1 . Two Canadian teenagers, William and Henry, have been taking on a series of remarkable challenges. Their most recent action _______ following the shores of the Lake Ontario for 73 kilometers. They walked from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

“We like to challenge ourselves physically and _______. We like to _______ challenges like these. And we feel as though going on a long walk is kind of just the purest form of challenge that you can have.” Henry told CBC news.

With very little _______, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 5 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with _______ views along the way, which appealed to them so much.

During their walk, one of the interesting _______ they encountered was an abandoned cargo ship(货船).“You’d be _______ by the amount of things that you don’t see when you are driving and that you will see when you’re taking your time walking,” said Henry.

_______, the journey was not only a physical _______ but also a significant mental challenge. There were moments of ________ for the pair, requiring them to ________ each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ________ a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing a mental health ________. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me and Henry. But we tried to ________ him to get out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was ________and everyone was all right,” William told CBC News. The walk is now over but William and Henry are not ready to stop challenging themselves. They set about planning a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.

2 . Ramsay’s heroic act unfolded on April 21, 2022, at Green Lake, where he fearlessly saved a teenage boy from a life-threatening situation. The boy was swimming in the lake when he ________ about 80 feet from the shore and failed to resurface.

________ by shouts for help, Ramsay, a paddleboarder (桨手) seated nearby on the platform, paddled toward the boy. Although the dirty water made it ________ for Ramsay to see beneath the water’s surface, bubbles rising to the surface near his paddleboard led him to ________ that the boy sank at that spot. Ramsay demonstrated extraordinary bravery by diving 15 feet to the lake’s bottom to ________ the unconscious teenager.

Upon resurfacing, he found that his paddleboard was no longer within ________. Ramsay took a deep ________ and repositioned the unconscious boy. He then ________ swam toward the shore.

Ramsay was tired quickly but he ________ to keep both their heads above water. A female paddleboarder in another party then ________ to them at a point halfway to the shore. Ramsay ________ the paddleboard with one arm while still holding the boy. The woman leaned (倾斜) across her paddleboard and paddled until she reached shallow water while ________ Ramsay and the boy.

The boy was moved onto the shore, where Ramsay forced the water out of the boy’s body during efforts to make him ________. He recovered after treatment at a nearby hospital. Ramsay was cold and ________, but he did not require medical treatment.

He was honored for his ________ and selflessness with the Carnegie Medal—the highest accolade (荣誉) for civilian heroism in North America.

3 . A woman about 100 years old just proved that age means nothing by breaking three amateur(业余的) swimming world records.

On Saturday, Jan. 20, Betty Brussels _________ the Victoria Masters Swim Club Meet and beat the rivals in the 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, and 400m freestyle in the 100- to 104-year-old age _________.

Betty Brussel didn’t get into _________ swimming until she was in her 60s, and this was the first time she had been able to _________ such an achievement. She was able to break the records despite _________ a pacemaker(心脏起搏器) she received after suffering a heart attack in her 70s.

Betty finished her 50m backstroke in 1:24.91, which was almost five _________ faster than the previous record. She surpassed(超过) the _________ standing 400m freestyle record of 16:36.80 by _________ hers in 12:50.03. Betty set the first record for the 50m breaststroke with a time of 1:56.22.

“I was surprised by my own _________ yesterday,” said Betty. “I gave it my all; I never give up. It was wonderful. I was totally __________ by everybody’s support. I like to win, but __________ have never been the most important thing to me. If somebody else wins, I am __________ for them.”

Even though Betty Brussels only just __________ her own achievements, award-winning filmmakers Hannah Walsh and Emma Puchniak are already talking about a possible __________ that could be released in about a year.

“I live life every day and __________ it,” Betty told the publication. “I feel very fortunate to do what I do.”

4 . In a huge building after a long day work, I found myself standing next to a young man with a nice _________ . His smile was so warm that we began a chat. The chat _________ what we had in common: We all came to New York from different countries. I come from Germany while he comes from South America.

