Jake Stonehall was gifted. He had a passion for sports.

When he was five, his father took him to see the top two hockey (冰球) teams in the country play each other for a chance to lift the cup of victory. The boy could vividly remember how his heart pumped and how he wished to play there on the hockey ground with the players.

Since then, Jake became a hockey lover. With the company of his father, he spent most Saturdays skating in the ice rink (溜冰场).

When he got old enough, he joined his school’s hockey team. With the guidance of the coach, he progressed rapidly, which made the coach and his father really proud. Jake was soon appointed as captain of the team. He was a great team player and the whole team admired him.

Over time, his passion for hockey deepened. Beyond his own training, he would watch practices of his school’s disabled ice hockey team. These players worked together on specialized sleds (冰车), engaging in matches in an astonishingly incredible manner. Each game and practice became a passionate display of toughness and teamwork, setting off even more curiosity and admiration within him.

One day, he was on his way back home from training when a car crashed into him, throwing him several feet away.

The accident took away his ability to use his legs, which meant he could no longer play hockey. After he was out of hospital, he became a totally different person. Any talk about hockey would make him cry. He avoided seeing the coach and other players in his team. He even threw away the hockey sticks.

Jake sank into the world of hopelessness.

Jake began to practice hockey on the sled, like a kid learning to walk.

2 . Cessna planes flew me and my climbing team onto the Kahiltna Glacier, the base camp of Mt. McKinley. When we worked to __ a camp out of the thick snow and ice of the glacier, we heard one of Spanish climbers had died while climbing.

Sam, one of my partners, __ , and worried that this disaster might be a bad __.

He asked whether we were putting our __ at unnecessary risk by attempting this. I thought back to my training more than a year ago in the __ , by running with my guide dog because I am blind. One day I had __ a cactus(仙人掌), landing on my hand. One of my friends asked me, “If you fell down in the desert, how do you __ to climb that big mountain?”

I didn’t yet have an __ , but I knew within a year, I would have to!

For the next year, we trained hard. Now I said __ , “Sam, we’ve come a long way in a year. We’ve made mistakes, we’ve learned from them. We’ve solved problems __ prepared for all the things that could go __ on the mountain. ”

Now, I had enough __ . We began to take each step slowly and carefully, knowing that the mountain would not allow any __ movement. Risk is like the next __on a rock face: you reach for it expecting that it’s __ , but ready to find the next hold if it’s not!

It took 15 days for us to get to the top of North America.

3 . A well-prepared routine allows a student to be on time, and grow or develop some life skills and healthy habits. At an early stage, as a student, it is very important to adopt some good habits.

Educating a student is not only about academics but also about developing good habits for better life.     1    

A routine daily life can grow a child’s confidence. A routine provides a sense of predictability and security for students.     2     In this secure setting, students are more likely to feel confident in approaching their daily tasks and challenges.

    3     !Maintaining a well-structured routine is like creating a roadmap for concentration and productivity. When students set aside specific times for their studies, they get better at their tasks without getting distracted.

As students systematically manage their daily tasks within the framework of their routine, they can gradually develop a growing awareness of their responsibilities. Such sense of responsibility extends beyond the academic field and spills over into their personal lives.     4     They will be more responsible.

While routines provide structure, they also teach students how to adapt.     5     When students encounter changes, they learn to adjust their expectations and plans. The ability to adapt to changing circumstances is also essential for success.

4 . The United Nations’ International Year of Soils is hardly a media favorite. Maybe it’s because many people are like me, who recall Mom’s words: “Take off your shoes! Don’t bring dirt into the house! “With all the challenges in the world today, why would we recognize soils?

Simply put, soils are literally the base that humans stand on. Ignoring the importance of this meter-thick skin covering our planet is like ignoring the importance of the air we breathe.

Without healthy soils, we would not be here.

Soil provides the structure and nutrients needed to grow our food. It stores water that satisfies the thirst of the environment, agriculture and humans. It houses the largest amount of carbon (碳)on land, keeping the climate from warming even faster. It provides the necessary support for the habitat of all life on land-including diversity in the soil itself (in some regions, just a handful of soil contains microorganisms that are more than the people on Earth). In short, soil plays an essential role not only in feeding humans but in supporting the living things that produce the oxygen we breathe and purifying the water we drink. In other words, soil keeps our planet habitable.

We, therefore, must stop considering ”soil“ a dirty word and remember that the food we eat and water we drink can be traced back to it. Businesses should adopt guidelines that ensure the long term health and productivity of soil. And local and national governments should provide policies that encourage soil protection.

Soil is one of the most important resources on our planet, and we have ignored it too long-at our own risk. The most important thing that can happen is a change in mind-set that recognizes soil is not dirt. It’s life beneath our feet.

5 . When I was ten years old, Mum got paralyzed (瘫痪) . Before that, she was a lively and active woman who amazed many with her energy. I admired her for all the things she did.

However, everything changed when she turned thirty-one.

I still have vivid images of her before her paralysis. She would play popular music, creating a cheerful atmosphere for lively gatherings. She would joyfully rearrange the furniture to make room for friends to abandon themselves to dance. She often spent hours filling the house with flowers, which we picked fresh from the gardens.

After Mum’s paralysis, I began to take care of my 2-year-old sister, Mary Therese. In no time at all, I learned to bathe and feed her. For me it was a giant step beyond playing with dolls. One moment stands out even today: the time Mary Therese fell and skinned her knee, burst into tears and ran past my mother’s outstretched arms into mine. Too late, I noticed slight hurt on Mum’s face, but all she said was, “It’s natural that she should run to you, because you take such good care of her.”

