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 . Do you listen? Do you really listen? Is there more to listening than just hearing?

Listening is, by far, one of the most important aspects of communication. So often, you pay attention to your way of speaking, your _________ , your dialect, but neglect your ability to listen.

It is my _________ that people scream out or change the intended purposes of much of what they hear. Too often, we consider listening the _________ part of conversation, although it requires our focus, purpose, and active participation.

Listening means to give ear to, to pay attention to, to _________ , to witness, to hear with thoughtful _________ , or to understand.

The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and to be understood. The only way to understand is to _________ .

Learn to be an active listener. Give off positive body language._________ a willingness to socialize. Ask the right questions. Boost your _________ so that you can understand more and achieve effective listening.

Listening means we should respond, that we should be touched, that what we hear has a(n)_________ on us. I believe that history __________ itself only because no one listens the first time.

You were given two ears, but only one mouth, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more, because God knew that listening was twice as __________ as talking. Listening is the key building block in effective communications. Good listening skills are crucial, as listening is the fundamental __________ of all information.

Isn’t now the time to give the gift of listening to those about you? Given them your __________ attention. Use your God given __________ to become a better listener. For me, I’m going to put into __________ what I believe in my heart and become a better listener.

3 . My brother Joe liked driving cars. He was especially _________speed. It was enough to make mother _________.

As a little boy, Joe would often say to me. “Sister, when I am old enough to drive my own car, I will fly so fast that angels will run scared.” With a big grin (咧嘴笑), he would _________ the scene. I could have told him it would _________ happen. But I didn’t tell him that.

Joe was born blind. But he could _________ like anyone. I didn’t want to be the one to _________ Joe’s dreams._________ would do that for him, soon enough. Up to then, didn’t he _________ his happiness？

Growing up is a _________ between disappointment and surprise, between dreams and reality. When Joe was 12, I think he knew he would never get a license (驾照). As with the other hard facts of life, he seemed to accept it without question or sadness, as if it were __________ more than a card drawn at random (随机地).

One hot summer day when he was 16, Joe, with the help of stick, found his way to my stepfather’s car.

He felt the heat of the __________, opened the door and climbed in. Under the seat, he discovered 6 cans of beer. And he drank all. He found the keys, shouted, “Hooweeee!” and __________ it up.

I have heard various versions (版本) of this story. They all __________ this: the car’s engine __________. My mother fainted. My stepfather rushed outside.

__________, for everyone, the Ford didn’t move an inch. But to this day, Joe still swears (发誓) that when he found those keys and fired that old engine up, he heard the angels.

4 . Fleanor Love knows that weddings create a lot of leftover flowers. That means more opportunities for her to collect after-wedding bouquets (花束) and give them to her lonely hospital _______, many of whom don’t often have visitors, let alone expensive _______.

The flowers are still in good shape, and the patients are pleased to have them. “I was so _______ that I cried,” said patient Connie Melzer, who was recovering from a heart problem when Love walked into her room with a bouquet in early 2020.

Love worked at the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital as a(n) _______ student. She wondered how she could help _______ the patients’ suffering besides learning how to treat them as a student doctor.

“One of the _______ of being a medical student is that it can be very difficult to _______ to the care team,” said Love. “You are there as a learner, who doesn’t have as much knowledge as doctors. But you want to _______ your patients. How can I at this stage in my training make a(n) _______ for them?”

In 2019, she started The Simple Sunflower in Richmond, and so far has ________ more than 760 bouquets to patients. She brought fellow students and other people into her project, and now has more than 200 ________ on the email list.

When Love began the project, she called businesses such as wedding venues (场馆) and florists and asked them what events were scheduled. She then reached out to brides and grooms to ask them if they had ________ for their flowers after the big day.

For each wedding, she organized a team of eight people who helped ________ the flowers when the party was over and then spent time carrying them to individual patients.

People beyond the VCU community have heard about Love’s project and become part of it. “Once the word got out, people around the city started ________ us,” Love said. She wanted to bring the project to more cities and maybe open branches at other medical schools.

“I feel ________ when I see the patients who receive our bouquets,” she said. “It reminds me why we do what we do.”

5 . On September 5th 2018, at around 1 p. m., 11-year-old Kamal stood patiently with his mother and aunt on a ferry crossing the river. They were headed home, with little idea that their journey was about to turn into a disaster.

