1 . Have you heard of Zhu Yanjun, a middle-aged builder from a small village in Gansu Province? Can you believe that he _______ second prize in the Chinese Poetry Competition hosted by CCTV in February, 2023?

Zhu’s love for _______ started from a very young age under the influence of his Chinese teacher. He dreamed of writing his own books one day, just like his teacher. _______ he finished middle school, Zhu went to big cities to look for jobs. He worked for house building in more than ten _______. Wherever he was, he went to local bookstores with a notebook. He would take notes from the books and _______ the words in a dictionary to check the meanings.

At the beginning, he read poems from the Tang Dynasty and poems written by Chairman Mao Zedong. As time went by, he found some _______ methods to remember them. He especially likes Chairman Mao’s words: _______ in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it. Over the years, he has read _______ poems and can memorize more than 1,000 of them.

There is an old Chinese saying, “Reading 10,000 books is not as good as traveling 10,000 miles.” Zhu said, “_______ I have been to many different cities, it is not for travel. I get to know the history and traditions of many places by reading books and poems. It opens up a new ________ for me.” Reading also helps him live ________ and he never complains (抱怨) about hard work. There are ________ everywhere in his home, so he can read whenever he wants.

Zhu was very ________ about his children’s study. The children were required to finish their homework and do some reading before they played. “Getting a good education is very important for my kids, because knowledge can bring ________ a better life,” said Zhu.

Zhu is already 50 years old, but he keeps on learning all the time. His story tells us that learning is a lifelong journey. Whether we are old or ________, we should always learn to improve ourselves. Our life time is limited.

Let’s put it to good use.

2 . I’ve been interested in diving. I wanted to experience it but was ______ by the fear of deep water. Last year, encouraged by a diving enthusiast, I decided to ______ my fear. I signed up for a diving course.

After a few days of theory sessions, I surprisingly ______ all the theory exams. But then followed the biggest ______. I was visibly ______ underwater. My instructor asked me to do a few more dives with him to ______ my confidence. However, I could see a huge ______ between what I thought I’d be doing and what the course ______ required.

Over the next few weeks, I looked back on the past and thought about what I could have done differently to have had a more pleasant ______. It was a ______ game! If I could win, I would be able to ______ this course.

A week before the end of the diving course, I went to complete two dives with my instructor. I knew that if I didn’t give it another ______, I would always carry the fear with me, and it would only get ______ with time. As I revised the ______ and put on my gear (装备), I thought to myself, “This is it!” I took a deep breath, held my mask in place with my fingers, and did a back roll into the sea.

Three hours later, I became a ______ diver. I finally overcame my fear!

3 . Mary has been looking for a job for several days after she graduated. And finally she got one at a ________ in Australia which is run by a Chinese boss.

As we all know, Chinese food is very famous and Chinese people are very hospitable (好客的). So Mary was not surprised when her new boss ________ her to have lunch to celebrate her new job. But she knew that different cultures have totally different ways of ________. Mary was nervous because she couldn’t use chopsticks. So Mary asked a friend to ________ her some suggestions about using chopsticks. And she spent an hour trying to learn how to use ________.

The next day, the boss took her ________ a Chinese restaurant. To ________ surprise, when they entered the restaurant, the boss told the waiter to give her a knife and fork instead of chopsticks. Hearing this, Mary was very ________ by this careful care, but she stuck to using chopsticks at last, because she didn’t want to be treated differently. ________ it was her first time to use chopsticks and it was very difficult, Mary didn’t give up trying. Finally, they ________ finished their meal with chopsticks.

This is really a valuable experience for Mary. From then on, she also made up her mind to learn more cultures about different countries.

4 . When Mike visited Bali, he first took note of street vendors (摊贩). It was evident that they were _________ food. When Mike asked if he could still have food without money on hand, they showed him _________, especially one woman named Lily.

In addition to some rice, Lily gave him a plate of meat without _________. However, what indeed _________ him most was that she insisted he come back there daily so he could be _________. The next day, touched by how good Lily was to him, Mike _________ her $500 to improve her life temporarily.

Actually, Lily was a（n）_________ street vendor. She and her husband worked from dawn to dusk. Even so, the prospect of owning a home remained _________. That was why Mike decided to _________ a non- profit website to help families like this.

Mike learned that Lily’s family’s __________ was to open up their own food shop and buy their own home once they had enough money. To facilitate their journey towards realizing the dreams, Mike __________ the scene of the street vendors __________ small businesses, and then posted the videos and created a GoFundMe page to raise money.

Thanks to financial donations from the __________ strangers from all over the world. Lily’s family has moved into a new residence, and other vendors’ lives are improving! Mike shares on GoFundMe, “Thanks for all the support. We are definitely going to change their lives.” __________, a small gesture of goodwill can make a __________ to those in need.

7 . True belonging comes from the place of love and respect for others. It’s important to recognize the value of others and treat them as ___________. Small actions like taking a moment to talk or showing genuine interest can ___________ a sense of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental human need and provides a sense of _____________ in life.

Each morning, my friend Jonathan buys a newspaper from the same street stall in New York. They don’t just make a ___________, though. They take a moment to slow down, talk, and ___________ each other like humans. But one time, Jonathan didn’t have the right ___________, and the seller said, “Don’t ___________ about it.” But Jonathan insisted on paying, so he went to the store and ___________ something he didn’t need to make change. But when he gave the money to the seller, the seller ___________. He was hurt. He was trying to do something ____________, but Jonathan had rejected him.

I think we all reject people in small ways like this without ____________ it. I do. I’ll walk by someone I know and barely ____________ them. I’ll check my phone when someone’s talking to me. These acts look down on others. They make them feel invisible and ____________. But when you lead with love, you can create a (n) ____________ that lifts each of you up.

For many people, belonging is the most essential source of meaning. Happiness comes and goes. But when life is really good and when things are really bad, having meaning gives you something to ____________ on to.

8 . Feeling homesick is very common. When you are away from home, you may feel uncomfortable, upset or even ________. What you want most is just to be home.

When you’re homesick, you’re not sick in the ________ way — like with a cold or headache. But a kid might cry when he or she is homesick because of feeling sad. Some can’t ________ at night when feeling homesick, even grown-ups. They lie in bed thinking of their family members. Here are some ________ to help you feel less homesick.

If you’re leaving home, ________ your pillow or your favorite pajamas (睡衣). You can also take pictures of the people you’ll be apart from and ________ them anytime you want.

The more ________ stuff you do, the less homesick you’ll feel. Try to join in ________ wherever you are so you can have more happy time.

Keep in touch with your family. You can make a plan for when you’ll ________ your mom or dad. You can ________ email or text them to stay in touch with them.

Sometimes just ________ your homesickness will help you feel better. Maybe you can tell a friend that you feel homesick and the two of you can do something fun — like telling each other ________. If you’re at a camp, a camp counselor (辅导员) would be a good person to talk with. He/ She might have some ________ to help you feel better.

________, short trips away from home can help you feel more confident and comfortable. They can also help you learn to feel less homesick, so you won’t miss out on all those adventures ________ you!