When I was grown and entered the field of corrections, Mum became interested in working with prisoners. She taught writing to them. One day, she asked me to mail a letter to one prisoner, Waymon. I asked for my mother’s permission to read it first. It read: when you said that I couldn’t imagine what it is like to be in prison, I felt like I had to tell you that you are mistaken. When I awoke one day to find that I was completely paralyzed, I felt trapped, overwhelmed by a sense of being imprisoned in a body that would no longer allow me to dance or carry my child in my arms. But then, I made a choice about whether I would smile when I saw my daughters again or I would weep. I made a decision to live as fully as I could.

By the time I finished Mum’s letter, my vision was clouded by tears. For the first time, I saw my mother in a clearer light.

6 . When Megan Becker was five years old, she created something special for her dad Glenn Becker on Father’s Day. It was a paper craft tie! After several hours of ________ using construction paper and crayons, Megan couldn’t ________ to present it to her dad.

Glenn told his baby girl it was a(n) ________ gift, and he would not only keep it forever but also wear it on her wedding day. Her father then ________ the tie over his bedroom mirror to display his favorite gift. Even though as a teenager Megan thought it was ________, it touched her heart that her father cared so much.

But ________, the tie Megan made for her dad as an art craft ________ around the time she was getting married. At that time her parents had ________ and Glenn said it had gotten lost somewhere in the packing.

With no more ________ of the tie, Megan walked down the aisle (通道) to get married with her father proudly ________ her away. But when it was time for the father-daughter dance, Glenn ________ on the dance floor wearing the crayon-colored, paper tie!

Megan was surprised and burst into ________. It turned out Glenn, who was a big jokester, ________ the tie in his toolbox until the wedding. He was using it to ________ her daughter on her wedding day! Glenn’s act of love is an incredible ________ of how father loves his children.

7 . Full day French Riviera eBike Tour

Join us for a full day adventure on this fun eBike tour. We travel through time from medieval fortresses (中世纪堡垒) via Belle Epoque palaces to the modern mansions.

Our eBikes are as easy to ride as a normal bicycle but give you assistance up the hills. We’ve ensured the route is safe, and most of the route is on quiet roads with little traffic.

The port of Nice contrasts Old World charms with modern huge yachts (游艇). As we climb up the Mont Boron, we cycle past Elton John’s house at the summit of Mont Boron and the impressive medieval fortress of Mont Alban. Our lunch stop is by the Mediterranean in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Throughout this tour, the splendid sea views never stop. The picture paints a thousand words!

The iconic pastime of the French Riviera takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. The simplicity leaves many players addicted after the first couple of rounds, and you’ll be surprised at how competitive you really are! We play this game under the Mediterranean pine trees until the end of the tour.

9 . An artificial intelligence (AI) trained on personal data covering the entire population of Denmark can predict people’s chances of dying more accurately than any existing model, even those used in the insurance industry. The researchers behind the technology say it could also have a positive impact on early prediction of social and health problems.

Sune Lehmann Jorgensen at the Technical University of Denmark and his colleagues used the data covering various aspects of 6 million people from 2008 to 2020 from Denmark. They changed the data into words that could be used to train a large language model, the same technology that powers other AI apps. These models work by looking at a series of words and determining which word is statistically most likely to come next, based on vast amounts of examples. In a similar way, the researchers’ Life2vec model can look at a series of life events that form a person’s history and determine what is most likely to happen next.

In experiments, Life2vec was trained on all but the last four years of the data, which was held back for testing. The researchers took data on a group of people aged from 35 to 65, half of whom died between 2016 and 2020, and asked Life2vec to predict who lived and who died. It was 11 percent more accurate than any existing AI model used to price life insurance policies in the finance industry.

Jorgensen believes that the model has consumed enough data that it is likely to be able to shed light on a wide range of health and social topics. This means it could be used to predict health issues and catch them early, or by governments to reduce inequality. But he stresses that it could also be used by companies in a harmful way. “Clearly, our model should not be used by an insurance company, because the whole idea of insurance is that, by sharing the lack of knowledge of somebody who is going to be the unlucky person struck by some incidents or deaths, we can kind of share this burden,” says Jorgensen.

China, a country with a history spanning over 5,000 years, is known for its rich cultural heritage. From the majestic Great Wall to the amazing art of calligraphy, from the colorful festivals to the delicious cuisine, Chinese culture is a fascinating blend of ancient     1     (wise) and modern civilization. Calligraphy, one of China’s oldest art     2     (form), is considered a high regard of self-expression and is often used to convey deep emotions. Chinese painting, too, is celebrated for its beauty and elegance, with artists     3     (use) brushstrokes and colors to create landscape’s and portraits, or capture the essence of nature and human emotions.

The Chinese culture has the power to make an impression     4     anyone who encounters it. Its traditions, customs, and beliefs are     5     (extreme) diverse and unique. In recent years, China’s rapid economic growths     6     (bring) about significant changes in its society. As China continued to expand its influence on the     7     (globe) stage, it is important for the nations     8     (balance) its economic progress with the preservation of its cultural identity.

In conclusion, the beauty of Chinese culture is beyond     9     (describe). As we navigate the challenged of the 21st century, it is our job to protect and celebrate this incredible legacy for generations to come. Every Chinese carries a     10     (responsible) to preserve and pass on its rich heritage to future generations.