1 . My PhD project is to protect a tiny species of fish, whose color is greenish. To ______eggs, Clanwilliam sandfish (沙鱼) swim to ______tributaries (支流) of the Doring river system in South Africa. Local people say it was once a ______event: The water seemed to change ______ as thousands of sandfish migrated to the shallower tributaries. Now, ______those numbers have reduced to dangerous levels.

My PhD project at South Africa’s University of Cape Town is in ______with a nongovernmental organization in saving sandfish. Human activity, climate change, etc, are drying up the rivers. As newly young sandfish try to ______to the upstream (上游), they now get ______in shallow tributaries. The sandfish population has decreased by more than 90% since we began keeping count. They’re now regarded as ______species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.When the river starts to dry up, we ______young sandfish and put them into buckets of water, then move them by truck to prepared fish nurseries (鱼种场) ______ by local people. The support from local people is amazing. Once the sandfish are large enough to be less threatened, we will ______them to the natural ecosystem.

The data so far show the project has been ______. We’ve ______ about 36,000 young sandfish over the past three years. I’m looking forward to ______those numbers next year.

2 . The virtue, responsibility, means a duty to complete a task, which can be either ______by someone else or even may have been created out of our own ______ and circumstances. It must be taken seriously and as a(n) ______ man, you should put your best efforts to ______the task to completion.

The sense of responsibility should be ______since the teenage years, as it is the best time to learn good habits and ______. Although there is no age to learn something new, it is again   the responsibility of teachers and parents to ______ their children to learn the ______ of responsibility from the beginning.

The responsibility of an individual may change with situation and ______. The significance of responsibility usually ______ with age. A student should learn to be a(n) ______ person for his school and home activities, not to make his parents ______, to set a good example for his younger siblings or juniors at school, to be responsible to the society and ______ and being a responsible citizen. A teacher is______responsible for leading the   students to the right path and to help them learn the values of life as well as the ______subject.

Now, some of you may be ______ what will happen if we do not fulfill those responsibilities. Will there be any ______ for not doing so? In that case, you will be ______and lose the purpose of living. It is because, to fulfill one’s responsibility, you may meet some difficult situations and while dealing with those ______times, you are actually learning important lessons and ______ of those challenging fights will definitely help you further.

3 . As an immigrant from China, my mother loves Chinese culture deeply. She _________ Chinese food every night. She prefers to do it herself at home because she thinks the local restaurants aren’t authentic. _________, strangely enough, she likes to take my son to Panda Express to have _________ with her friends who are also from China. She is even _________ to point it out whenever they are at a food court.

Why is American Chinese food not _________ among some Chinese Americans? How is American Chinese food not better than _________ Chinese food? I can’t _________ that it’s not as good as authentic Chinese food. In fact, authentic Chinese food really tastes better while American Chinese food _________ to have food with its own taste — they are right for different persons. It’s important to _________ American Chinese food from authentic Chinese food. They are not the same __________ and have their own characteristics. So they should be treated __________. That’s why my mother thinks that Panda Express is not very authentic, but can still __________ it. Actually, American Chinese food is often created by Chinese immigrants according to their own preferences. As people from various countries have differences in their __________, it is changing.

My mother has a deep feeling for authentic Chinese food and restaurants, so I decide to open a restaurant where she and other immigrants can feel the __________ of Chinese family dinner. My son says he’ll learn Chinese cooking skills from me, which, I think, should be __________ from age to age. Likewise, I’ll also pass on the Chinese food culture to the world.

4 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who _________ you and your goals and don’t let go!

When I was younger, I _________ because life felt so hard. I had _________to become a teacher or a business administrator. I knew I needed a college degree, but I had _________ believing in myself. Then a teacher in my high school _________ me. He told me three things: First, if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be _________ to get anyone else to believe in you. Second, never let other people’s _________ to see your brilliance prevent you from being brilliant. And third, despite life’s _________, stick to creating the future you want.

Early in my _________, I was teaching a workshop when a person in the audience yelled out to me. He told me I had __________ made a job choice and had a bright future. This __________ feedback (反馈)came at just the right time, because while the audience didn’t know it, I was __________ self-doubt.

Even now, I __________ myself that I have a bright future. That’s what I tell myself when I __________ success and failure. You have a bright future ahead. Think about this every single day. Remember your talents, skills, and interests. Explore the jobs that interest you, and have courage—and most __________, believe in yourself.

5 . I was halfway across Indiana headed home to Kentucky when my car broke down. My phone was ______, too. I managed to get to a gas station, but it was Sunday in the early fall, and there was no ______ on duty. I was working my way through university then and had little money for ______ the car.

I sat alongside my car for several hours trying to ______ the heat when an older gentleman ______ to fuel his car.   He asked about my car, and I ______ my predicament (困境). To my ______, the gentleman told me that he had a daughter my age, and then he opened his trunk and ______ a tool set.

Right then and there, this total ______ examined my engine, explaining as he worked that my spark plugs (火花塞) hadn’t been charged for so long that they were ______ to function.   After about an hour, he ______ that my car was safe to finish the trip.

______ came at the hands of a stranger. ______ his clothes, working on a hot September afternoon, this man ______ a college student from disaster, just because she could have been his ______ .

6 . Kai Ture, at 11 years old, is a budding (崭露头角的) actress. All of her acting roles mean that Kai has to ________ her acting and school life. ________, she doesn’t let those ________ upset her and takes a positive attitude to them. For her, going to auditions (试演) and getting acting roles mean that she is only ________ her acting career.

When Kai isn’t ________, she focuses on putting her ________ and community first. ________ her hard work, she was able to be ________ into a school for top students. Despite all her acting credentials (证书), Kai still regards her educational achievements as her biggest ________. Acting isn’t her only fine arts skill—Kai can ________ play the violin and piano.

