In the vibrant summer following their high school graduation, best friends Sally and Jasmine decided to celebrate the beginning of their new chapter with a surfing holiday on the beaches of Hawaii. Sally, known for her boldness and bravery on the waves, and Jasmine, the cautious planner, found themselves in the paradise of surfers, ready to ride the endless summer.

Their Hawaiian adventure began under crystal blue skies, with the sun casting a golden glow over their ambitions. Jasmine had thoroughly planned their days to include both surfing lessons and ample downtime to soak in the island’s tranquility (宁静). Sally, however, was drawn to the whispers of challenge and conquest that the northern beaches promised. Known for their untamed (无法驾驭的) waves and the legends of surfers who dared to dance upon them, these waters attracted Sally constantly.

Despite Jasmine’s caution, particularly about the rumors of shark sightings, Sally’s desire only grew. She argued that risk was an integral part of surfing, a test on one’s respect and understanding of the ocean’s power. Jasmine’s warnings fell on deaf ears as Sally, drive n by a mixture of youthful invincibility (不可战胜)and a deep-seated need to prove herself, decided to take on the northern waves alone.

The day Sally chose for her adventure began with a seemingly calm. The ocean looked welcoming, its surface broken only by the gentle roll of waves. Two safeguards were watching surfers riding waves in the sea nearby. Not a trace of danger or sharks could be found. Jasmine watched with a mixture of awe and anxiety as Sally paddled(划桨)out, her figure gradually becoming a small dot against the vastness of the sea.

As hours passed, the sky’s clear blue deepened to a dark grey, and the ocean began to reveal its true nature. Waves, once calm, grew in size and intensity, challenging Sally’s skill and determination. She rode them with grace, each successful return fueling her confidence. But nature cares little for human bravery.

As Sally rode on the crowning wave of the day, a dark shape secretly emerged underneath.

Hearing Sally’s scream, Jasmine quickly figured out what happened and rushed to the safeguards.

3 . My phone was an extension of myself. I couldn’t go anywhere _________ it. I scrolled through my friends’ _________ into late night and turned my phone on before my eyes were fully open. I enjoyed having it until that day when I realized that what had started as a useful tool had turned into a(n) _________. So, I made a _________ decision to turn off that smartphone and _________ my old dumb phone out of hiding.

When I was watching TV shows or movies and there was a boring part, I _________ picking up the phone and checking out “what everyone else was doing.” Now I had to pay attention or find a way to _________ myself with my thoughts instead. When I visited New York City, I had to write out _________ and ask people where an intersection (十字路口) was _________ pulling out my phone.

I have welcomed silence into my life with open arms and am enjoying the increased __________ from not constantly having to fight with the __________ to check my phone while I’m trying to get something done. I am allowing my thoughts to speak to me instead of my phone. I am connecting with others in a __________ way that isn’t all about me. Instead of always posting about what’s going on in my __________ perfect life, I am connecting with my friends one-on-one, talking about the reality of our lives and being there for them from a place of __________.

As much as having a smartphone was __________, not having one is freeing on a much bigger level.

I lost all my hair at age 2 due to alopecia (脱发). Though all I can do was fit in when growing up, I would look at all the beautiful girls I was surrounded by at schools and in the media and think if I had hair, I would be beautiful, too.

I wore a wig (假发) and was often laughed at for it. They called me “bald (光秃的)”. I had no choice but just to let them laugh at me, because I know it was the fact. I felt like I deserved it, as if losing my hair was somehow my fault.

When I came to the senior high school, I still wasn’t okay with my alopecia and avoided talking about it. I was expecting a huge change, and I extremely wanted to be like everyone else. I kept my alopecia a secret and was fearful of telling anyone about it.

I remembered one day I built up the courage to tell a girl about my alopecia. Hesitating for a long time, I finally stammered (结结巴巴地说), “I have no hair because of alopecia.” She was shocked because I hid it so well. “I can’t have a date with someone who doesn’t have hair,” she said in a low voice. Disappointed and heart-broken, I turned around and walked away. From then on, I shut down, never wanting to let anyone know my alopecia again. I continued to wear my wig no matter what the weather was and what I was doing. It was my security and way to hide from the world.

Sports became my escape, though. I was fortunate to have inborn athletic ability. I would race home and play basketball for hours every day. I would pretend to make the game-winning shot when I was playing. I had big dreams. I did not think about my alopecia during these moments, but think who I wanted to become and what I wanted to accomplish.

I put all my time and energy into becoming the best player I could be.

Then a marathon totally changed my life.

An old and fragile woman approached a very busy road intersection. She stepped slowly forwards. She paused at the sidewalk’s edge, grasping a heavy bucket filled with fresh red apples. She aimed to cross the street.

The way to the intersection before her seemed like a tough journey. The traffic lights changed regularly, and the flow of cars seemed to be non-stop for the old woman. She knew she had to cross the street to reach her destination, a small grocery store on the other side, where she sold her apples to make ends meet.

As she slowly made her way to the crosswalk, she held the handle of the bucket. A kind-hearted driver in the first car, recognizing her struggle, stopped well before the sidewalk, allowing her to cross safely. Grateful for this act of kindness, the old woman nodded and offered the driver a slight smile as she inched forward.

A second car, in the next road, also came to a stop. Its driver also witnessed the old woman’s slow progress. The kindness of strangers warmed her heart, and with their help, she moved another step closer to her destination.

However, the third road was a different story. As the old woman moved carefully further into the road, a speeding car approached, its engine making loud sound like a beast. Panic flowed through the old lady as she realized the approaching danger. The driver of the third car had not noticed her until the very last moment.

With a jolt (颠簸) of terror, the old woman’s holding on the bucket weakened, and the bucket slipped from her weak grasp. The bucket fell to the ground, releasing its goods of apples, which scattered (散开) in all directions. The sound of the crashing bucket and rolling apples echoed through the busy city traffic.

In the emergent time, the driver of the speeding car stepped on the brake to a stop just inches from the old woman. The drivers’ heart pounded in their chest as they realized how close it had come to a tragedy.

Shaken but unharmed, the old woman stood frozen, her eyes wide open with fear.

Eventually, with all the apples collected, the three drivers helped the old lady cross the road.

10 . Chris Turnbull, 39, finished the touching 3,856 km run on September 16, in the Sydney suburb of Manly, becoming the quickest runner from Perth to Sydney. He _________ the current record holder Achim Heukemes, who completed the distance in 43 days in 2005. To _________ the new world record, he was wholeheartedly _________ to preparing himself.

Mr Turnbull had a(n) _________ for running at a young age. He ran his first half marathon at 9 and since then he had been _________ at plenty of ultra marathons at different times in his life.

Mr Turnbull had run every single day from his beachside home in the Sydney suburb of Clontarf to his _________ on work days. The daily cross country run _________ him to see the sights of Australia, meet amazing people and most importantly, _________ himself physically and mentally.

With his 40th birthday _________ next year, to see what was his physical and mental limit, he wanted to __________ himself to the new record.

To make it in record time, Mr Turnbull was running between 100 km and 105 km daily.He had to __________ huge trucks rushing past him on major highways, blisters(水泡), aching muscles, and being __________ of sleeping well due to the pain his body was feeling

Mr Turnbull’s wife, along with their two kids, had been tracking his __________   on a map from their home as he made his way across the continent. They were __________ waiting there at the finish line in Manly for Mr Turnbull’s falling into their arms for a loving post- run __________.