1 . Nguyen Thi Thu is one of the few remaining artists practicing and constantly enhancing the traditional Vietnamese art of sculpting realistic-looking flowers out of papaya (番木瓜树) fruits.

Thu became ________ in carving various flowers from papaya fruits at the age of 15, when she ________ a class on the art of sculpting fruit. She was fascinated by the ________ art form, but then she had to ________ to Russia and stayed there for 15 years. Thu couldn’t ________ her favorite art form because she was too busy working and had no ________ to green papayas. She ________ it with all sorts of other fruits and vegetables, but nothing was quite like the papaya she ________. When she returned to Hanoi in 2009, she ________ got back into papaya sculpting, and she has been practicing the art ever since.

Over the years, Thu has ________ herself to carve various types of flowers, but her favourite by far is also one of the most ________, the chrysanthemum (菊花). Creating a single flower takes between 45 minutes and over an hour,________ the complexity of the design. “I often fall asleep thinking of how to ________ a certain flower, and then I get out of bed to practice,” Thu said.

Apart from ________ her art form during various public events and creating delicate papaya flowers, Thu also holds classes in Hanoi, as a way of ________ the traditional art form.

2 . The Ladakh region, the northernmost plateau of India, sits more than 3,000m above sea level. The tall Himalayan mountains stop the _________ rains from coming there. So Ladakh has usually been _________ in the sun for 300 days per year. Floods were _________ unheard of before. However, floods have _________ four times since 2010 owing to climate change.

A decade and a half ago, the Ladakhi land provided villagers with a _________ water supply. Winter snow melted (融化) to _________ rivers and provided water for agriculture in the spring. But climate change has seen average winter _________ in Ladakhi rise. The snow melts faster, _________ villagers with little or no water in the spring. More and more _________ are leaving.

Despite that, there is __________ for this region. In 2019, engineer Sonam Wangchuk __________ unmelted ice under a bridge, sheltered from the sun. __________, he had an idea. Wangchuk wanted to help villagers __________ water in winter which could be saved for use in the spring. Freezing it in the shape of a cone (圆锥体) could maximize the volume of ice per surface area exposed to the sun and __________ the amount of time it would take to melt.

The engineer and a team of local people began looking for the best way of creating cones of ice. Eventually, they did it. Now named ice towers, they have gained __________ all across Ladakh.

3 . I’d been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So it was a _________ when I found myself lost there.

One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden _________ to hike the hill with my two daughters. Putting on our snowshoes, we immediately _________ northwestward. While making our way up the hill, my daughters stopped occasionally to investigate unknown plants and to look at the abandoned deer beds… These really made their _________.

As the shadows started to _________, we moved further up. Soon, weariness began to _________ enthusiasm. We decided to return. Instead of backtracking over our _________ route, I chose to walk down the steep (陡峭的) side of the hill, _________ my general sense that ahead of us lay the stream that would guide us to the road. But as the terrain (地形) leveled out, I had my first major moment of _________: Where was the stream? Were we off course?

I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it __________ in my hand in the cold air. __________, I started feeling a bit panicky. However, I quickly __________ myself, reassuring my daughters to continue walking. Focusing on the landmarks, I spotted a familiar tree and eventually __________ the road.

That winter’s day taught me a valuable lesson about habitual reliance on technology. If my phone had __________ then, I might have directly followed the GPS, ignoring the old __________ of depending on surroundings and life skills.

4 . In the community of Mudgeeraba, a remarkable story has occurred, displaying a more connected society.

Living far from her own family and with her husband having no parents left, Nina, a new mom, was feeling the weight of   ________ in her motherhood journey. Nina found herself ________ not just for company, but for a unique form of cross-generational ________. So she determined to take a ________ step.

Nina put out a heartfelt ________ in her community for an “adoptive grandma” for herself and her baby Millie. The outpouring of support was nothing short of ________. Among the sea of ________, 61-year-old Christine, a resident in the same suburb as Nina, emerged as the perfect ________. Desperate for a grandchild of her own, Christine was seeking for a ________ for filling the emptiness left by the ________ of grandchildren in her life.

