1 . On New Year’s Eve, a teenager survived a terrible house fire. It’s all thanks to the _________ of the family dog, Macho.

Nicole Evans, a single mom, received a(n) _________ call while out of town, learning that her house was on fire. Macho, sensing the coming _________, immediately took action and _________ Nicole’s teenage son, Griffin, around 5:30 a.m., warning him of the _________.

“He kept barking(吠叫)at Griffin and then just gave him a small _________, a couple of them, and awakened him. And Griffin said, ‘What’s happening?’ And as soon as he turned around, there was just no _________ that he had to leave. He had to go _________,” said the mother. “It was probably the _________ experience of my life, when something happened to the person you __________ the most. And there was nothing you could do about it and you couldn’t __________ with him,” she added.

While the __________ of the fire is still under investigation(调查), the family is left with a total loss of their home. Despite the material losses, Nicole __________ the great value of Macho’s quick thinking and loyalty(忠诚).

After the __________, the community has united around the Evans family, __________ a charity group to collect money to help them get their lives back to normal.

2 . My long-distance cycling career of 13 years and 35, 000 kilometres ended as I approached 75. Although I am now no longer strong enough to _________ the long days and big climbs, day in and day out, I have my memories.

The road behind is just memories, some soon to be forgotten, others to be _________ and enhanced with the retelling. A 6000-kilometre cross-country ride initially appears _________, but, once done, it is simply done, much like the challenges that life _________.

Real _________ would come when I was alone on my bicycle. I enjoyed meeting and even _________ the daily targets I had set for myself. I enjoyed the technical challenges faced by tire bursts and loose handlebars, but _________ not at that time. I loved cycling with a strong tailwind pushing me along and hated _________ into a strong headwind. I loved striking up conversations with a diversity of people and sincerely appreciated the support and comfort they _________.

Long distance cycling brings unbearable exhaustion, long hours of anxiety, even fear and desperation, but these __________ into insignificance, compared to the joy and __________ of climbing huge mountains or seeing fantastic sights for the first time. The experiences add newness and __________ to my life and the memories are __________.

Most importantly, cycling taught me to know myself better. It eventually dawned on me that I had more __________ and courage than I ever imagined. The self-awareness and long-lasting memories will give me enormous __________ as I carry on my life journey.

3 . Apple has unveiled its delayed iPhone 12 line of smartphones in a range of sizes with new designs and 5G connectivity. Unveiled as part of a online-only event, which was ______ by more than a month due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the new iPhones mark some of the biggest changes to Apple’s smartphones since the iPhone X in 2017.

iPhone 12

The midrange model is simply called the iPhone 12 and is a(n) ______ replacement for Apple’s most popular phone from last year, the iPhone 11.It has a new and improved 6.1in OLED screen that ______ the LCD technology used on its predecessor. The iPhone 12 has a new 12-megapixel dual-camera system on the rear with ______ and ultrawide lenses and the True Depth selfie camera from Face ID on the front, all of which can now use Apple’s Night mode for low-light photos. The body of the phone is aluminum like its predecessor, while the ______ is glass. The phone is 11% thinner than the previous model and has new Ceramic Shield screen glass technology, which has four times the ______ performance of previous display glass for fewer smashed screens.

iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max

The smaller high-end iPhone is called the iPhone 12 Pro and has a similar 6.1in OLED screen to the iPhone 12- larger than the 5.8in screen of the iPhone 11 Pro from 2019. The largest smartphone ______ by Apple will now be the new iPhone12 Pro Max which has a 6.7in OLED screen-0.2in larger on the diagonal than the previous iPhone 11 Pro Max. Both iPhone 12 Pro models have improved triple-camera systems on the back with ultrawide, normal and new telephoto lenses, plus a lidar-based depth-sensing scanner that can ______ the distance of objects up to 5 metres away and aids in autofocus. A similar technology was ______ on the iPad Pro in March and is designed for augmented reality experiences.

Home Pod Mini

Alongside the new iPhones, Apple has launched a new, smaller version of its Home Pod smart speaker, ______by the Siri smart assistant, which it hopes will help it better ______ with Google and Amazon’s dominant smart speakers. The ______ Home Pod sounded very good, but was let down by Siri’s limited capabilities and Apples ______ of music services to just its own. The new Home Pod Mini has the same S5 processor as the Apple Watch Series 5 to control playback and the sound ______ by the speaker’s single down-firing driver and two passive radiators. The new speaker also has proximity detection for nearby iPhones equipped with Apple’s U1 chip and Siri can now differentiate between different people via their ______ print.

4 . When a bowl or teapot falls and breaks into pieces, we throw them away regretfully. Yet there is an alternative, a traditional Chinese practice that ________ and enhances the breaks thus ________ value to the broken object. It’s actually called golden repair.

This traditional technique uses a precious metal like liquid gold or liquid silver to ________ the pieces of a broken pottery item and at the same time enhance the breaks. The technique ________ bringing pieces together and giving them a ________ look.

With this technique, it’s ________ to create true and always different works of art, each with its own story and beauty, ________ the unique cracks (裂缝) formed when the object breaks, as if they were wounds that ________ different marks on each of us.

The technique ________ many things. We shouldn’t ________ broken objects. When an object breaks, it doesn’t mean that it is no longer useful. Its ________ can become valuable. We should try to ________ things because sometimes in doing so we obtain more ________ objects. This is the most important quality of adaptability. Each of us should look for a way to deal with unpleasant events in a ________ way, learn from negative experiences, take the best from them and convince ourselves that exactly these experiences make each person ________ and precious.

5 . Washing windows was the worst chore for Maddie. As she did it, she noticed her________Mr. Valdez pressing his knees with a rake (耙子) lying beside him. “How are you?”

