1 . Apartment owners cash in on upcoming holiday trips

The National Day holiday is around the corner, and those making last-minute plans to travel at that time are busy booking _______ hotel rooms in popular tourist destinations.

In a bid to cash in on this rush for rooms, social media users are _______ platforms with offers of apartments for _______ just for the holiday week, at prices that are a part of what is being _______ by hotels, many of which are sold out.

Unlike hotels, those renting out their homes are not charging anything _______ for cleaning the apartment while it is _______, no contract or deal needs to be signed and the ID information of the renters is not _______ required.

Meanwhile, some netizens have expressed _______ over this trend of renting out personal apartments.

“It is so unsafe. What if the people install a camera in your home or make it a complete mess,” one asked while _______ on a post seeking tenants(房客). Another said, “Won’t you be afraid of people opening your computer and checking what’s inside?”

Experts said this novel way of sharing one’s home not only means extra earnings for the homeowners, but also improves the ________ of the cities. However, they also warned that there are risks involved.

Fu Jian, a lawyer at Henan Zejin Law Firm, said that as there is no written ________ being signed between homeowners and renters, and the ID information is not ________, it would be very difficult for the owner to safeguard his or her rights should an argument ________.

Moreover, if there is a theft or an accident involving the guests during their stay in the apartment, the owner will more or less be held ________, he said.

He advised owners to be aware of the rules and regulations before renting out their apartments, and added that renters should also choose ________ to avoid unnecessary risks.

2 . It was a fine day. My husband David and I set off on a short ________ with a friend as our guide. He said it would be a rather ________ two-hour hike to see the rare Paiute cutthroat trout in its natural habitat. But we later found it was a different story.

When we arrived, we were ________ , but not too tired to enjoy the thrill ________ we saw the colorful fish swimming there. It was late, so we could only appreciate the scenery for a ___________ while and then went back to our car before dark. We ________ the rest of the hike should be relaxing. But it wasn’t. It was the steepest way we’d faced so far.

When we ________, my huge backpack felt like a ton of stone. My knees were in ____________ and tears poured out of my eyes. And there was another mountain ahead of us. As the sun began to set, my legs gave out ________. Seeing that, David asked me to take one tiny __________ at a time. “Don’t look at the mountain. ________ your eyes on your feet,” he said. With David’s ________, I struggled to move slowly. Eventually, we climbed over the mountain, __________ to find it was the last obstacle (障碍) in our way.

Though it has been years since that hike, David’s words have continued to be a source of ___________ for me when I faced difficult situations. They remind me that I don’ t need to __________ everything all at once, but rather make small progress at a time.

3 . Locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the smoke that thunders”. No other _______describes Victoria Falls better. I saw a photo of the falls as a child and I _______ then, that was where I would go one day! Thirty years later, I achieved that _______.

I stood at the entrance of the Victoria Falls Park on the Zimbabwe (津巴布韦) side of the falls! I could not control my _______! From the entrance, I followed the path that leads visitors through the forest to the falls. As I_______ the falls, I heard the thunderous roar and I _______ my steps. I made my way to a clearing and there they were: Victoria Falls! I stopped for several minutes to _______the impressive view, and then continued to walk along the path through the forest. The path branched off to various lookouts (瞭望台), each of which offered _______ views of the falls on the other side of the gorge (峡谷). Aside from walking through the forest to _______   the falls, the park also has several ________ for thrill-seekers. The activities range from fox-flying across the gorge to gorge swinging, I________to stay put (留在原地) and enjoy the view. I watched these thrill-seekers and their screams made me   believe that I’d made the ________ decision!

Seeing Victoria Falls truly was a dream come true and I was________ that I got to see it. It was a ________   that I didn’t get to experience the falls from the other side where the ________ could sit in a natural pool at the very edge (边缘) of the falls.

4 . I’ve reached the turn-around point of the day’s kayaking (皮划艇) trip. Sweat runs down my cheek as I ______ my fingers through the cool water. I look around. It’s just me, a couple of seagulls, and shining freshwater to the horizon. This, I whisper to myself, is ______.

Solo outings had never ______ my mind before because I always had loyal friends willing to tag along. But three years ago, I moved to Cleveland. Meeting close friends in a new city is ______. And a world wide health crisis made ______ impossible.

In October 2022, I decided to ______ a whole day on a solo hiking trip. I went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) to ______ the autumn leaves. Five miles in, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so alive. I was more ______ of my surroundings than I’d ever been while hiking that day. I studied the markings of trees, focused my ears on each forest sound and did something I had almost never spared ______ for: I listened to my own thoughts. Every word in my mind pointed to a newfound ______—solo hiking is my happy place. From then on, I have adjusted myself to any solo activity.

