1 . It was July 2019 and Mum had taken me on a 120-km mother-and-son walking holiday as a treat for my birthday. Although I was still on my first special ________, I’d love to see some ancient civilisation.

“Why don’t we go to Egypt?” I said. “It sounds ________, but I’m not paying for it,” Mum smiled and replied.

“I’ll save up my pocket money, and get a ________,” I said. I started saving my $10-a-week pocket money and washed my parents’ car for ________ cash.

In 2020, we moved to Perth. One day, I ________ a brochure in the letter box which was advertising a job delivering catalogues (目录). I applied for the job, and ________ I got it a week later.

On a Monday, a mountain of catalogues were ________ at our house. It took me nine hours to sort through them, and then I ________ them to 430 houses. At first, I used my bike and ________ the catalogues in my backpack, but this wasn’t very ________ so I bought a trolley (手推车) which improved my speed. As time went by, people started ________ me and saying hello on my rounds.

After three and half years, I’d ________ a massive $6,500, and in January this year I flew to Egypt. I had a good time visiting the powerful pyramids at Giza, ________ local food and sailing down a river. I fully ________ that nothing can stop a person from following his ________.

3 . A skywell, or "tian jing", is a typical feature of a traditional home in China. ________ a northern Chinese courtyard, or “yuan zi”a skywell is smaller and less exposed to the outdoor environment. They are________ seen in homes dating to Ming and Qing dynasties, which were designed to________different generations of relatives.

Although a skywell's size and design vary from region to region, it is always rectangular and located in the Core of a house, either________by rooms on four sides or three sides plus a wall. Skywells were designed to cool buildings before air-conditioning existed. When wind blows above a skywell house, it can enter the indoor space through the opening. Because outdoor air is often cooler than indoor air, the ________breeze travels down the walls to the lower storeys and create air ________ by replacing warmer indoor air,   which rises and leaves through the opening.

The main purpose of a skywell is to allow in light, improve ventilation (通风) and ________ rainwater. In Huizhou, a skywell is small but tall, and the rooms around it can ________ sunlight on hot days, enabling the bottom of the skywell to stay cool. ________ hot air inside the house can rise and escape through the opening above the skywell, which“works just like a ________”

As a(n) ________ space between indoor life and the outdoor environment, a skywell acts as an effective heat buffer(缓冲)to shield residents from the hot air outside. But the largest part of skywell's cooling effect actually comes when there are bodies of water in the enclosure.

Evaporated water cools hot air, a process known as evaporative cooling which is ________ in Huizhou skywells. In the past, Huizhou families collected rainwater in their skywells because they believed this could safeguard and boost their wealth. Skywells therefore have channels around them to ________ rainwater coming from the roofs.

Though existing in China for hundreds of years, in recent times they have often been forgotten by people who prefer modern________. Over the past two decades, however, due to a ________ of traditional Chinese architecture, skywell buildings have been making a comeback.

4 . Last summer, my family and I went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. It was our first family vacation in years, and we were all ______ to spend some quality time together. We ______ our car with snacks, water, and a lot of sunscreen, and then ______ the road.

The trip was long, but we kept ourselves ______ with card games and singing along to our favourite songs. When we finally arrived at the Grand Canyon, we were ______ by the breathtaking views. We spent the next few days hiking, taking pictures, and ______ the area.

One of the highlights of the trip was when we went on a helicopter ______ of the Grand Canyon. It was a great ______, and we all felt like we were on top of the world. We took a lot of pictures and videos, and we still ______ them to this day.

As the trip came to an end, we all felt a sense of ______. We didn’t want to go back to our busy ______. We wanted to stay together and keep exploring. ______, we knew that we had to go back home.

Looking back on the trip, I realized how important it is to spend time with ______. In our busy life, we often forget to slow down and enjoy the little moments. The trip ______ me of the importance of ______ memories and cherishing (珍惜) the time we have with our loved ones.

6 . Venice is regarded as the most romantic city of the world. It’s a ____ that I always wanted to hold in my arms. Venice is most ____ in autumn with the sparkling (闪烁的) colors of glassy arts and crafts. More than that, a ____ can indulge in (尽情享受) the floating and happy feeling in Venice.