The ferry, carrying 28 people, was unusually shaky that day. Halfway through the trip, the boat _____ stopped as the engine refused to work. Now the ferry was at the _____ of the river. It was pushed forward by the current (水流) and headed straight for a seven-foot-wide pillar (柱子). Soon it crashed against the pillar, _____ and plunging (使突然下落) all 28 people overboard.

___ in the river, Kamal’s mother first thought of her child’s safety. Fearing for her son’s life, she yelled out, _____ him to swim ashore. Lost and scared, Kamal did as she asked. Finally he swam to the bank and _____ to look back. Then he realized his mother and aunt hadn’t _____ him. He forgot that his mother couldn’t swim.

Kamal turned back towards the _____ site to reach his mum. Finally Kamal _____ her and pulled her to the pillar, but he knew there was no time to _______. Diving back in, he swam towards his aunt and soon pulled her to safety too.

With his mother and aunt now out of ______ , Kamal could finally rest. As he took deep breath to calm his ______ heart, he noticed that a woman with her baby was ______ in the water. Immediately, Kamal jumped into the water, using his last bit of strength to reach the desperate woman, and managed to pull her and her baby to safety. Then three rescue boats arrived. ______ with pride and love for her ______ boy, Kamal’s mum praised her son.

6 . The Healing Power of Sad Songs

Feeling down after a breakup or loss？Slide on your headphones and turn up some sad tunes. Experts say listening to sad songs can help to heal your broken heart. It's no surprise that some of the biggest songs of 2019 were about heartbreak. No post-breakup playlist seemed _________ without Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved." And we can't forget Selena Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me." Yes，almost everybody loves a good breakup song. But what is it exactly about these sad songs that makes us grab a box of _________ and hit repeat, especially when we're already feeling down？

While there's plenty of advice out there about how to move on from a difficult breakup or any other kind of loss, playing sad songs may seem like an unlikely _________. But there's something about listening to blue music that eases heartache. In fact, it s been scientifically proven that music itself can have _________ effects.

In one study, participants submerged their hands in ice-cold water. One group listened to their favorite music during the experiment, while another group listened to music chosen for them, and another group sat _________ . The results？Those who listened to their preferred music were able to cope with the pain for a longer amount of time. In another study, functional MRI(磁共振成像)scans of people listening to songs they enjoyed _________ increases in dopamine, one of the chemical messengers in our brains responsible for pleasure.

Researchers say there are four cognitive benefits to what they call "music-evoked sadness." The first is the _________ . Music allows people to daydream and remember happier times in their lives or relationships. The second advantage is emotional regulation. That is，it’s much healthier to express anger and frustration by shouting along with Lizzo or crying along with Sam Smith than it is to _________ your feelings up inside or take them out on someone else. The third benefit is empathy or the emotion that allows people to _________ to one another. While breakups inevitably result in feelings of loneliness，sad songs are a reminder that they can happen to anyone--yes，even Taylor Swift！Heartache is __________ , and music helps to reassure us that we're all going through it together. Lastly, sad music benefits listeners __________ there are no real-life consequences of letting your thoughts and imagination run away with a song. While the song plays, listeners can grieve and process their feelings.

Experts note, however, that it's essential to keep in mind that listening to only sad music for an extended time period can actually begin to __________ these benefits. A person might be lost in grief when it's time to move on. __________ , there are plenty of breakup songs that act as uplifting songs of independence, too. And listening to happy tunes can help people feel more cheerful over time. So when the pain starts to ease up a little --and it will-- try __________ that sad song playlist and turning up the tempo(乐曲速度)instead.

Researchers know that ultimately, breakups and other kinds of heartbreak only make us stronger. Sad songs serve as a __________ for feeling our emotions instead of avoiding them, allowing us to process the memories (both painful and joyful)and move forward to the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may hold.

7 . Ray was a naughty but clever little boy. He always came early to school. He would never lose a race, or a game of chess. He was so proud of himself that he would always _________ to help others. Whenever he was asked for help or favors, he would say no.

Only one thing _________ to Ray. His valuable pen! He thought it had been his _________ pen. One day, Ray’s pen was gone, and he had to take an exam the following day.

_________, Ray looked everywhere for the pen, but couldn’t find it. _________, he went to his mother for her help and asked, “Mother! I _________ my lucky pen! Please help me find it. I even have a _________ tomorrow.”

