1 . About 15 years ago, I packed my suitcase and traveled to a town a few hours away. I would have an important _______ the next day, so I arrived _________. When I woke up the next morning in the hotel and started to get _______, something came to my notice—I had _______ to pack a white shirt.

This discovery made me get into _______. There was only about an hour left. Without thinking, I _______ went down to the lobby (大厅) immediately and flew to the attendant at the front desk. I explained my _______ situation and asked if he could suggest a nearby store where I could get a new shirt. I received a response before I finished speaking. “Sir. I have got a _______. “The attendant replied. How excited I was when I heard that! But rather than _______ me to a nearby shop, the man did something ________. Without saying a word, he ________ his own white shirt and handed it to me.”

I finally arrived on time. Things ________ in the end —I got my dream job. I expressed my ________ when giving back the shirt.

That nice __________ has stuck with me over the years and that man's behavior has ________ me ever since. And so now, when I see someone who needs anything, I'm willing to share.

2 . In 2002, Huang Hui, a researcher of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, went diving (潜水) near Xisha Islands. In addition to getting an irremovable suntan (晒黑), she was left with memories of a beautiful experience with clear water and masses of colorful corals reef (珊瑚礁). However, due to climate change and human activities, the coral reef is reducing at an alarming rate and much of the breathtaking view of this reef has disappeared. “We started to grow corals near the Xisha Islands in 2010, and restored more than 200, 000 square meters of coral reefs,” Huang said.

In 2004, when Huang was attending the 10th International Coral Reef Conference, she found herself the only person from the Chinese mainland. She said she felt sad but she made up her mind to strengthen communication with other countries to improve China’s level in coral research. She visited top coral research organizations in the US and Australia, establishing long-term partnership with some of the world’s top coral researchers. By far, Huang has worked on coral research and conservation for 22 years.

Huang believes that making people be more ware of coral conservation matters most to the conservation of the coral reefs. “I want to call on more people to love nature and take part in the protection of ocean,” Huang said. “I am 50, and when I become 60, I hope that not only a coral island will be built but a sustainable development pattern (模式) will also be created,” said Huang. “The ideal state is that the coral island should be able to support fishermen and preserve the ecosystem,” she added.

3 . “On Earth, something is always burning,” experts at the American space agency NASA said. They explain that a wildfire could be started naturally by lightning. However, sometimes people using controlled burns to clear land for farming can accidentally start a wildfire. Between 2003 and 2022, 85 percent of wildland fires in the U. S. were caused by human behavior. This includes leaving campfires burning, burning rubbish, throwing lit cigarettes and starting a fire on purpose.

Wildfires can clear dead and dying plants to help new growth. However, wildfires create large amounts of smoke which is dangerous to breathe. Wildfire smoke contains hundreds of chemical compounds. Smoke from burning houses and buildings contains even more toxic chemicals. An increasing amount of scientific research points to possible long-term health damage from breathing in very small particles (微粒) of smoke. There are short-term issues as well. At-risk people can be hospitalized and sometimes die from smoke.

Officials in the U. S. have been moving quickly to better protect people from the harmful effects of wildfire smoke. However, they find it more difficult to communicate these dangers to people who live thousands of kilometers from the fires. Jeff Pierce is an atmospheric scientist. He said smoke loses its odor (气味), but remains harmful even when it travels long distances. A recent study found that people who live close to fires are more likely to be prepared.

If advised, avoid outdoor activities to reduce your exposure to smoke. Keep doors and windows closed. Run an air filter to clean the inside air. Face coverings, or masks, can protect against breathing in smoke. As with COVID-19, the most effective are N95 masks.

NASA satellite images show that wildfires are now burning on every continent. Large wildfires in Australia and the U. S. often attract the world’s attention. Dan Jaffe is a wildfire smoke expert at the University of Washington. He said, “These fires are going to be burning all summer. In terms of bad air quality, everywhere in the country will be worse than average this year.”

4 . A few months ago, I got a terrible cold which ended in a cough that was hard to get rid of. No matter how many different medicines I tried, I _________ couldn’t get rid of the cough. It made both my teaching and my life _________.

Then one day after class, a student came up to me and ___________ traditional Chinese medicine. From her description, it seemed that Chinese medicine had magic power and could work ___________. I was _________ because I knew so little about it and have never tried it before. _________ my cough got so much worse that I couldn’t sleep at night, so I decided to give it a _________. The Chinese doctor took my pulse (脉搏) and asked to see my _________, both of which were new experience to me because they are both nonexistent in Western medicine, where diagnosis (诊断) depends heavily on _____________. Then the doctor gave me a scraping treatment known as “Gua Sha” in Chinese. I was a little __________ at first because he used a tool to scrape the skin on my neck and shoulders.

