1 . For me, Koda is not just a normal pet dog. He is ______ member of our family. Last week, he did something amazing—he saved my daughter and me ______ a fire.

Last Monday, my husband (丈夫) left for work early. I ______ when Koda woke me up by jumping up on me and barking (犬吠). It was 6:00 am then. At first, I thought he was hungry, so I gave him some food to eat. ______ Koda didn’t stop barking. Then I guessed he wasn’t barking for food. He ______ be barking for something else. Then I was shocked ______ that the oven in the kitchen was on fire. I ran into my ______ room as soon as possible and got her out of bed.

Then we ran out of the house quickly. I made a phone call and the firemen arrived a few minutes later.______, the fire was put out.

We were sad that the fire burned all of our Christmas ______. But we were lucky, right? The situation (情形) might become even ______ if Koda had not woken me up. Koda has always been a good dog.

2 . Recently, students went to Yuxian County in Hebei to learn about a special kind of Chinese art called “Yuxian County paper-cutting”. It ________ as a national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产).

When they entered the studio of Zhou Shuying, the inheritor (传承人), they were amazed by the artwork ________ display. They are not only beautiful but also ________.

According to Zhou, Yuxian County paper-cutting is different from ________. It mainly uses dyeing techniques (染色技法), making ________ paper images lively and beautiful. This style ________ around for more than 200 years.

________ the beauty of the art, Zhou created a piece right in front of us. With quick movements, she cut two butterflies with heart-shaped wings. ________, Zhou showed students award-winning piece, nine dragons were beautifully shown, each unique in its own way.

Through this learning experience, the students truly felt the ________ of Chinese paper-cutting and admired Zhou’s pursuit (追求) of her artwork. They also deeply understood the rich paper-cutting culture of Yuxian County. ________ they wish to spread this kind of tradition! It should be known by more and more people.

3 . A girl who wrote Chinese calligraphy (书法) on her home curtains (窗帘) has become popular online. The pictures of her creations have ________ surprised lots of people.

The girl named Yating is from Quanzhou, Fujian Province. It took ________ three days to write the calligraphy. Yating decided ________ the calligraphy curtains because her old ones had cartoon pictures on them and they didn’t fit the style of her home. She wanted to make ________ change. Yating put “Four Treasures of the Study” (文房四宝) on the desk to match the calligraphy curtains.

According to Yating, the curtains ________ of thin etamine (纱) instead of common cloth or paper. “I have to be careful not to use too much ink ________ the etamine is quite thin, or the ink would spread to a wide area.” she said.

Yating said she loved writing calligraphy a lot. She ________ up the hobby about five years ago. “On the curtains, I copied the works ________ two famous ancient calligraphy masters Huai Su and Huang Tingjian. And I am quite ________ with my calligraphy works.” said Yating.

Yating took photos of her calligraphy curtains and shared them online. ________ amazing pictures they were! Many people thought they were not only beautiful, but also brought them peace in the heart.

Last night, Frank had a dream about the coming math test, which troubled him very much these days. So he was in a _________ mood (心情) when he woke up.

Uncle Robin once told Frank about “white noise”—noise made by a fan or soft rain is a (n) _________ of white noise. Frank had tried it and it really worked! After that, whenever he felt worried about something, he would _________ white noise with his headphones.

With the _________ of the math test still in his mind, Frank went to get his headphones. He _________ he had left them on his desk, but they were gone. His little brother Andy was always _________ his things—without asking. He ran into his brother’s room and started shouting at him in _________. “Where are my headphones? You can’t just take my things! Or I’ll take yours!” He grabbed (抓起) one of his brother’s toys and _________ it on the ground, breaking it into two pieces. Andy started to _________, and Frank stormed out, feeling better.

Frank’s mom heard the shouting and went into Andy’s room. “Hey,” she said _________, “stop for a second and tell me how you’re feeling.” Mom never shouted. Frank knew that she thought it was better to talk about _________ instead of getting angry.

“He always does this, Mom!” Frank shouted. “I’ll have a math test…and…and I had a bad dream …” Frank _________ shouting. In a calm (平静的) voice, he said, “I _______ what I did was bad. I’m sorry, Andy. I really get mad _________ you take things without asking, but breaking your toy wasn’t _________. I will buy you a new one.”

Frank’s mom said, “Well done, Frank, and, Andy, ask first next time, OK?”

“OK, I’m sorry too,” said Andy and they all smiled.

One of the most important _________ in life is to be true to yourself. It’s important to know who you are, what you believe _________, and what makes you happy. However, it’s also important to allow others to be themselves and to accept them for who they are.

Quite _________ few people are trying to change others to fit their own expectations. They often think _________ others should perform in their way of thinking. This only creates arguments. We should focus on accepting others as they are and allowing them to express themselves _________. This doesn’t mean we have to agree _________ everything they say or do, but we should respect them although their opinions are different from _________. Also, we should try to be true to ourselves and not let others influence our actions or beliefs. It can be easy to fall into the situation of trying to please everyone, and by doing so we can lose sight of our own values.