The mother knew Ray had to be taught a lesson. She ignored (忽视) his _________ and said, “I’m sorry, son. I’m going out with Aunty Christine. I would be busy.”

Feeling rather _________, Ray visited his friend for help, “My pen has been missing. It’s my lucky pen. I cannot __________ the test paper without it. Please help me find it.”

“I’m sorry, Ray. I have to __________ for tomorrow’s test and would not have the time to waste,” his __________ replied.

Ray sat at his desk, crying his eyes out, when his mother walked in to __________ his lucky pen to him. “I __________ it under the sofa, within the drawing room,” said the mother.

“Oh, many thanks, mother!” said Ray. And thus, Ray learnt his __________, the hard way.

After that day, Ray helped everyone when possible for him.

8 . Life is already difficult as a single mother, but for Rebecca Polston, every day is a battle of strength and courage.

Her son, Rhylon, has been on dialysis (透析) since he began his _______ against a terrible disease at birth. Until he receives the right treatment he needs, she is unable to _______ due to his medical condition. She _______ heavily on her car because emergencies happen a lot, but disaster _______ this summer when Rebecca’s car was damaged _______ by a hit-and-run driver. With no job, Rebecca had no way to _______ money for new wheels. For this small family, the future was _______ — until a radio station heard about her story.

Rebecca and Rhylon were _______ by the 94.9 KLTY team: a group of staffers (员工) from the _______ who are dedicated to doing good deeds for people in their community. A check for $1,000 was __________ to them, as well as brand new toys for Rhylon—but the __________ didn’t stop there. Astonishingly, a set of keys and a brand new __________ came into their sight —silver, topped with a red ribbon, and completely paid for.

Since then, Rebecca has been able to fully meet Rhylon’s needs, which have included at least one __________ visit each week. The 94.9 KLTY team made a video and __________ it on Facebook, which resulted in a flood of support that has __________ in for the Polston family.

9 . It all began when I moved to Dallas in the fourth grade. I ______ that I was behind in my reading at Saint Michael's School. Reading out loud, I had difficulty with half the ______ . My teacher, Mrs. Agnew, said my reading comprehension and ability to ______ words was at a lower level than other fourth graders. She suggested that I be tested for dyslexia(阅读障碍). The test made me feel uncomfortable,and I was ______ to answer the questions, in fear of facing the ______

The test results showed that I had developmental dyslexia. At first I felt discouraged by this diagnosis(诊断) ______ eventually, I became determined to ______ my disability. I got tutors and speech therapy. I would read difficult books, hoping to ______ the confidence I had in myself.

I had finally overcome my learning disability. But even though I had conquered(征服)one of the biggest ______ in my life, I still felt like something was missing.

The missing link was ______ when I walked down the hall of the hospital as a ______ , the same hospital where I had once sat, nervous and confused. Because I felt so lucky to have got so much help from this facility, I wanted to ______ by helping patients here.

One day a little girl in a wheelchair asked me to read a book to her. I read the book very ______ so that she could understand the story. When I left, the girl thanked me for reading to her. Eight years ago I would have ______ to read a book to this little girl, but now I was ______ . I had overcome my disability and was helping others to overcome theirs.

10 . Teens around the world use social media a lot. But is this a good thing? While you can say nice and _______ things on the Internet, you could also say mean and hurtful things too. When someone says something mean or hurtful _______, it's called cyberbullying (网络欺凌) .

When people say mean things to us, we feel _______, depressed and powerless. These are just some of the possible _______ effects that could affect teens who are cyberbullied. When people are often sad or depressed, they could begin to _______ suicide (自杀) . They think that their lives aren't worth anything or that their lives are too _______ to handle. It's difficult to believe that one person saying mean or cruel things to another person could make him think about _______ himself, but it's true and it does happen. Now, you could _______ everything that was said. You could say that teens can just turn off their computers or their phones. They can just block (屏蔽) the person who _______ them or just simply ignore him. __________ people, especially teens, love going on the Internet and talking to people. It's part of their daily lives. It's __________ to tell teens to turn them all off. In addition, __________ they block someone, the person can just __________ coming back on a different account or as someone else. Also if it's a publicly posted video, picture or message, everyone can see it and __________ report or share it. It's impossible to block everyone.

And finally no one can just __________ so many mean words that are being said to them.

Overall, cyberbullying is a terrible thing that people do. There should be laws to protect people from cyberbullying.