1 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to college. But life has a(an) _________ throughout her early childhood years to _________ barriers. Growing up, she led a nomadic (漫游的) life because her mother, who remarried several times, was always on the _________. By the time of high school, Steph had lived in 25 places.

When her stepfather died in a car accident, leaving her mother to support three daughters on a(an) _________ income, paying for college became a serious question. But she still tried to figure out what to do with a life so _________ her plan for schooling.

The _________ came one afternoon when she was cleaning her bedroom. She _________ a thick document where she found a handout titled “Mrs. Clark’s Book List” by her high school English teacher Dorothy Clark.

It wasn’t homework, but it could be a(an) _________ for those not able to receive higher education due to _________ problems like her. The teacher had spent months creating a list of 153 books whose contents would be as __________ as a two-year study at an arts college.

Steph studied the list. Each of those books __________ her to learn more. The reading list was also a(an) __________ in her everyday life, even __________ with her on vacations to find out the next book. She never did get to college, but has now only four books left before __________ the list. She wishes she could thank Mrs. Clark for how reading the __________ on the list has changed her life.

4 . Anyone watching the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China over the last few days will have seen lots and lots of snow ----– man-made snow. Since the area gets little natural snow, this is the first time the Winter Olympics is taking place on almost 100% artificial snow.

This year’s Winter Olympics are being held in Beijing, China, and in two areas northwest of Beijing, Yangqing and Zhangjiakou. The areas get cold in the winter, but they don’t get a lot of snow. That’s because they’re not far from the Gobi Desert, and are generally very dry.

That meant some serious changes were needed to hold the Winter Olympics there. China took water from a reservoir which helps supply Beijing’s drinking water and sent it to a nearby river. To carry the water to the mountains for making snow, the country ran miles and miles of pipes. China says making the snow took about 49,000 gallons (185,500 liters) of water. Outside experts say it probably took a lot more water than that.

China hired an Italian company called TechnoAlpin to create the snow. TechnoAlpin created artificial snow at several earlier Winter Olympics. For the snow in this year’s Olympics, TechnoAlpin laid over 40 miles (64 kilometers) of pipe and brought in hundreds of snow-making machines. Even with all of those machines, making the snow for this year’s Games took seven weeks.

It’s useful to be able to make snow when nature doesn’t provide enough. But artificial snow isn’t the same as natural snow, which has more air and less water. An athlete used to natural snow might have to adjust their style on man-made snow.Still, the machines that make artificial snow are quite advanced. They can make several different kinds of snow depending on what’s needed for each sport. For example, the snow they make for downhill skiing is different from the snow made for cross-country skiing.

A few athletes have complained about the snow at this year’s Olympics. Most others say it’s been just fine.

In recent years, it has become more and more common to use artificial snow at winter sports events. That’s true even in places that used to have a lot of snow naturally. Some artificial snow was used in the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014 because of warm weather. In the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, roughly 90% of the snow was man-made.

As the world warms because of climate change, problems like this are expected to become far more common. Michael Mayr, who leads TechnoAlpin in Asia, says, “You could not have winter sports now without man-made snow.”

Montana firefighter Ryan Benton recently showed a very different side of his profession when he was photographed calmly reading to a young girl after a car crash. The picture is particularly     1     (attract) as it shows a strong contrast to what we might expect from a frightening scene like that: a moment of calm.

The picture     2     (take) by a fellow firefighter,     3     also posted it on the Billings Fire Fighters Instagram page. While Benton avoided     4     (make) comments about the photo, fellow firefighter Cameron Abell told the Epoch Times about     5     touching scene, “That firefighter, Ryan, that day     6     (arrive) there to clean up the car accident, and he offered to take the time to make those kids feel clam. In fact, Ryan has devoted     7     (he) to doing that for years. ”

    8     (actual) , for the last few years, firefighters' trucks have come with book bags supplied by Rimrock Credit Union and Usborne Books to lend some comfort to kids in terrible situations.

For Benton, the moment     9     (share) calmly with this little girl was just part of his job. And while Benton shied away from any publicity, as Abell pointed out, “we all know when somebody does something like that they should get praised     10     it. It's good to recognize their good work.”

7 . Some interesting places in Barcelona

Barcelona is now Europe’s sixth most visited city. If you’ve never visited it before, a plan to go there is worth making because there’s so much to see. The following will definitely leave a deep impression on the first-timers in Barcelona.

Grab a fresh snack at La Boqueria Market

Barcelona’s biggest market is found right in the middle of the famous La Rambla. Its central location means that it’s always packed with people, so prepare to push your way through the stands! The selection and quality of ingredients are excellent. Grab a milk shake and get lost in the crowds.