“Well, Maddie.” Mr. Valdez answered. “But raking leaves is the________chore for me.” “I’ll rake them for you first and finish washing my windows later.” Maddie________. She enjoyed building piles of golden leaves, ________the grass and making the yard look like a freshly swept carpet. Truly appreciating her help, Mr. Valdez ________ Maddie the rake and went to see Mrs. Iguchi across the street.

Maddie raked, piled and bagged all leaves. “I have to go back to do my windows.” She thought, turned toward her house and then stopped in________. Tom, the teenage boy living nearby, was washing her windows! Before she expressed her ________ to Tom, Mr. Valdez entered with Mrs. Iguchi. “I can explain. When I visited Mrs. Iguchi, she was ________ peeling (去皮) potatoes, so I volunteered. I like making the potato peelings into long curly shapes.”

Maddie looked puzzled, still ________ how peeling potatoes could have turned into washing windows. Mrs. Iguchi continued the________. She said she ________ to do her favorite — cleaning the carpet at Tom’s house when borrowing dustpans. When Tom asked what could be done for her, she couldn’t ________ any chores but only remembered Mr. Valdez had mentioned Maddie’s windows weren’t getting ________ because she was raking his leaves.

Tom added, “Nothing is more pleasant than seeing the ________ glass shine in the sun.”

What a neighborhood chore chain! Everyone gets a favorite and returns a _______.

6 . A calligrapher (书法家) said to a man who was practicing calligraphy (书法) with waste newspapers, “If you write with the best paper, you may do it better.”

The man asked why. The calligrapher smiled without_________, only writing one word “Compel (强迫)”. He suddenly realized that this was compelling him to cherish (珍惜) his own paper to write it better._________ a boy, when I practiced calligraphy, I would hear the teacher _________ it, but I felt it boring and couldn’t understand. Looking back suddenly, I came to know its _________ .

I remember there is_________a proverb, “If you want to climb over a wall, please throw your hat _________” Because your hat is on the other side of the wall, you have already had no choice but to find ways to climb over it. It is with such a pressure that you will make every effort to exert (发挥)_________. Many times, we always put our _________ in the future, feeling that our life has many drafts (草稿). In fact, the drafts of life that _________ us are extremely limited.

For life, the most important is ____________to write the best words on the limited paper rather than how much paper you used.

7 . 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.

8 . Once a year, I give my two children money. The only _______ is, they have to give it away. I give them each $100. They know it is a lot of money, so they are _______ how they use it. It is their job to find out who in our _______ is doing things that they feel good about, and then_______ who will get the money, and why.

Giving away money, even if it is only ten or twenty dollars, is a wonderful way to learn about the _______ work people are doing right in your own neighborhood. It makes us get out of our_______ zone, ask around, talk to people we wouldn’t _______ talk to, and ask questions about what the problems are and what people are doing to make them better. Everyone _______. My kids learn about the community and the power of giving. And people in the community, who are often volunteering their own time and money, feel that their efforts are seen and _______ in some way.

Last year, they both chose to give their money to a shelter for runaway ________. They visited a few places that ________ suggestions or instructions to young people, and felt this place was especially welcoming. When they handed the ________ to the director, who had no idea these children were “philanthropists (慈善家)”, everyone was in ________ how good the day turned out to be.

This exercise may be ________ as often as possible. It cannot possibly fail. You do not need to________ holidays, and you don’t need children. You can do it yourself, on any day you like.

9 . I am Ali. I have always had confidence in myself. My parents taught me to be _______ and that l could be the best at anything. I remember _______ my neighborhood boys to see who could jump the highest and run the fastest. Of course, I knew when I made the challenge, I would win. I never even _______ losing.

I started my boxing _______ when I was 12. In senior high school, I was sure I have the _______ to be the champion of the world. As part of my training, I would run down the street. I would rush in and out of shops to _______ them I was training for the Olympics and I was going to _______ a gold medal. I never thought of failing but only glory (光荣) that was going to _______ when I won. When I said I was going to be the “Greatest of the Time”, I _______ myself. And I still do.

But I didn’t know that my will would be ________ when I retired. In 1996, I was asked to ________ the cauldron (圣火) at the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

When the moment came for me to set fire to the cauldron, I realized I ________ the eyes of the world. Then I heard an extremely loud ________. I was reminded of my 1960 Olympic ________ in Rome, when I won the gold medal. I remembered those 36 years between Rome and Atlanta and ________ that I had come full circle. Nothing in life has defeated me. I am still “The Greatest.”

10 . When I was a very small child, I started skiing and enjoyed being different. While the other children in my group were unwilling to ________ , I was busy rolling down the small slope.

Since my many layers of clothing made me just about as wide as I was tall, it was ________ to somersault (翻滚) . I soon ________ the basic skills of turning. I remember falling once and ________ that the snow was taller than I was.

When I was seven, I wanted to take my skiing to the ________ level and join a team. There were two ________ : racing, a popular event for ________ , and free skiing, an event heavily dominated (支配) by boys. Seeing free skiers flying and spinning through the air, I ________ knew which team I wanted to join. In our world today, men are more likely to find careers or ________ in sports than women. Many people claimed that this was just because men’s muscles were stronger. So over time, stereotypes (刻板印象) ________ negatively to define female athletes. Females were often ________ fewer athletic opportunities because of their gender.

Traditionally, women are seen as stay-at-home and mothering ________ . People rarely connect the words   “athletic” or “independent” with women. And people don’t accept that women can make their won choices. But if we can change it, we are just one step closer to ________ rights between men and women.

Although being a girl in a male-dominated sport can be difficult, I’m actually _________ that I had those experiences, which have made me more persistent and have taught me to meet ________ in life with open arms.