1 . In Denmark, bicycling is one of the primary forms of transportation. In sunshine, rain and snow, you will see cyclists on their way to work, to the grocery store, or to social events. The bike is a Dane’s best friend. Danish cycling culture is as old as the bicycle itself. Bikes were first introduced to the country in the 1880s, and during the 1920s and 1930s, the bicycle became a widespread symbol of equality and freedom. People of all social classes began biking side by side —in the cities on their way to work and in the countryside on their days off.

The increased prosperity of the late 1950s saw some. Danes replacing bikes with motorcycles and automobiles. Just like their colleagues around the world, Danish urban planners believed the future belonged to cars, trucks, and ever-wider highways. In the early 1970s, however, the Mideast oil crisis terminated that development. “Car Free Sundays” were introduced in Copenhagen, and protests demanding Copenhagen to become car-tree took place. Over time, concerns about air pollution, climate change, and the need for people to get enough exercise have helped bicycles make a big comeback. Denmark’s heavy taxes on petrol and automobiles are a factor, too.

Today, cycling is an inseparable part of Danish culture. Newcomers who do not know how to cycle are encouraged to learn as soon as they arrive. Danish children usually learn to bike before they begin school at the age of six — and often much earlier. In school, children learn about traffic rules, road safety, and the importance of wearing a helmet as well as good cycling habits. Another alternative for families with children is the cargo bike-a sort of oversized tricycle with a large wooden box on the front. It’s estimated that a quarter of all Copenhagen families with two or more children own one of these cargo bikes for transporting kids, groceries, and other necessities. Danish cargo bikes have also won design awards and become a Danish export success.

Commuting by bike is the fastest, easiest and most environmentally friendly way to get around the cities of Denmark. And the numbers speak for themselves: Residents who cycle in Copenhagen request 1.1 million fewer sick days. Cyclists reduce CO₂ emissions by 20,000 tonnes a year on average.

3 . Goldie’s Secret

She turned up at the doorstep of my house. No way could I have sent her away. No way. Maybe someone had _________ her out of their car the night before. “We’re moving house.” “No _________ for her any more with the new baby coming.” People find all sorts of excuse for _________ an animal.

She was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen. I called her Goldie. She was so unsettled during those first few days, hardly able to eat anything and had such a(an) _________ of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner’s. But eventually at the end of the first week she _________. Always by my side, whether we were out or sitting by the fire.

That’s why it was such a _________ when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very _________. Eventually I couldn’t hold her any longer and she _________ down the road towards a farmhouse.

By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and _________ with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies I started to __________ them. “Oh! Honey, I can’t believe my eyes!” cheered the woman at the door. “I took her for (a) __________ one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared.” She explained to me. “She must have tried to come back and got __________,” added a boy from behind her, eyes sparkling __________.

I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I’ve got Nugget now, and she looks just like her __________. And I’ve learnt a good lesson: not to __________ people.

7 . Akira Toriyama, one of Japan’s leading comics authors, whose manga (漫画) “Dragon Ball” achieved worldwide success with its mix of comedic characters and electrifying martial arts battles, died on March 1. Mr. Toriyama’s body of work, which also includes “Dr. Slump” and “Sand Land,” has influenced generations of manga artists and cartoonists.

His best-known work, “Dragon Ball,” follows a young boy named Son Goku who embarks on a journey to collect the seven magical balls that summon a wish-granting dragon. Since its creation in. the 1980s, it has sold millions of copies worldwide and become one of the most famous manga.

Throughout his career, Mr. Toriyama said in a 2013 interview with the Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, he did not care if his work did anything besides entertaining its readers. He was, he suggested, unlike “other manga artists concerned about conveying educational messages.” “The role of my manga,” he said, “is to be a work of entertainment through and through.”

When “Dragon Ball” was first published in 1984, it was an immediate hit. “Dragon Ball” was serialized in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Jump until 1995. In the year after the series ended, the magazine lost about one million of its six million readers.

As a productive manga artist, Mr. Toriyama did not necessarily have an appetite for the genre as a reader. “I have always had a hard time reading manga, including my own work,” he said in a 2018 interview. He led a private life and gave few interviews. In a 2013 interview with the Japanese singer and actress Shoko Nakagawa, he said that he did not even share all his work with his family.

“To tell you the truth, no one in my family has ever seen ‘Dragon Ball,’” he said, laughing. “I am also a hikikomori,” he added, using the Japanese word for a loner.

8 . My mom has been and will always be my biggest inspiration. She is a single parent of eight, and I have no idea how she survived. Throughout the years, my mom has _________ many hardships which could easily _________ someone with little determination.

Even when doctors _________ if my little sister Mary would live to see the age of 2, my mom never lost hope. After _________ visits to countless doctors, my mom decided to bring her home and make the best of my sister’s life _________ giving in to the bad results from different hospitals.

Mary’s frequent hospital visits definitely upset her, but my mom never showed _________ of weakness. Her _________ helped Mary through every tough time. No matter how confused Mary was, my mom always made her feel as if there was nothing to worry about, which _________ Mary to live the life of a normal child.

_________, things began to become worse. Around her 6th birthday, Mary lost sight at the age of 5. The doctor said that it could __________ cure. The whole family were heartbroken and helpless. Once again, my mom found a way to __________ us all, making us know that she had a strong support system. She __________ her job and stayed with Mary day and night, which helped contribute to her recovery __________.

My mom gets us to realize that no matter how __________ our life may appear, we are equipped with a very strong __________ system. We are a family that will always be there for one another.

10 . Life is often marked by unexpected twists and tums. As Alice and Mike watched their son Allan ______ Cambridge University Law School last month, they thought back to the moment he was born. “I’m so sorry your baby is blind,” a nurse had said.

Even though Allan’s family were middle class and they lived a ______ life, as a blind child, Allan Hennessy’s future was poor. The local hospitals could not offer Allan hope of giving him ______ because there weren’t enough eye specialists. But when Allan was 6 months old, an opportunity came and Allan’s father ______ it. “My dad sold his car, belongings and some of his land to pay for my ______. We left our home country with very little.”

The opportunity was an operation in London which ______ the sight in Allan’s left eye. “My mom remembers the first time I looked at her; the first time we made eye ______. She burst into tears. But for the operation, I wouldn’t have ______ anything in life,” he. explained.

For Allan, life as an immigrant (移民) was ______. When he was ___into Cambridge University, Allan realized there were so many differences between him and his peers (同龄人) at Cambridge. “I felt ______ different,” he said. “When you’re a half-blind guy climbing the greasy pole, everyone can see that and they judge you, even though they are ______ it too.”

But spending three years in Cambridge was ______. Allan said, “I met the most amazing people from all over the world.” What would his life be like if he had stayed in his home country? “I wouldn’t have a Cambridge law ______; I wouldn’t even be sighted. My family there have faced terrible events. Perhaps I wouldn’t be alive.”

After graduating this summer, Allan is taking up a scholarship and ready for being a graduate school student. “If you’ve got a first-class law degree from Cambridge University, that should set you up for life,” he said. “But when you’re a half-blind immigrant living in Britain today, there is so much more you have to do. The ______ has only just begun.”