1 . Driving lessons are quite normal for teenagers across the country. But for Jessica Parks, a young woman from North Branch, Mich, they mean another great ______ she's eager to overcome.

Jessica was born without arms, but was not ______ wearing prosthetics (假肢). So she has learned to do ______ things with her feet—from eating noodles to putting in contact lenses (隐形眼镜). She is no stranger to difficulties but the ______ remained: How well would she drive?

After ______ her seatbelt across her with her foot and buckling in, she ______ the directions of instructor Larry Klug and makes all of her last-minute adjustments with her ______ , as they prepare to leave the parking lot. Klug talks her through a pre-drive checklist, “Put your blinker (转向灯) on; check your centre mirror; ______ your left mirror.”

Jessica is driving a mid-size car that wasn't modified (改装) at all for her purposes. After seeing her ability to drive Klug decided that she didn't need any ______ devices. It should come as no ______ to anyone that after spending hours driving with Jessica, Klug ______ her a natural, saying she's going to be a great driver.

One of Jessica's main ______   now is to get her driver's license. Jessica says she thinks about the ______ challenges she's faced and overcome, and about why she's here. She said, “I guess I was put here as a(n) ______ to others—just to show people that whatever they set their mind to, they can get it done, and it doesn't ______ what other people say or think. If you want to do something, you can do it.”

2 . My family went to London for visiting specialists. The day before we _______ the ship, Father said goodbye gently to his five-year-old “friend”, an Australian cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy kept him _______ while we were overseas.

Six weeks later, a _______ arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had _______ just two weeks after we had sailed. I will always remember my father’s face _______ and his eyes filled with sadness as he read the letter. Sandy has _______ constantly on ABC radio and other local newspapers. _______ , the dog was never found later. Spider seemed to decide to _______ us elsewhere.

Finally, we made a _______. We sailed back and did everything that we could do ________ waiting. Several months passed but there was still no news concerning. My father took the ________ and kept looking for him.

One cold morning eight months after, my father had a call from an old lady who said she was putting food out “for a very old dog”. My father’s eyes were lighted up with ________. That was enough for my father to ________ immediately. When we arrived at the old lady’s house, she showed us the dog. It was Spider! My father did his special whistle (口哨) for Spider. “Woof!” he barked. Spider was capturing (捕捉) the ________ feeling that occurred when he first locked eyes with my father. To Spider, our ________ and love are the inspiration.

4 . Many people think that being healthy is a difficult task that involves lots of dieting and time at the gym.     1     By supporting your body and mind, making some simple changes to your routine, and setting small goals for yourself, you can be on the path toward living a healthier, happier life.

Drink more water. Adults should drink 2 — 3 liters of water per day, while children should drink 1 — 2 liters.     2     Water keeps your body at the correct temperature and removes poison and maintains homeostasis (体内平衡). Water also clears your skin, helps to control your appetite, and keeps you energized.

    3     Every time you get moving you put yourself at risk for injury, so make sure you’re doing it right! You should always be drinking water during your workouts. Take breaks! It isn't being lazy; it's being healthy. After 30 minutes or so of exercise, grab your water bottle and lighten up. Your body needs a second to catch up. You'll be able to go further in the long run.

Think positively. A simple positive change on a situation can turn an challenge into an opportunity. Not only will you have more interest for life, but your immune (免疫的) system can also fight off colds and heart disease better!     4     Think of two things you’re grateful for. Eventually, your mind will notice the pattern and stop the negativity before you have to do it.

Get a good night's rest. Getting too little sleep or poor-quality sleep not only makes you easier to get sick, but also increases the time you need to recover from illness. When you sleep well, you can wake up ready to go and be more active all day.     5    

5 . John Nichols was born in 1940 in Berkeley and raised in New York. Nichols began writing stories when he was 10 years old. By the time he entered college, he was writing at least one novel a year. “Never for credit, never for a class,” he said. “It was just one of the things that I did to interest and please myself.”

When he was 24 years old, he published his eighth novel, The Sterile Cuckoo, which was about a college student. After he wrote the novel, Nichols took a trip to Guatemala, and was shocked by the poverty (贫困) there. He returned from his trip really heartbroken.

Nichols went on to create more than 20 works, most centred around his adopted home of Northern New Mexico. He is best known for The Milagro Beanfield War and The Sterile Cuckoo, both of which were adapted into films.

