Feeling quite hopeless, Jack walked down the streets, knowing he came to the end of life. In his fifties, Jack had never been married, experienced the happiness of having children or spent holidays with his family. On this sad rainy night, he felt that there was ________ in the whole world cared whether he lived or died.

At that time I was sitting in my room watching the rain ________ my window. When I heard the doorbell ring, I jumped from my chair and ran out. But my mother was already at the ________. Opening it, she saw a very dirty-looking man with tears falling down his face. My mother was always ________ and warm-hearted, invited the man inside, and he sat with my parents in our living room.

Wondering what the man looked like, I walked ________ secretly. The man holding his head in his hands and crying, made my heart ache. I ran back upstairs and took out my only half-dollar coin. Then I walked right into the living room. The three ________ looked at me in surprise as I quickly made my way over the stranger. I put the half-dollar coin in his hand and gave him a ________. Running back upstairs, I felt excited but happy.

Downstairs, Jack sat quietly with tears falling down his face as he tightly held that coin. Finally ________ my parents, he said, “I thought nobody cared. For the last twenty years, I have been so ________. That is the first hug I have ever got. It’s hard to believe that somebody ________.” Jack’s life changed that night. When he left our house, he didn’t want to die but to ________. We never saw Jack again, ________ we received letters from him from time to time, letting us know that he was doing fine.

My life changed that night too, as I ________ the power of giving a hug, although it’s only a gift of fifty cents. ________ Jack left, my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door. Jack said that when he’d walked along the streets that rainy night, ________ and ready to die, he had noticed a sticker on the car. It read: SOMEBODY LOVES YOU.

The Chinese new year begins on 22 January 2023 and ends on 9 February 2024. While most of Asia celebrates the year of the rabbit, Vietnam celebrates the year of the cat. In the Chinese zodiac*, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th animal is the cat. Why did the cat substitute for the rabbit in Vietnam?

Ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the zodiac. In the Chinese story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race and that is why cats have been hunting rats ever since. But in the Vietnamese zodiac story, there isn’t a rabbit. The cat could swim and ended up arriving. The two countries have different origins* of zodiac.

Quyen Di, a lecturer at UCLA, said the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam. “In the past, the Chinese lived in the savanna* area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area. The people of the savanna like to live near the wilderness, and they chose the rabbit as an animal that lived in the wild fields. But the lowland people of Vietnam consider rabbits as animals that are used for food and chose the cat because they believe cats are friends living in their house.”

It was a long, hot summer that year, and Anne enjoyed it with her whole heart. When it was over, she went back to school and studied hard for that terrible thing known as “the Entrance”. Anne grew so quickly that one day Marilla was surprised to find that the girl was taller than her. Another difference was that she talked less.

After months of studying, Anne went to town for the exams. When she returned to Green Gables, three weeks passed without the exam results appearing. Anne did not know what to do with herself!

Then, one evening, Anne was sitting at her open window when she saw Diana come running up the hill with a newspaper in her hand.

“Anne, you’ve passed,” she cried, “and you came first—you and Gilbert both.”

“Well now, I always said it,” said Matthew, looking at the exam result list happily. “I knew you could beat them all easily.”

The next three weeks were a busy time at Green Gables. Anne was getting ready to go to Queen’s, and there were a lot of things to do. Marilla even made Anne a beautiful green dress for special occasions. As she watched Anne packing her things, she began to cry.

“I wish you could have stayed a little girl, Anne. You’ve grown up now, and you’re going away. This makes me a little sad.”

“Marilla!” Anne sat down next to her. “I will always be your little Anne, who will love you and Matthew and dear Green Gables every day of her life.”

Marilla put her arms around her girl and held her close, wishing that she need never let her go.

The day finally came for Anne to go to town. She and Matthew drove in one fine September morning.

The next day, Anne and the rest of the Avonlea students went to Queen’s Academy. Anne decided to try hard to win the Avery scholarship*. If she won the scholarship, she would be given money to attend Redmond College. Then, one day she would become a real graduate*! Imagine how proud Matthew would be then!

That night, Anne found herself alone in her little bedroom. It was a boarding* house in town with a hard and cold street, instead of trees outside. She wanted to cry.

—Adapted from Anne of Green Gables

Not everyone is successful in making their dreams come true.     61     Walt Disney was. Usually,     62     (mouse) are not popular, but Mickey Mouse wins many     63     (people) hearts. Movies about Mickey Mouse are popular almost everywhere in the world for     64     (many) than eighty years. Walt Disney     65     (make) this famous cartoon character. When he was young, Walt Disney was interested     66     drawing cartoons. And he tried his best     67     (find) better ways of making cartoons move. At that time, some movies just started to use sound. So Disney decided to put sound in his cartoons,     68    . People were excited when they saw Mickey Mouse talk     69     (wonderful) on the movie screen. Mickey became popular with     70     young and old.