We exchanged _________ about the difficulties of starting a new life in a new country. I talked to him, “I’ve been searching for an apartment within walking distance from my _________. And what I want is to rent one with a _________ view of Central Park! Maybe I’m just _________. I can’t afford to _________ a room like that myself and I haven’t found a roommate to _________ the expense.” The young man wrote a number down on a piece of _________. “Her name’s Sally and she is a good girl,” he said. “You’ll like her, and she needs a roommate.”

I called her right away. Later, she __________ my best roommate. Sally told me that she and the young man were not __________ at all and they just met once.

“Maybe he knows of you before because you are __________ in that big company for your hardworking __________,” I told Sally. Hearing that, Sally was so happy. Even though you are a small potato in your life, you can still win your __________ by working hard or doing something__________ to others.

5 . A dramatic video emerged on social media last Friday. It showed the heroic efforts of Australian police as they ________ carrying out a mission to save a man trapped in a granary (谷仓). The video, firstly shared on the Internet by Australia’s Queensland Police Service, ________ showed the devoted team work of several ________. The pictures of them using their shovels (铁锹) to carefully dig into the granary were so clear. This daring ________ took place in Baralaba, a town of central Queensland.

In the middle of the ________ rescue efforts, the police chief was caught on video urgently ________additional shovels. He just wanted to ensure the ________ and well-being of the trapped individual, and said to a farmer, “Can you get some more shovels, my friend? We need to open more space to ________ his ability of breathing in fresh air.” The rescue team together made a proper ________ in the granary in a race against time to ________ the trapped man. Finally, he was saved.

The police chief, who played a key role in the ________, reflected on the incredible community spirit that appeared in the state of ________. He noted, “The local farmers, workers and businessmen along the road offered to ________ on that important day. It was the ________ efforts of all of the people involved that made this rescue action ________ in the end. This spirit of partnership has made our world a much better place.”

6 . Every summer vacation, I work as an assistant to my dad in his plumbing (管道) business. My job often causes physical and mental ________ and it demands an attitude of toughness that I frequently ________ to adopt. Nevertheless, I choose to go on.

Each morning, I started the day by ________ a pair of old jeans that most teenagers of my age would ________ to wear in public. During my work, I ________ jump over a jungle of tools and extension cords (线). There are pipe paint ________ on my pants. As I observe the chaos around me, a sense of ________ sweeps over me. Nothing I see is beautiful or tidy. I feel ________.

From time to time, I cannot help ________ why I have to bear the dust and sweat when I could be in my air-conditioned house. I could even find another job, a(n) ________ one that more closely resembles the work of my peers.

Yet, I hate myself for being so easily ________ by things as small as the mess of plumbing. ________, the world is built by people willing to get their hands dirty. ________ the uncertainties of my teenage brain are far more complex than any extension cord, I keep trying hard to sort them out.

Life is a process of accepting the messes and cleaning them up, and plumbing work is quite ________. Each time when customers express ________ for our work, I understand that the unpleasant feelings caused by plumbing are worth it.

7 . I experienced a day when I was extraordinarily _______. I’m never a picture of grace, but on this particular day, I seemed to be _______ everything. It’s an old church, and the floor is _______ in some places, so my fall was the floor’s fault. But when I fell again on my way out to the car, and yet again in my own home, I began to grow _______. Had I let myself get so stressed out that I had _______ become sick?

Having been raised by devoted Christian parents who also worked in the mental-health field, I tended to look for spiritual and emotional reasons before I headed to the local _______. I have the calming practice that _______ a yoga pose with a breath prayer. I went to _______ more comfortable clothes for the exercise, and as I removed my shoes, I was _______!

I wasn’t having a stroke at all. I had completely worn out my favorite pair of sandals. The soles (鞋底) of both shoes were split in two! I had ________ all the possibilities to figure out what was causing my clumsiness. It never occurred to me to check my soles.