Nichols moved from New York to Taos, New Mexico in 1969 where he went to work at a newspaper. In 1974, he published his best-known novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, which was turned into a film by Robert Redford in 1988.

“Nichols will be remembered for his clear-eyed view of human nature,” said Bill Nevins, a professor of Literature at the University of New Mexico. “I think people continue to go back to his books... to get a sense of what it's like to live in a multi-cultural nation.”

In 1992, Nichols said he wanted to create literature with a social conscience (良知), but he also wanted to create art. “I think that we live in such a culture where anyone can act positively, even if they're only painting pictures of sunflowers,” he said. It was the beauty and the wonder of our lives that he wanted to show in his work.

7 . Large earthquakes could be identified months or even years in advance by finding unique signals, according to a new research from a team of German researchers.

The research suggests more exact earthquake warning systems require more local and regional sites that can find underground signals. Along with this, finding second faults(断层)after the main rupturing (断裂) fault would further increase the exactness of these readings.

To find this out, the team led by Dr Patricia Martinez-Garzon studied the Kahramanamras earthquake that shook Turkey in early 2023. They found that there was an increase in the earthshaking event rates and larger energy release starting around eight months before the earthquakes.

These signals were found within 65 km of the epicenter (震中). Although the main rupture occurred on a fault line and in an area that was known to be the cause of earthquakes, signals before the event took place both on the main and secondary faults, which hadn’t received much attention from scientists in the past.

Now, short-term prediction (预测) of earthquake size, time and location is just possible. The scientists behind this study believe that long-term finding is seminal to help build our understanding of earthquakes and future events.

But not everyone, including Bill McGuire, professor at UCL, agrees with how useful this could be. “While this is interesting from a scientific viewpoint, it is unlikely that knowing a big earthquake might be on the way within months or years really gets us any further forward in preparing for them,” he says. “The only useful prediction of future earthquakes is arguably the one that exactly fixes the location of a coming quake and its timing to within a few weeks, so as to move people to a safe place.”

Located on a huge rock in the forests of central Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is an     1     (attract) sight now as it must have been when it was first built by a great king in the     2     (five) century A. D. Meaning “lion’s rock”, Sigiriya is entered by way of passageways cut into the rock face.

The castle was later covered by the forest, and only familiar to local villagers. Outsiders used knowledge of its past, mentioned in Buddhist texts, to search     3     the ancient site. In1827, a Scottish officer, Jonathan Forbes, on     4     (hear) local stories about the castle, decided     5     (look) for it. In 1831, he set off to where locals told him and found the remains of the ancient city.

Sigiriya     6     (build) by Kashyapa I, the king     7     ruled the native Sinhalese dynasty, the Moriya. The impressive castle was     8     capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until Kashyapa was defeated (击败) in A. D. 495.

After Kashyapa, dynasties rose and fell, their fortunes shaped by internal (内部的) power struggles and conflicts between native Sinhalese and outside forces from India.

Various     9     (city) held the status (地位) of capital after Sigiriya, such as Polonnaruwa. By the 12th century, however, overall control of Sri Lanka progressively weakened. Sinhalese power retreated (撤退) to the southwest of the island, and the former administrative (行政的) centres, including Sigiriya,     10     (start) to fall into disuse.

10 . Powerful Quotes To Help You Find Your Way When You Feel Lost

Everyone has moments in their lives when they feel a little lost, and it is at these times that we begin to question who we are and what the purpose of life is. Many people have struggled with similar emotions before us.     1    

    2     It can happen to anyone at any time. If you are currently going through such a period in your life, powerful quotations will undoubtedly be beneficial. They will always act in your best interests and direct you in the right direction.

Powerful quotations about feeling lost will encourage you to search within and discover how you truly are. With all of life’s ups and downs, it’s simple to feel like your life is meaningless, that there is no hope for the future.     3    

Perhaps you’ve become lost in your work, your relationship, or your parental responsibilities.     4     Powerful quotations will aid in your self-understanding and boost your confidence so that you can design the life you love.

You need to understand that you are not alone if you’re feeling lost.     5     Because things will pass and get better. It Make an effort to show yourself enough love and attention. Enjoy life as it comes to you and take your time.