When we first walked out of Santa Lucia station, my friend and I smiled because we then ____ the reason why people can’t deny the ____ of Venice. In the light sunshine of autumn, Venice was so fantastic with the blue colors of the Grand Canal, the ____ of luggage (行李) being pulled by visitors chatting with each other, and of course the smell of ____ in neighboring restaurants that have been ____ guests for ages.

We ____ traveled around the Grand Canal by vaporetti (水上巴士). Passing bridges and some small squares, we arrived at Osteria Al Portego restaurant to enjoy a ____ of special dishes, including sarde in saor and baccalà alla vicentina. The dishes were ____ cooked following recipes dating right back to the 17th and 18th centuries! Since Italy is ____ for pizza, spaghetti, pasta and lasagna (千层面) worldwide, we tried to taste other dishes to truly ____ the local cuisine.

After lunch, we decided to explore Venice in our own way without a map. We ____ narrow streets, crossed big and small squares and viewed remarkable structures throughout the city. They all appeared so charming that ____ traveler would remark on the city’s beauty.

7 . When it comes to my fathering lessons, few adventures compare to the motorcycle trips I’ve shared with my daughter, Ewa.

Our first_______, in August 2017, was a winding (蜿蜒的) ride around the Catskills and Finger Lake districts of New York state. We _______ big highways and spent the week on_______ scenic back roads. At one point, I found myself _______along a Catskills meadow (草地) not far from Woodstock, keeping pace with a deer and shouting, “Go Bambi, go!”

On our second day, we _______ in a small town for ice cream. I asked the woman at the picnic table next to us: “What’s the_______ of this town?” “Interlaken,” she answered.“Where are you trying to get to?”

Me: “We don’t know. ”

It _______ to me then that I’d always wanted to do this no-schedule kind of trip, when you ride just for riding. Ask any middle-aged _______: We’ve all dreamed about doing the Easy Rider (逍遥骑士) thing, throwing our wristwatches into the ditch and heading toward the horizon without a_______. Now, travelling with no plan became a________ of my rides with Ewa.

Since we almost ________ knew where we were going, we were almost never ________ when we arrived, pulling ________ the road at the end of each day with satisfaction. The reason to celebrate? We________! The truth is that life on a motorbike is one close call (死里逃生) after another. On the way, riders must stay ________ 100 percent of the time. A tiny stone can be deadly. I used to be nervous, but Ewa had a different take: “To me, motorcycling is like meditation(冥想). ”

9 . I’m standing on Rio’s beach, one of the most famous _______ of sand. In this lively, multicultural country, the beach is not just a place;it’s a state of mind—a way of thinking and living.

Every Brazilian has his or her own ideas of the perfect beach, _______ to tell you where to find it. I’m happy to take their advice but my ultimate goal is to find my own dream beach. First, I go to Prainha’s beach _______ by a row of perfect palm trees, moving softly in the ocean breeze. Its beauty is magnificent-its perfect graceful lines are like something in a _______. But for me, it’s somewhat too perfect. I am searching for something a bit _______.

I continue my search heading north to a legendary beach: Jeri. As an international destination, it attracts visitors from Tokyo to Toronto. Luckily, Jeri hasn’t been _______ by tourists mostly because of its isolated(偏远的)location—at least five hours from any airport. I take a beach buggy(沙地车), driving for three hours. The boats lie on their sides while nets _______ to dry on lines between fishermen’s houses. Peaceful and beautiful! How can it possibly get any better? I _______.

My final stop is the islands of Fernando, _______ a few hundred kilometers out in the Atlantic. They once were used as a prison and later by the army. Today, they are a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, ________ with birds and sea life. The beach there is a perfect ________of sand, sea, and sky. The water is pale blue and warm, alive with colorful fish, ________, and other marine life; the sand is the color of ________. In the rocks and strong winds that ________ come in from the Atlantic, there is the wilderness I was seeking. Finally, I’ve found the beach of my dreams. I ________ my toes in the sand deeply and imagine I can hold on to this place forever.