Kai has worked hard to help her local community as well. With the help of her Girl Scout group leaders, Kai was able to ________ some of Atlanta’s homeless communities with food in a community service event. Kai remains ________ when helping the homeless and is working again with her Girl Scout group to organize a larger ________.

Kai enjoys her ________ schedule, doing all the activities she loves. Kai first started off in smaller roles and has been able to get larger roles. Start off with some small steps and you’ll ________ achieve your biggest dreams!

7 . An extreme sport like BMX (Bicycle Motocross) may not be the first thing that comes to mind to help overcome a mental health condition. However, that is _________ what enabled Nikita Ducarroz to fight her fears.

As a child, Ducarroz spent every _________ moment on the soccer field. But at 13, the talented athlete began to suffer from _________ anxiety attacks that made it hard for her to leave home. When her mother told her she had to continue playing a sport, Ducarroz found BMX as a way to _________ that rule. Little did she know that BMX would soon _________ every aspect of her life, and become the reason she would push through her fears one step at a time.

The tale began when a BMX video on YouTube inspired her to try the extreme sport. She saved up for a bike. Then she began practicing _________ in her driveway. Soon, her excellent skills brought her enough _________ to ride at the local skate park. With that confidence, Ducarroz was _________ to ride in the competition in 2016, and she has not looked back since.

“The bike made me get out of the house, go to the skate park, and _________ get on a plane,” said Ducarroz. “It __________ me to overcome all my fears.”

The 26-year-old is now one of the world’s best female BMX freestylers. Ducarroz now has her __________ set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. She says, “My goal in Paris is another medal. I can get that done with the training.”

Though she still suffers occasional __________ attacks, Ducarroz now knows how to manage them. To help others with mental health conditions, Ducarroz has started an Instagram page called MindTricks. It is where people discuss their fears __________.

“MindTricks started because of my own __________ that I was making on Instagram about mental health,” she explained. “And I thought, ‘Why don’t we create a place where others can do the same, a central spot where everyone can read about these stories and also feel __________ to share their own stories?’”

8 . There are always some people teaching you important lessons about life. They come into your life suddenly when you have no ________ of their arrival.

Several years ago I was diagnosed (诊断) with a disease that was ________. Due to vision problems caused by it, I could no longer ________ and would have to deal with other medical related ________. In light of this, some people ________ and their doings have enriched my life and ________ it forever.

First of all, my son, Eric, who ________ in the hospital throughout my surgery and recovery. He would whisper ________ words in my ear every night, “Don’t give up... Keep on ________ …Hang in there...” For three years since my return home, he has made the daily two-hour ________ from his home to my home to help me handle various things. Secondly, when my neighbors learned at first that I was unable to drive, they formed a group of ________ -women who drive me each week wherever I need to go. For three years I have ________ missed an appointment.

Dozens of lovely people ________ week after week, month after month. There are so many such people in my life-too many to ________-and I am grateful for their gesture. ________ you aren’t one yet, you can try to become one!

9 . As a physically fit 89-year-old big band singer, Tony Bennett performed timeless ballads (民歌，情歌) perfectly. He was an exception to the belief of aging and decline.

However, the trouble with his _______ concerned Bennett, especially since it might impact his ability to put on his signature fine-tuned show. Eventually, Bennett was _______ with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017.

After receiving the diagnosis, Bennett insisted on continuing to perform. “Tony has always had a very _______ attitude,” his wife Benedetto says. “He was going to keep going straight ahead _______ he always has.”

As one of only a few artists to produce chart-topping records every decade since the 1950s — _______ more than 60 albums — Bennett is an American icon (偶像). His _______ “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “Rags to Riches”, among many others — have earned him 19 Grammy Awards.

_______ the disease, Bennett’s desire to help others connect through music remained strong. He felt it _______ to make people feel good.

In February 2021, Bennett _______ shared that he was living with Alzheimer’s in an interview. Shortly after the news, the ________ from the public was overwhelmingly supportive. In October, Bennett and Lady Gaga released ________ is billed as Bennett’s final studio album, “Love for Sale.” Upon its release, Bennett earned the Guinness World Records ________ for the oldest artist to release an album of new material.

As the disease ________, music has a renewed importance in Bennett’s life. Over seven decades, Bennett’s brave and ________ voice is helping people find joy among life’s hardships. “He gives people courage and hope. And he is ________.”

10 . My neighbor Amy had kids the same age as mine, so I invited them over one day for a play date. She had never been to my house before, so I tried to clean the house like my life _______ on it. I really wanted to make a good first _______ when she came through the door because I was hoping we’d be friends.

When she _______ with her kids for the play date, she looked around. “Wow!” she said. “Your house is so _______!” And then she added, “I’m never inviting you to my house.”

I thought she was _______. But over the next four years when we were neighbors, she never, ever did. Our _______ never went anywhere, either. My too-clean house had _______ her from going further, just as we were starting to get to know each other.

I leaned that same _______ again in a different way when a friend invited me to see her new house. It was very tidy and _______ decorated. I was impressed, considering she had three young children, and wondered how she pulled it off.

At the end of the day she whispered, “I can’t believe I’m showing you this, but ________ out this room.” She opened a door and ________ me in. This was where everything—I mean everything—from her house had been put away before my visit. The piles of laundry (待洗的衣物) ________ covered the furniture. We had a good ________ about it, and I loved her for that. In my mind, that was the day when we went from being friendly ________ to being true friends.   

Don’t misunderstand me—if someone is visiting, I ________ do some cleaning. But now I’m not trying to impress visitors with my cleaning skills. I’m trying to make them feel at home.