2 . Douglas Smith is a competitive guy. So when he turned his attention to the vegetable garden behind his home, he was devoted to it so much, in fact, that his casual hobby grew to _______.

The British gardener has _______ a nearly 7-pound tomato, a 624-pound pumpkin and a 20-foot-tall sunflower. Recently, though, he has changed his focus from size to _______. Twice in a row, Smith broke the Guinness World Record for the most cherry tomatoes grown on a single stem. _______, he broke the previous record of 488 cherry tomatoes — which had been _______ for more than 10 years — after he grew 839 cherry tomatoes on one stem in September, 2021. Then, in 2022, Guinness World Records _______ that Smith had actually beaten his own world record, growing 1,269 cherry tomatoes on a single stem.

Growing huge vegetables presented a(n) _______ opportunity to “push your gardening knowledge to do something different,” Smith said. “If you’re trying to grow for a competition, you learn a lot more about _______ to grow them best through an exercise like this.”

_______ the prospect of earning prizes and praise, what inspired Smith most, he said, was the learning process and the strong sense of ________ among fellow growers. Although it’s competitive in nature, the community cooperate. “Competitive vegetable-growing is actually knowledge sharing,” Smith said. For Smith, the process of growing supersize ________ is scientific.

To ________ his cherry-tomato-growing operation, he spent countless hours reading research papers, sending soil samples to be tested in labs, trying out seed ________ and investigating the many tomato types.

Now, Smith has his sights ________ on a new mission. He hopes to win the record for “most cherry tomatoes on a single plant”. He also intends to ________ at growing the world’s heaviest potato and eggplant. “It’s just a bit of fun,” he said.

3 . If it takes a village to raise a child, then January 17, 2014, was the day it took a village to save a child.

Waiting and praying were a daily ______ for Michelle as she’s one of the hundreds of American children ______ a new liver. But recently the prayers were more ______ as she’d been showing danger signs that made the transplant critical, but the telephone was as silent as the snowy scene outside.

Then one morning, the phone rang, saying a hospital in Omaha had ______ the right liver donor and it was a(n) ______ for Michelle. But they needed her there ______ 12 hours.

The family couldn’t tell what to do first — overjoy or ______. Because they were, snowbound, 600 miles away. ______, the phone lines were still working, so they put out a call for help through the radio station, which immediately broadcast ______ messages for practical suggestions.

Teresa Amshoff heard the story and suggested that the church parking lot would be the perfect helicopter landing spot. As precious minutes ______, the Amshoffs rushed out, pleading for help to clear the lot. Neighbors came without ______. In half an hour, 50 volunteers were working in sub-zero winds to clear the snow.

With dusk ______, the family finally made it to the church, where 150 people, leaning on shovels, were surrounded by mountainous piles of snow. As fire trucks arrived to provide lights for the helicopter, the crowd ______ to 300, applauding and waving as the helicopter flew off into the snowy night.

Michelle’s ______ was successful. It was the success not only of a skilled medical team, a family with the fight to survive — but the success of a whole village that would never ______.

4 . When Jessie Mclndoc _____ her mother’s hand-made wedding dress at the age of 6, she immediately announced that, “I’d love to wear this one day,” ensuring her lips could be easily _____. Within weeks, _____, the dress was forgotten as Jessie and her parents, Denise and Paul, faced _____ news: Denise was diagnosed with _____.

Denise was found her inner ear damaged even before she was born. But the hearing impairment _____ to slow her down as she grew into a woman who always laughed.

Six years after their wedding, Jessie was born. And, of course, from age three, Jessie would _____ the phone. “Mum can’t talk. Can you phone back when Dad’s home?”

Despite the _____, there was plenty her mother could do, including sewing costumes for Jessie’s dance recitals and communicating _____ with her daughter, using hand signals.

When Denise found a huge lump in her breast, with no treatment _____, she returned home, facing life with her usual _____.

Many years later, Jessie was married. As she slipped into her mother’s wedding dress, she _____ a flat rectangle envelope. Reading the few _____ penned words and the “love from Mum” signature at the bottom.

Jessie couldn’t stop _____. Then she dried her tears and prepared to enjoy every moment of the day her mother had pictured as she wrote the last card.

Now, the garment has been carefully preserved in a box, awaiting the moment Jessie will pass it to her own children to touch the fabric that _____ them to their grandmother.

6 . When Hailey Fort was six, she saw a person standing on the street in her town. She wanted to ______him, so she and her mom gave the man a sandwich and a bottle of water.

Hailey kept thinking about the man and what it would be like to be ______. She knew that fresh fruits and vegetables often weren’t ______ at food banks, where homeless people may get canned or boxed food. An idea ______ to her.

“There was a garden in our backyard, and we weren’t using it,” she said. “I asked my mom if I could use that garden to grow food for the homeless.”

Now, several years later, Hailey’s garden had ______ many people with fresh produce. When food was ready to be ______, Hailey picked, washed, and bagged it. Then she and her mom gave the bags to people on the street or to a local food bank. Hailey had given away more than 550 pounds of fruits and vegetables ______!

While ______ food, Hailey and her mom often saw people more than once. They learned their names and talked with people about what it was like to be homeless. When Hailey found out that people without homes didn’t ______ have safe or comfortable places to sleep, she thought of a new project — building a sleeping ______.

