1 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to college. But life has a(an) _________ throughout her early childhood years to _________ barriers. Growing up, she led a nomadic (漫游的) life because her mother, who remarried several times, was always on the _________. By the time of high school, Steph had lived in 25 places.

When her stepfather died in a car accident, leaving her mother to support three daughters on a(an) _________ income, paying for college became a serious question. But she still tried to figure out what to do with a life so _________ her plan for schooling.

The _________ came one afternoon when she was cleaning her bedroom. She _________ a thick document where she found a handout titled “Mrs. Clark’s Book List” by her high school English teacher Dorothy Clark.

It wasn’t homework, but it could be a(an) _________ for those not able to receive higher education due to _________ problems like her. The teacher had spent months creating a list of 153 books whose contents would be as __________ as a two-year study at an arts college.

Steph studied the list. Each of those books __________ her to learn more. The reading list was also a(an) __________ in her everyday life, even __________ with her on vacations to find out the next book. She never did get to college, but has now only four books left before __________ the list. She wishes she could thank Mrs. Clark for how reading the __________ on the list has changed her life.

2 . When I was a practice teacher in a middle school，the students in my class were always making ______，and had no interest in chemistry. So I decided to do ______to change their______ towards chemistry.

The evening before I would teach all by myself，I gave a piece of paper to everyone. I told them to write ______ they wanted on the paper and handed it in and then I could tell what each one had ______ .All the students said I _____ be longsighted(远视)．Then I stood ______ my back towards them. I didn't turn back ______ they had finished and ______ all the paper in a cardboard case.

I turned the cardboard case with the bottom(底部)towards the students，and told them calmly what each one had written on the paper. The students were surprised，______ that I had learned their ______ completely in such a short time.

I told them the truth and they were ______ at my brightness：there were five lines of students in the classroom，and every line had ten students. I had written serial number(from 1 to 50 )on every ______ of the paper in a chemical reagent(试剂)that cannot be seen ______eyes，and then gave ______out to the students according to the groups of their seats. After the paper was ______ in，I used______ chemical reagent onto the corner of the paper. Thus the serial number was ______！

______ ，the students became ______ interested in chemistry，and we became good friends.

3 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated _______ with Western medicine, he decided to _______traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______ the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______ some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavours and effects, just like Shen Nong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______ of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______ Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______ to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a(n) ________ and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________ what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________ their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his ________ for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________ comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which could serve as a(n) ________ between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.

5 . It was a normal morning in March. Sondra Artis had just _______ the last student on her route.

As heading towards the school, Sondra noticed a burning smell. She _______ the bus window to see if it was fogging up from condensation（凝结）or if it was _______ . When a student asked her what was _______ , she did her best to hide her growing _______ .

Sondra pulled into a parking lot and turned to face the 20 students on _______ . She reminded them of the evacuation（疏散） _______ they once performed and directed them to leave through the doors.

“I told the kids that, ‘You know, we _______ at the beginning of the year, but this is going to be _______ , so I need you to be calm,’” said Sondra.

The students hurried to the ________ as smoke began to fill the bus. They were ________ , but Sondra remained calm. When they were out, she went back onto the bus to make sure everyone left ________ .

Seconds after they all ________ , the bus caught fire. Another bus came to the ________ to take the children away, and Sondra was left ________ that everything worked out okay.

The bus can be ________ , but human life cannot. The parents were incredibly ________ for her grace under fire. She's being considered as a ________ , and many of her students would like to see her ________ for her heroism.

“Sondra is a very good bus driver，”said a student. “She ________ a reward.”

6 . Great Panda Center

Join GoEco on a 7-day volunteer program in China to help wildlife at a giant panda center!

Your schedule

Day 1: Arrive at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. The local team will be waiting to pick you up and transfer you to the hotel in Chengdu.

Day 2: Walk around Chengdu, visit Panda Breeding Center and enjoy delicious hot pot dinner.

Day 3-6: Transfer to Panda Base in the mountains and take part in rewarding volunteer work! Each day, volunteers will work for 4-6 hours and in the evenings, volunteers will take part in cultural activities ranging from dumpling making to Chinese language lessons.

Day 7: Take a bus to either the airport or Chengdu City Center if extending stay.

Some of your tasks include

• Preparing food for the pandas

• Cutting down and carrying bamboos

• Cleaning panda enclosures

• Occasionally participating in observation and research

Requirements

• Ages 18-50 (This project may accept volunteers who are under 18 with a letter of consent（同意）from a parent)

• Basic English and/or Chinese

• Motivation to work with animals

Total project cost: $1200

• What’s included

Room: Shared hotel room

Food: Three meals a day

Airport transfers: Airport transfers upon arrival and departure

• What’s not included

Flights, travel health insurance, personal expenses

Important note: Please apply for this program 1-2 months in advance. Families upgrading to private accommodations must pay an additional charge.

9 . One thing that sets humans apart from other members of the animal kingdom is our tendency to develop customs and traditions. Here are some astonishing customs from around the world.

An odd custom associated with the United States is its complicated tipping culture. Unlike many other countries that don’t tip at all or that only tip in small amounts when the food is particularly good, tipping is actually mandatory at most restaurants in the US. To put it another way, customers have a duty to leave between 10-20 percent of the bill in tips. Wait staff rely on these tips for a living because legal wages for waiters are low. Furthermore, there are rules for tipping bartenders, delivery people and other service personnel. While some criticize this practice as irrational, there’s no doubt that tipping culture in the US gives an incentive for waiters and waitresses to provide better service.

Some countries find the act of pointing with the index finger to be rude. While members of most cultures would probably agree that pointing fingers, both literally and figuratively, isn’t exactly the nicest thing in the world, in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, this gesture can be seen as incredibly offensive. Instead, it is customary to gesture towards things with the thumb as this is seen as a more polite option. In many countries in Africa, pointing is reserved for inanimate objects only, not people.

Most societies around the world have rules about table manners. For western cultures, noisily consuming food is considered rude. In Japan, however, making slurping(啧啧响的)sounds while eating has an entirely different meaning. This might have something to do with the fact that in western countries, noodles are properly consumed by twirling(缠绕)them on a spoon before putting them in the mouth. Meanwhile, the Japanese simply slurp up their noodles without contorting them first, an act that is naturally noisier than the former. Making slurping sounds when eating noodles in Japan is a way of indicating that you’re rely enjoying them. Some scientists even argue slurping invites air into the mouth and actually enhances the noodles’ flavor.