With the month of May coming near, the hot days are getting closer. It’s t    1     for the second solar term (节气) in summer—Grain Buds. Grain Buds starts on May 21 and e    2     on June 5 this year. The Chinese characters (汉字) Xiao Man means that the seeds of the grains (谷物) are     3     (become) full. Xiao Man also means a lot of rain. Chinese farmers believe that if there is not enough water at this time, grains will not g    4     well.

As a saying goes, “A h    5     rain makes the river full.” Thanks to the rain, the fish is getting big and fat, so people can fish     6     (easy) in the river. It is not only a happy thing for fishermen, but also a good time for those who e    7     eating fish. In the old days, people in South China     8     (move) “three wheels”, waterwheel, spinning wheel (纺车) and oil wheel (油车).

During these days, people should take good care     9     their health. It is important to     10     to keep healthy during the hot sun. Walking, running and practising tai chi (太极) are popular activities for Chinese people at this time. Feel free to join the people who are walking or dancing in the nearest park!

3 . A little Asian elephant became a big topic in China. Her name is Molly.

On March 20, 2016, Molly was born at a zoo in Yunnan. They called h    1     Little Princess. As a s    2     of luck, everyone liked her. When Molly turned 1 year old, she     3     (get) her name and a big cake.

But in 2018, people took Molly away from her mom. They sent Molly to Swan Lake Ecology Park in Qinyang, Henan in exchange (交换) for a     4     elephant. She had to act and carry v    5     on her back. She had many wounds (伤痕) on her body.

    6     (see) that, people asked to send her back home. Some famous people also joined in. They     7     (put) pictures and articles of Molly online. And they asked to stop elephant performances s    8     in China.     9     their help, Molly finally left the ecology park in Henan. She went back home on the     10     (twelve) day of May. There, her family waited for her for many days. Little Princess is being loved again!

It was a lovely spring afternoon. My classmates and I were playing     1     (happy) on the playground when I let out a cry, “Ow! Ow! S    2     in my shoe is biting me!”

Everyone was s    3     by the cry. They helped me into a classroom and were about to take off my shoe. Suddenly, I r    4     the holes in my socks. My family was very poor. I wore very c    5     socks, which cost only a little and didn’t last long. They soon had holes at the bottom (底部).

I refused (拒绝) their help, I couldn’t s    6     others seeing the holes in my socks. Yet, each time the thing in my shoe bit me, tears raced down my face.

My teacher, Miss Diana, who     7     (know) everything about my family, hurried into the classroom. She looked into my painful and hopeless e    8    , “Oh, yes, it must be a sock-eating ant,” she said, as if she had already seen the thing inside the shoe. “I had a bite from one of those ants. By the time I got my shoe off, it had eaten almost the whole bottom off my sock. My classmates nodded although they all looked a little puzzled (迷惑).”

Miss Diana took off my right shoe and sock and shook them over the dustbin. Two red ants     9     (fall) into it.

“Just as what I said. The ants have eaten part     10     her sock.” She added, “You are such a brave (勇敢的) girl to take so many bites.”

On the lovely spring afternoon, a little girl’s pride was saved by the “sock-eating ant” story.

Auckland (奥克兰) is the largest city in New Zealand. It lies on the North Island     1     a population of more than a million. This seaside city is considered (看待) as     2     important center for business and industry. It     3     (be) also the most exciting city in New Zealand. There are also many people from different cultures     4     (live) there.

Its history goes back over 650 years.     5     (Europe) settlement (定居) began in 1840 after the British’s arrival. Auckland once became the     6     /ˈkæpɪtl/ of New Zealand for some time. S    7     1945, Auckland has grown and it now has large modern suburbs.

Famous sights include Mt. Eden     8     the Auckland Harbor Bridge. In the city, you can enjoy an     9     (amaze) view from the Sky Tower, which is the city’s tallest tower. You can also see many traditional     10     (dance) at the Auckland Museum.

10 . Mario Green and Mary Brown from Riverside High School give up several hours each week to help others.

Mario loves animals and wants to be an animal doctor. He volunteers at an animal hospital every Saturday morning. Mario believes it can help him to get his future dream job. “It     1     (is) easy work,” he says, “but I want to learn more about how     2     (care) for animals. I get such a strong     3     (feel) of satisfaction when I see the animals get     4     (well) and the look of joy on their     5     (own) faces.”

Mary is a book     6     (love). She could read by     7     (she) at the age of four. Last year, she decided to try out for a volunteer after-school reading program. She still works there     8     (one) a week to help kids learn to read. “The kids are sitting in the library, but you can see in their eyes that they’re going on a     9     (difference) journey with each new book.     10     (volunteer) here is a dream come true for me. I can do what I love to do and help others at the same time.”