2 . Last year in early summer, I was walking to my house when I saw two large birds standing in my yard. They didn’t seem to _______ me until I was right in front of them and then they _______ disappeared into the nearby bushes. I was quite excited by the _______ of two special birds making a nest (巢) in my yard．

A few weeks later, the birds _______. I found them crouching (蹲伏) beside a tree. As I approached them, they _______ their heads and made a croaking (嘶哑地叫) sound. I didn’t know why they were croaking at me until a short time later I made an amazing _______: there were two small birds _______ around happily.

As I inched towards the birds, _______ not to make sudden movements, they started their croaking again, putting their necks forward so they seemed _______ and more threatening.

The mother put the baby birds under her wings and carefully crouched down over them so her babies were well ________.

I was watching them with respect when I suddenly ________ and fell to the ground. The mother took this as a/an ________ and the father raced towards me, ________ his wings to protect the mother and the baby birds.

I felt sorry to have disturbed them and left quickly. I am amazed by their ________ actions. Their parental love made them so courageous. It is hard not to show ________ for nature.

3 . Many people learn at an early age to associate the color red with danger. So might it make sense to print medication   ________ in red ink? And since the color blue is known to call to mind the freedom of open skies, might it help artists to   ________ in a studio painted in that color? According to new research into how the brain reacts to ________ , the answer to both of these questions is yes. The study revealed that the color red seems to improve a subject’s attention to ________ , while blue appears to stimulate creativity—all without the subject realizing that his or her brain is being influenced.

“People are not ________ this effect at all,” marveled the study’s lead researcher Juliet Zhu, who studies the effects of environmental cues on behavior. To study the brain’s response to specific colors, Zhu’s team administered a series of   ________ tests to college students. For most of the tests, the students were placed in front of a computer screen that was colored either red or blue.

The researchers found that when the screen was red, subjects performed better on detail-oriented tasks. In one test,   ________ , students were asked to memorize a list of words. Zhu found that students who studied the list displayed on a red screen were able to recall more words than students who studied the list on a ________ screen.

In other tests, creative abilities seemed to be ________ by looking at the color blue. For instance, the students were asked to brainstorm potential uses for bricks. Students sitting in front of blue screens tended to come up with ideas that were   ________ , such as “make a paperweight” and “build a pet scratching post.” Students sitting in front of a red screen, on the other hand, were more likely to list ________ uses for bricks, such as “build a house.”

Researchers concluded from the tests that seeing red causes people to take the extra time to think ________ when performing detail-oriented tasks, such as ________ , proofreading— and, of course, reading those all-important warning labels. ________ most people learn early in their development that red signifies potential danger, Zhu said, seeing red perhaps helps people to slow down in order to perform at their best in a potentially risky situation. Seeing blue, on the other hand, produces images of the sky, freedom and peace. Perhaps these images, researchers supposed, ________ feelings. “It’s really this learned association with these colors that drives these different motivations,” Zhu said.

4 . Five years ago, I was a trail ride leader at a holiday farm in Victoria. My favourite horse was a warmblooded called Holly, a chestnut mare. Aged seven, she was _________, sweet-natured and well-trained; the only _________with Holly was her vivid imagination. I was constantly surprised by Holly’ s ability to be_________ by rabbits, the wind or even shadows - sometimes her own shadow!

One day, as we headed back from a ride on the beach, Holly and I were_________the way over the hilly area. When we got to one particularly long, steep hill, Holly began to twitch (抽动) her ears and step in place. So, when she_________ to sniff(嗅) and give all the _________that she believed the ‘horse-eating monsters’ were close, I became a little worried.

At the bottom of the hill as we rounded a corner, Holly_________with caution, and so I followed her gaze to the path ahead. There, sunning itself in the middle of the track, was a brown_________. This time it was my _________to get scared; I was on a nervous horse, leading a group of eight inexperienced pre-teen riders. Unexpectedly, Holly was firmly__________, ears forward. With the snake in her sight, she was no longer worried.

I have heard that horses have a better sense of__________ than dogs. I hadn't seen it __________ before that moment.__________, while we waited in reality for just a second or two - but for what felt like a century - the snake awoke and glided calmly off into the bush.