Since their initial meeting six months ago, Christine has lovingly ________ the role of Grandma Christine to little Millie, to whom she ________ she has an unlimited supply of love to give. The newfound relationship goes beyond just a ________, with weekly park walks and play dates becoming precious moments for both Nina and Christine.

The unexpected ________ rooted in a simple act of reaching out has not only provided Nina with the care and wisdom of the older generation, dramatically ________ her tension after giving birth, but offered Christine a sense of purpose and connection in her later years.

5 . At the Nelson Street Pub in Pembroke, they’re prepared for customers who dine and dash. In fact, they ________ it.

On a wall inside the front door are meal ________ that have been paid for by customers, staff, other businesses or residents. Above them is a ________ that reads: “If you are hungry and have no money, these meals have been paid for ________.” All anyone has to do is ________ the ticket they want and give it to a server. The meal appears — no questions asked, no ________ cast.

I drove to the restaurant on a Friday to check it out. There I met Sharon Gribbons, who lives in Waltham, Que. She had ________ to put a couple of meals up on the wall, one on behalf of a friend. She planned to ________ a meal every month. “Everyone needs a hot meal,” she explained.

Over the few hours I spent at the restaurant, six people ________ themselves of the pub’s generosity, while customers ________ eight meals to the pantry (食品贮藏柜), including the “Fishy and Chippy” meal I put on my own bill.

It’s ________ that the service plays an important role: offering free hot meals at a pub where people are ________, not avoided; where they can interact with others, watch TV or listen to music; and, with luck, forget their ________ for an hour or so. I hope its success isn’t dependent ________ on that small-town neighborly atmosphere, because this is a ________ that needs to travel beyond Pembroke — into Ottawa, and elsewhere. Everywhere.

6 . Imagine suddenly waking up at midnight, ______ for air, heart pounding, feeling tense and experiencing this night after night. The ______ of the lack of sleep was the ______ need to lie down and fall asleep for 2-3 hours. This was my experience throughout the summer of 2021.

I guess it may have been in part the ______ the pandemic had on my mental health as well as other worries. During the daylight hours, I ______ myself in various ways but at night during sleep my fear and ______ would come to the surface. I ______ I needed to find ways to deal with my worries.

After much ______, I began to seek the assistance of medicine, which was a tough decision to make. But it ______ well. I made sure to walk in nature as much as possible and continued my yoga practice. Slowly, I found my way back to myself.

However, life ______ another curve ball into my life. In December 2023, those nighttime feelings that ______ me flowed into my days again. I turned to friends and family, who encouraged me to seek professional help. I ______ to a therapist specialized in this field, and together, we analyzed the problems and applied the related ______ to coping with them. While the process didn’t go ______, my symptoms gradually disappeared with my efforts at last.

In conclusion, this is what I would like to say —when in trouble, reach out for help, talk to family and friends, your doctor or a counsellor. Take time to take care of yourself, you are worth the ______.

7 . Skateboarder Robert Glover’s skills are seriously impressive, but his style isn’t what you’d expect. Born with sacral agenesis (骶骨发育不全), _________ the growth of his legs, Mr. Glover uses his upper body strength to operate his skateboard. Instead of _________ legs, as most skateboarders do, he uses his arms and chest to _________ the board.

The Namibian-born skateboarder, sailor and boxer speaks _________ about the power of not viewing obstacles (障碍) as limits and is _________ about sharing this message far and wide via social media.

“I don’t think obstacles are here to _________ us,” Mr. Glover said. “In my opinion, obstacles have been some of the biggest growing _________ both mentally and physically in my life.”

“Since I was young, I’ve _________ the idea of being in a wheelchair. Someone gave me their board and I just used it as _________. One day someone was like, ‘Hey, let’s check out the skate park’.

