1 . My PhD project is to protect a tiny species of fish, whose color is greenish. To ______eggs, Clanwilliam sandfish (沙鱼) swim to ______tributaries (支流) of the Doring river system in South Africa. Local people say it was once a ______event: The water seemed to change ______ as thousands of sandfish migrated to the shallower tributaries. Now, ______those numbers have reduced to dangerous levels.

My PhD project at South Africa’s University of Cape Town is in ______with a nongovernmental organization in saving sandfish. Human activity, climate change, etc, are drying up the rivers. As newly young sandfish try to ______to the upstream (上游), they now get ______in shallow tributaries. The sandfish population has decreased by more than 90% since we began keeping count. They’re now regarded as ______species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.When the river starts to dry up, we ______young sandfish and put them into buckets of water, then move them by truck to prepared fish nurseries (鱼种场) ______ by local people. The support from local people is amazing. Once the sandfish are large enough to be less threatened, we will ______them to the natural ecosystem.

The data so far show the project has been ______. We’ve ______ about 36,000 young sandfish over the past three years. I’m looking forward to ______those numbers next year.

2 . In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and neglect the simple pleasures that bring us true _______. One such pleasure is reading, a hobby that can transport us to different worlds, broaden our horizons, and enrich our lives in _______ ways.

Reading is not only a source of entertainment but also a _______ tool for personal growth. Through books, we can gain _______ and understanding of topics ranging from science and history to human behavior and emotional intelligence. We can learn about different cultures, religions, and philosophies, _______ a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Moreover, reading has the ability to spark our imagination and creativity. As we _______ the stories of characters in novels or poems, we are invited to imagine their worlds, emotions, and motivations. This exercise in imagination can lead to increased creativity in our own lives, helping us to find new _______ to problems and approaches to challenges.

In addition to its intellectual benefits, reading can also be a source of comfort and relaxation. Curling up with a good book after a long day can help to reduce stress and _______ a sense of calm and well-being. The act of reading itself can be a form of meditation, helping us to _______ our attention and quiet our minds.

_______ , reading is a hobby that offers countless benefits to our lives. It enriches our minds, sparks our imagination, and provides a source of comfort and relaxation. In a world that is constantly changing and _______ , the joy of reading remains a constant source of happiness and growth. So why not _______ time for reading in your daily life and discover the joy it has to offer?

By making reading a part of our daily routine, we can open ourselves up to new ideas, expand our knowledge base, and _______ our minds in ways that are both enjoyable and _______ . The joy of reading is a gift that keeps on giving, so let’s make sure to _______ it by picking up a book today.

3 . Retirement hasn’t slowed down 90-year-old great-grandmother Jeanie Shaffer. She has made more than 11, 000 tiny _______ for newborns in her golden years. Every hat is made with special care and she has _______ them all to the local hospital for the last 15 years.

Hospital staff put a hat on a baby soon after _______ to keep warm. A warm hat calms and _______ newborns as they adjust to life _______ the womb (子宫). That is why the hospital staff and new _______ are so appreciative of Jeanie’s handmade hats. Many families _______ the hats because they _______ emotional value to their baby’s first hat.

Jeanie and her husband have a _______ family, with seven children, 15 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren. Although she has plenty to keep her ________, she still found time to start a fun hobby in her 70s after she ________.

To honor Jeanie’s years of hard work and selfless volunteerism, the staff decided to ________ pictures of her creations to fill an album (相册). The hospital made a special ________ on social media to all the new moms to submit a picture of their newborn wearing the hat they had received, which was responded ________. Thousands of grateful new moms soon shared ________ photos of their newborns wearing their special hats. The staff then selected part of the pictures for the album that they presented to Jeanie.

4 . Andrea works in a donation store. One day, Andrea was checking the quality of the _______ items. As she pulled out two sweaters tied together, she felt something _______ in between them. When pulling the sweaters apart, to her _______, she found several envelopes filled with cash. The cash was in $100 bills and _______ $42,000. The question of what to do with the _______ came easy for the honest employee. Without _______, she handed it over to the manager so he could inform the rightful owner.

Some might have thought that it was Andrea’s _______ day, coming across a small fortune. However, Andrea’s _______ nature urged her to do the right thing.“I do believe that if you do something good, something good will _______ you, ”said Andrea after returning the money.

Fortunately for the ________, there was identifiable paperwork along with the donated items. The store’s manager was then able to   ________ and return the money to the donor who had mistakenly placed the cash in the wrong box.   “________ we have no way of knowing who the money ________, ”said the manager. “Luckily this time we did. ”

It was hard not to think of the many wonderful things she could do with that much money. However, the ________ to keep the cash was just a passing thought. She always tries to be a good ________ to her daughter.

5 . When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade (柠檬水).That’s exactly what a girl in Chicago did.She was not _______ by a day of slow sales that _______ a robbery.

11-year-old Alizay Kashif _______ a lemonade stand in a quiet place outside her home._______ keeping the money for herself, she planned to _______ whatever she earned to Feeding America, a hunger relief organization.

_______ after two and a half hours, she took in only $9. Feeling _______ for her, her father Zaman Kashif _______ to buy some of her snacks and drinks. “I need some _______ customers, Dad.” She refused __________.To make things worse, two teens robbed her of all the $9.

