1 . As a college student in Boston, I formed the habit of buying used books. I enjoy the hunt, the good price and the unrecognized treasures. I find old textbooks, ex-bestsellers, and books on subjects I’ve never heard of and now must learn all about. I don’t search for rare books, first editions, or leather-bound editions but books that are worth reading.

Rereading, for me, is a pleasure during retirement. The theater and the concert hall become less appealing to me, along with crowds. Staying alone and reading books have become extremely important to me. Literature needs the flesh of experience to have its full effect. Different books offer me insights and ways of expressing that stuck in my mind as grains of sand in an oyster now shine like pearls. My taste in books improves with age.

While packing for a move, which occurs at intervals of five to seven years, I clear my shelves and pick my books. I abandon a few, later regret my decisions, and look for them again. Several years ago, I got rid of books related to my job-architecture. Some were design guides, reference books, product catalogs, and things that went out of date. Some were historical or centered on a period or an architect. These had given me many hours of pleasure. Will I ever open their covers again? Certainly. I held on to the red bulk of Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture and books on Paris, Rome, and Boston.

I gave away drafting equipment and instruments. I threw out rolls and rolls of paper, and old drawings of projects completed long ago, some of which had even been damaged. This time, I stay put in a cottage that suits my status and I’ve moved on in spirit. No doubt I will acquire more used books and throw away more books as passions grow and fade, like feathers changing with the seasons.

2 . Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her _________, turning around and waving hello to the _________. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a _________.

Grace lost her tail as a baby when she _________ in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was _________ for her life. Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Grace _________ herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushes herself _________ through the water by moving her peduncle（背鳍）from side to side.

The _________ put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company _________ to create a man-made tail for her. The tail had to be __________ enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t __________ her.

The first time Grace wore the man-made tail, she soon __________ it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her __________ and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to __________ her. Seeing Grace swim with her man-made tail gives people so much __________.

5 . Giant pandas (大熊猫) are no longer endangered, Chinese officials have said, decades of work to save the creatures helped drive their population in the wild up to 1,800. The species will be listed as vulnerable (易危物种), Cui Shuhong, director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

China has spent half a century attempting to boost the population of its famous animals, creating panda reserves across several mountain ranges in an effort to save them from extinction. They were taken off the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016.

Since the 1970s, Chinese officials have worked on a campaign to drive up their numbers. To prevent habitat loss, officials created specially designed nature reserves in areas where their main food source, bamboo, is plentiful. In 2017, China announced plans for a 10,476-square-mile reserve, which is three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.

"China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system," Cui said on Wednesday as he announced the move. "Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved."

Pandas are known in China as an umbrella species, which means experts believe measures to protect them would help protect other species, as well as the larger ecosystem. Cui added that the populations of some other rare and endangered species are gradually recovering as well. "The number of species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, and Asian elephants has increased significantly." he said.

7 . My parents love tennis and they’re members of a tennis club. My older brother was really good at it and they supported him—taking him to lessons all the time. So when I announced I wanted to be a tennis champion when I grew up, I just intended for them to notice me. My mother laughed. She knew I couldn't possibly be serious, for I was just a 4-year-old kid!

Later, I joined the club’s junior coaching group and eventually took part in my first proper contest, believing that my team would do well. We won, which was fantastic, but I wasn’t so successful. I didn’t even want to be in the team photo because I didn't feel I deserved to be. When my coach asked what happened in my final match, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe I’d lost. I thought I was the better player. But every time I attacked, the other player defended well. I couldn’t explain the result.

After that, I decided to listen more carefully to my coach because he had lots of tips. I realised that I need the right attitude to be a winner. On the court I have a plan but sometimes the other guy will do something unexpected so I’ll change it. If I lose a point, I do my best to forget it and find a way to win the next one.

At tournaments, it’s impossible to avoid players who explode in anger. Lots of players can be negative, including myself sometimes. Once I felt angry and nearly broke my racket! But my coach has helped me develop ways to control those feelings. After all, the judges have a hard job and you just have to accept their decisions.

My coach demands that I train in the gym to make sure I'm strong right to the end of a tournament. I’m getting good results; my shots are more accurate and there’s a chance that I could be a champion one day with hard work.

As a child, Obaida Omar     1     (narrow) escaped the enemy’s invasion(入侵) of her native Afghanistan, walking for weeks through the mountains. Now     2     mother of three and Islamic Center of Rochester board member, Omar provided first-hand experience of what it means to be a child made homeless by war as the keynote speaker at the “Dinner for Peace”     3     (host) by the Student Association for the Development of Arab Cultural Awareness last Saturday.

About 250 guests attended the dinner, the proceeds(收益) of     4     will go to education for children affected by the Middle Eastern refugee crisis.

Children did not create this conflict, but they are its greatest     5     (victim),” said Alanoud Alzaid, the group’s president, who gave the opening speech at the dinner. “Tonight we have raised roughly $3,000 in profit, which means over 1,000 children can get the education they deserve.     6     you, tonight would not have been possible.” he said.

    7     (entertain) the audience, the Yellow Jackets kicked the night off with a     8     (select) of lively songs. The Sihir belly(肚皮) dancing group also performed, with pride and authority in their costumes of shining gold and bright coral colors.

“We     9     (plan) this for two months now. It feels wonderful to see such an amazing turnout. It brings back the human element, making you remember that we’re all the same,” said Gabby Stillman, an     10     (eleven) grader.

On the whole, the dinner was a success. The audience was also full of praise.