1 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated _______ with Western medicine, he decided to _______traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______ the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______ some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavours and effects, just like Shen Nong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______ of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______ Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______ to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a(n) ________ and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________ what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________ their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his ________ for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________ comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which could serve as a(n) ________ between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.

2 . It was a normal morning in March. Sondra Artis had just _______ the last student on her route.

As heading towards the school, Sondra noticed a burning smell. She _______ the bus window to see if it was fogging up from condensation（凝结）or if it was _______ . When a student asked her what was _______ , she did her best to hide her growing _______ .

Sondra pulled into a parking lot and turned to face the 20 students on _______ . She reminded them of the evacuation（疏散） _______ they once performed and directed them to leave through the doors.

“I told the kids that, ‘You know, we _______ at the beginning of the year, but this is going to be _______ , so I need you to be calm,’” said Sondra.

The students hurried to the ________ as smoke began to fill the bus. They were ________ , but Sondra remained calm. When they were out, she went back onto the bus to make sure everyone left ________ .

Seconds after they all ________ , the bus caught fire. Another bus came to the ________ to take the children away, and Sondra was left ________ that everything worked out okay.

The bus can be ________ , but human life cannot. The parents were incredibly ________ for her grace under fire. She's being considered as a ________ , and many of her students would like to see her ________ for her heroism.

“Sondra is a very good bus driver，”said a student. “She ________ a reward.”

3 . Ever since 3 years old, Peyton has always longed for a pug (哈巴狗). As much as Peyton’s parents wanted to get him one at the time, he wasn’t _________ . He had been diagnosed with autism (自闭症), which he needed to adjust to before taking on even more _________ .

Since then, Peyton has worked hard and has shown great _________ both at school and home. That’s why, after seven years, his parents decided it was finally _________ to get him the pug he always wanted! But rather than telling him the news _________ , they got the pup while he was at school and planned the perfect pug _________ .

When Peyton got home, he was _________ that the family dog had caught a bunny (兔子) and that they needed his help to _________ it. Since this type of thing is pretty common for them, he didn’t _________ anything as he prepared to catch the “ bunny ” his mom had ____________ under a cardboard box. But as soon as the box was ____________ , it took no time for Peyton to burst into tears of ____________ — that was the pug that he has always wanted.

What an unforgettable experience for this ____________ boy! He couldn’t be more ____________ for his parents’ kindness. The parents ____________ the hardworking boy in the very best way and hoped that Peyton could get a new life. Hats off to this thoughtful parents!

5 . Randy happened to be watching the news on TV months ago. The reporter was interviewing a man, whose ______ appeared on the screen. Randy noticed they ______ the same last name Waites—a rather unusual one.

Randy found that ______ , wondering if there could be any ______. When Randy’s daughter took a closer look, she ______   a likeness between them. She did some sleuthing (调查) online and ______ Randy and Eddie have the same biological father!

It wasn’t long before Randy ______ Eddie, who lived over 500 kilometers away. Eddie was ______ that the unlikely story was true the moment he saw Randy’s pictures, noticing how much Randy looked like their father.

Randy never knew his father, who ______ his mother and him when he was a baby. Eddie, however, was ______ by his dad and enjoyed a great relationship with him. That fact could have caused problems for the two long-lost brothers, but it did not! They reunited after 50 years of ______.

Eddie ______ to Randy on behalf of their dead father, but Randy held no resentment (怨恨). He said, “I don’t ______ anyone. Eddie and I are both extremely grateful to have made this unexpected ______ and to have the years ahead to be brothers!” The two brothers have really provided a beautiful example of love and ______ for us.

6 . Golden Generation

A national team, mostly consisting of teenagers, pushed China to its biggest-ever medal achievement at the Winter Olympics. At the same time, a series of breakthroughs at the Games _________ the country’s emergence as a much more well-rounded force on the ice and snow.

_________ the heroics of teenage sensation Gu Ailing and seasoned aerials(空中技巧滑雪)masters Xu Mengtao and Qi Guangpu, China _________ four gold to top the freestyle skiing medal standings for the first time after its Winter Olympic debut in 1980.

Gu Ailing also became the first athlete _________, and the youngest _________, to win three medals(golds in Big Air, halfpipe and silver in slopestyle)in three different freeski _________ at the Olympics, throwing her to international super-star reputation as the _________ of Beijing 2022.

Needless to say, another teenager star, Su Yiming, also became a _________   name by winning China’s first snowboarding gold medal in Big Air after claiming a silver in slopestyle. Su’s _________ helped the host finish a highest-ever third on the Games’ overall medal standings, ____________ nine gold, four silver and two bronze-its biggest-ever medal achievement at the Winter Games. China’s ____________ best was a tally of 11, including five gold, at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

“The ____________ of the new generation on the Olympic stage, even seeing the emergence of teenagers, ____________ a great future for winter sports in our country,” said Li Yang, manager of China’s Big Air, slopestyle and halfpipe national programs.

