3 . In a village in Malawi, Africa, people faced constant drought and poverty. A young boy named William Kamkwamba had a dream of bringing ________ to his village.

When famine (饥荒) came, William had to ________ school to help with farming. However, he kept reading books for the wonders of ______ and the endless possibilities it offered. ________ by his teacher’s bicycle flashlight, he decided to build a large windmill (风车) to ________ the battery, and then use a water pump to water the land so as to ________ solve the famine.

After many difficult conversations, his father finally chose to ________ his son and handed over the only broken ________ to him. William used the wheels and also ______ the local junkyard for some ________ parts. He worked really hard every day. Due to ________ education and resources, it was a ________challenge to turn bits of old materials into a working machine.

After countless ________ and failures, the boy’s windmill finally started ________. Weeping with joy, the boy and his father hugged tightly. This is the story of “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” a story of hope, strength, and the strong spirit of a young boy who changed people’s lives with the power of ________.

6 . I’m a grandma in my 60s. In the spring of 2020, like the rest of the world, I spent a lot of time staring at a screen and that was when I first got into the YouTube world. I discovered that onscreen offerings were truly endless. From one YouTuber I learned how to plant my own vegetable garden. Someone else shared poetry from Robert Frost, wise sayings from Confucius, and a smattering (一知半解) of other philosophical viewpoints, all of which helped me through some dark days. Down the rabbit hole I went, scrolling for hours and hours, watching other people living their lives and giving me advice on how to live mine.

As the months rolled by, YouTube turned my attention away from the hard reality of what was going on in the world. I subscribed to several channels and waited anxiously for new weekly offerings. I watched people reading poetry or painting by streams or looking out windows into snowy landscapes. I found all this calming. Such lovely scenery, such beautiful background music, such pretty clothes they were wearing!

At some point though, I got upset by these artistic and seemingly perfect lives. Who is filming them? I wondered. Do they rehearse or just act on the spot? Isn’t it cold, stepping through snowbanks in dresses? The questions kept bothering me while forcing comparisons to my own somewhat more ordinary existence. I wanted to walk in a flowing dress through hilly green field filled with wildflowers! Instead, I was marching through my neighborhood’s city streets in mom jeans.

In a moment of insight, I realized that I had a full and happy life, which although it wouldn’t win awards for perfection onscreen, suited me perfectly. I put my phone away and started paying attention to my own life instead of watching other people live theirs. I still like checking in once in a while. YouTube can be a rich source of entertainment and inspiration, but I’ve limited my exposure. I am content with the knowledge that my addiction to life onscreen has been replaced by life itself.

With travel and the environment in the news so much lately, you’ve probably heard the word ecotourism. As travelers become more aware of their effect on the planet and want to do their part to make a difference, ecotourism has really taken off.

What is ecotourism? The definition isn’t as hard to determine as you might think. According to the International Ecotourism Society, it is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that protects the environment and sustains the well-being of the local people”. To be simple, it’s travel that has a positive effect on a destination’s ecology and economy.

Ecotourism lets travelers participate in activities that benefit the environment. For example, travelers can act as citizen scientists in places around the world, including national parks and dive sites, to help do research and collect data. Meanwhile, ecotourism helps local communities to do well and become successful and strong. That can happen in a number of ways, involving some type of financial aspect, from providing jobs to supporting local businesses.

Being a responsible traveler, you’ll have a much more satisfying and rewarding experience. Instead of simply visiting tourist attractions and eating at chain restaurants, you can get completely involved in a local culture and really get to know the people who live there. It enriches your own life and opens your mind to new ideas.

Ecotourism is an amazing way to discover the world. Nature is full of wonders everywhere. Being able to get out in a natural area that is protected and largely undeveloped offers a chance to connect with plants and animals you may never see anywhere else. Just be sure to leave it as you found it for future explorers to discover. Get your sneakers ready, pack your bags and head for nature. A big and beautiful world is waiting for you out there.

Thanks to social media recommendations, Zibo barbecue has become     1     overnight hit, with large numbers of visitors     2     (pour) to the city on weekends. People joked that the last time this many people showed up in the city     3     (be) during the Siege (围攻) of Qi, a famous battle in the area in 284 BC.

Taking advantage of the barbecue craze, Zibo has gone all out to promote local tourism resources, while working to ensure the     4     (safe) of visitors and the quality of tourism products. Many areas have been changed into dining halls for the massed crowds.     5     (ease) restrictions on the supplies of meat and grills, local banks have started handing out low-interest loans designed     6     (special) for barbecue-related industries.

This barbecue fever in Zibo should be helping China recover from its zero-covid era. Since the end of zero-covid, many tourists have described     7     (they) as “special-ops” travelers. This means dropping into a location, spending as little time and money as possible,     8     then moving on to the next spot.

Zibo barbecue has been one of the top items to tick off from travel lists. People eat and drink at low tables with a small stove,     9     (heat) by coal. The craze is about more than the simple food.     10     people across the country are seeking out in Zibo is Shandong’s big-hearted hospitality.

10 . Imagine students in rural Kenya using computers and reading books! 4,000 students across 10schools are busy ______ their computer skills on ______ machines. They learn everything from basic typing to coding to robotics, and even take part in ______ classes with NASA scientists in the US. Before ______ these lessons, however, very few of the students even knew what a computer was. Not being ______ to computers, children lack basic technology skills, and do not have access to STEAM programs.

TechLit Africa, was ______ by Nelly Cheboi, a 29-year-old software engineer who grew up in ______ in a Kenyan village, her single mother struggling to support the family. In 2012, she received a full scholarship to attend college in Illinois, where she discovered a love for ______ science. Upon returning to Kenya after ______, she founded her own school, Zawadi, which became a launching pad for TechLit Africa. Her organization now ______ with American colleges and businesses to ______ the recycled computers.

For Cheboi, TechLit Africa is about more than just adding ______ to children’s life: she hopes the students will use the ______ skill to find professional opportunities.

“I see a ______ in Kenya and in the rest of the continent where kids are becoming really tech literate,” Cheboi says. “Once you come to the Internet, you become ______— and by being so, you can help the world.”