I came out just like I went in, feet first and belly down. My legs were spread out like a bean-shooter stalk. Arms flailing the air, I     1     (快速钻出来)and up. I seemed to hang suspended in air at the peak of my climb. I could see the hard-packed ground far below. As I started down, I shut my eyes tight and     2     (咬紧牙关). This didn’t seem to help. With     3     (劈里啪啦声), I landed. I felt the air     4     (呼呼吹)between my teeth. I tried to scream, but had no wind left to make a sound. After bouncing a couple of times, I finally settled down to earth. I lay spread-eagled for a few seconds, and then slowly got to my knees.

One pup started my way. I held my breath. On he came until I felt a     5     (刺痒的小脚) on mine. The other pup followed. A warm puppy tongue    6    (抚摩)my sore foot. I     7    （跪下)and gathered them in my arms. I buried my face between their    8    (扭动着的身体)and cried. Rising with the two pups held close to my chest, I asked if I owed anything.

Between sobs, I heard the     9     (愉快的尖叫声)from my sisters as they fondled my pups.

I heard the     10     (绳子扯断的吧嗒声) and the rattle of paper. The oh’s and ah’s from my sisters were     11     (太好听了).

Mama     12     (飞奔出来) with my sisters right behind her. Papa was out by the bam harnessing his team. Mama yelled something to him about a snake. He dropped the harness,     13     (一跃跨过) the rail fence, and in a long lope started for me. Mama reached me first. She grabbed me and shouted, “where did it bite you?”

Mama just     14    (呻吟) way down deep and covered her face with her hands. Some big     15     (泪水涌出来) between her fingers. Almost in a whisper, I heard her say, “Thank God; I thought you were snake-bitten.”

Jan Tchamani, an English teacher in Birmingham, UK, suddenly developed a serious illness and had to quit her job. She realised that one of the greatest     1     of the Internet was its ability to remove the     2     that usually exists between people. She was so     3     by the people she met online     4     she decided to start an IT club to teach older people how to use computers and the Internet.

A few days later, Paris was back on the softball team.     1    (状语从句的省略：尽管还十分虚弱) she said her gratitude towards Taylor knew no bounds.     2    (独立主格：满心懊悔与愧疚), Paris apologized to her saviour and explained her fear of being stolen the show in the game. “    3    (虚拟语气：我本不该让我的骄傲挡在我们中间), and I sincerely invite you to join in our future: matches!” Taylor smiled. “But I noticed you were scared, too.” Another girl looked to Taylor: “Honestly speaking, I was. But    4    (分词作状语：比起失去你这个队友), my other fears were the least I should worry about.”     5    (强调句：正是这次事件把两个女孩变成了密交), as they shared not only the memory of that fateful day but also respect for each other as an admirable player in later matches.

Finally, studying abroad provides a great opportunity to contribute to the development of our motherland. China’s global     1    , with projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, has    2     us make connections across the world.     3    , China needs more talented young people with a global perspective who are highly     4     with languages, have leadership and organisational skills, and have strong cultural awareness. Students     5     study abroad will develop such skills and abilities, and these in turn will provide them with better career opportunities.

The French author Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once     1    , “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Put more     2    , this means “You are     3     you eat.” Most people today     4     this saying to healthy eating. However, Brillat-Savarin was actually referring     5     our personality, character, and culture.

No matter how exciting space exploration sounds, there’s an important point that needs to be considered: food supplies. Right now, astronauts typically       1     (依赖) dry food in airtight bags and cans, since there are strict weight limits on items taken into space. Foods that we     2     (认为是理所当然的), such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are out of the question for space explorers.

For those who     3     (有强烈的愿望) to grow food during space flights, they’ve faced many difficulties, including the absence of gravity, and a lack of soil, air and humidity (湿度). However, growing food to add and minimize the food that must be carried to space will be increasingly important on long-duration flights into space. Recently, a leading team has worked out how plants can absorb nutrients from human urine (尿). Human urine is 95 percent water, with the other 5 percent    4     (构成；组成) nutrients which are harmful to the human body but not to plants, and it could supply three to four out of the six nutrients that plants need. By recycling liquid waste and producing food, an efficient cycle will be created.

And most importantly, the duration of space flights will be greatly extended to “20 years of flight”, meaning we may be soon sending astronauts on flights to Mars, or even beyond.

The appeal of magic

Have you ever interacted with a magician or entertainer in the flesh who       1     (使惊讶) you with a show of magic? I once had such an unforgettable experience on a cruise.

It was ten years ago, after I renewed my       2     (签证) as a visiting scholar in a high school in West Virginia, the US. For the summer vacation, I w    3     from my little town in the eastern US accompanied by two colleagues and boarded a huge ship that reminded me of the Titanic, going from Miami across the sea b    4     to the Bahamas, an island country famous for its white sandy beaches and sky-blue water     5     (难得) seen in daily life.

While we were having dinner in the dining hall, an entertainer came over to our table and asked “Excuse me, would you like to see a little magic?” “Yes, of course,” we replied. How could we possibly r    6     the temptation of getting involved in a magic show? And so, the entertainer fished out       7     (迅速地) one rubber band from his pocket and asked me to hold out my hand. He put the band around my fingers, turning it in different ways to make a complex web. Then came something that seemed u    8    : slowly but surely, he     9         10         11     (去掉) the band from my fingers in one turn, as if the band had never been wound! A language teacher by p    12    , I failed to make any verbal       13     (反应), until the entertainer wished us to enjoy our dinner and went away.

Having seen many splendid magic shows on TV, I am still impressed with the one performed around my fingers. Magic can     14     ( 逗 乐 ) and amaze people whether they are       15     ( 成 熟 的 ) adults or children, easterners or westerners. The appeal of magic is u    16    .

Today I want to relay to you that I’m proud of the work my mother has done, and I am now     1     of it. Is her work worth it? Yes, to the lives of the people she is helping, it is worth it. But by any     2     this work is worth it to us as well, because it shows that we are global citizens interested in world     3    , and that we feel responsible for others and are ready to build a community with a     4     future for mankind. Everyone deserves a fair chance in life. When I think of all the things that we as Chinese citizens can be most proud of, helping others     5     at the top of this list. Now that I understand     6     important my mother’s work is, I’ve decided to become a volunteer myself to help people in other lands. In the future, I     7     that you will do the same.

Hearing that your local gallery is looking for volunteers for the coming Chinese painting     1    , I am more than delighted     2     to be a volunteer as a Chinese studying in London.

Not only do I have a passion for Chinese arts, but also I have     3     good command of spoken English, so that I can convey the spirits of arts perfectly to the visitors. What’s more, I have participated in many similar activities,     4     equips me with relevant experiences. If     5    , I firmly believe that I will be your perfect choice     6     my devotion.

I’d appreciate     7     if you could take my application into account. Looking forward to your early reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

There’s no electricity, running water or even textbooks, not to m    1     laptops, tablets, or other modern d    2    ! All the students have are pencils, rubbers, and paper. I’m still trying to a    3     to these conditions. I’ve had to become much more imaginative in my t    4    . Science is my most c    5     subject as my students have no c    6     of doing experiments. There is no e    7    , and since there isn’t even a washroom, if I need water I have to carry it from my house in a basin! It’s important not to be too r    8     about rules here, too. The other day I was showing the boys a c    9     experiment when before I knew it, the mixture was bubbling out of the test tube s    10     everywhere!