1 . I once got lost on East Nanjing Road in a boiling sea of people. Music blared from every store. Having nowhere to sit and nowhere to stand, I was begging to be teleported to some deserted island. Even for extroverts (性格外向者) like me, who get energy from the _________ , Shanghai is overwhelming (令人难以招架的). I can’t imagine what it’s like during the holidays when the party animals, who have a fear of missing out, hit the streets to have fun. 

At times like these, I truly envy people who are introverted (内向的) and prefer their own thoughts and _________ world to being around other people. Introverts are self-sufficient and don’t need other people to be happy. They can be happy by themselves. It’s a _________ belief that introverts are lonely or shy, and that they would be much happier if they _________ their comfort zones and became more talkative. 

It is, therefore, fitting that January 2 is World Introvert Day. Following _________ full of glittering lights, bright colors and small talks, introverts might feel in need of some alone time to recharge. The day also _________ the positive points of introverted personalities, emphasizing that being the quiet one is not only acceptable but something to be _________.

Yet, society in general prefers _________ because, among other reasons, they tend to go out more and spend more money, which is good for the economy. For this reason, families often pressure their introverted kids to attend large _________ and fake being social butterflies to improve career prospects (前景). __________ this is sometimes necessary, to be happy, it is essential to be accepted for who we are.

2 . Joe became interested in metal detecting when his parents gave him a metal detector as a child. He often went out ______ after storms. Over the years, he has found watches, Spanish relics, and even an eight-foot-tall ship anchor (锚).

One day, Joe’s metal detector ______ something was buried under the sand when he was scanning St. Augustine Beach ______ by Hurricane lan in late September 2022. He began digging, expecting he might ______ some coins or something of similar value.

But what he found was worth far more than a few cents! He ______ a beautiful, huge diamond ring which was about six inches under the ground. However, even though Joe knew it was a special ______, he initially had no idea how much the ring was worth until he visited a jewelry store to ______ it. When he learned that the ring he’d unearthed was worth $40,000, Joe wasted no time trying to ______ the rightful owner!

First, he made a(n) ______ on his social media channels, hoping the owner would see it. He then called and emailed jewelry stores all over Florida and beyond, sending photographs and a(n) ______ of the ring. And, when a jeweler asked him if he’d considered keeping the prize for himself, Joe ______ said, “not even for a minute.”

A couple of weeks passed, and Joe wondered if he’d ever get the ring returned home. Ultimately, he was ______ by a man who might be the owner. After ______ through photos that the diamond ring was indeed the one his wife had lost, he was ______ happy. His wife just said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it,” and then started crying.

For Joe, though, it might be that the act of returning the treasures” to those who lost them brings him as much ______ as finding them in the first place!

4 . Successfully receiving a US visa (签证) is full of ups and downs. In early 2023, I received an offer to join in the Sports Industry Management Summer Program at Georgetown University in the US. Never having been to the US before, I was thrilled about the upcoming _________.

However, my excitement turned into shock when I _________ a scheduled interview appointment at the US embassy (大使馆) in New Delhi in early May. The waiting list was so long that it _________ all the way to September, well _________ the start of the summer program in July.

Still, that wasn't the only _________ we faced with the US embassy. A friend planning to visit France mentioned that the visa application process now took two months longer than before. It seemed that an increasing number of people were applying to travel abroad. I waited until mid-July before _________ giving up on the summer program for 2023.

At last, I secured an appointment for Sept 18, 2023. After all these difficulties, I thought I could finally get my US visa. During the interview, the visa officer, a pleasant woman, began asking me a few questions. Then there was _________ as she typed on her keyboard for five minutes. I though that the exciting moment was coming. _________, after smiling at my mom and _________ a green form to her, she said, "Sorry, but due to your job, we require __________ documents."

As a journalist, my mother was required by the green form to email a list of her published stories. Fortunately, she specializes in __________ and art, with hundreds of articles on cultural exchanges and interpersonal communications between India and the US. I don't know whether or not her touching stories __________ the visa officer. After all, the embassy gave us 10-year visas after about a week.

With the visa, I am applying for the summer program for 2024 now. If you're planning to travel abroad, I __________ starting the visa process early, __________ many others likely have the same plans. Your parents' jobs can also affect your visa application, so make sure you do some __________ and are ready to provide extra documents.

