman. Scrooge used to be a cold, greedy, mean, old man! The cold within him froze his old face. It made his eyes red and his thin lips blue. And it spoke out in his unkind voice. His money was his life. He hated Christmas and expressed his dislike with “Bah, humbug”.

One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is led through different stages of his life by three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and youth. As a young man, he loses Belle’s love to his greed. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes him to see how others are celebrating Christmas this year. Everyone is happy, even poor people. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come never speaks and silently takes Scrooge on a tour of the misery that will fall on him and Tiny Tim. Scrooge sees that he is dead, but nobody cares. He is so scared.

After their visits, Scrooge is changed into a kinder, gentler man. He spreads Christmas cheer to one and all. He never sees the Ghosts again. And people always say, “Mr. Scrooge knows how to celebrate Christmas, better than any other man on Earth.”

Scrooge has the power to change the future with his present actions, and Dickens tries to send the message to the reader: if Scrooge can change, then so can anyone.

——Taken from A Christmas Carol