A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with     1     his box of cars and trucks, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.

    2    （determine）, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he     3    （make）some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.

The little boy continued. But his only reward was to have the rock roll back,     4    （injure） his chubby fingers.

Finally he burst     5     tears of frustration! All this time, the boy’s father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell,     6     large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father.

Gently     7     firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had     8    （avail）?”

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!” “No, son,” corrected the father     9    （kind）. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.”

With that the father reached down,     10    （pick）up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

2 . In 1995, members of the Sutton family were enjoying a relaxing visit and drinking beer with their good friend Billy Ray Taylor. Billy decided to go out and get a drink of water from the nearby well.

As he went there, he ran back to tell everyone that he’d seen some bright lights in the sky and that everyone should go to look at the impressive scene. All the members of the Suttons stepped outside the house.

Billy and Clan told the reporter, “It was a shining, three-and-a-half-foot-tall being with an oversized head, big and pointed ears, shining yellow eyes, and hands with talons(爪)at their ends. The figure was either made of or simply dressed in slivery metal with its hands raised.”

After seeing these figures coming out of the woods and showing the universal sign of attacking, the Suttons could not think of else, but tried to kill the creatures.

As they shot at the creatures which had no protection with their guns, they said that they had heard some sounds as if the aliens(外星人)were wearing some kind of metal coat. They said that the aliens turned round quickly and escaped into the darkness when shot at.

No one knows what exactly happened to them, but since the Sutton family was high in spirits, they might have seen another creature. As Ufologist Renaud Leclet stated, it could be a misidentification(误认)of a pair of owls（猫头鹰）which appear at night, flying silently, have yellow shining eyes and defend their nests.

How far the above explanation is true, we are still unsure.

3 . John suddenly jumped off the swing without even slowing down. He called out nervously, “Mom, where’s Charlie?” He had just ______ he hadn’t seen his new puppy for over an hour.

John looked around the garden, behind the bushes, and under the picnic table. No dog! His mother heard ______ in his voice as he called her a second time. “Mom, I can’t find Charlie!”

She came outside ______ . Let’s look around the garden first. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s close by.

Both son and mother were ______ now, but still no Charlie. Their calls were not completely wasted, though. Joe, the next-door neighbor, and his two daughters Tania and Julie, immediately agreed to help them ______ the lost dog.

But even with five people now searching the town’s streets, they had no luck. Charlie was still ______ .

Tania suggested they make posters with Charlie’s ______ .She had done this when her own cat was lost a year earlier, she told John, and the cat was found the next day.

John agreed. When they got home, he made a poster with a photo of Charlie, Then John heard a ______ and opened his bedroom door. It was Charlie. John was greeted with a big wet kiss. Charlie had been ______ in the bedroom this whole time, sleeping. John had never been so ______ in his life!

5 . One of my favorite actions is doing good deeds. When other people receive my help, it makes me happy. However, some people look at you strangely when you want to do that. Once I asked a gas station operator if I could pay for the car behind me, but I got a blank stare. After a short explanation, he hesitantly agreed, but then said it was so unbelievable when I pleasantly made this double payment.

So, it’s nice when people “get it”. It seems that people do me a favor too if they receive my favor. At a barbershop recently, after getting my hair cut, I went to the counter to pay. My barber said, “That’ll be twenty dollars please.”

I found that in my wallet I had exactly forty-two dollars. “OK, tell me if you think this is crazy—I’d like to pay for someone else’s haircut as well.”

She hardly hesitated, “Yeah, you can do that.”

Wow it seemed that she was used to this. How cool! She opened her appointment book and asked, “Who do you want to pay for?”

“You pick.”

A pause. “Oh, you mean someone you don’t know?”

“Yeah, is that crazy? What do you think?”

“No, that’s great! I mean sure, why not?”

She agreed to pick an upcoming appointment of hers. I told her I was sorry I only had two dollars left for her trip, but that I would come back later with more. “No, no, this is enough,” she said with a smile, as she quickly wrote down a note. It was as if this idea was so pleasantly natural that she was being introduced to something familiar.

I don’t know who got my help at last, which isn’t important. The process is often just as satisfying, if not more that the result.

6 . I’m pretty sure everyone wants to visit Europe at least once in their lifetime. Here’s a list of the most amazing places to visit in Europe.

Riviera

Wow, this is such a beautiful place in Italy. The Cinque Terre is a gorgeous national park, which connects five beautiful villages. Walking paths connect the villages, follow the coastline and offer hikes through hills. The villages remain unaffected by tourism.

Tuscany

Another Italian region, Tuscany is simply appealing. The buildings there are amazing, and the culture is special. From the historical center of Florence to the Cathedral of Pisa, it’s an once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make sure you check out the nature reserves, and enjoy a few bottles of the very famous wine.

Lauterbrunnen

Since a school trip here, I’ve always wanted to revisit this city in Switzerland. The city always seems as if it’s trapped in time. There are untouched fountains and springs everywhere, and a huge number of waterfalls and valleys. The area is very popular for skiing.

The Greek Islands

There are plenty of places to visit in Greece. But I love the Greek Islands best. White houses and beautiful churches beaches and the Aegean Sea make this a shocking and very popular place to visit. However, there is more to do here than just sunbathe. I can’t wait to go back and check out the caves and culture that make the Greek Islands one of the best places in Europe.

Venice

I am a big Italy lover, and Venice is another city that is not to be missed. It has its own share of history, art and gorgeous buildings. However, the attraction comes from the pedestrian（行人）-only streets and rivers filled with boats.

9 . The local transport in Liverpool City Region is convenient for visitors to go around. The following are some means of transport for you to choose from.

By Train

Merseyrail trains run frequently throughout the day across 68 stations in and around the Liverpool area. With 4 city centre underground stations, you can easily get around the city.

You can now buy tickets online. Your ticket will be emailed straight to you, so you don’t have to think about it at the station, just jump on the train and enjoy your journey!

By Bike

Liverpool is easy to get around by bike. Bike parking can be found on the Liverpool Cycle Map. If you`re arriving in Liverpool by train or ferry (渡船), bikes go free.

The CityBike bicycle hire system is also available in the city centre. Find more information at www.citybiheliverpool.co.uk.

By Bus

Bus travel in and around Liverpool is a green and convenient way to explore the destination (目的地). The bus network is run by Merseytravel, with two main city centre bus terminals (终点站) — Liverpool ONE and Queen Square.

10 . Lucy Blaylock is on a task to comfort kids going through difficult times,one blanket at a time.The 11-year-old_______learned to sew（缝纫）three years ago when she made a blanket for a friend's birthday party.After the_______she asked her mom if they could put together a _______giveaway（捐赠）for children in need.She posted on social media and received sixteen messages from parents of_______who are fighting against some diseases or a move to a new city.

"When I told her it was time to choose one from the sixteen kids, she started crying and said she couldn't_______just one,"Lucy's mom Veronica Blaylock said. "She wanted to sew one blanket for_______of them, so we got sewing for the sixteen kids."

_______Lucy has made 500 blankets for kids in 14 countries, spending two_______with her sewing machine for each blanket every day. Every blanket has her name inside a heart to show _______ love.

"It makes me feel ________when I think of the kids getting the package in the mail and ________it,"Lucy said. "I always hope they'll know that someone ________them. It feels good to know that I'm helping all these kids feel loved."

"Kindness does matter, and it always will,"Lucy said. "It makes the world a better place when we do________acts. It may get hard sometimes, but what we are________is making a difference."

Lucy, who lives in Gallatin, Tennessee, received a volunteer service award from the government. She tells kids who are________volunteering to"just start and keep going. Serving always matters."