1 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated _______ with Western medicine, he decided to _______traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______ the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______ some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavours and effects, just like Shen Nong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______ of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______ Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______ to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a(n) ________ and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________ what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________ their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his ________ for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________ comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which could serve as a(n) ________ between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.

3 . Do you listen? Do you really listen? Is there more to listening than just hearing?

Listening is, by far, one of the most important aspects of communication. So often, you pay attention to your way of speaking, your _________ , your dialect, but neglect your ability to listen.

It is my _________ that people scream out or change the intended purposes of much of what they hear. Too often, we consider listening the _________ part of conversation, although it requires our focus, purpose, and active participation.

Listening means to give ear to, to pay attention to, to _________ , to witness, to hear with thoughtful _________ , or to understand.

The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and to be understood. The only way to understand is to _________ .

Learn to be an active listener. Give off positive body language._________ a willingness to socialize. Ask the right questions. Boost your _________ so that you can understand more and achieve effective listening.

Listening means we should respond, that we should be touched, that what we hear has a(n)_________ on us. I believe that history __________ itself only because no one listens the first time.

You were given two ears, but only one mouth, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more, because God knew that listening was twice as __________ as talking. Listening is the key building block in effective communications. Good listening skills are crucial, as listening is the fundamental __________ of all information.

Isn’t now the time to give the gift of listening to those about you? Given them your __________ attention. Use your God given __________ to become a better listener. For me, I’m going to put into __________ what I believe in my heart and become a better listener.

5 . My brother Joe liked driving cars. He was especially _________speed. It was enough to make mother _________.

As a little boy, Joe would often say to me. “Sister, when I am old enough to drive my own car, I will fly so fast that angels will run scared.” With a big grin (咧嘴笑), he would _________ the scene. I could have told him it would _________ happen. But I didn’t tell him that.

Joe was born blind. But he could _________ like anyone. I didn’t want to be the one to _________ Joe’s dreams._________ would do that for him, soon enough. Up to then, didn’t he _________ his happiness？

Growing up is a _________ between disappointment and surprise, between dreams and reality. When Joe was 12, I think he knew he would never get a license (驾照). As with the other hard facts of life, he seemed to accept it without question or sadness, as if it were __________ more than a card drawn at random (随机地).

One hot summer day when he was 16, Joe, with the help of stick, found his way to my stepfather’s car.

He felt the heat of the __________, opened the door and climbed in. Under the seat, he discovered 6 cans of beer. And he drank all. He found the keys, shouted, “Hooweeee!” and __________ it up.

I have heard various versions (版本) of this story. They all __________ this: the car’s engine __________. My mother fainted. My stepfather rushed outside.

__________, for everyone, the Ford didn’t move an inch. But to this day, Joe still swears (发誓) that when he found those keys and fired that old engine up, he heard the angels.

6 . Fleanor Love knows that weddings create a lot of leftover flowers. That means more opportunities for her to collect after-wedding bouquets (花束) and give them to her lonely hospital _______, many of whom don’t often have visitors, let alone expensive _______.

The flowers are still in good shape, and the patients are pleased to have them. “I was so _______ that I cried,” said patient Connie Melzer, who was recovering from a heart problem when Love walked into her room with a bouquet in early 2020.

Love worked at the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital as a(n) _______ student. She wondered how she could help _______ the patients’ suffering besides learning how to treat them as a student doctor.

“One of the _______ of being a medical student is that it can be very difficult to _______ to the care team,” said Love. “You are there as a learner, who doesn’t have as much knowledge as doctors. But you want to _______ your patients. How can I at this stage in my training make a(n) _______ for them?”

In 2019, she started The Simple Sunflower in Richmond, and so far has ________ more than 760 bouquets to patients. She brought fellow students and other people into her project, and now has more than 200 ________ on the email list.

When Love began the project, she called businesses such as wedding venues (场馆) and florists and asked them what events were scheduled. She then reached out to brides and grooms to ask them if they had ________ for their flowers after the big day.

For each wedding, she organized a team of eight people who helped ________ the flowers when the party was over and then spent time carrying them to individual patients.

People beyond the VCU community have heard about Love’s project and become part of it. “Once the word got out, people around the city started ________ us,” Love said. She wanted to bring the project to more cities and maybe open branches at other medical schools.

“I feel ________ when I see the patients who receive our bouquets,” she said. “It reminds me why we do what we do.”

9 . On September 5th 2018, at around 1 p. m., 11-year-old Kamal stood patiently with his mother and aunt on a ferry crossing the river. They were headed home, with little idea that their journey was about to turn into a disaster.

The ferry, carrying 28 people, was unusually shaky that day. Halfway through the trip, the boat _____ stopped as the engine refused to work. Now the ferry was at the _____ of the river. It was pushed forward by the current (水流) and headed straight for a seven-foot-wide pillar (柱子). Soon it crashed against the pillar, _____ and plunging (使突然下落) all 28 people overboard.

___ in the river, Kamal’s mother first thought of her child’s safety. Fearing for her son’s life, she yelled out, _____ him to swim ashore. Lost and scared, Kamal did as she asked. Finally he swam to the bank and _____ to look back. Then he realized his mother and aunt hadn’t _____ him. He forgot that his mother couldn’t swim.

Kamal turned back towards the _____ site to reach his mum. Finally Kamal _____ her and pulled her to the pillar, but he knew there was no time to _______. Diving back in, he swam towards his aunt and soon pulled her to safety too.

With his mother and aunt now out of ______ , Kamal could finally rest. As he took deep breath to calm his ______ heart, he noticed that a woman with her baby was ______ in the water. Immediately, Kamal jumped into the water, using his last bit of strength to reach the desperate woman, and managed to pull her and her baby to safety. Then three rescue boats arrived. ______ with pride and love for her ______ boy, Kamal’s mum praised her son.