1 . Ryder was born with a serious illness and has never been able to walk. When he started attending preschool, he had to be _______ to the end of the road in the _______ to wait for his school bus by his parents every day. As Ryder was unable to _______ for this bus if he was late like his schoolmates, he would have to wait for up to 15 minutes out in whatever _______ there was. Although his father had _______ a patio (露台) umbrella at the end of his driveway to provide some _______ from harsh weather, he still would get wet.

Then his father _______ for help on Facebook looking to see if someone might have an old bus hut (小屋). After the post, he was suggested to reach out to the _______ class at Westerly High School.

_______ , he sent an email to Dan McKena, who had been teaching construction technology at Westerly High School, asking if he’d be ________ in this kind of project. Delightfully, Dan ________ with an “absolutely” and then he worked hard on the hut with his students for weeks.

The hut made of wood was ________ enough to shelter both Ryder and one of his parents or a nurse comfortably and was finally ________ to the home six weeks later. Now, Ryder ________ it every day and his parents wait inside it every day while they await his returning home. He considers the hut ________ and does like to hang out in it from time to time.

2 . Last summer, with my neck tight from too much time at the computer, I knew I needed to _________ into the woods. My husband wasn’t _________, but I really wanted to see the Perseids meteor shower (英仙座流星雨). I decided to go _________ on my own, which I’d never done before.

After throwing the sleeping bag and a few things to eat into the _________, I was on my way. I was a little _________ about being alone at first but put that feeling aside for the time being as I drove to my destination. Once I reached the camping _________, I asked the young attendant if she thought I’d be all right camping alone.

“Sure,” she said. I’m not sure what I expected her to say, but her answer was somewhat reassuring. I heard thunder. Not a great start to my _________. The one thing I don’t like is camping in the rain. By the time I reached my campsite, it was _________. Once the rain stopped, I found a spot for the _________. Putting it up turned out to be a straightforward process. This wouldn’t be so bad I thought.

After supper, I got the fire started easily. Looking up, I couldn’t see much of the sky __________ the trees. Once I zipped (拉上拉链) myself into the tent, I realized how much room there was. I loved that I could spread out and throw my clothes all over with no one to __________ about the mess. Solo camping __________ has its benefits.

Falling asleep quickly, I was awakened a few hours later by some __________. It sounded too large and loud to be a squirrel (松鼠) or a chipmunk (花栗鼠). __________, after a few minutes, it stopped, but I was __________ the rest of the night.

I didn’t think it was a good idea to __________ and look at the stars after all. As I lay there, I heard wolves in the distance and an owl (猫头鹰) calling. I was somewhat glad I was __________ to hear this little slice of nature.

The next morning, my neighbors talked about how a bear had visited in the night and knocked over some of their chairs and a small table. Fortunately, the bear hadn’t done any more __________ than that.

While I was disappointed at not seeing the shooting __________, I’m now a lot more __________ about camping by myself. Bear or no bear.

3 . For many, Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer and an opportunity to host a socially-distanced barbecue (an outdoor meal). But this national holiday—celebrated every year in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September—has revolutionary (革命性的) origins.

By the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution had made working life miserable for people around the world. In many places, workers toiled for at least 12 hours a day six days a week in mines, factories, railroads, and mills. This holiday actually originated in the US on May 1, 1866, in what came to be known as the Haymarket Riot, workers flooded Chicago streets to demand an eight-hour workday.

It would take another conflict in the American Midwest to make Labor Day a national holiday. On May 11, 1894, workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company, a railroad car manufacturer near Chicago, went on strike to protest their low wages and 16-hour workdays. In August 1893, James Kyle introduced federal legislation (立法) to make Labor Day a public holiday, but for ten months the legislation was put on hold. To quiet the strikers and their supporters, the Senate quickly passed the bill on June 22. The bill passed the House four days later and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law on June 28, 1894.

The holiday is more information May Day labor celebrations. Many observers relax at home or head to outdoor recreational activities, such as boating, barbecues, and camping. It may also be marked with fireworks shows and other events. Labor Day has also become associated with retail sales, as many shop owners try to take advantage of the customers’ day off. It is one of the largest sales events of the year. meaning retail employees actually have to work more on this day. Parades are the most common model of celebration, which often feature processions of labor groups.

4 . “I pray about everything,” I told my new colleague, Rae, as we sat outside our classrooms. It was the _________ of the school day, and the students had gone home. That was when Rae and I _________ to sit and talk about everything.

I had just moved to Ridgway where I got a（n）_________ at the elementary school. Rae’s classroom was next to mine, and we immediately felt _________ with each other, like old friends. That day, our conversation had turned to our _________. “I learned when I was little that God hears us and _________ prayer.” I explained why I believed this without _________.