Holly then__________, leading the horses with caution and care. She had been alert to danger and had been __________for the safety of us all. Following in the footsteps or their lead mare, not one of the other horses showed any fear.

5 . From the time I went to flea markets with Daddy, I have been _______ about antiques. Yesterday’s treasures ground us in what’s lasting and true.

Then I heard about a _______ antiques venue; the tiny Texas town Round Top. Antiques dealer and show promoter Emma Lee Turney invited the best dealers to _______ their antiques for one week. Some 6,000 vintage devotees(古董爱好者) _______ there.

So in 1995, I went _______ to see what all the hit was about. Highway 237, a two lane country road, was _______ with vendor(摊贩)tents. I hadn’t gone four yards when I _______ a small brown-and yellow teapot. Majolica! I’d only seen the European china in magazines. Two tents down, a seen-better-days farm table _______ me. I felt a kinship(亲切感)with its _______ top and carved initials. “Chips and dents(凹痕)are where the ________ is,” the vendor said. I rubbed shoulders with shoppers and left with great satisfaction.

I loved it all so much, and I ________ five years ago.

Emma Lee Turney ________ this year, but she lived to see her idea become a global ________ ,with thousands of antiques vendors. And to be ________ the mayor of Round Top, one candidate, Mark Massey, raised a campaign ________ —Keep Round Top, Round Top. The sign welcoming visitors says Round Top’s population is 90, but the ________ during Antiques Week in April and October ________ to 90,000.

I’d come for vintage ________. But there’s something that couldn’t be put in the ________: the assurance that there’s nothing that can’t be repurposed for greater glory. The magic of Round Top ________ me. Ninety-one people can’t be wrong!

7 . In 2016, Yu Yongguang, a teacher at the Jiangsu University, saw a Yangtze finless porpoise (江豚) for the first time in a newspaper. He found himself _________ by the “smile” of the porpoise. Two months later, Yu set up an on-campus association (协会) to protect the species in _________. At first, there were only seven members.

In recent years, his efforts have _________, and the association now has about 750 members. _________, thanks to close partnership with universities, government and non-profit organizations, the association has succeeded in _________ about 8,000 volunteers to contribute to the cute species’ _________.

With the development of the association, its work has gone far beyond _________ simple publicity activities. Under Yu’s leadership, his team members _________ the country’s first popular science book about the finless porpoise. They have also drew up various designs for a science popularization curriculum (科普课程) _________ different groups of people.

In addition, he has also __________ his team to the major habitats of the porpoise to conduct scientific study and environmental recording. Based on this work, the team has written a series of reports that include __________ suggestions on improving the habitat protection work. At present, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises is growing __________ and stands at around 1,000.

Yu said he never imagined that the small association he __________ would unite so many forces to protect the animals. He believes that the __________ of different parts of society together will see the number of finless porpoises continue to __________, and will also help the environment along the Yangtze River to improve continually.

8 . Winds howled. Branches shook. Rain poured down. A boy found _______ under a tree. Then he noticed a cat hiding under a bush. The cat meowed and raised a paw(爪)_______calling him over. The boy raced through the rain and took the cat. Just then, lightning _______ the tree.

When the rain stopped, the boy hurried home, with the cat in his arms. His mother saw the cat. “Not another mouth to _______!” she said, _______her head. “This cat saved my life,” the boy begged. “Please may I _______ it?” His mother insisted, “We have _______ enough food for ourselves. It must go.”

The boy watched sadly as the cat walked away and disappeared from _______.

The next day, the boy looked for the cat when he went fishing. But there’s no cat. And he hadn’t caught any_______. What would he and his mother eat for dinner?

That afternoon, the boy created a clay(黏土)cat with a ________ paw to look like the cat that had saved his life. He displayed it in the front window. A man stopped to buy it. The boy didn’t want to ________ another cat. But with that money, he could buy rice for dinner. The man left with the cat, and the boy rushed to the shop.

Day followed day. Each day, the boy watched for the cat. While he ________, he made another clay cat. Each day, a passer-by stopped to buy the clay cat.

And then one day, the cat ________, with a large fish in its mouth.

At dinner, the ________ of baking fish filling the house, the boy asked again, “Please may I keep it?” This time his mother ________ and smiled, “this is a good-luck cat.”