Look down on the city from the majestic Park Guell

The mosaic-covered buildings of Park Guell have come to be the postcard photo of Barcelona! The park itself is remarkably beautiful and has one of the best views of the whole city. The best way to reach Park Guell from the city centre is to take Bus 24 from Placa Catalunya. Some areas of the park are free, while the best pats require you to buy a ticket.

Appreciate 4,000 original Picassos at the Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona showcases one of the most extensive Picasso collections in the world, with a particular highlight on much of his early work. Picasso spent his adolescent years in Barcelona, and it is the place where he developed his artistic training. The Museum is located in the heart of the Old Town, in the very streets where the young Picasso lived his Barcelona life.

Take a tour of historic Camp Nou

The second biggest association football stadium in the world is home to one of the most historic clubs of all time. A tour at Camp Nou includes access to the Camp Nou Museum where you will be able to see 22 Liga and 4 Champions League trophies in the same room. Explore an area solely dedicated to Barcelona’s hero, Leo Messi.

8 . I didn’t expect parenting a teenager to be this hard. Lately, my son and I disagree at every corner. About schoolwork. His attitude. Screen time. On and on. _________ I say is met with an eye roll. My fuse (导火线) is admittedly shorter than normal right now, due to some unrelated _________ and illness.

On a recent _________ home, after picking up. my teen from school, we made a quick detour (绕行) for a grocery _________. As soon as the food was _________, my child snatched from the trunk a box of individually wrapped and processed snack cakes I’d unwillingly allowed.

As he oohed and aahed through mouthfuls of yellow cake and frosted coating, I silently questioned my decision to _________ him to do so.

But before we’d even _________ the parking lot (停车场), he asked me to _________. I just wanted this errand (差事) to be done. But then my son _________ me: He asked if he could share a few of his treasured treats with a homeless man, who stood coatless outside the store.

Of course, I stopped the car.

Actually, I hadn’t even considered the homeless in my rush to get home, __________ my car was packed with food. Without hesitation, my teenage son __________ the stranger a few little cakes. The man __________ us, and we continued on our way. Actually, my kid seemed __________: “What if he doesn’t like them?” he said. And a few seconds later, my son __________, “Mom! He’s already eating one!”

Throughout our journey home, we frankly discussed how difficult it must be for people experiencing __________. It was a __________ conversation with no quarrel or negotiations. __________ a time to reflect and count how much we have to be thankful for.

When we eventually turned into our garage, that same teenager expressing __________ for my recent illness—announced “You’re not unloading any of these bags. I got this, Mom.”

Yes, parenting a teen is harder than I __________. But it’s also __________: And, in that moment, you realize you’ve actually raised a pretty awesome human being.

9 . Under the background of the slow growth of its total population to 1.44 billion, China has seen a sharp rise in older adults over the past decade, solidifying the country’s rapidly aging pattern, the latest national census (人口普查) data shows. The population on the Chinese mainland increased by an average of 0.53 percent annually during the past 10 years to 1.41 billion, compared with an annual growth rate of 0.57 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the 7th national census published by the National Bureau of Statistics.

“The growth of the total population has slowed down but remains at a steady pace,” Ning Jizhe, head of the bureau, said at a news conference. “Based on trends in recent years, China’s population will grow at an increasingly slow rate in the future while remaining above 1.4 billion.” The increasing elderly population has become a defining feature of the past decade.

Ning said an aging society will set the tone for China's population structure for a long time, presenting challenges and opportunities. “A graying population will pile pressure on supply of labor force and social services, as well as adding to families’ elderly care burden. But more elderly people could also motivate consumption of products and services targeting this age group, and advance the development of some technologies,” he said.

Ning added that those between the ages of 60 and 69, who are equipped with knowledge, experience and skills and are generally in good health, make up nearly 56 percent of all older adults. “Their potential to continue making contributions to society and playing a constructive role is big,” he responded to a question on the outlook for raising the retirement age and carrying out other potential measures aimed at addressing the aging trend. Some population economists also said the latest number and proportion (比例) of elderly are largely within predictions, and the aging trend will continue for a long time.

10 . The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the US poet Louise Glück for her unmistakable poetic voice    1    makes individual existence universal.

She is the first American to win the     2    (distinguish) award since Bob Dylan was honored in 2016.Toni Morrison was the last American     3     ( receive)the prize before him, winning in 1993.

Glück was born in New York in 1943 and is a professor of English at Yale University in Connecticut.She    4    (win) the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and the National Book Award in 2014.

She said there were some previous recipients she admired and some she did not,     5     the award was a great honor.

Glück,     6    16th woman to win the literature prize,    7     (publish) 12 collections of poetry and several volumes of essays on poetry so far. Her writing focuses on     8    (theme) of family relationships,     9    (lonely) ,divorce and death.

Glück, who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts,would receive 10 million Swedish kronor ( $ 1.1 million) for the award, which was announced at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. She said she was thinking of     10    (buy) a house in Vermont with the prize money.