_________ true to oneself and allowing others to be themselves are not always easy but it’s worth doing so. We _________ a meaningful life if we accept others for who they are.

All in all, the key to happiness and healthy relationships is to let yourself be yourself and let others be themselves. By respecting the difference, we can create a __________ and more accepting world.

Dorothy lived on a farm in Kansas with her uncle and aunt. It was a simple _______ loving home filled with warmth and joy. _______, one strange afternoon, a terrible whirlwind suddenly appeared on the farm, growing _______ as it got closer.

Before Dorothy _______ react, the whirlwind enveloped her, lifting her high into the air. She felt a mixture of fear and _______ as the wind carried her away from her familiar surroundings.

_______ the whirlwind finally ceased and stopped, Dorothy found _______ in a strange and magical land _______ Oz. The scenery and views around her were breathtaking, with towering trees _______ seemed to touch the sky and colorful birds singing ________ in the branches. The air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers, and the ground under her feet ________ in a blanket of blooming (盛开的) flowers.

As she took in her new surroundings, Dorothy realized that she ________ far from home and felt afraid. She missed her uncle and aunt dearly and longed to return to her familiar Kansas farm.

Hoping to go back, Dorothy went on a journey through this fantastic land. Along ________ way, she met some ________ characters. Together, they formed an unlikely team and set off ________ the Wizard of Oz, who they hoped could help them achieve their deepest dreams. Through her adventures in Oz, Dorothy discovered a new found bravery and strength. She faced her fears and overcame obstacles, all while learning the importance of friendship and courage.

7 . When we were kids, we enjoyed as collecting things a hobby. However, some of us didn’t continue ________ hobby through our adult life. I enjoyed collecting stamps and coins as a child. When I ________ older, I gave my stamp collection away and I sold most of my coins as well.

For a lot of people, ________ coin collecting hobby continues into adulthood or perhaps they pick it up later in life. A coin collecting hobby can mean many things ________ the collector. Some like to have this type of hobby ________ they love history and can get great pleasure.

Then there are those who ________ to buy very expensive and rare (罕见的) coins for an investment (投资) purpose. Many people are fond of buying new coins while others collect foreign coins only. If you are a serious collector, then there are groups and organizations ________ you can join. These can be great for you as you can have the chance to change coins with other fans.

Whatever your ________ for a coin collecting hobby are, you still should keep your collection in good order by displaying (陈列) coins in a case.

Having a collection such as this is also a good way ________ the family, especially children, some history. It is also one of ________ hobbies in the world for your children to take up. And it can benefit them throughout their life.

8 . An 18-year-old student, Wen Di, from Kunming realized his dream in an unusual way. He rode over 2,000 kilometers to his dream university—Wuhan University.

Wen has been crazy about bicycles _____ he was 5. Once he read a story about a man _____ Anhui who went to university by bike. That’s why Wen planned the cycling (骑行) journey.

To prepare for the journey, Wen joined in rides, long or short, during every holiday. Once, he experienced _____ accident. It rained for several days in Dali. He was wet and cold all over and even fell off _____ bike. It taught him an important safety lesson. From then on, a raincoat and other necessary things _____ well before he sets out. Most importantly, he always studies the road conditions carefully and decides _____ he can live on a cold or rainy night ahead of time.

On Aug. 2nd, 2023, Wen chose _____ his special journey. Although he rode alone most of the time, he seldom felt lonely. He met many kind _____ and had excellent experiences together. From the southwest to central China, he enjoyed the natural beauty and local culture.

For him, this trip is _____ than any knowledge or practice at school. “I ______ more trips in the future. And I’m ready to start my new life,” said Wen.

My name is Chen Jie. I’m 15 years old and I’ve learnt online that you want _________ volunteer for the community.

I’m outgoing and warm-hearted and it has been a long time since I became _________ in volunteering. My parents told me _________ the smallest action of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention (意图). And I _________ to do lots of volunteer work by them when I was young, like visiting the old people’s home and giving away books and toys. In my _________ year in junior high, I helped the teachers organize a charity sale, including making posters, _________ out the tables and cleaning up the playground. I believe _________ experiences can help me become a good volunteer.

Helping people in need and seeing the happy smiles on their _________ can bring me great satisfaction. I _________ excited if I am given the chance to use my skills to do something for the community. Thank you for your time and I am looking forward _________ your reply.

Sincerely yours,

Chen Jie

Today was full of ups and downs! This morning, I was very excited because I came up with ______ excellent idea for our biology project. And I couldn’t wait ______ it with my friends. I thought we would have fun working on it together. But things didn’t go as well as I hoped. When I told them my ______, they thought it was silly and laughed at me. I was quite sad, ______ I went back to the classroom without a word.

Then, things got even ______. When the Chinese teacher asked us to hand in our homework, I realized that I left ______ at home. I was so worried that I couldn’t ______ on the lesson. But to my relief, she wasn’t angry ______ me and just told me to be more careful next time.

In the afternoon, things started to become better. I ______ by my biology teacher, and he said that I did a really good job! My friends also realized they were wrong and said sorry to me. ______ a surprise!