2 . A little girl was enjoying the beautiful garden in her home. Her father had a good collection of rare and prized plants, which he _________ with great care.

The girl was _________ by a plant full of delicate flowers. She approached it and admired its striking beauty. Suddenly she _________ that the plant was in a pile of filth (污秽). She could not tolerate the _________ of dirt with such fantastic flowers.

She worked out a plan to clean the plant. She _________ the plant with all her might from the dirt and washed its _________ in running tap water till all traces of dirt were washed away. She then placed the plant on a clean stone and went away, proud that she had done a great _________.

Later her father came to the garden and spotted the uprooted plant, which had lain _________ in the baking sun. His little daughter ran over to _________ her achievement. “I have cleaned it, Daddy,” she reported __________

The father showed her how her treatment had nearly killed the plant and told her that the filthy soil was the best __________ to grow that plant. Hearing that, the girl felt guilty that the plant had suffered by her cleaning.

A great gardener mixes the __________ soil for each plant. __________, God provides each of us with the best __________ required for optimum (最佳) spiritual growth. But it may appear to be __________ and we may even complain to God about our difficulty.

6 . Are you considering visiting some places in a few weeks, or a few months' time, and are you looking for the safest places to travel? If yes, this travel guide will provide some places you can visit.

New Zealand has proven to be the world’s safest places to travel after Iceland and they are known for their wonderful dishes such as fish & chips, Hokey Pokey Ice Cream, etc. Whangarei Falls is a twenty-four feet high flowing water with a beautiful view that makes it one of the best waterfalls looking attractive in photographs.

A visit to Belize would give you experiences such as world-class diving, explorations of jungles, etc. When you are in Belize, you should try the following foods: Rice and Beans, Tamales, Stewed Chicken, Fry Jacks and lots more. Belize is known for Mayan ruins and caves, jungle adventures, and is also known as “Nature’s best-kept secret”.

Greenland is said to be a place where you do not have to worry about crime, so you need not worry too much about your safety. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and it is the world's largest island. Major tourist offers in Greenland include trips on hiking, tours on dog sledding (雪橇), watching of icebergs, etc.

Tunisia is said to be one of the most visited African countries. Some attractive places include its great capital city of Tunis, the beach resorts of Mahdia and La Kabash Square in Tunis. Tunisia is popular for her beaches which have this golden ring and wallet-friendly items. Tunisians are always willing to help. Some of the delicious dishes that Tunisians enjoy include Traditional Tunisian Bread, Tajine, Meats, etc.

7 . Scientists have reported that the sea ice in Antarctica is at a record low level. Antarctica is a great, icy land, surrounded by the huge Southern Ocean. The ice in Antarctica doesn't just cover the land. There’s also a large area of sea ice on the ocean’s surface.

Every year, the sea ice at the South Pole goes through a cycle. In the summer, the huge sea ice melts to its smallest point. Over the colder winter months, the sea ice grows and grows until it covers a wide area. Usually, the sea ice covers the greatest area around September 23, as winter ends at the South Pole.

Scientists have been measuring the area of the sea ice in Antarctica since 1979. For most of this time, Antarctica has seemed to be almost unaffected by the changing weather conditions experienced in other parts of the globe. That began to change around 2016. Now, for several years, the area of Antartica’s sea ice has been shrinking.

This year, the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) reported that Antartica’s sea ice covered its greatest area on September 10 — almost two weeks earlier than normal. And the sea ice was at a new record low-not just by a little bit, but by a lot.

The last time Antartica’s low sea ice set a record at the end of winter was in 1986. And this year, there’s about 398,000 square miles less sea ice than in 1986.

Scientists are still trying to understand what is driving the change in Antarctica. One likely direct cause for the change is the rising temperatures of the world’s oceans. Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the University of Colorado, says Antarctica’s ice levels have always changed some, but the sharp loss this year is “pointing towards warmer ocean conditions around the continent.”

The new low record has worried the scientists. Scientists are working hard to better understand Antarctica. They don’t know yet if this is just a short-term problem, or part of a long-term shift towards less sea ice in Antarctica.