Pride ______ through my body when I first launched my kayak. My chest, ______ tightened by nerves, was bursting with happiness as I finally reached the middle of the river that I’d long ______ standing on shore before.

Adventuring alone has become like medicine for me! It’s also pushed me to go ______ my comfort zone and to meet new people. Through meetups and social media, my adventure friend circle has ______. But at least once per month, I schedule time to hit nature with my favorite trail buddy: me.

6 . Brad Ryan and his 85-year-old grandma, Joy Ryan, are nearing the finish line on a goal they once thought was impossible: Visiting all national parks together.

The duo (二人组) kicked off their _________ in October 2015, when Brad was looking for a way to spend a two-day weekend. He said the idea _________ from a conversation he had with “Grandma Joy” about his past adventures on the Appalachian Trail. “I felt sorry that she was always _________ vicariously (间接感受到地) through my stories,” Brad said. “And so just knowing that she had never seen _________ and mountains and the oceans and these _________ wild places on Earth, it just felt like a _________ that I had to her to make sure that she had some memories to take away in her life story as well.” Brad began _________ their adventures on the social media in 2019, and they quickly _________ a large number of followers.

“You don’t assume your grandma going with you on a camping trip is going to be anything but _________,” Brad said. “That was my ____________. That was my misperception (误解) of what age means. More ____________, her spirit was good enough for her to go traveling. “It’s been a ____________ adventure; it really has,” Grandma Joy said. “It’s really been a beautiful time. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything,”

As for ____________ from Brad and Grandma Joy, they encourage everyone to ____________ opportunities for exploration. “We realize that not everybody is going to be able to travel to every national park, “Brad said. “But there is some adventure to be found in every ____________ of the country and we hope that people will go out and seek that adventure.”

7 . Any family who has traveled to Disney World in the middle of summer has experienced the challenges of this vacation. The summer crowds and burning heat can make it a(n) ______ place for many people. Families with autistic (患自闭症的) children face even greater ______.

Parents Bill and Lauren Bergner were excited to bring their 6-year-old son Gary to Disney World, ______ his brothers Billy, 14, and Jake, 9. Gary has autism, so Mom and Dad took the time to talk with him and ______ him for the chaos (混乱) that came from such a busy vacation.

After a particularly long day, Mom could tell Gary had reached his limit. “My son was having an autism meltdown (崩溃),” Lauren ______ on Facebook. “He was crying and just having a(n) ______ time.” Gary’s ______ could have easily been a sad end to a tiring day.

But, it’s Disney World and we all know about the ______ endings that can happen there! As Gary ______ and stood in line waiting to see Snow White, the   Disney princess stepped up and seemed to have a magic touch with the little boy.

“Snow White was ______ with him!!” Lauren wrote in her Facebook post. “She kissed and held him in her arms. She then took him away from the crowd! She held his hand, danced with him, took him over to a bench and sat with him. She went above and beyond!!”

The family had never seen Gary connect with a stranger so quickly, but they were worried their son was ______ too much of Snow White’s time and other guests would be upset. ______, onlookers were all happy to see the magical moments between the two.

In the Facebook post, the Bergner family say they hope Snow White is ______ and thanked for the ______ she made in their family’s experience and Gary’s life. “I am ______ someone took photos and these moments were recorded,” Lauren wrote. “My heart is full.”

9 . Years ago when I was in my late teens, some friends and I went on a trip to Killington, VT.

_______, I came from the city where traffic, buildings, and a fast pace of life were all I _________. I had never been to Vermont before and I remembered being excited that I was going to experience something _________.                    

By the time we _________, it wasn’t until sometime after dinner. We were expecting the_________ to be at least three to four hours until we got there. As we got closer to our destination, it started to _________. I felt very _________ as we drove up and down the hills in nearly stormy conditions, and I didn’t _________ my surroundings because it was so dark and snowy. When we finally arrived at the hotel it was late and I was thankful we had _________ it there safely.

The next morning when I __________, the sun was shining through the curtains (窗帘) — after driving in such __________ the night before it was now all sunshine. When I opened the curtain, I was shocked. I had never __________ to see such a beautiful mountain right in front of me.

All weekend I admired the mountains and wildlife surrounding me. And that’s when I became __________ by the beauty of nature.

Years later, I am enjoying nature even more. I admire and appreciate it in a whole __________ way.

Now I’m finding scary things like insects __________ instead of being afraid of them.