Seeing how __________ his daughter was, Zaman turned to the social media platform (平台) Nextdoor,which aims to build connections between neighbors. Many strangers were touched that Alizay didn’t give up her business because of the robbery and came to __________ Alizay’s business.Her business was booming (兴旺).In total, Alizay __________ to raise $348 for charity, which helped feed over 6,000 __________ families across the nation.

“I think that was super nice and really __________ the day.”Alizay said.

6 . In 1963, at age 65, my grandfather decided to build a new house on his farm. In order to save money, he hired a bulldozer (推土机) to________the old house far out to the________and it sits there to this very day.

We moved in the farm two years after my father passed away. When my wife took one look at the ________house, she________tearing it down. I agreed, but thought it________to check it out first, in case something of value had been________.

I walked into the woods where the old house sat. Most of the windows were________, and the siding was falling off. I entered through an open window. Suddenly, a(n)________on the floor caught my eye. I opened it. It was dated September 1944, when my father was serving in the navy abroad, at the age of 18. It wasn’t hard to read between the________. Here was a(n)________ young man, a kid really, who left his home and fought battles somewhere in the South Pacific. At the________of the page, in underlined print, my father had passed on one last message. Tears________my eyes as I read those words he had so________stressed：“All is well here. Please don’t worry. I am doing fine.”

As I left the old house that day, I took one last________back at it over my shoulder. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I________∶That old house gets to stay there until it rots (腐烂) into the earth.

7 . Chicago winters are famous for their bitter cold. It is a ________ time to earn a living for the city’s street vendors (商贩). They have been hit hard by the pandemic (疫情) as the population of street shoppers has ________ by as much as half in the city. One Chicago based restaurant owner,Robert Magret,came up with a brilliant and quite ________ idea to help these vendors. He purchases their entire day’s food ________ as a clever way to get them out of the ________. Robert then distributes the food to the ________ for free,turning one good deed into a chain of ________.

Robert has been purchasing truckloads of ________ from Chicago vendors for weeks as the temperature began to fall into the single digits. After he ________ the vendors from the cold weather,he then ________ the delicious bread to the homeless. Robert also uses his purchases to ________ Love Fridges,which are fridges around his city where people can either donate or ________ fresh vegetables and cooked meals.

Robert’s creative idea won great ________ on social media and he immediately began receiving donations from the community. Robert plans to ________ buying out street vendors all winter with the help of donations from kind ________ who have joined him on his merciful mission.

8 . Henry was a high school headmaster. When he learned some of his students were in _______ need, he was determined to help. He decided to get an _______ job at Walmart besides his tiring day job. His entire _______ from the night job is generously donated to his students.

Henry seems almost a _______ to most. Incredibly，Henry works the night shift from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. stocking (上货) shelves three days per week after _______ work from school. He was motivated when he heard how some of his _______ had fallen on hard times. The headmaster was _______ with emotion as he described going to the home of one teenager and saw their difficult situation and heard _______ of other students sleeping under a bridge or in a(an)_______ car.

A high percentage of the students at Henry’s high school live below the ________ line. The community is further ________ by the pandemic (疫情). Henry’s donated funds go straight to his students and their families to purchase basic school supplies，food and ________ bills such as heat and electricity.

“At my age，we don’t ask for ________. We just don’t. You just go ahead and do what you need to do，”Henry said.

Henry hopes to keep his second job a ________. He said the only thing that he wants in return is that his students one day ________ and help others.

9 . Lakira noticed that a 10th grader, Jonny, often ate alone in the school cafeteria. Jonny has autism (孤独症), which makes social interactions ___   at times. One day, Lakira decided to join Jonny and they became fast friends.

Jonny often experienced ___ and nervousness on the first day of each new school year. He worried he would ___ to make new friends. Thanks to Lakira, this year was ___. He looked forward to joining his friend at lunch, and his whole world ___. He would go home and talk excitedly about Lakira.

His mother noticed the change in her son. He appeared happier and more ___, and looked forward to going to school. It was clear to his mother just ___ Lakira’s friendship meant to Jonny, and she wanted all kids to ___ the same positive transformation. So with Jonny and Lakira, she got the idea of forming a friendship ___ in their school, named “Not Alone Club”. More than 100 students ____ and promised to join and talk to the student eating alone.

Lunchtime at school is different now for the kids who ____ sat alone in the school cafeteria. Now, every seat at Jonny’s lunch table is ____. Loud chatter and laughter can be heard ____ from the cheerful group of new friends.

It’s inspiring for the ____ to come together and do this. ____ the group together is an example to Jonny that people can do anything they put their minds to, especially doing it together.

10 . I was halfway across Indiana headed home to Kentucky when my car broke down. My phone was ______, too. I managed to get to a gas station, but it was Sunday in the early fall, and there was no ______ on duty. I was working my way through university then and had little money for ______ the car.

I sat alongside my car for several hours trying to ______ the heat when an older gentleman ______ to fuel his car.   He asked about my car, and I ______ my predicament (困境). To my ______, the gentleman told me that he had a daughter my age, and then he opened his trunk and ______ a tool set.

Right then and there, this total ______ examined my engine, explaining as he worked that my spark plugs (火花塞) hadn’t been charged for so long that they were ______ to function.   After about an hour, he ______ that my car was safe to finish the trip.

______ came at the hands of a stranger. ______ his clothes, working on a hot September afternoon, this man ______ a college student from disaster, just because she could have been his ______ .