Due to her mom’s ______, Hailey learned to build one big enough for a person to sleep in. Hailey’s family was working with local groups to find a good place to park the structure as ______ housing for someone in need.

Hailey had learned a lot since she gave away her first sandwich — and not just about gardens and______. She has learned to see people who are homeless as individuals. To help others, she said, “Start______. You can always ______ over the years.”

7 . When Linda Newbery was eight, she knew she wanted to become a writer.   “I wrote a lot — usually in secret ___________ people told me at school that writing wasn't a proper job,” she recalls.   “I was motivated by the books I ___________, like a simplified version of Black Beauty which I could almost recite.”

This sets the tone for Linda's lifelong theme of animal _______, which is central to her work. For instance, her recent book Cruelty Free, published in 2021, explores how our daily choices _________ animals and the environment.

“I once aimed to be a poet,”   says Linda, admitting her ___________ attempts were less than impressive. “It's strange that although I write my prose (散文)_________ on the computer, I still prefer using traditional pen and paper for poetry.”

Originating from Essex, Linda attended grammar school before earning an English degree and _________ settling as a secondary school teacher in Oxfordshire. Her first novel Run with the Hare, released in 1988 without the aid of an agent, was _________ by her experiences teaching and running writing workshops for ___________. Despite facing numerous industry __________, including takeovers (收购) and lost publications, Linda remains positive, ____________ for a consistent writing practice to maintain creative drive even while dealing with other tasks.

Linda ____________ her writing style to suit each story's needs, always considering readers' perspective. As a long-time passionate advocate for animal welfare, she uses social media to__________ animal protection. Alongside fellow authors, she runs Reviews by Writers, a website discussing literature and industry topics, __________ Linda's adaptable storytelling approach and her devotion to __________ readers.

8 . Unlike Special Forces tourism, where the aim is to hit as many famous spots as possible in the _______ amount of time, Citywalk is more about immersing in the atmosphere of the city. By _______ on foot, Citywalkers get away from _______ famous hotspots and commercial hubs, _______, seeking out interactions with locals, authentic snacks, and a deeper appreciation for the history and culture of the city.

In some cases, Citywalk is much like a food tour, with walkers carefully planning out _______ with certain snack spots in mind. Seasoned (资深的) Citywalkers have seized the _______ to share their own recommended routes and snack spots _______ social media, quickly gaining thousands of new subscribers over the past month. The addition of the group chat function to Xiaohongshu (_______ in February) means Citywalk fans can chat with an influencer/ expert in their city and _______ connect with other new Citywalk fans.

On Gen Z trend bible Xiaohongshu, hashtags “Citywalk” and “Day off Citywalk” have 14.2 million and 411.5 million views _______. An official page dedicated to the trend ________ “Strolling the Street to Eat Delicious Food” can also be found when ________ for Citywalk on the platform. The H5 page recommends snack spots on backstreets in Hangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Changsha, Guiyang and more.

While Citywalk can work as an ________ to tourism, most of the trend’s enthusiasts ________ reconnect with the city they live in. This post-reopening trend ________ Gen Z seek pleasure more through connection than consumption and signifies a deep cultural curiosity that goes beyond the Chinese iconography that typifies guochao.

9 . In a remote village lived an elderly woman named Amelia. Despite the passing years, she remained as ________ as ever. Amelia’s dearest ________ was her faithful dog, Rufus, who had been by her side through thick and thin.

One cool autumn morning, tragedy ________ the village — a fierce storm swept through, leaving damage on its way. Homes were damaged, fields ________, and many of the villagers found themselves in need of help.

Amelia realized she had to do something to ________ her neighbors. With Rufus by her side, she ________ offering aid wherever it was needed. They worked ________, clearing ruins, mending roofs, and providing ________ to those who had lost so much.

As days turned into weeks and the village slowly began to ________, word of Amelia’s selfless acts ________ far and wide. The community applauded for her as a hero, praising her unyielding determination and kindness in the face of ________. But Amelia remained modest, ________ that she had simply done what anyone would do in such a situation.

As winter ________ upon the village, bringing with it a blanket of snow, Amelia sat by the fireplace with Rufus at her feet. Though they were ________ from their efforts, their hearts were full, knowing they had made a(an) ________ in the lives of those around them.

10 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I ______ he was unfriendly，so we tried to ______ ourselves from him. But he struggled hard to ______ and wanted to talk some. We slowed down. He said he was recovering from a bad time in his life. We ______ left him in the dust，heading up the river.

Hours later we turned back ______ a flash flood had taken out the bridge. There he was again, following to ______ us. He shared a little more of his ______. He lost his mother and sister in a car accident and he was permanently ______ too. We slowed down to the pace he could ______ for the whole way back.

He continued, “During much surgery and ______ I came to hate life...” Then he pulled up his shirt to show us a ______ life size tattoo from neck to waist. It was two ladies in a ______ light waving to him. “This is my mom and this is my sister,” he pointed, “They told me to stop hating everything. They loved me just as they always had and ______ me to live in love too!” He explained the brightly colored tattoo was the exact dream he had that day.

My ______ went away. It had painted a wrong picture of this wonderful person with a beautiful ______ . I learned more than he hoped to tell.