1 . 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.

3 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris. Our aim was to see if we could live, in some way, like real Parisians. So the first thing we did was _______ a fantastically expensive sixth-floor apartment the _______ of a cupboard. It was so tiny that we had to leave our suitcases in the hallway.

The place wasn’t _______ authentic, though. Unlike a _______ Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked. There was a nice kitchen and a _________ bed. Our _________ even had a tiny lift with a female voice that said perfect French.

Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone once _________, they eat great food and never gain _________. The food is so delicious that you don’t need much of it to be happy. French strawberries do not taste like cardboard. Instead, they _________ in your mouth like little flavor bombs. That’s not the only reason why the French eat less than us. On our first morning in Paris, I went to the food market to __________ some groceries. I bought a handful of perfectly ripe strawberries and a little sweet melon. My husband and I agreed they were the best fruit we had ever eaten. But they cost $18!

In France, __________ of life is much more important than efficiency. You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always __________. Many customers are locals. When do these people __________? The French take their 35-hour workweek seriously — so seriously that some labor unions recently __________ a deal with a group of companies __________   the number of hours that independent contractors(承包商) can be on call.

4 . Every year about 40,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro(乞力马扎罗山), the highest mountain in Africa. They _________with them lots of waste. The __________ might damage the beauty of the place. The glaciers (冰川) are disappearing, changing the face of Kilimanjaro.

Hearing these stories, I'm _________ about the place — other destinations are described as "purer" natural experiences.

However, I soon __________ that much has changed since the days of disturbing reports of __________ among tons of rubbish. I find a __________ mountain, with toilets at camps and along the paths. The environmental challenges are __________ but the efforts made by the Tanzania National Park Authority seem to be __________.

The best of a Kilimanjaro __________, in my opinion, isn’t reaching the top. Mountains are _______ as spiritual places by many cultures. This view is especially evident on Kilimanjaro as _________ go through five ecosystems (生态系统) within a few kilometers. At the base is a rainforest. It ends suddenly at 3, 000 meters, _________ lands of low growing plants. Further up, the weather __________ — low clouds envelope the mountainsides, which are covered with thick grass. I counted   twelve shades of green from where I stand. Above 4, 000 meters is the highland desert : gravel (砾石), stones and rocks.   _________ you climb into an arctic-like zone with permanent(永久的) snow and the glaciers that may soon disappear.

Does Kilimanjaro deserve(值得) its reputation as a crowded mountain with lines of tourists _______ the atmosphere of peace? I found the opposite to be true.

5 . Ask people to name the world's tallest peak and anybody with sound general knowledge will name Mount Qomolangma. But quiz them on its exact __and many will be not sure.

In 1975, Chinese surveyors __ that Mount Qomolangma （Mount Everest） was 8848. 13 meters high. As __ improved, satellites, photoelectricity, radars and gravity measurement technologies were __ to get more exact figures. Of course, someone still had to carry __ to what is the world's rooftop.

In 2005, a Chinese team scaled Qomolangma and found that it was not as high as that, as they __ the height to be 8844. 43 meters. Scaling Qomolangma is no __ task. The average air temperature there is -29 degrees Celsius, even four degrees_____ than in Antarctica. The snow there is 4 —5 meters thick and hurricane-like __ blow all the time. Team members were training to __the extreme conditions.

In a nutshell, measuring the Qomolangma's height is a tall order, __ huge amounts of money and human resources, But it is worth the_____. Qomolangma is the perfect __ for observing crustal （地壳的）movements. And changes to the peak's height could __ whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other.

Besides, the condition of snow and other natural materials at the top is an indicator of upcoming climate change on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. That's __ measuring the Qomolangma's height is so significant. Put to good use, it can benefit mankind.