1 . For nearly a decade now, Merebeth has been a self-employed pet transport specialist. Her pet transport job was born of the financial crisis(危机)in the late 2000s. The downturn hit the real estate (房地产)firm where she had worked for ten years as an office manager. The firm went broke and left her looking for a new job. One day, while driving near her home, she saw a dog wandering on the road, clearly lost. She took it home, and her sister in Denver agreed to take it. This was a loving home for sure, but 1, 600 miles away. It didn’t take long for Merebeth to decide to drive the dog there herself. It was her first road trip to her new job.

Merebeth’s pet delivery service also satisfies her wanderlust. It has taken her to every state in the US except Montana, Washington and Oregon, she says proudly. If she wants to visit a new place, she will simply find a pet with transport needs there. She travels in all weathers. She has driven through 55 mph winds in Wyoming, heavy flooding and storms in Alabama and total whiteout conditions in Kansas.

This wanderlust is inherited from her father, she says. She moved their family from Canada to California when she was one year old, because he wanted them to explore a new place together. As soon as she graduated from high school she left home to live on Catalina Island off the Californian coast, away from her parents, where she enjoyed a life of sailing and off-road biking.

It turns out that pet transporting pays quite well at about $30, 000 per year before tax. She doesn’t work in summer, as it would be unpleasantly hot for the animals in the car, even with air conditioning. As autumn comes, she gets restless—the same old wanderlust returning. It’s a call she must heed alone, though. Merebeth says, “When I am on the road, I’m just in my own world. I’ve always been independent-spirited and I just feel strongly that I must help animals.”

3 . Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer

Harrogate Music Festival

Since its birth, Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength. This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti, presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.

Dates:1 June-31 July

Tickets:£12-£96

Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes

As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor, on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.

We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May, at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required (info@middletonlodge.co.uk)

Dates:23 May-11 July

Tickets: £7.50 per session

Felt Picture Making

Working from an inspirational picture, this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.

We will also discuss the origins of felt, what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.

Dates: 12 June-12 July

Tickets: £40 including materials

Figure It Out!-Playing with Math

A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid, and much more. Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.

Dates:7 May-10 June

Tickets: Free

4 . I was always timid (羞怯的). Being new to the school made me even ________ , so it was surprising I’d ________ to anyone around me. Now I was paying the price — to write a five-page essay on “Why I Should Not Talk in Class”. That would take all night!

After I got home, though. I took my time petting the cat-postponing the pain.

When I finally sat down to ________, I began with the reasons Ms. Black would want to hear.

Talking kept me and my neighbours from ________. One paragraph down; now what? I chewed on my pencil. Aha! What if talking were the first step towards life as a criminal? Without the education I was throwing away, I’d turn to theft and go to prison. When I got out, people would say, “She used to talk in class.” The pages began ________.

But when mum got home from work, I was still ________, “Five pages! That’s impossible!”

“Well, you’d better get back to work,” she said. “and I want to read it when you’re through.”

Soon after dinner, I handed the essay to mum. I half expected a________— at least an “I hope you’ve learned your lesson”. ________, mum laughed and laughed as she read.

The next day, when Ms. Black read the essay to the class, everyone laughed. I could ________ they weren’t making fun of me: they laughed because I had the power to tell a funny story. My________ still needed some nudging (激发), but I did learn I wasn’t shy in print.

5 . The International Olympic Committee(IOC)Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty-five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four-year period. They promote the Olympic values, spreading the message of sport for good.

To be an IOC Young Leader, you need to first complete the 4-Week Learning Sprint (冲刺).

4-Week Learning Sprint

The 4-Week Learning Sprint, which will take place during November 2023, is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week, participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.

The 4-Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone, with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.

After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint, you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project, which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.

Requirements for the Applicants

•You have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint.

•You have completed your high school studies.

•You have at least one year of work experience.

•You have strong public speaking skills.

•You are self-motivated and committed.

•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.

•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers (同伴).

•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.

Nina has run marathons in 32 countries. All of her runs have a guiding purpose: to call attention     1     global water issues. Nina recently finished her year-long series of runs in Chicago,     2     thousands were attending a water conference.She called for action     3    (address)the struggles of people around the world     4    (face) “too little water or too dirty water”. Her efforts have encouraged others to take part by running through a global campaign called“Run Blue”.

Mangroves, known as “red forest” in China, grow between land and sea, characterised by their complex roots. When     1    (see) from afar, the mangrove forests appear more splendid.

Mangroves can help soften waves and protect     2    (city) from coastal winds. For these reasons, they are praised as “coastal guardians”. Up to now, China     3    (establish) a number of protected areas with mangroves.

Every culture is riddled with unwritten rules, such as ones on punctuality (守时). I’m British. Soon after moving to Switzerland, I     1    (throw) a house-warming party and was greatly surprised when all 30 guests showed up     2    (exact) on time. Years later, having moved to France. I turned up at the appointed hour for a dinner, only to find that no other guest    3    (arrive) and my hostess was still in her sleeping suit.