“With winter sports becoming popular in our country amid the fast social and ____________ development, I believe more and more young people will ____________ skis and snowboards to enjoy the sport, just as young as Su and Gu did when they were little, which will ____________ expand the talent pool for our future national programs,”Li said.

The Beijing Winter Games also ____________ the first time that China’s snow sports teams outperformed the country’s traditionally strong ice sports squads in the medal numbers, securing investment in high-performance training programs and ____________ the foundation for even better results at the next Winter Games in Italy.

“____________ we keep the tendency going, I believe we will ____________ a stronger performance in four years' time at the next Olympics in 2026,” said Yang Yang, China’s first Winter Olympic gold medalist, in women’s short-track speed skating at the 2002 Games.

8 . Hannahs daughter Isla has spent half her life home. Lockdown began when she was seven months old. Parks were a ______: the only places where Hannah could ______ her daughter there was more in the world than their flat. Lockdown ______ Hannah, an opera singer, and her husband, a director, months of work. They ______ every other day they would go out to a park, finding some ______ in the world. Hannah read maps for new places of green to ______. Every time they would find something new. Hannah says, “When we ______ this time, we’ll remember it as the year we three sat ______ on a million pretty places of grass.”

About five months later, lockdown ended. For months parks were almost ______. The only sounds were the footsteps of lone figures and the sound ______ from their headphones. Then came chats as people started ______ in twos. Summer arrived with speakers sending out loud music. ______, cheers, different kinds of instruments and shouts ______ the “noise” as impromptu (即兴的) concerts returned. Parks are really ______ to show people’s reactions to lockdown. Some people may feel depressed, but ______ people like Hannah and her family can be always seen everywhere.

9 . On Christmas Day in 2012, when I was fourteen, I didn’t get a single Christmas present. That wasn’t a _________. It was what I had _________. A week before Christmas, I decided that _________ presents, I wanted donations to buy presents for the children in the local orphanage (孤儿院).

When I told my family and friends about my plan, there were a lot of _________ but also support. However, it was only on Christmas Day that the reality hit me. When my baby sisters jumped out of bed, singing carols and opening presents, I lay there feeling _________ and making a list of all the things I really wanted for Christmas that year. I realized I had made a huge mistake.

As I _________ on the door of the orphanage that morning, I felt _________ because I realized how unprepared I was for what was _________. I even had the _________ of dropping the bags of presents outside the orphanage and________. I almost did, but then a kind woman opened the door and smiled when she __________ me in. I was taken to a room full of children, and was __________ angry at how empty it felt. I wanted the room to be filled with __________instead of fear. I wanted to make these children smile but I was __________.

But then something happened. As the workers in the orphanage __________ presents, the __________ in the room changed. I could see the __________ in the eyes of the children and their bodies filled with hope. I __________ feeling so powerless. A little girl, Diana, ran up to me and __________ my legs. I didn’t know I was crying __________ she asked me, “Auntie, why are you crying?” This only made me cry more.

10 . I Still Look for Patches

Aren’t we lucky, when we had a childhood friend willing to be our everlasting, faithful companion(同伴)？I can still remember the day I met my special _________ .

One spring evening, my mother and I patiently waited for my father to come home. His_________ in the doorway made no clear impression on my mind. Suddenly, I heard a_________ “Yip”. “Did I hear something? Daddy, please tell me. What was that?”

As he_________ his pocket he answered, “Nothing. It was only my pocket.” The look on my face must have been a sign of_________.

“Amy!” Softly, daddy called.

I slowly turned around to look at daddy’s_________. There, crawled in his palm was a little dog. _________ several brown spots on her white fur, I named her, “Patches(斑点).”

Patches became a_________ and blame taker. If I was troubled, I could depend on her two ears to listen_________ to everything I had to say. If unfortunately I broke a glass, my trusting companion would willingly__________ responsibility. Her__________ devotion(奉献) only made it hard to separate from her.

When I was about 10, my family moved into a house which wasn’t__________ enough to contain a dog. Sadly, we had to__________ her. My auntie, owning a house with vast pieces of land, __________ her.

I can still remember her eyes__________ at me forlornly(可怜地) as she left. The__________ in her eyes will be with me forever.

I saw her once or twice before she__________. Until my dying day, I shall always expect to see her. I believe that, to this very day, she is still trying to find her way back to her true home. Because I have no__________ that she died, I continue to have faith. The picture is__________ in my mind: a thin white dog comes jumping up, __________ me in loving dog kisses.