1 . My son, Ben, died when he was 23. The year after his death, I hiked 48 of the state’s tallest mountains in his memory. Every step, path and peak has been a way to recover.

About a month after his death, my husband and I hiked Carter Dome and Mount Hight. Standing on the peak, I looked out across the mountains my son loved. For a moment, the heavy blow brought about by Ben’s death faded into the timeless expanse, and I could breathe again.

The next weekend found us on Mount Moosilauke. Then Mount Cannon, Mount Flume, Mount Liberty and so on. It was a series of firsts, of struggles and overcoming them — climbing at night, climbing slides and rocks, camping alone, finding paths and planning routes.

Six days before the anniversary of Ben’s death, I hiked my 48^th and final peak: Mount Carrigain. As I stood on the observation platform at the peak, I found the essential truth I had been grasping to express for months: The only place that feels vast enough to hold sorrow this deep and wide is the top of a mountain, looking out into forever.

These days, I hike not to hide, but to seek. I find Ben, but I also find myself: someone broken, now braver and more capable. The forced isolation of sorrow becomes the welcome loneliness of the path; the peace of nature replaces the pain of loss. Hiking is both exhausting and exciting, and it teaches us that sorrow and joy can coexist.

But there’s another, possibly more important truth: A hike is not the only way to find the peace of the natural world; a simple walk along a park path can have a similar effect. The internal journey of sorrow mixes with our steps, and we find comfort along the way.

2 . “Anxiety.” The very word invites discomfort. Its effects — shortness of breath, pounding heart, muscle tension — are definitely upsetting. But, as a clinician, I find that we tend to miss out on many valuable opportunities presented by this human emotion. In and of itself, anxiety is not deadly, nor is it a disease. Quite the contrary: it is an indicator of brain and sensory health. Once we accept that it is a normal, though uncomfortable, part of life, we can use it to help us.

We all know working out at the gym is hard. By nature, a “good workout” is uncomfortable, since it involves pushing our physical strength past what we can easily do. The sweet spot of exercise is always a somewhat challenging experience. Similarly, if you want to be emotionally stronger, you need to face some tension. For example, one effective treatment for fear is exposure therapy (疗法), which involves gradually being exposed to things that make one anxious, reducing fear over time.

Humans are social creatures. When my patients learn to open up to their partners about their anxieties, they almost always report a greater sense of emotional closeness. Also, as international relationship expert Sue Johnson teaches, when we express our need for connection during challenging moments (e.g., “I’m having a hard time right now and could really use your support”), it creates greater connection and turns our anxiety into love.

From time to time, we find ourselves at the end of our rope. Our responsibilities pile up, our resources break down, and we feel uncomfortably anxious—what we’re experiencing is called stress. Simply put, the demands placed upon us outweigh our available resources, just like a set of scales (天平) going out of balance. Focusing on work and pretending everything is OK only leads to disastrous results. Medical treatment for stress may function for a while, but it tends to make things worse in the long run. The only solution to dealing with stress is to do the mathematics to balance the scales.

3 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.

Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear (风切变). Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks down those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really intensifying. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast of Mexico and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.

“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”

4 . I had been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So, it was a _________ when I found myself lost there.

One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden _________ to hike the hill with my two daughters. Excited, putting on our snowshoes, we immediately _________ northwestwards. While making our way up the hill, my daughters stopped occasionally to investigate unknown plants and to look at the abandoned deer beds… These really made their _________.

As the shadows started to _________, we moved further up. Soon, tiredness began to _________ enthusiasm. We decided to return. Instead of backtracking over our _________ route, I chose to walk down a different path, _________ my general sense that ahead of us lay the stream that would guide us to the road. But as the terrain (地形) leveled out, I had my first major moment of _________: Where was the stream? Were we off course?

I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it __________ in my hand in the cold air. Admittedly, I started feeling a bit __________. However, I quickly __________ myself, reassuring my daughters to continue walking. Focusing on the landmarks, I spotted a familiar tree and eventually __________ the road.

That winter’s day taught me a valuable __________about habitual reliance on technology. If my phone had worked then, I might have directly followed the GPS, ignoring the old __________ of depending on surroundings and life skills.

Qipao, a traditional dress for females in China, is generally considered as one of the perfect examples of traditional Chinese costumes. Though     1     (debate) by experts about the exact time of its occurrence, it is generally believed     2     Qipao originated from a type of Manchurian female garment in the Qing Dynasty. It developed and was popularized soon during the Republican Period. Under the influence of     3     (celebrity) in Shanghai and even politicians of the time, it reached its peak in the 1930s and 1940s.

Qipao, which is usually made     4     satin, brocade (锦缎), silk or cotton, mainly     5     (feature) a stand-up collar, Chinese knotted buttons, the left lapel (翻领) over the right, a tight-fitting waist and hemmed slits (开衩) on both sides. Two major styles of modern Qipao     6     (establish) in the progression, namely the Shanghai style and the Beijing style. The former,     7     (absorb) western elements of design and tailoring, leads the fashion trend.

Wearing Qipao, a natural result of women’s pursuit of intellectual     8     (free), carries a symbolic sense of promoting gender equality. Later on, the priority of Qipao shifted from a     9     (politics) expression to decorative emphasis. Till today, it is not just a symbol of fashion     10     a timeless classic, an irreplaceable cultural heritage in the fashion world.

10 . Last year, I decided to explore Antarctica alone. To get some experience, I _________ for a two-week training course. I learned all the _________: how to camp in the snow and what clothing to wear.

In October, I flew to Antarctica from Punta Arenas. I’d planned to finish the adventure within 70 days, which would make it the longest _________ one-way exploration across Antarctica. I just took such basic _________ as food and clothing, and set off alone.

The first few days were _________. The wind was as fast as about 60 mph, and my sled weighed more than 120 kg. Even if the visibility (能见度) was good, I couldn’t _________ much-it’s white everywhere. I was on the move for 13 to 15 hours a day. Then, the conditions became even worse. During the last 40 hours, the wind blew so hard that I _________ about 14 times every two hours. After I _________ 922 miles, I felt too weak and had to ask for a helicopter to pick me up. The _________ I felt when I saw the helicopter in the distance was unbelievable.

Although I fell more than 100 miles short of my __________, I am proud of what I’ve __________. After the trip, I have realized that it’s __________ to change our initial goals. I don’t __________ with those who insist on conquering (征服) somewhere. Instead, I think we should treat places with __________ and hope they’ll allow us __________ passage.