Zhang Guimei, who has dedicated her 40 years to education at China’s southwestern border,     1     (be) a “mother” for more than 170 children and a principal motivating young girls from poor families in     2     (mountain) areas.

Teaching at a middle school in Huaping county, she saw many girls drop     3     of school due to poverty. It saddened her very much and made her realize that an educated female is able to cut the intergenerational transmission of poverty and change the future of three     4     (generation). In 2002, Zhang started her preparation to build a free all-girls high school, in hope of changing the destiny of the girls in the mountain     5     lifting them out of poverty.

In 2007, Zhang went to Beijing for the 17th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress as a deputy. Her report,     6     title was “I have a dream” made her dream of building a free all-girls high school known to all. Later, both Lijiang and Huaping governments     7     (sponsor) her with much money for many years, Zhang’s school was completed, becoming the first free all-girls high school in China.

The school,     8     (bear) to fight against poverty, is a shelter for a number of girls in that area. During the past 13 years, the school has nurtured over 1,800 students who have made it to universities.

Zhang suffers from 23 diseases, including heart disease and emphysema, but she is still working selflessly. She gets up at 5:00 am and is always the first one among all the stuff     9     (arrive) at school. She also checks how the classes are going three times a day. Zhang has made over 1,600 family visits annually for the past 12 years, covering     10     total distance of 110,000 kilometers.

5 . Tired of the busy and chaotic life in Las Vegas, Nevada for nearly ten years, my family and I decided to slow down to lead an eco-friendly life. None of us felt that this could be _________ where we were living and we all agreed that a move to the country would be great for everyone.

Before long we _________ looking for a home in Yucca, Arizona, a very small town of less than 1,000 people. When I called to inquire about the property, I was _________ that there was no electricity available in the area. What? No electricity? I almost _________ the idea immediately. But what better way is there to go green? After giving it a second _________, we _________ to put in an offer and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.

When we first moved to the property, we did some _________ and stayed in our motor home. We were faced with real challenges at the time. But the _________ just made us work harder. We slowly got things fixed and moved into the house after 38 days.

While living here for the past four months has been a big adjustment, there are many _________ to living off the grid (电网). I think one of the most __________ lessons is teaching my kids the importance of __________. We started taking quicker showers, doing only full loads of laundry, turning off the water while brushing our teeth. __________, we are also trying to make other changes which include reducing the amount of trash we generate by __________, growing our own organic vegetables and re-purposing things that we would __________ throw.

Overall, going off the grid has been __________ to our family. I hope that once my kids move out of the house, they will keep the habits that they have learned by living off the grid.

6 . Travelling abroad can present many challenges, including long journeys, language problems, and culture shocks, plus the expense of transport and accommodation. However, there’s rarely a dull moment when you’re in a different country.     1    

One of the wonderful benefits of going abroad is that you can learn history and culture without real effort. There’s a natural tendency to absorb other cultures and pick up historical concepts, while enjoying yourself at the same time.     2    

Another great benefit is that living in a foreign culture is the only real way to fully understand its language.     3     Even if you’re a complete beginner and only manage to pick up a few key phrases of the local language, you still know more than when you arrive.

    4     People in other countries can demonstrate different ways of doing things and alternative ways of being. It can open up your mind and generate new ideas. A direct encounter with a fresh expression of arts, religions, architecture, and food can contribute to an enlightening and valuable experience.

Removing yourself from the familiar and travelling to a new country can be a very powerful tool for gaining self-awareness and deeper understanding. The new land gives you a fresh social environment.     5     Perhaps ironically, visiting a foreign country can also teach you things about your homeland. You get to view your land of birth from another perspective and have something to compare it with.