The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Although the calmness of the atmosphere should seem to ease my state of mind, my fear of heights overpowered any positive thoughts about the coming dive. Although I was terrified, I grew the courage to take a glance and was shocked by the breathtaking view that my eyes laid upon. The tops of the cloud gave forth a gold lining around them. “Oh, how beautiful!” I said to myself.

It was time to start preparing for my first dive. We rode into town and purchased some equipment such as a vest, a regulator and a tank. Everything seemed to be in good condition to dive with. All of my equipment was ready to see the waters.

We then ventured across the island to the spot where we were to begin our dive. Getting out of the car, I noticed that the air was quiet and misty. The wind was curiously strong and carried a cold chill(寒意)with it. “This is where we will get in,” the diving instructor said.

I was told that, in order to access the water, I had to jump. Now, this was not a simple “jump”. “There is little chance that I can do that. Do you even realize how high up we are?” I said to my mother. “Yes, you can! Just trust yourself. Just think of it as your chance to feel like you are flying,” my mother encouraged me.

My mother just could not seem to understand how fearful I was. My heart was beating violently. I was almost certain that the fish could even hear my heartbeat. Terrified and shaking uncontrollably, I could not make myself jump. The sound of the waves made me terrified. The waves were rhythmically pounding into the side of the bank, so violently that the water reached the same height that I stood.

Although terrified, I gathered courage and told myself that I could do it.

Once in the water, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.

The International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in January in Harbin, capital city of China’s northernmost Heilongjiang Province. Harbin came as the hottest     1    (attract)in winter throughout China.

Harbin Ice and Snow World,     2    (build)on the northern bank of the Songhua River which flows through the city, is     3     landmark ice-and-snow theme park as the country’s top snow and ice tourism site for New /Year holiday travel.

The theme park,     4    (cover)an area of 810,000 square meters, this year used a total of 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow mined from the Songhua River for crafting various sculptures     5     castles and towers, which are illuminated(照亮)by colorful lighting.

“This year’s scale of ice-and-snow sculptures in the park is the     6    (large)since it first opened in 1999,”said Sun Zemin, a marketing director of a travel agency. The park offers more than 20 amusement     7     (activity)including ice kart racing, snowmobile racing, snow drifting and snow yo-yo.

Sun said the number of ice slides in the park     8    (increase)by the time of the festival     9    (satisfy)the growing tourist demand, from 8 last winter to 14 this winter.

“My wife and I had thought about going to somewhere warm for a winter trip, but we were attracted by short videos that went viral online about ice-and-snow fun in Harbin. That is     10     we are here now,” said Sun Chengzhe, a tourist from east China’s Fujian Province.

8 . I was watching over Dad that afternoon. He was unable to walk due to his stroke (中风) and had to rely _________ on others for most of his needs. At the moment he was _________ in another world in his wheelchair, with his head hanging down, seeming content and yet somehow _________.

Sometimes he’d get so frustrated because all he saw were his _________. To encourage him to do all that he could still do, including exercising his legs, I had to _________ him of all that he had done. He’d even get angry when I kept requiring him to do that, but I didn’t _________. It was a battle of the _________.

So _________ to motivate him, this time, I quietly said to him, “Hey, Dad, do you remember the day you taught me to cross the big street on my bike?” His _________ suddenly broke, and slurred (含混不清地说话), “Certainly,” raising his head. “You got to the middle of the street and ____________.” His eyes and mouth smiled and his face ____________.

Ahh, there’s my ____________, I thought. “So scared was I that I couldn’t move, I remembered. You walked with me from one side of the street to the other. With your tender voice and ____________ smile, you repeated, ‘It’s okay, you’re doing fine.’ I made it. Dad, you helped me to be all I could be.” Dad nodded and smiled.

And as we ____________ the day, he held his head up higher, and soon he was ____________ to exercise his legs. Wearing a gentle voice and a peaceful smile, I said, “It’s okay, Dad, you’re doing fine.”

9 . Starting a new job can be stressful, and doing so when you work fully from home can bring added challenges.     1    .

Not sitting beside your colleagues can feel like a barrier to connect remotely. Attend any online training or other meetings that your team holds, even if they are optional.     2    . And it will also help you build trust and your own reputation. You may well find you click with certain colleagues.

“    3    ,” says confidence coach Gemma Holmes. “I always encourage my clients to talk into their webcam (网络摄像头) as if the camera is the eyes of their audience.” It’s best not to stare down the camera lens(镜头)constantly, as this can feel uncomfortable or unnatural. Gemma suggests using sentence patterns like “I am competent in my new role” to boost your confidence.

Working remotely can mean it takes a little longer to know about how people like to work. See if your organization provides things like diagrams that show the team’s structure. You can start and maintain conversations with your line manager and other team members.     4    . For example, you will be less likely to interrupt them if they keep 12 pm to 2 pm as a time to go through emails.

Introduce simple techniques like going for a walk, listening to music to achieve this, and making time to meet with friends after work can all help, too. When you’re in a better mindset overall, you’ll be in the best position to settle into your new venture.