So often when we start to feel ________, we look for ways to make things better. But just as it never occurred to me to check the soles of my shoes, our own souls are the very ________ thing we think of to check. Take a moment to remember the last time you sat still, meditating. If you can’t remember when that was, it might be a(n) ________.

The local cobbler (鞋匠) said my soles were irreparable. We had a good ________, but it was time to let them go. Fortunately for us, our souls can be mended and restored — once we realize they are in need of ________.

8 . 10-year-old Sasha Olsen went on a trip in the summer of 2021 with her family to Vietnam and Japan. She was shocked at the ocean’s pollution levels and dying sea animals.

“We went on this trip and I was so_________,” said Sasha. “But when I saw the way the oceans had become, I got upset. I wanted to know why things were this way but couldn’t find an_________.”

When she returned home to Bal Harbour, Florida, she grew even more_________. She learned some of the_________in South Florida had been closed by the health department because the_________had too much bacteria (细菌)in it.

Sasha sought the_________of her cousin, Narmina Aliyev. Together, they_________ a nonprofit Organization—Iwantmyoceanback._________ the group started small, with friends joining together on weekends to_________the beaches in Bal Harbour. Recently, however, she has__________events to raise funds for beach cleanups and to __________to protection groups.

“It’s__________to bring awareness not just through doing cleanups and meetings, but to show people they can come together through their hobbies and__________together to a common goal,” said Sasha.

Sasha hopes to__________their work to neighboring cities. “We really want to make ourselves visible and__________to all,” said Sasha. “After all, in Miami the ocean is everyone’s backyard. This is the best place to start.”

9 . What I love most about traveling isn’t seeing the famous landmarks or eating great food. It’s watching my mom gasp (倒抽气) at something ______and unexpected. In Yellowknife, it was the bright aurora (极光). In Japan, it was 3,000 cherry trees. To get to them, we had to travel great distances (距离) and______our trips just right. All of them were better because we saw them_______.

When I tell people how much I like to______with my mom they often feel_______.We expect parents to show their children the______. When children become older, things are______. They prefer traveling with friends. They no longer have to see the world through their______.

When I was little, my mother was my_______. She is responsible (负责的) for everything that makes me a good person. She’s kind and patient but she has little time to_______. So at 23, I booked two tickets to Yellowknife. We would explore the world as friends; I could______my mother to see the world on her own terms.

Our trips are not without______times. We’ve gotten on the wrong train, encountered (遭遇) wild animals, and even lost our passports. But I have never______any of the trips with my mother. Before our ______, I had no idea how much my mom loved the mountains. Most of all, I never knew how much I could______her as a friend.

10 . It was the festive season. Mum had baked some delicious _______. Moreover, the refrigerator was _______ with chocolates and ice-cream so I helped myself to all the goodies. That night, I woke up with a painful toothache.

When morning arrived, I had to make an _______ with the dentist. After arriving at the dental clinic, I _______ first, and then walked unwillingly towards a chair. I did not even _______ to look at the other patients. Seeing patients coming out of the treatment room, with large pieces of gauze(纱布) sticking out from their mouths, only seemed to _______ my pain. I was determined never to taste another cookie or take a _______ of chocolate in the future.

When it was my turn, I went into the treatment room. I heard the dentist greet me, but I could not bring myself to _______ to his greeting. The _______ of the drilling equipment and the treatment tools only increased my feelings of sickness. The dentist ________ the offending tooth with various instruments. He ________ me that it was best to extract the tooth. The next minute or so was one of the most ________ moments of my life. I paid the price for my greed.

Soon the pain gave way to a(n)________ feeling. After paying for the high fee of the treatment, I walked out of the clinic confidently and ________ for the nearest bus stop. I ________ that this would be the first and the last time I stepped into a dental clinic. That tooth gave me a lesson that I’ll never forget.