1 . A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, but unluckily two of them fell into a deep pit(坑). All the other frogs _________ the pit. When they saw how _________ the pit was, they told the two frogs that they might as well be dead.

The two frogs _________ what the others were saying and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their physical _________. The other frogs kept telling them to _________. Finally, one of the frogs paid attention to the comments, _________ considered them, and gave up. He _________ down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as _________ as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs _________ him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally __________ it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog __________ to them that he was a little __________. He thought they were encouraging him the __________ time.

This story teaches two lessons: First, there is power of life and death in the __________. An encouraging word to someone who is __________ can lift him up and help him make it through the day. Second, a destructive word to someone who is down can be __________ it takes to kill him. Be __________ of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.

The __________ of words is great. It is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that __________ to rob another of the spirit to continue in __________ times.

2 . Humans are no strangers to widespread viruses, and each time a vaccine (疫苗) is developed, it gives us hope for the future. Now, the world is waiting for a vaccine to fight COVID-19.

Scientists worldwide have been rolling up their sleeves to work to ward an effective novel coronavirus vaccine.

Under the coordination (协调) of the World Health Organization(WHO), up to 172 countries have been engaging with the “largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio”, a plan known as the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility.

COVAX is a system for joint purchasing and balancing the risks of multiple vaccines. When a vaccine proves to be safe and effective, all countries within the facility will be able to access it, according to Xinhua.

The plan is aimed to ensure that all countries, no matter their economic status, can get the vaccine in a timely manner when one is available. It also makes sure that prices will be kept as low as possible.

“A number of vaccines are now in the final stage of clinical trials,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Aug. 24th, adding that the goal of COVAX is to deliver at least 2billion doses of a vaccine by the end of 2021. According to the WHO, at present, nine potential vaccines are part of the portfolio.

To guarantee the equal access and fair assignment of COVID-19 vaccines, the WHO has said that the world needs to prevent vaccine nationalism — countries putting their own interests ahead of others in trying to secure supplies of a possible vaccine.

“Vaccine nationalism only helps the virus,” Tedros said, warning that it would lead to a prolonged pandemic (疫情) if only a small number of countries got most of the supply.

“Like an orchestra, we need all instruments to be played in harmony to create music that everyone enjoys,” he said.

Vaccine development looks promising, as several countries have made great progress. Russia began production of its first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 15th, according to its health ministry. It’s the world’s first registered vaccine. Four Chinese vaccine candidates have started international stage-3 clinical trials.

3 . Singapore Garden Festival(SGF) is the only show in the world to gather the world’s top award-winning garden and flowery designers under one roof. This “must-see” event will impress you with a wide range of displays and activities that have been planned specially for you. An experience of a lifetime awaits at the Singapore Garden Festival for you and your family. Mark your calendar today!

Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden

Worry that your child is bored? Sign him or her up for a guided tour in Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. It will stimulate a sense of wonder in your child as it promises a unique discovery and provides interesting learning experiences in a garden setting. Let your child explore and play so that they will learn to take care of plants and the environment while you admire the exhibits with a peace of mind.

Far East Organization Children’s Garden

Your child can have a fun-filled day with interactive games, water play features and educational programs in an abundant natural setting at Far East Organization Children’s Garden! The play zone contains play such as a sway(摇摆)bridge and stepping springs, and the Fish Fountain with an interactive landscape of water tunnels and different fish-shaped sculpture.

Marine Cove Children’s Outdoor Playground

Come and bring your child to the 3500-square-metr e playground suitable for children of various ages! It is located next to the beach, offering users open spaces and a good view of the sea. Your child can also join in the fun at a play area with talking tubes, fun mirrors and a drum set! The playground also has play equipment for children who are physically-challenged to play together. This includes special needs equipment such as sensory play panels.

4 . A five-­year-­old dog named Kelsey has been praised as a hero for helping to save the life of her owner who slipped in the snow and broke his neck.

The man, Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse on New Year’s Eve to collect firewood.Expecting a journey of only several meters, Bob was wearing just long johns (衬裤), a shirt and slippers when he went outside, although the temperature was around －4℃.

