1 . My passion has always been caring for animals. That’s why I _________ at Bidcawee. Bideawee is a shelter (收容所) for cats and dogs, where all the animals are equally _________. Whether the cat or the dog stays for a day or years, each one has a special place in my heart.

Most of the shelter dogs are so gentle and friendly that they cause me to wonder why no one has taken them _________ yet. The others need a bit of _________ and love to warm up, but once they _________ you, you fall in love with them. One of my favorites is a dog called Lola. She always bark at strangers. However, once she sees you often and gets _________ around you, she greets you with her tail wagging (摇摆), side to side.

A common characteristic with all of the dogs, though, is that they can adapt to changes and _________ the life at the shelter. And that’s what I find so amazing about them. Timmy is a 7-year-old dog that was _________ after around six years with his owner. Nevertheless, he doesn’t just stay there, thinking about the past and _________ bis person to come back. Instead, he focuses on the __________ and is friendly with everyone. A two-year-old dog called Noob lost leg in a car accident. However, he plays with other four-legged dogs __________, as if the injury didn’t bother him.

Bidcawee constantly __________ their volunteers, but to me, they have done more for me than I could ever give to them. I truly enjoy every moment I __________ at this animal shelter, which gives me a __________ to be with all these lovely dogs and cats. It is definitely one of my most rewarding __________.

2 . Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune is widely considered one of the best sci-fi books ever written. It is also one of the first to take environmental concerns_________.

“It’s really calling attention to the_________ to think ecologically,” says Gerry Canavan, co-editor of the history of science fiction. “Prior to that moment, people just weren’t thinking in that way.”

Herbert _________ to find a publisher for Dune, facing 23 rejections before it was finally _________ by Chilton Book Company. As the book gained_________ -winning two most prestigious(有声望的)prizes in science fiction and eventually selling around 20 million copies_________ -it began to affect pop culture.

Dune _________ the environmental movement, which Herbert largely embraced. “I’m _________ to be put in the position of telling my grandchildren ‘Sorry, no more world for you. We have _________ all the resources,’” Herbert said at the first Earth Day in 1970.

Herbert was one of the earliest to__________ renewable energy ,installing(安装) his own solar collector and windmill. He believed that understanding the__________ of human actions could reduce environmental damage.

The __________ for Dune came from Herbert’s visit to Oregon’s sand dunes in 1957, where he __________ efforts to stabilize the landscape from local people. His novel serves as a cautionary tale about humanity’s relationship with the environment and the disastrous effects of __________ resource exploitation(开发).Dune challenges readers to consider the impact of their actions on the planet and serves as a__________ of the importance of sustainable living.

3 . Our family was sitting on the porch swing enjoying the summer breeze when my husband pointed to something on the swing’s chain next to him. We _______ forward to see a large praying mantis (螳螂) attaching to the chain. We held our _______ and watched, not wanting to scare it away. We sat and _______ chatted for the next half hour as we watched the insect _______ up and down the chain. It seemed _______ by our presence, and we were _______ to observe its slow, precise movements.

We wouldn’t have _______ it if my husband had not pointed it out. Too often, we move through life, _______ of the beautiful blessings surrounding us each day. The _______ of sitting and watching an insect for half an hour is something I do not want to ________ for granted. Too often, I define myself by my productivity. I start my morning with a checklist and ________ my worth by how much I get done by the day’s end.

I’m learning to ________ my tireless striving for productivity and simply ________ the gifts of this beautiful world when I see them. Each creature displays a small ________. To sit and watch a unique bug like a praying mantis is an act of admiration. I think I’ll ________ and sit for a while in search of another beautiful bug just to appreciate the beauty of nature.

4 . Best friends Anna and Betty were at camp. Suddenly Anna let out a scream, _________ by a spider in their room. Just then, camp instructor Clare entered the girls’ room. _________, Anna pointed to a dusty comer of the ceiling, whispering, “Spider!”

“I bet it is _________ of you, too!” Clare joked. _________, both the girls were too nervous to laugh.

Anna grasped Betty’s sweaty palm, _________ hard, saying, “it is so big!”

“Will it bite us?” Betty asked hesitantly.

Clare answered confidently, “No, it won’t. It’s probably here because of the weather. Look outside! It’s _________ out there while your room is warm and dry.” Betty breathed a sigh of _________. Clare continued to explain that the spider Anna saw was a common harmless house spider.