8 . Students at West Side Elementary School in California, with the help of their art teacher, created a telephone hotline to offer cheerful advice during difficult times. In just days, the hotline began getting thousands of calls an hour. The hotline, available in English and Spanish, offers the happy voices of children of different ages sharing positive messages.

Most people agree that with concerns like Covid-19, extreme weather, and the climate crisis, the last years have been stressful.

“To hear the pure joy from kids is extremely comforting in these difficult times,” art teacher Jessica Martin says.

Ms. Martin called the project “Pep Talk”, which later changed to “PepToc” to draw an ad for the hotline. The project had two parts, one the hotline , and the other creating encouraging posters. Along with artist Asherah, she worked with students from kindergarten to sixth grade. Students working on the hotline thought of what they would like to say. When they were ready, Ms. Martin recorded each one. Later, she sorted out the recordings into the different parts of the telephone hotline. For example, pressing 2 results in words of encouragement and life advice. This includes messages like: “The world is a better place with you in it.” and “You are okay!” Pressing 4, you hear the sounds of children laughing-a sound certain to bring a smile to anyone's face. Other students took part in making encouraging posters to hang up around the town. Many posters had strips of paper that people passing by could tear off and take with them.

Ms. Martin thought the project would attract interest from people near the school. But word of the hotline spread quickly on social media. The hotline has become popular with stressed adults, patients in hospitals, older people in homes, and others to beat stress by hearing the happy voices of children.

9 . We can probably all agree that it is good to be kind, nice to be kind, but does it lead to success in life? After all, isn’t kindness about putting other people’s interests first? Doesn’t it require self-sacrifice?

Yet consider these well-known people: James Timpson, boss of the Timpson chain of shoe repairers; Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand. These two are clearly “winners” in their fields, and yet both put kindness at the heart of their strategies for success. What they have found is that taking a more sympathetic and apparently “softer” approach to business, politics and sports management brings positive results, not just for the benefit of people who work for them, but for their own benefit. The traditional idea that you have to be cruel, driven and focused on number one if you want to achieve success is becoming less popular.

It’s notable that in the field of business research, kind leadership is more often referred to as “ethical” (有道德的) leadership, maybe because it sounds less soft. But whatever you decided to call it, studies have shown that it can result in a more positive atmosphere at work and that employees perform better too. There’s evidence that even small acts of kindness and cooperation by anyone can make a difference in a workplace. An example might be getting the printer mended, rather than leaving it broken for the next person to find, or watering the plants in the office. These actions aren’t required as part of the job, but if we carry them out, the working environment is a little better for everyone.

Of course, there are still plenty of examples of people who do well in life, but they are self-centered and unkind to others. But the point is that despite what we might see, you don’t have to be hard-nosed (不讲情面的) to get on in business or other highly competitive walks of life. You can’t be a winner simply through being kind of course — you need motivation, devotion and skills too —but there’s more and more evidence that showing some kindness as you go after your goal is no barrier to success.

10 . It wasn’t easy to practice gratitude (感激) every day. After I ______ Cushing’s disease (库兴综合征) and had an operation a few years ago, my ______ was that everything would be OK. However, I was wrong. I had ongoing aches and pains, and ______ myself to a new life was difficult for me. ______, I began to notice that I’d become a hateful person.

One day, I heard a discussion about gratitude by Dr Tony Evans. It ______ me and forced me to take a long, hard, honest look at myself. I have a(n) ______ spouse (配偶) and parents. I’d heard the stories of other people’s ______ with Cushing’s disease. Their spouses had left them and they didn’t have family to ______. I didn’t face any of these problems, yet I didn’t realize that.

I made a decision to start practicing gratitude daily. Once I decided that, my ______ improved, and I began to approach situations differently. ______ viewing situations negatively, I started to see them as opportunities.

This led me to practice the concept of ______ and reaping (收获), which I learned from my parents. They didn’t just talk the talk, but rather they ______ his concept to us. However, it wasn't until I had my own experiences that I understood what it meant.

Let me explain. When I was ______ in my own pity, my ______ in life was ruined, because everything I was sowing was negative. Since I started practicing gratitude, so many different doors of opportunity have opened up for me.

My advice is starting practicing gratitude until it becomes a part of your daily routine. Take note of the ______ it will make in your life.