“I learned from the nightly news that a Pennsylvania family _________ their home in a fire,” I began. “A gas leak（泄露）had _________ an explosion. __________ no one was hurt, but their home was seriously __________. I wanted to do something, but as a child, all I could do was pray. So every night I asked God to __________ the family.”

“A year later, I asked God to let me know whether I had helped. God __________ answered in a few weeks,” I told Rae. “In the Sunday magazine there was a story about the __________ family for whom I had been praying and how they had made a complete __________.” I sat back quietly, still __________ at what had happened.

“Describe the __________ of the magazine,” Rae said.

“It was a photo of the father with his son sitting on his lap.”

Rae remembered the cover __________. “That was my father and brother,” she said. “You were praying for us.”

Over 50 years have passed since Rae and I formed our __________ friendship, a friendship that began with prayer long before we ever __________.

5 . One thing that sets humans apart from other members of the animal kingdom is our tendency to develop customs and traditions. Here are some astonishing customs from around the world.

An odd custom associated with the United States is its complicated tipping culture. Unlike many other countries that don’t tip at all or that only tip in small amounts when the food is particularly good, tipping is actually mandatory at most restaurants in the US. To put it another way, customers have a duty to leave between 10-20 percent of the bill in tips. Wait staff rely on these tips for a living because legal wages for waiters are low. Furthermore, there are rules for tipping bartenders, delivery people and other service personnel. While some criticize this practice as irrational, there’s no doubt that tipping culture in the US gives an incentive for waiters and waitresses to provide better service.

Some countries find the act of pointing with the index finger to be rude. While members of most cultures would probably agree that pointing fingers, both literally and figuratively, isn’t exactly the nicest thing in the world, in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, this gesture can be seen as incredibly offensive. Instead, it is customary to gesture towards things with the thumb as this is seen as a more polite option. In many countries in Africa, pointing is reserved for inanimate objects only, not people.

Most societies around the world have rules about table manners. For western cultures, noisily consuming food is considered rude. In Japan, however, making slurping(啧啧响的)sounds while eating has an entirely different meaning. This might have something to do with the fact that in western countries, noodles are properly consumed by twirling(缠绕)them on a spoon before putting them in the mouth. Meanwhile, the Japanese simply slurp up their noodles without contorting them first, an act that is naturally noisier than the former. Making slurping sounds when eating noodles in Japan is a way of indicating that you’re rely enjoying them. Some scientists even argue slurping invites air into the mouth and actually enhances the noodles’ flavor.

6 . Most Famous Paintings in the World

Among the millions of paintings that are created and shown in galleries and museums all around the world, a very small number of them go beyond time and make history. Below are some examples.

The Persistence of Memory — Salvador Dali. Painted in 1931, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable pieces in art history. This work is known to make people reflect on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that Albert Einstein’s well-known Theory of Relativity gave Dali the idea for this wonderful painting.

Girl with a Pearl Earring — Johannes Vermeer. Considered by many to be “the Dutch Mona Lisa”, this beautiful painting features an unnamed young woman looking over her shoulder to stare directly at the viewer. It was completed in 1665 and is exhibited in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Guernica — Pablo Picasso. The famous painting by Picasso was completed in 1937. It was painted in Paris following the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting is on permanent display in the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain.

Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh. Painted in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings in modern culture, which is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is based on van Gogh’s direct observations as well as his imagination, memories, and emotions and was the inspiration for the song Vincent (also known as Starry, Starry Night).

Charles Darwin was an English     1     (science) who studied nature. He is known     2     his theory of evolution (进化论)．

Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in Shropshire, England. In 1831, Darwin boarded a ship     3     (call) the HMS Beagle and set out on a fantastic five­year journey around the world. His goal was     4     (study) the natural history of the areas he was to explore. Darwin was     5     (amaze) at the variety (多样性) of species he saw on his journey. He noticed that although the different islands had similar animals and plants, many seemed to have changed to adapt (适应) to their local environments. He noted some     6     (difference) between the mockingbirds found on San Cristobal, Floreana and two other islands. This led     7     (he) to wonder why they varied from place to place.

Darwin first presented his theory of evolution by natural selection (选择) in 1858 to explain how animals adapted to their environment to survive. The idea of evolution     8     (be) not new then, but Darwin’s theory explained how evolution occurred. When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, the book was     9     immediate success. However, it was not popular with people     10     believed that all the animals on the planet had been made at the same time by one creator. But Darwin scientifically proved all the species on Earth had evolved from earlier species!

9 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.