Suddenly, Anna screamed again, “There it is! I see it!” She _________ up so fast that she bumped into the wall a few meters behind her. There, just behind the door, was their unwanted _________.

Out of __________, Betty appeared with a broom in her hand, ready to attack the spider. Clare __________her back and took the broom away, gently placing the spider in a pot. She __________ the girls to follow her. “Since the rain has stopped, let’s __________ it into the garden,” suggested Clare.

The girls nodded in agreement as they observed Clare in __________. They developed a newfound appreciation for the delicate balance of nature, turning their __________ fright into an adventure of learning and respect.

6 . Joy is a Teacher Naturalist Assistant at the Audubon Center, a non-profit connecting people with nature. A big part of her _________ is giving urban youth the chance to spot wildlife, and gain a greater _________ of nature. ”If things go well, she says, “at the end of the tour, students who used to be _________ even by bees will no longer be afraid of insect bites, and will _________ handle mud, and whatever little moving _________ they can catch. ”

Joy values most the _________ that show how much this opportunity means to the students. She _________ one particularly long day. One boy had been misbehaving a lot, frightening away the wildlife. At the end of the tour, _________ he ran to her.

“Miss, ” he said, “It was _________ to pet the fur of those dead animals. “

It wasn’t how Joy would normally refer to the specimens (标本) of animal fur, but she knew what the boy meant. He looked over the river banks, __________ for a moment as if he was weighing something in his mind.

“This place is really amazing, he __________ said. “This has been the best field trip we’ve ever been on, ever.

Joy grew up in a little village in England. She fondly remembers __________ nature walks with Girl Scout volunteers. They helped her __________ her life-long passion for nature, which she wants to share with children today. Like all volunteers, Joy has a __________ for looking at the world through the eyes of her students. ”Maybe only five out of every hundred children will come back, but for many, the experiences will __________ their entire lives, she said.

7 . A sheep in Scotland, known as the “loneliest sheep”, was stuck at the bottom of a cliff for over two years. A group of farmers made it their _________ to rescue the sheep. The sheep was first _________ in 2021 by a kayaker (皮划艇运动员) and had been unable to move from that _________ since then. Local agencies were _________ but said the sheep was not in danger and could not be rescued. One of the farmers, Wilson, named the sheep Fiona and provided _________ about her on his social media account.

Wilson explained that it was too _________ to attempt a rescue earlier due to the dangerous location of the sheep. He expressed concerns about the safety of the rescuers and the difficulty of _________ the sheep by boat or with a dog. However, after careful _________, Wilson and four other men successfully rescued Fiona using heavy _________ and a winch (绞车). They __________ brought her to the slope of the cliff.

The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was present to __________ the welfare of the sheep. They confirmed that Fiona was in good __________ but needed her wool to be sheared (剪).The ownership of the sheep was transferred to the __________ group of farmers.

Wilson __________ the risks involved in the rescue and expressed gratitude for the successful __________.

9 . I was first going into this final day, the Junior Sled Dog Championship. We’d trained two years and wanted to beat Blake. I knelt down to pat Kenai and my hands ______ from nerves and excitement. Kenai tipped up his face to lick my chin. “You are ______, aren’t you?”

Just before the count down started, Blake shot me a _____ grin, hands trembling too. Then I heard, “Go!”______ I could yell   “Hike!”, Kenai leaped forward. The rest of the dogs _____ after. We started last. We flew down the long hill. Then we ______ a corner. I leaned to keep the sled steady. Kenai saw Blake’s team before I did. His tail flew up, and he ______ . Seeing his tongue still flopping forward, I let him go all out. We closed the ______. A bridge later, we inched closer. On the next hill, Kenai drew even with Blake’s sled and then we passed it.

____ our sled hit a branch. The runners caught. I lost my ______ and fell off the sled. Witnessing the sled come to a stop, I struggled through the deep snow to Kenai. I ____. His shoulder was bleeding.

“Kenai! No!” My voice came out a howl. Kenai ______ to stand. He looked at me, his blue eyes______ to keep on. He would do it, too. For one frozen moment I saw myself on the winner’s stand with the trophy (奖杯). But no. I bent and gently ______ Kenai in a blanket.

The race vet examining Kenai, I watched Blake accept the trophy. Kenai squirming in my lap, I leaned over upon him. Just at that moment, I felt a warm tongue on my wet cheek. I smiled and realized that I had the ____ that really counted.