1 . 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.

2 . 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.

3 . 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.

4 . Luke Coelho recently transferred from Brazil to attend school in the United States. He understands that integrity and _________ are values appreciated in all countries and cultures. And Luke didn’t hesitate to _________ both when he found a pocket full of family _________ left behind in a(n) _________ jacket.

Andy’s Attic is a clothing donation program at Luke’s new school, and Luke recently _________ the jacket through the program. Local resident Dave Kenney was the one who donated the jacket.

When Luke put on the coat,_________, he found much more than a warm coat. Inside the pocket, Luke discovered some personal _________, including two watches, a bracelet and two diamond rings!

Luke _________ shared the news with his aunt Taryn Souza and together they set to work trying to _________ the owner of the items. With some detective work, they were __________ to find Dave. Of course, he was __________ to receive the prized pieces back, but he hadn’t even __________ that they were in the jacket!

Earlier this year, both Dave’s mother and wife passed away, so he was especially __________ to have back the wedding ring he’d bought for his wife and items that had __________ his mother. Dave stated, “This fine young man did the right thing. I totally __________ what they did for me and my family.”

5 . The rangoli (印度传统地画艺术) was a giant good-luck charm. Grandma used to make one for the start of the new year. First, she would draw on the floor with chalk. Then, she would fill the drawing with uncooked_____________ rice.

This year, Manju was old enough to help. He____________ paper into a cone (圆锥体) and filled it with rice. Side by side, he placed rice across the drawing together with Grandma. Sometimes his rice skittered outside the drawing, sometimes he used the____________ color. And sometimes he rubbed away the____________ , so Grandma had to redraw it. But____________ , the bright swirls of rice transformed into a beautiful peacock. When Manju admired the peacock, he____________ a small piece of tile (瓷砖) peeking through on Grandma’s side.

A____________ ? But Grandma was away to answer the telephone. Should he fix it?

“I’ll surprise Grandma!” He decided. He____________   across, trying to reach the gap. Almost. His left leg inched up. There! Suddenly, Manju began to ____________ . His proud smile vanished. “No!” He crashed down onto the rangoli, scattering rice____________ .

Manju rose to his feet and pushed the rice back. But the colors were____________ . When Grandma came back, Manju____________ . He said, “I’m sorry. I should have waited for you.” Grandma shook her head. “You saw a____________ and tried to fix it. I’m proud of you.” They picked up the rice,____________   each grain by color. Just before nightfall, they finished fixing the rangoli.

Grandma lit candles around the rangoli. In the flickering light, the peacock seemed____________ with mystical powers. Manju smiled. The new year felt full of good luck, thanks to Grandma—and him.

6 . Glen Lake Elementary School in Minnesota had many fun activities during class breaks, but some students couldn’t join in. A ______ of available playground equipment such as a wheelchair merry go round or swings has made students with physical disabilities ______ to have fun.

Wyatt Feucht and Rhys Riley believed that every student ______ the chance to have fun during recess, so they asked their teacher ______ the school couldn’t buy the equipment. Ms Julien explained that it was expensive, with an estimated cost of $300,000, which is ______ out of the question for the school.

This did not ______ Wyatt or Rhys, and the pair went on a ______ to raise money for a disability inclusive playground. They began ______ spare change, held a bake sale, printed flyers, and went door to door to raise money. They even ______ local businesses and restaurants, whose owners were moved and donated a portion of their ______. For several months, the students didn’t stop their hard work ______ they finally reached their goal-raising the $300,000 needed.

For John Buettner, a student in a wheelchair, the new equipment meant ______ just a chance to play. He said, “First time I set foot on this playground I’m probably going to start ______ when seeing the effort that all Wyatt and Rhys have made.”

Julien expressed how ______ she felt of the students in her class: I know the future is to be ______ because this generation sees something that needs fixing, and they go for it headfirst.

7 . A few years ago, LaQuista Erinna’s son, Jackson, was diagnosed with autism (自闭症). Erinna had always noticed Jackson was _________ to everyday things. But the most difficult thing was getting a(n) _________. “Usually I have to do some coaching to get him in the chair and he will put on his headphones.” Erinna explained. The stress was so _________ for her, so she decided to stop taking him to the barber.

“We went almost two years with no haircuts. People would always comment on how _________ his hair was,” Erinna remembered. “It was really _________ for me. I was trying to protect my baby, but I just had to develop some tough skin.”

Ultimately, Erinna found a _________ named Ree and things seemed to be possible. Ree has been able to do things _________.

However, things went _________ at the beginning one day. “We got caught in traffic. He left his headphones. We hadn’t had lunch. It was just like a series of _________ events,” Erinna said.

Jackson __________ to get in the barber’s chair. He started running around the shop. Erinna was about to __________ and call it a day, but Ree encouraged her to __________. Then Ree noticed Jackson’s Super Mario Bro shirt and told him that he needed to save Mario by making sure no hair got on Mario.