A few minutes later, the treatment started to produce a __________ effect and my body and mind began to sink deeper into __________. I didn’t feel much improvement in my __________ in the first few days, but after a few more regular visits to the doctor, my cough started to __________. Then within a matter of weeks, it was completely __________!

7 . Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.

I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.

Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria? I had no idea. But I was about to find out.

After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, food, and hearts as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.

Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local language, and returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.

8 . According to family legend, I started reading tomato soup labels when I was two. But my earliest _________ are of The poky Little puppy, comics I found in the attic (阁楼). I quickly moved on to the library. I _________ Little House on the Prairie and absolutely anything by Judy Blume.

I don’t know whether I read because I was curious or I was curious because I read. Probably _________ . I do know, _________ ,that books were my shelter, they gave me safety and _________ when life was confusing or uncertain. They were a (n) _________ and a peaceful oasis. Books transported me to places I never imagined I’d visit and _________ me to ideas I had never considered. I preferred Watership Down to hide-and-go-seek with the neighbor _________ . My father worried that I was turning into a recluse (隐士),but I was _________ . Maybe they made me smarter. I know they provided me with __________ .

So, when I had my son, it surprised no one that I filled his room with __________ . With a certainty I didn’t know, I read to him for hours, hoping that the magic I experienced would __________ him. It did. Now he writes disjointed __________ about fire engines, policemen and flying birds. He is becoming a(n) __________ storyteller—just like his parents. I __________ to him through stories in a way I didn’t imagine.

9 . While a lot of undergraduates live with loud roommates, 24-year-old Nikolai shares his home with over 600 noisy animals. It is no _______ he is continuously getting interrupted.

Twenty years ago his parents bought a zoo in Denmark and started the first zoo and rescue centre for animals. Two years ago his dad unfortunately _______ cancer and he was out on his own as a game developer. So he instantly came home again to his mother to _______ the zoo and attend to the 600 animals.

Owning a zoo is busywork with Nikolai taking on many _______: feeding, cleaning and playing with the animals. 600 animals may sound like _______ but Nikolai actually wants the zoo to _______. He hopes to achieve his parents’ goal and make it the greatest rescue centre for rare animals in all of Europe.

“As it is a rescue zoo, everything _______ a little bit differently than it did in the _______ zoos. Because in general zoos, it usually has perfect animals. We feel a need and a (n)_______ to help where we can. Thus, we ________ the zoo into a rescue zoo instead,” Nikolai once said. And that means taking in animals that has been treated ________ or has been in laboratories. And some of our animals may have some scars and some ________ that we have to deal with or treat.

Having to support his mother and the zoo, Nikolai has come up with a ________ way to collect extra money: a mobile app game about the zoo. The game’s ________ will go to various charities. Nikolai believes the money ________ will surely help realize his family’s dream of making their rescue centre the biggest.

10 . Youth Art For Healing is a non-profit organization founded by Jan Papirmeister in 2012. As the Executive Director, she makes great efforts to work with schools, hospitals and other healthcare organizations to bring works of art created by the youth into healthcare environments. She wants to provide a sense of comfort, inspiration and healing for patients, their loved ones and healthcare professionals during very challenging times.

Papirmeister is one of our favorite world changers. As a child, she donated her artworks to a volunteer group caring for dying people and a camp for children with cancer. She felt pity for them so she hoped her works could bring a little help. When she grew up, she became a school nurse and showed students how to create drawings to decorate the walls of the health office. Then, as a hospital nurse, she made the time to sit with patients and create art with them. In her job as a nurse, she realized works of art could really help patients feel better.

Her organization Youth Art For Healing is based in Bethesda, MD. It provides opportunities for students to learn about the nature of healing art, the power of art to heal, how to follow guidelines for healing art, the role of the art in healthcare, and the value of building and strengthening community connections and spirit. As students share their talent with those in need, students come to the realization that they can make a difference.

Papirmeister was awarded a Society for the Arts in Healthcare grant(拨款)to bring artworks to patients, their families and staff of the oncology unit(肿瘤科). She also received two SCORE Awards for her efforts to comfort patients and their families. This woman is a shining example of an artist and healer who uses the healing power of art to bring huge benefits to children, patients, their loved ones, healthcare providers, and the community at large.