2 . Standing on the shore of a lake, I can’t help but feel surprised at the thousands of small rocks that surround my boots. They were all created from _________ surfaces, their edges softening over time. I wonder, “Can we learn from a pile of rocks?”

Even the tallest mountains have _________; none are as tall as they were 1,000 years ago. And much like a rock, I’ve found my _________ has softened and my desire to better understand others has expanded with each trip around the sun.

_________, I was also a sharp rock covered in pointy edges. Today, after decades of the waters of life coursing over me, my edges are softer and I’m more _________. I’m less likely to judge and more interested in learning how we can _________ together.

But I’m not a _________. I’m a human filled with all the drama built into my DNA.

Two years ago, while traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I watched a restaurant owner ask several young men to _________ for not wearing masks. Not _________ and not rude. On the door read a sign, “Please wear a mask before entering our restaurant. We don’t like it either, but let’s all do what we can to __________ this together.”

The group of young men wanted to __________ about the note. I sat at the restaurant watching, understanding both sides. I’ve been one of them before, using my youthful edges to chip away at (削弱) the world. What I lost, __________, was the ability to grow from __________ by looking through the eyes of others. In learning to be more __________, I’ve also found more happiness and success.

You can fit more rounded rocks in a jar than those with sharp edges. The former look for ways to __________ and make room for others, while the latter never give an __________ to accommodate others.

__________, like the waters rolling against once sharp stones, changes us by washing away our resistance to __________ the world from someone else’s point of view.

I placed a __________ stone into my jacket pocket. Mother Nature is holding a __________ again.

6 . There are around 100 tribes(部落)that live in global isolation, mostly in South America and India. The Sentinelese have lived on one of the Andaman Islands in Eastern India for 60, 000 years. They protect their island by fighting against people from outside. Their language is different from any other known language. Another Andaman tribe is the Jarawa. In the past, they were independent and fought against anybody trying to make contact with them. But in 1998, the Indian government built a road across their land, and since then, they’ve had more contact with the outside world.

Some Amazon tribes avoid contact because of unhappy memories. The Mashco-Piro left their vegetable gardens after rubber companies killed most of their tribe at the beginning of the 20th century. Those who survived became nomadic(游牧的)and started hunting animals in the forest.

The Awa live in the Amazon forests ofBrazil. Out of 350 members, 100 have no contact with the outside world. They left their villages and adopted a nomadic lifestyle around 1850 to escape attacks by Europeans. In the following years, farmers in nearby communities started cutting the trees to expand their farmland. The Awa lost most of their hunting land. The few Amazon tribes that still exist are fighting to keep their traditional way of life.

Survival, an organization that fights for the rights of tribal people, says that uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable(弱势的)humans on the planet and that’s why their environment should be unavailable to the rest of us. After years of pressure, the organization got Brazil’s government to clear non-natives from the Awa land. All non-Awa people are leaving so the tribe can get their forest back.

But some think it's impossible for tribes to stay isolated forever in a connected world. Contact will be made one day. So the question is：Whose choice should it be, ours or theirs?

A Beautiful Place in China

After over 2,100 days of operation, the central route of the South-North Water Diversion Project,     1     (transfer) 30 billion cubic meters of water and benefitted more than 67 million people up to now. The route,     2     (send) water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir located in the upper and middle reach of the Hanjiang River to Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing, stretches a total     3     (long) of 1,432 kilometers.

When the project just kicked off, only 20 of the 42 sections     4     (evaluate) in the Danjiangkou Reservoir and its upper reaches met water quality standard, and some even failed to meet Grade V standard,     5     lowest in China’s classification. After the operation of the project, all sections have met standard. The water fetched 15 meters below the surface in the project’s reservoirs is     6     (drink).

Since the project     7     (launch) in 2005, the water sources of the project have been well protected, and sound ecological environment has been maintained. At present, the forest coverage in Henan’s Nanyang and Hubei’s Shiyan,     8     the reservoirs locate, stands at 40.5 percent and 66.7 percent, respectively. The improved ecology also lifted biodiversity. These regions are home     9     170 migrant birds and a number of valuable plants. The improved environment has led to booming local tourism, attracting numerous visitors and constantly expanding the service industry for local communities. The enhanced ecological conservation efforts not only have no impacts on local people’s livelihood, but also     10     (steady) increase their income.

Tianjin is an important stop on one of the eight major bird-migration routes     1     North Asia to Australia, and many species rest in Beidagang’s coastal area before flying to Australia or New Zealand. The birds will return to Tianjin on their northward migrations that go as far     2     the North Pole. Beidagang Wetland     3    (cover) nearly 350 square kilometers, including an area of about 115 sq km, in the southeast of the Binhai New Area. The wetland is essential for the birds’ breeding and growth. “Without it, they may be in danger during their migrations,” experts say.

Beidagang Wetland Management Center deputy director Sun Baonian says they’ve made great efforts to improve rare — bird protection in recent years.     4     total of 1,347 Oriental storks have been identified in the wetlands,     5    (account) for nearly 45 percent of I he species’     6     (globe) migration population, he says. They prefer to nest in high trees and buildings. Since Beidagang doesn't have enough high trees, the center has set up 20 artificial nesting areas on poles, 13 of     7     have been used by the waterfowl (水禽). And 17 chicks were born in the wetlands late last year.

The center also offers “homes” for volunteers and tourists, who come to learn more about wetland protection and enhance their     8    (aware) about how to protect the wetlands and birds.

The project     9    (support) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2012, following a high-level meeting in South Korea. In 2016, the IUCN encouraged China     10    (apply) for UNESCO status for the sites.

Yours

Li Hua