After the accident, he was unable to move in the snow. Fortunately, Kelsey came to his assistance.

“I was shouting for help, but my nearest neighbor is about 400 meters away, and it was 10:30 p. m.,” Bob explained. “By the next morning, my voice was gone and I couldn’t yell for help, but Kelsey didn’t stop barking.”

Kelsey’s companion kept him warm by lying on top of him. She licked his face and hands to keep him awake. “Kelsey kept barking but never left my side,” Bob recalled. “I knew I couldn’t give up and that it was my choice to stay alive.”

Bob spent 20 hours in the freezing cold. When he finally lost consciousness, his dog kept barking. Finally, hearing the barking, Bob’s neighbor discovered him at 6:30 p. m. on New Year’s Day and called the emergency services at once. When Bob arrived in hospital, his body temperature was below 21℃. However, doctors were surprised to find that he didn’t have any frostbite (冻疮). They believed it was because of Kelsey’s determination to keep him warm. Dr. Chaim Colen, the doctor who treated Bob, said, “His dog really saved him.He was very fortunate.”

Bob said he was very grateful to both Dr. Colen and his Kelsey. “They saved my life. They are truly heroes!”

6 . China’s Chang’e 5 spacecraft, tasked with bringing lunar rock samples to Earth, successfully landed on the Moon on December 1st, 2020. The 8,200 kg spacecraft, launched from China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on November 23, 2020, entered the satellite’s orbit on November 28th, 2020.

Within 19 hours of landing, the probe (空间探测器) gathered about 2k g of rocks and soil by drilling almost 2 meters deep into the lunar surface using its robotic arm. The sample-filled jar was placed in the ascender vehicle (上升器), which left the Moon’s surface and entered the lunar orbit on December 3rd, 2020. Then, in a historic first, the ascender and Chang’e 5 orbiter spacecraft successfully came together on December 6, 2020, to complete the first-ever robotic rendezvous and docking (交会和对接) in lunar orbit.

“In terms of the space tasks that humans have performed so far, only the Apollo program missions have completed the rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit. However, uncrewed rendezvous and docking have never been done before us,” Peng Jing told Chinese media ahead of the attempt.

With the rock samples safely transferred to the return capsule, the Chang’ e 5 spacecraft continued to circle the Moon for a few days before beginning its 112-hour journey back to Earth. The spacecraft landed in the Ulanqab region of Inner Mongolia, China, on the early morning of December 17th, 2020. Up to now, China has become the third country, after the US and Russia, to successfully get back lunar rocks. More importantly, the 1.2 billion-year-old samples are the youngest-ever obtained from the satellite. The novel space souvenirs, the first collected in 44 years, can give scientists a better understanding of the Moon’s formation and provide important insights into how Earth and the solar system evolved.

10 . At just 21 years old, Nija Charles is one of today’s most popular songwriters. She has ______ with Beyonce, Jay Z, Cardi B, Kehlani, SZA and many other today’s ______ music artists. She was even ______   in three Grammy nominations (提名) this year.

But just a few years ago, Charles was only another ______ in the crowd. Growing up in New Jersey, she was ______ into a musical family. “My dad’s a DJ. My mom is a dancer,” Charles recalled. “So growing up, I was always just ______ music.

Charles said her first introduction to ______ music was at age 13 when she asked her mom for a mini keyboard because she ______ to produce. “So she got ______ for me, and right then and there, I ______ banging (敲打) on the keyboard,” she said.

Charles continued to study music at New York University, where she’d make beats in her dormitory and _____ them online. Soon she ______ herself flying across the country on weekends. performing on stage and studying.

“It was very ______ . There were some classes I ______ had to skip. But yeah, it was just ______ management and I had to ______ and finish my homework before I got on the plane or do my homework on the plane and then write the ______ during the weekend. I make sure I studied hard ______ I could finish school that year,” she said.

Talking about her success, Charles said. “It’s ______ that my favorite artists are now the people I work with. Several years ago, I was at their ______ and now I’m in the studio with them.”