5 . UPS driver Ryan Arens was making his rounds near a pond in Bozeman when he heard a strange sound. It was December, and about 15feet from the frozen bank was the _________ of that sound —a half-submerged (半淹没的) wirehaired dog. _________ to cling to a thin layer of ice. An elderly man was already on the _________determined to save her. He was up a rowboat, striking the ice with a rock to create a(n) _______ to the dog. It was slow going.

“Animals are my weakness,” said, _________ why he chose to take off his overcoat, even though the temperature was in the-30℃, and _________ the rescue task.

His heart beating fast. Arens _________ the dog, using the other man’s rock to break the ice. He gave one _________ heave (拖动) with so much force that he slipped off the boat, _________ into 16 feet of cold water. Luckily, he __________ in time to see the dog going under. He swam about five feet toward hen took __________ of her collar, and pulled her to the ice. He then lifted the dog into the __________ and slid it back to the shore, where __________ bystanders carried the dog to the home of the rowboat owner. Once in the house himself, Arens jumped into a __________ shower with the dog until they both defrosted. If the dog had stayed in the pond for a few more minutes, she would have likely __________.

That special delivery was the highlight of my UPS career,” said Arens.

6 . Growing up in coastal Maine, Lynda Doughty spent lots of time out on the sea. There she often saw whales, seals and other marine (海洋的) animals. She developed a(n) _______ for the wildlife living along the coast.

“I remember being so amazed by them and _______ what was happening in their life,” Doughty said.

She also _______ that their livelihood was influenced by pollution and other human-related activities. She wanted to do something to _______ these animals.

So she became a marine _______ and worked with organisations that provided help for sick and injured sea animals. But as many nonprofits (非营利机构) closed their doors, Doughty decided to step in.

In 2011, she _______ her nonprofit, Marine Mammals of Maine, and has since provided help and medical care for more than 3,000 sea animals.

When COVID-19 broke out, things became more difficult, but they couldn’t _______—the animals _______, needed their help.

“We were so nervous of how we would _______ as a nonprofit in uncertain times,” Doughty said. “________, our team stood strong and we were able to continue to help animals.”

When another New England-based marine animal rescue program ________ its animal care during COVID-19, Doughty’s work became more ________ than ever.

“We could no longer take any ________ to their rescue center and there were not enough rehabilitation (康复) places for these animals. Actually, we were really ________ and there was more pressure for our center to stay open,” Doughty said.

“I feel this strong ________ to help these animals,” Doughty said. “This is what I was put on the earth to do.”

7 . As an only child, Nicole Renae often felt lonely in her youth. But that all changed when she turned ten. For her birthday, Renae’s grandmother _______ her with an adorable gray _______ named Chloe.

From the very start, the two were _______. “She was my best friend,” Renae said. Every ounce of love Renae gave, the little dog returned tenfold.

But when Renae was 14, her father _______ a new job that came with a shocking warning: He’d be working at home, and the house needed to _______ noise disturbance.

“Chloe was very noisy,” Renae said. “I was just a kid, so I didn’t have any _______ in the matter. I didn’t want to _______ my dog. I just felt so sick and _______ about it. With no easier option, the family sent Chloe to a humane society.

_______, Renae grew up, got married, and had a child of her own. But her family didn’t feel quite complete. Remembering the ________ that having a dog had brought her as a kid, Renae wanted her daughter to ________ the same. She had it in her mind that she would ________ a puppy, but then one day she saw a post on a social media platform about a ________ dog that needed a new home. The dog in the photograph looked a lot like Chloe —she was even named Chloe. In an instant it was ________: She would adopt this older dog.

When she met Chloe, the dog seemed so familiar. And Chloe appeared to feel the same ________ about Renae. Soon Renae cried with excitement because she felt so lucky to have Chloe again.

8 . My community and state are still recovering from the disaster that hit the area recently. A wall of storms with hurricane force winds _____ late on a Friday evening knocking down trees, _____ roads, damaging homes, and destroying power lines. Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly _____themselves in the dark without water, electricity, air conditioning, telephones, internet, and television. They were _____ from the modern world suffering unbearable 90 degree plus heat with no help and no idea _____ it would be over.

The most _____ thing happened, however, as the reality of the crisis sank in: it brought out the best in us. While there were a few acts of _____ and stealing, they were overwhelmed (压倒) by the wave of _____ and compassion that came from the hearts of so many. People shared their food, ice, and gasoline. People who still had _____ opened their homes to those who had none. People rushed out to _____roads and homes of fallen trees. Selfless power crews worked around the clock to repair the damage and _____ electricity.

Life’s disasters strike all of us from time to time. No one is _____. We all get hurt. We all get _____. How we respond to them, though, is up to us. We can let them bring out the worst in us or we can let them bring out the best in us. We can _____ them like devils of selfishness or like angels of love. May you always bring the best from your heart and soul to whatever life may _____ at you then. May you live all of your days here with so much love that you sing and smile.

9 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to look after. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane _______ our neighborhood while we were visiting my grandparents in Raleigh. Our kitchen was ________, and our clean and comfortable home was in ruins.

But something ________ happened. Our neighbors, the Flores family, came to our ________. They helped clear broken pieces and offered us a place to stay. Their ________ was most impressive. We had never ________ spoken to them before, but they ________ their home to us and made us feel like family.

We started a new ________ of having weekend dinner together. We invited other families from the neighborhood to join us, and our ________ were filled with laughter and delicious food. It was a beautiful thing to see our ________ come together in the wake of a disaster.

I ________ knew Rosica, their daughter, before the hurricane. But she quickly became my friend. She had a gift for ________ and our evenings together were filled with adventure and laughter.

Looking back, I realize that the hurricane ________ unexpected benefit. It brought us closer to our neighbors and ________ our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Sometimes, it takes a(n) ________ to bring out the best in people.

10 . Seventy-year-old Tububatu and his wife Taoshengchagan live in a village near Badain Jaran, Inner Mongolia. They’ve been spending every day since they retired in 2002 fighting against _________. Before Tububatu others had tried but_________. He just wanted to make a difference. He started by_________ just 50 trees a year, but kept doubling his_________to the point where he now plants thousands of trees a year.

The retired couple have been slowly growing their little desert forest at their own expense, so that they live a very_________life. Even though they mostly plant drought-resistant (抗旱的) types, they still make sure to water them at least once a day to make them grow_________ .

Although they’ve been_________by some neighbors who think their they are sure to fail, they haven’t given up. Over the last 19 years, the couple have planted over 266 hectares of desert and have no _________ to stop.

Apart from _________ the spread of the desert, Tububatu is also making a living by planting, as the desert-living cistanche is a(n) __________medicinal plant that can sell for up to 100 yuan per kilogram.

It’s reported that so far they have planted over 70000 trees, __________more than 1 million yuan of their savings. The _________conditions have weakened their health and they look older than they actually are, but they refuse to__________their battle against the desert.

The couple have received several__________and honors from the government over the years, becoming a good__________for all environmentalists.