I saw the __________. I just fell in love with it. Adaptive skating is for disabled skaters who use any way, shape or form to __________ on a board.”

He added, “I’m disabled. It’s an unpleasant feeling and hard to __________ it. Skating is and always will be a source of __________. And the feeling of __________ something is just so good. Life is full of __________. Just go out there and try things your way.”

8 . For the past 18 years, my daughter has been around me all the time. Now that she is in college, the _______ of our relationship has totally changed and our relationship is completely _______. I’m not going to be there every morning to have breakfast with her. I won’t know when she’s mad or when she’s happy. Here’s a little story of our new _______.

A week ago, my daughter wanted to _______ so she called me during the day as I was in meetings. I _______her later on, but she was in class. At midnight, she reached out _______ to ask if we could talk. Well, guess what? I was _______ . I thought we would talk the next day, but she was not   _______ .

Research shows that parents are _______ when their children are grown up, but for me that is when I start to get concerned. I am always left to________ , how can I, as a parent, remain ________to my daughter to guide, support and love through life's changes?   

We may have to ________ the way we communicate. My daughter encouraged me to go digital. That’s how I ventured into the world of social media, following her updates and occasionally sharing my own experiences. Through this   ________ presence, the physical gap is ________and I feel I still have an active role in her life. This experience serves as a reminder that ________, however scary, holds the promise of growth in our shared journey.

9 . Joe’s single dad parenting story unfolds in a touching video that swept through the hearts of online users on TikTok.

On his daughter’s school Mother’s Day celebration, Joe _______as a “mom”. He took his _______ among the parents and students with a dress and a wig. His aim was to guarantee the seat _______for his adopted child’s mother wouldn’t remain _______ and to honor the occasion’s significance.

As the video unfolds, we see an emotional hug between Joe and his 15-year-old daughter, Nong Cream. She hugs Joe tightly. Joe _______ the hug with a smile, planting a kiss on Cream’s forehead and _______ smoothing her hair.

Joe, also known as “Teacher Joe”, is a proud PE instructor at his daughter’s school. He shared his _______ for this beautiful act: “When the school organizes Mother’s Day activities, I don’t want my child to have an inferiority complex (自卑感). Personally, I’m not _______ because I love my child.” His pride in his daughter shines through, proving his _______ to single dad parenting. Joe __________ what could have been a(n) __________day into a permanently precious memory through his heartfelt __________.

Cream responded, “I don’t feel embarrassed. This year’s Mother’s Day, I want to say I love my father. I’m __________ to my dad for __________ me and making me happy.” Their bond, __________ by Joe’s love, develops into a story about courage, acceptance and unbreakable connections.

10 . A Florida police officer is receiving praise for his quick response in rescuing two struggling swimmers caught in a rip current (离岸流) on a Tuesday afternoon.

Brooke Qualls, a witness to the incident, expressed her _________ at Officer Dylan Coffman’s actions, stating, “Seeing him go out there and how quick and _________ it was, it’s just amazing seeing that.”

Qualls had just _________ her work at Tortugas in Flagler Beach when she observed Officer Coffman spring into action. “Literally I watched him _________ out of his police car, rip off his shirt, and _________ into the water and save not one, but two people who were extremely, so far back in the water, _________ in horrible rip currents,” she said.

Sean McSweeney, another witness on the spot, was _________ moved by the officer’s heroic actions. “I’d never seen anything like it. It was shocking, yet _________, to witness a rescuer _________ so quickly, and it was truly remarkable,” he said.

The Flagler Beach Police Department shared Qualls’ photos of the __________ to their Facebook page and thanked Coffman for going the extra mile.

“Serving comes in many different ways, and thanks to Brooke Qualls for __________ this photo of Officer Dylan Coffman __________ as he responded yesterday to two swimmers caught in dangerous rip currents. Thanks to Officer Coffman’s __________, they were successfully returned to the __________ uninjured! Coffman contributed a lot to make our city __________!” the department wrote.