At last, Ree managed to get Jackson to sit down. She talked to him throughout the entire process and turned the haircut into a __________, encouraging him to protect Mario to keep him engaged.

“It just __________ me so much,” Erinna said. “When the haircut was complete, Jackson was like, ‘Well, can we go back tomorrow and play again?’”

It __________ a lot to Erinna that Ree took the time to figure out a way to give Jackson a haircut that day. She shared a video online, which has gotten millions of views.

8 . I remember vividly the moment the doctor told me my daughter Annabelle was severely disabled. A thousand ________ raced through my mind. Will she walk? Will she talk? Will she be able to read?

“I couldn’t possibly ________,” said the doctor “But you should prepare yourself for the fact that she might never walk or talk.”

As well as ________ health, I wondered if she would have friends.

Now I know some of the answers. Although she has problems with the spine (脊柱), she can walk huge distances. She can’t hold a ________, but she can make her wants and needs known. And she has no friends.

Annabelle doesn’t get invited to birthday parties. To me, it’s this lack of inclusion (被接纳) that really ________me. Therefore, I was ________ when I saw a post on social media from a little girl with Down’s syndrome (唐氏综合症) at her friend’s birthday party. She was ________ having the greatest time of her life. There were photos of her wearing a wide smile, ________ for the camera, her friend’s arms around her.

“This is amazing!” I wrote, “I am so glad she gets________ in everything. My little girl was born with a spine problem. She hasn’t been invited to a single party in the last four years. ________ my heart.”

Later that day, a woman called Caroline, who I’d never met, sent me a message. Her son Luca was having a fifth birthday party and he wanted to ________ Annabelle.

As Annabelle set off for the party, she felt ________ and became hesitant. But once inside, she was relaxed and felt included in every element by two ________ — a five-year-old boy and his mum. It was highly ________.

My daughter now has memories that will last her a lifetime ________ that, she has her first ever friend.

9 . At just 14 years old, He man Bekele emerged as the victor of the 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge,___________among nine other finalists with his innovative creation known as the Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS). In___________of his exceptional achievement, this ninth-grade talent is set to receive a substantial cash award of $25, 000.

Bekele’s revolutionary concept___________through a two-minute video, centers on the development of a soap that is not only___________, priced at less than $10 per bar, but also has the potential to reactivate dendritic cells — the body’s natural ___________of the skin — to cope with skin cancer.

Reflecting on his presentation and inspiration, Bekele shared that his childhood in Ethiopia played a significant ___________in shaping his innovative thinking. Having witnessed people work___________under the scorching sun, he couldn’t help but___________how many were aware of the risks associated with long-term sun___________.

“I wanted to make my idea not only scientifically exceptional but also accessible to a broad audience,” Bekele expressed during an interview with The Washington Post. To____________him realize his ambitious plans, he received invaluable advice from Deborah Isabelle, a product engineering specialist at 3M, who____________him with other scientists. Ultimately, the path forward for Bekele’s creation includes obtaining FDA approval.

During his presentation at the 3M global headquarters in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Bekele ____________expressed his vision of turning the soap into a “symbol of hope, accessibility, and a world where skin cancer treatment is within ____________for all.”

Over the coming five years, Bekele is determined to perfect his invention and__________a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering his innovative creation to poor communities, offering hope and a practical solution in the____________against skin cancer.

10 . Better starve free than be a fat slave. There is nothing worth so much as liberty.

There was once a Wolf who got very little to eat because the dogs of the village were so wide awake and _________. He was really nothing but skin and bones, which made him very_________ to think of it.

One night this Wolf happened to fall in with a fine fat House Dog who had _________ a little too far from home. The Wolf would gladly have eaten him then and there, but the House Dog looked so_________. So the Wolf spoke very humbly to the Dog,_________ him on his fine appearance.

“You can be as well﹣fed as I am if you want to,” suggested the Dog. “Leave the woods; there you will live miserably _________ you have to fight hard for every bite you get. Follow my _________ and you will live a beautiful life.” “What must I do?” asked the Wolf. “Chase people who carry walking sticks and _________ at beggars. _________ you will get delicious food of every kind — chicken bones, meat, sugar, cake and much more, besides, not to speak of kind words and care.”

The Wolf had such a beautiful vision of his coming happiness that he __________ wept. But just then he noticed that the hair on the Dog’s __________ was worn and the skin was red and sore.

“What’s wrong with your neck?” “Nothing at all,” replied the Dog. “What? Nothing?” “Oh, just a trifle!” the Dog added, “Perhaps you see the mark of the collar __________ which my chain is fastened.”

“What? A chain!” cried the Wolf. “Couldn’t you go wherever you want to go?” “Not always, but what’s the __________?”refuted the Dog.

“All the difference in the world! I don’t care about your feasts and I wouldn’t take all the tender young lambs in the world at that __________. ” insisted the Wolf. And __________ ran the Wolf to the woods.