In a small village called Brightville, there lived three friends: Kimberley, John and Alicia. They were all students at Brightville High School. Kimberley was a hardworking and determined girl; John was a curious and creative boy; and Alicia was a kind and helpful girl. They shared a common dream of achieving their goals through education.

On a sunny day, the three friends gathered at their favorite spot near the village river. They often met there to discuss their dreams and motivate each other. Kimberley always emphasized (强调) the importance of studying and setting goals. John loved exploring new things and finding creative ways to learn. Alicia, with her caring nature, always supported and encouraged her friends.

One day, they came across an old abandoned library in the heart of Brightville. The library was filled with dust-covered books. Kimberley saw this as an opportunity for their dreams to come true. She suggested turning the library into a learning center for the village.

The three friends spent months cleaning, organizing and renewing the library. They reached out to the villagers, and soon, volunteers joined them to set up the learning center. They created a friendly and welcome environment where students could come to study, read books, and seek help.

Word about the learning center spread throughout the village. Students from all ages and backgrounds started attending. Kimberley, John and Alicia devoted their after-school hours to tutoring (指导) the students. They understood that education was not just about memorizing facts but also about nurturing curiosity and passion for learning.

As days turned into months, they saw the effect of their hard work.

The success of the learning center in Brightville caught the attention of the local government.

I often go to a certain cafe when I wish to work away from home, where I face many of my self-created distractions.

Once when I stood in line at the cafe, I looked at a large number of pastries (油酥点心) that attracted me, and was thinking which pastry I was going to choose with my cup of tea. At that time, I realized the line wasn’t moving as smoothly as I had wished it would. I was in no particular rush, but noticed this thought surface. When I became aware of this, it promoted me to look at the two individuals before me.

One was an elderly woman perhaps in her 70s. She seemed to fumble (摸索) in her change purse and inquired in detail about the prices. It was then evident that she ordered iced tea as well as a pastry, but did not have enough money for both. She decided on the pastry and left the iced tea behind. Seeing this made my heart sink. I watched her walk away and sit down at a table nearby.

At that time I found myself deeply involved in the scene. I found myself confused as I had originally thought the woman behind the elderly woman was her friend. I kept observing.

The woman behind the elderly lady, then placed her order. And my eyes did not follow her to where she sat.

I smiled at the person at the counter and then proceeded to buy my cup of tea, along with the pastry. But then I gazed over the person’s shoulder to where the iced tea was standing. So, I asked if it could be added to my order. My request was met with slight confusion, but I did not feel inspired to share at the time what my next move would be.

As I walked over to the table where the elderly woman had sat down, I noticed she was no longer there, but the pastry was uneaten on her plate. I took a quick look around and saw her coming back. I very quickly placed the iced tea on the table and then made my way to the rest room.

Upon my return, to my surprise I noticed both the women were sitting together.

However, the other thought that surfaced in my mind was that of judgment.

4 . “You’d be an intermediate (中级学生),” the clever salesgirl at the Apple Store said brightly. She was talking about the free classes one could sign up for. An intermediate, I thought with pride. “I’ve used Macs since they had green text and discs,” I said, eager to strengthen my position. “And I had a Mac Classic for years.” She smiled, or maybe she was thinking, “If it’s been that long, why are you still an intermediate?”

Why does one remain an intermediate? Sometimes it’s a matter of opportunity: Leaving New England was a blow to my cross-country skiing. No longer living on the banks of a river held up kayaking. Horseback riding, too, requires an opportunity. I know, however, a friend I rode with as a child bought herself a retired police horse in her 40s. A devoted kayaker would not have been prevented by the highways lying between her and rivers.

Sometimes, it’s ability. I have taken up piano later in life. I love music, but I can see that I have no particular gift for it. Gardening was another late job. I wasn’t a natural at that, either.

I admit I’m a little ashamed of being an intermediate. It seems to imply a lack of focus, an unwillingness to push myself to go deeper or further. Do I lack the persistence to become an expert? Am I too easily distracted to put in the 10,000 hours reportedly required to achieve mastery?

Maybe I have to accept that, for now at least, intermediate is my sweet spot. I’ve moved past the frustrations of beginnerhood without meeting the demands of expertise. A beginner is a beginner and an expert is just that. But an intermediate can be low, medium, or high. And wherever you are as an intermediate, you can always go forward, try harder, and learn more.

Who of us can claim to be an expert parent, wife, husband, child, or friend? At best, we’re the high intermediate with much to learn.

9 . This forum is the first of its kind since China put forward the goal of “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral”. It will be held ______ and offline for three days, including the opening and closing ______, two keynote forums and six parallel sub-forums. About 400 guests ______ domestic and foreign government departments, international organizations, academia and business communities attended the conference to discuss ______ and measures to promote green and low-carbon development in different fields.

“Hunan province and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have jointly hosted four Asia-Pacific Green and Low-carbon Development Summits, which have not only yielded outstanding ______ in opening-up and cooperation, but also ______ together many innovative achievements.” Chen Wenhao, vice governor of Hunan Province, said the Forum has become an ______ platform for exchanges and cooperation in green and low-carbon development and an important medium for publicity and promotion of green and low-carbon technologies.

In recent years, Hunan has always adhered to the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon ______ . Over the past five years, the province's investment in ecological environment has increased by 16% annually, unsafe, backward and substandard environmental protection production capacity has been basically ______ up, and the total output value of the environmental protection ______ has reached nearly 300 billion yuan. The ______ amount of pollution emission continues to decrease. The forest coverage rate is 59.96%, the wetland protection rate is 75.77%, the forest stock volume is 588 million cubic meters, and the proportion of days with good urban ______ quality reaches 91.7%. The blue sky, clear water and green mountains are becoming the beautiful name cards of Hunan.

“Hunan will adhere to the green transformation as the driving force, and ______ the second phase of cooperation memorandum with ADB, ______ the development and application of green and low-carbon technology, clarify the timetable, road map and construction drawing of carbon peak development, establish and improve the production ______, circulation system and consumption system of green and low-carbon circular development.” Chen wenhao said the government should turn ecological advantages into development advantages and speed up efforts to turn “clear waters and lush mountains” into “mountains of gold and silver.”