5 . If you want to stand out, 10,000 hours of training will take you much further than your natural abilities. Mozart is considered by many as the greatest composer who ever lived. Traditionally, many people ________ outstanding achievements like Mozart’s are due to talent, or even inborn inspiration or ________.

This assumption holds especially true for child prodigies (神童) like Mozart whose music talent ________ the world at the age of six. But looking more ________ at this phenomenon, we find that these individuals actually had to practice countless hours before showing their ________ remarkable talent. In fact, scientists indicate that a prodigy’s training typically ________ at a very early age, with massive time invested in practice.

For example, when the six-year-old Mozart toured Europe to ________ his brilliant piano skills, he had already ________ 3,500 hours of musical training. If you compare this to other pianists who have practiced for as long, Mozart’s ________ wasn’t all that exceptional. It seems that outstanding abilities come from intensive strict practice ________ natural talents. A study shows the only factor directly ________ the students’ level of achievement was the amount of serious practice time: the most ________ performers had practiced for an average of 10,000 hours, while the least skilled had only 4,000 hours of practice. What’s even more revealing is that there were no ________: All of the top performers had ________ great efforts to their practice. It seems that no extraordinary talent can ________ without tough practice.

8 . This week I saw a video of a mountain climber lying on the back of the Sherpa guide who helped rescue him.

Gelje says he was_______a client toward the summit ofEverest last month when he noticed another climber_______a rope, alone, in what's called Everest's“death_______”.These are the highest_______, where temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, where human cells begin to________without oxygen.

Gelje stopped the climb of his own client. Then he rescued the________stranger, left hanging for his life,and________him for about six hours, to an area called theSouth Col, where another guide joined in the_______.

“We________the climber in a sleeping mat,”Gelje said,“dragged him on the snow, or carried him in______ on our backs to Camp Three, which is still more than 7,000 meters high.”

A helicopter met them to lift the________climber down to the base camp. He was taken to a hospital, and has since returned home to Malaysia.

We don't know how the Malaysian climber_______himself in danger. But the two guides who grow up in and know those________saw a stranger in danger, and risked their own lives to________him. As Gelje said,“Saving one life is more________than praying at the church.”

9 . Nancy was a single mother with two kids and no savings. Desiring work but lacking work ________, Nancy had to answer an ad for a house cleaner. The house was a luxury apartment so she guessed it must be a(n) ________ job. The interview was simple: just clean the whole apartment. Hoping to ________ the house owner, Nancy decided to do the work ________, shining all the wood floors, wiping the hidden places with cleaners, turning over cushions, and washing all the windows. She didn’t even ________ a small corner. Then she found a handful of ________ on the couch and another handful under the bed. A few crumpled (皱的) dollar bills and some coins might not mean much to a man of ________ who could throw his money around ________. But to Nancy and her children, a few dollars would ________ them for a few days. Nancy remembered the ________ from her father: work hard, and be ________. She kept to those words all the time. Then she tried to ________ the paper money and put the coins in neat piles. It was many hours ________ she completed her duty.

The next day, Nancy got the job. It turned out that the scattered money was also a part of the ________. Anybody can clean houses but few can be ________. Nancy made enough money and could raise her family. And as time went by, she was promoted to more important positions. In every task there were the same ________ to be followed: don’t cut corners; check the details everybody else tends to ________. Nancy became a trusted personal assistant because she always ________ these rules.

Earning trust is not that difficult. You choose what is ________ over what is fun, fast, or easy. And you choose to practice your values rather than simply ________ them. They are the key.

10 . It was 8:30 am. Traffic was at ______ flow. For ten minutes I watched an elderly lady looking ______ at the traffic, waiting to cross a four-lane road. Her wide blue eyes scanned for a ______; there was fear in them.

An untidy boy of ten ______ her and said a few words. She smiled with surprise and ______ her head. They were strangers to each other, but the ______ in each was obvious.

The boy turned to the traffic, holding the old lady’s hand, and I ______ his little smile-he was helping. The traffic ______, and a gap appeared. Both said “now!” and stepped out, leading each other.

The old lady glanced around, determined to ______ her young charge. The boy held her hand, ______ the old lady gently and safely. As they ______ mounted the sidewalk on the other side, their ______ was evident.

The old lady safely ______ the boy to the other side, pretending to let him help. The young boy safely got the woman across, pretending to let her help.

I watched with a lump in my throat and a(n) ______ in my eye, and I didn’t know why this was so. . for I was smiling. I was unable to describe this beautiful ______. The two turned to each other and shook hands before parting.