1 . A young man Jermaine Scott set up in business as a barber in Madison, Tennessee, about a year ago. He gradually noted the kids were_______to tablets and electronic products when they came to the barbershop. It was extremely_______to cut their hair when they were focused on those, and kids would feel cross and lack passion for life if they play cell phones for a long time. That led to the_______of Scott’s “Barbershop Books Day”, when kids could come and get a_______ haircut. What was required? They are only required to_______a book while they got it.

He created “Barbershop Books Day” to help not only the kids, but also the anxious parents. Madison has many low-income and impoverished(贫穷的) families and many are entirely focused on just keeping their_______on. Many parents are occupied with their work and barely have time to accompany their children. For people in this community, $15 for a haircut per kid is not easy to _______, so in some way a reduction in the price can_______.

Scott began his _______by borrowing five books from City Library and putting them near his chair. Book________began flooding in when a local news station ________ what he was doing. Scott plans on taking it a step further by________his “Barbershop Books Day” to an “Ice Breaker Book Tour” where he________to get kids excited and motivated to learn while also giving them ________role models through motivational speakers so as to encourage them. Scott said, “If I step out of my comfort zone, challenge myself and instill(灌输) in them the idea that school is cool and educational, hopefully it will guide them in the right direction.” He also emphasized that it’s up to all the members of the society to develop students’ lifelong________for reading.

2 . Lee Chong Wei, the 38-year-old Malaysian badminton legend, praised Lin Dan as the greatest badminton player ever in a recent Facebook Live Session (实况转播) on April 16. When he was ________ “who is the greatest badminton player of all time ” by Malaysia’s former Deputy Sports Minister Steven Sim during a recent Facebook Live session, Lee _______ , “You have to say it’s Lin Dan. He’s a legend. His ______ speak for themselves. We have to show our admiration for him.”

Lin Dan was born in Longyan, Fuijian on October 14, 1983. He began to play badminton at the age of five. He entered the ________ school of Fujian in 1992 and joined the _____ team in 2000 to play badminton for China. Li Chong Wei was born in Malaysia on October 21,1982, the ________ of whose ancestors (祖先) is Fujian.

The two badminton titans (巨人) treat each other as powerful rivals (对手) on the court, but are __________ off the court. They met in 2000 and __________ each other for the first time in the Thomas Cup Badminton Asia Preliminaries in 2004.Between their 40 matches from 2004 to2018,Lin has walked away triumphant (胜利的) 28 times, __________ Lee beat the difficulties and __________ 12 times.

Throughout the years, fans have __________ their friendly post—match hugs. Their mutual (互相的) encouragement has been an inspirational __________ of sportsmanship. ____that, Lee even attended Lin’s wedding in 2012.

The two-decade long friendship has been such a _________ example of cross—cultural exchange that Lee was even _________ with the China—Malaysia Star of Friendship award.

3 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had _______ a little homebody, we knew we had to _______ sport into our routine. We were determined to make skiing a family activity. But we needed our daughter’s _______.

When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we _______ two days at an all-inclusive family ski resort aiming to minimize the _______ of skiing with kids and maximize the fun that came on the slopes.

“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was _______ nine degrees. It was freezing, but we got ready soon. I could _______ recognize my daughter because her face was wrapped in thick clothes like the others.

The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with _______ reading “Route For Beginners”. However, when our instructor _______ us to ski, our hopes of being a ________ skiing family were dashed (使破灭). “Ahh!” escaped our lips. She was ________ and said, “Sorry, I thought you were ready.” Then she went on to lead us down a gentler way. We still ________ many times. Everyone slid down the slope, but not without falls.

While the experience frightened us, it also ________ our dinnertime conversation. My daughter told us, “Although I had a hard time skiing, there is no ________ of happiness.” I responded, “Your father and I enjoyed ourselves, too.” The next day, we ________ there as beginner skiers, but we believed we would be certainly expert skiers.

4 . The 13-year-old girl Anna Grace is a volleyball manager, a basketball manager, and a theater volunteer, but perhaps her greatest _________ is the fact that she has beaten cancer twice.

Anna was first diagnosed (诊断) with a rare type of _________ in December of 2019. A softball player at the time, she told her parents she was experiencing muscle _________ in her left arm, only lifting it about eye-level. She had to _________ surgery on her left arm.

For the following weekends after the surgery, doctors scanned her _________ to make sure she was cancer-free and then in August of 2023, doctors _________ a spot on her lungs. She had another _________ on September to remove it. Anna said later the first time with cancer, it felt like a learning stage. The second time around, it was a little _________ to accept the news.

And throughout all of this, Anna has had to _________ school work and hospital life. Her sufferings with cancer forced her to really __________ herself because she was out of school for quite a while. Now she has __________ and has straight As. Anna’s father, Eric Bartel, said her journey has inspired him to __________ every moment, enjoying time with his loving daughter.

Anna is doing well these days though. She’s __________ in theater and is a coach’s assistant. “When you’re on __________ you have to keep fighting,” Anna said. “Always live life to the fullest each day. You’re loved. Your life __________.”

5 . In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, US, when his tire blew out. He _________ to the side of the road and made a _________ indicating his need for help.

Three hours later, a van finally pulled up and out came a Latino family of four. Despite the _________ barrier, they worked together to _________ Horner’s car, relying on the daughter’s broken English. One hour later, the car was fixed and the mom pulled out a big jug of water for them to drink and wash their hands.

Horner _________ them sincerely and attempted to give what he had in his wallet—a $20 bill—but they _________ to accept it. Despite their resistance, Horner _________ and eventually placed the money in the mother’s hand before walking away. A few moments later, their small daughter called out and offered Horner a _________ — a tamale (玉米粉蒸肉) —which he gratefully _________.

As they slowly drove off, Horner unwrapped the tamale and discovered his __________ wrapped inside. He rushed over to the van to give it back, but the father simply shook his head and smiled, saying, “Today you, tomorrow me.” With a __________, he drove off and Horner never saw the family again.

Months later, Horner shared his experience online, which __________ thousands of likes and comments. His story evolved into an essay in The New York Times and even inspired a handful of short films.

Horner knows that the phrase, “today you, tomorrow me” wasn’t __________ by that stranger in the van. He said it’s a common expression in Mexico, where he believes the family was from. However, the idea behind it is __________ .

“At the end of the day,” Horner reflects, “it shows that everyone can be __________ at some point and that everyone requires assistance.”

9 . Jessica has an amazingly burning passion for sports. She isn’t your ________ grandmother. She was 88 years old when crossing the finish line at the 2023 Detroit Marathon, ________ the record for the oldest person to complete a marathon.

Jessica from Hawaii, USA, stays in shape all year round by running six days a week, no matter the ________. Come rain or shine, she covered 36 miles every week, ________ when she’s on holiday. Actually the retired doctor didn’t take up running ________ she was 46 years old.

“The Detroit Marathon is my favourite because they don’t close the ________ at a certain time which allows even the ________ runners to finish the race,” she said. “Fantastic registration and management make it a joy to participate in.”

Jessica says she is happiest when she’s on the ________. She enjoys running for miles and ________ and saying hello to the people she ________. To stay in shape, Jessica, who runs year around, keeps a ________ training routine. “I train year-round but increase the mileage starting 18 weeks before a marathon,” she said.

Her career as a physician allowed her to understand how her body and mind ________ to diet and exercise. “I see the direct connection between moving and ________,”she said. It is important to reduce stress rather than ________ it without a plan on how to do so in the long run.”

Jessica intends to keep running marathons and would like to ________ the record titles for the oldest person to finish a half marathon (female) in two hours within the next year.