1 . Waiting hours to go on a theme park ride, queuing (排队) at the post office...Nobody likes queuing, except for, perhaps, the ____________. Really, we, people in Britain, have a great deal of respect for queuing.

Like it or not, queuing is necessary to keep order and ____________ people from getting angry with each other. But where does it come from? According to the website, Culture Trip, the origins (起源) of queuing can date back to the early 19th ____________at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (工业革命) in England. Why? As cities were getting bigger and more crowded, queues ____________ started to happen. People queued up for everyday things ____________ posting letters at the post office or shopping in local shops.

During World War II, it became even more important to keep during hard time. So the government encouraged people to “do their duty and   ____________ their turn.”

As a Briton myself, I have to say this is true of the British people. We like things to be orderly and we believe in showing politeness and waiting your turn. It can be found in all kinds of everyday activities. In the UK, it’s normal to let people off the bus or train before you get ____________. In London, ____________you don’t do this, you’ll even get shouted at. It’s also very important to stand on the ____________ on an escalator (电动扶梯). In this way, ___________can walk on the left side if they are in a hurry. As the saying goes in the UK, “Keep calm and carry on.”

2 . Julia found some of her grandmother Georgie’s old design sketches (草图) from the 1940s. Georgie told her granddaughter she was proud of the sketches and wanted them to be _________ by more people, for _________ was a big part of her life. “Being alone all day was difficult for Grandma. I think doing something would _________ lift her spirits,” Julia said.

Julia took some pictures of those sketches and made a post. It became _________ overnight. A lot of replies under the post _________ Julia to physically make her grandmother’s designs. Though her sewing (缝纫) skills were _________, Julia decided to figure it out. And she learned the basics soon.

With the help of her grandmother, Julia spent countless hours _________ the sketches and turning them into complete designs. Despite the great interest her followers had in_________ her grandma’s designs, the dresses Julia recreated were not for sale. “We have _________ when we do these projects and we don’t like to take this too seriously. Maybe one day that’ll become a career, but right now we’re just focusing on our __________. I’m glad to put on the dresses and __________ them to Grandma. I __________ that I will re-wear the dresses. So I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible,” Julia said.

“You can have your own __________ and it’s never too late to go after it. You can still follow something __________ in your life at any age. Maybe it won’t __________, but it’s worth taking that risk,” Julia said.

3 . Jane had lived her entire life in a small town. ________ she had spent decades dreaming about travelling, she never took action to make it happen.

On her 65th birthday, Jane made a brave decision. She sold all her ________ and with a backpack, she set off. The initial days on the road were ________ --- she felt like she finally lived the life she had always dreamed of.

Yet, after a few weeks, she began feeling ________. With each new step, her legs hurt more and more. ________, she slammed (怒摔 ) her backpack on the ground and sat down beside it with tears. ________ hopelessly into the road ahead, she shouted loudly, “I have nothing left in my life!”

It ________ that a life adviser heard her words while resting behind a tree near her. He decided to help her, so he grabbed her backpack and ________ quickly. Shocked and in complete sadness, Jane cried more loudly, “That backpack was all I had. Now everything is ________ !”

About twenty minutes later, she collected her ________, and slowly walked forward. Then ________, she saw her backpack on the road a short distance ahead of her. She was so ________ that she couldn’t help exclaiming, “Oh, thank heavens! Now I can continue onward ......”

As we journey ________ our lives, we may experience incredible disappointments. During this time, it seems we’ve lost everything. ________, actually, we are holding a backpack of support.

So don’t lose ________. Keep going, and you’ll achieve your dream.

4 . Gene Work and his brother-in-law, Mark Rouco, were putting sod (草皮) on Gene’s yard. In the burning heat of the sun, they were soon covered in sweat and feeling a strong sense of_________. Gene fell onto the ground with a(n) _________ expression on his face. His wife Melissa Work was worried sick and _________ to call 911.

Even though he was close to death, Gene still _________ he sod. If it wasn’t put down that day, it would die. “While he was_________pain, he kept _________ me to have it put down because he didn’t want it to be_________.” Melissa wrote in a Facebook post.

Rouco was left behind to deal with the yard. An hour passed and _________ he noticed those EMTs (急救人员) showed up again. Gene had told them how badly he’d wanted to get the sod down, so they_________. With their help, the work was finally __________in under two hours.

At the same time, Gene got the __________ in time thanks to those EMTs’ quick actions.

The Works are still __________that those EMTs went above and beyond their __________. “These men,” Melissa said, “saved Gene’s__________, and then came back to save his grass. That’s just so__________.”

5 . It was November. The sky was gray with dark clouds and a freezing rain. My mood ______ the day. Thanksgiving was coming soon and then Christmas but after that was a long, dark, cold winter and I wasn’t ______ it.

The older I got, the less it seemed I ______ the winter months. When I was a boy, they meant ______ in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and then sitting with my dog by the ______ and reading my favorite books. Now they just ______ watching the days get shorter, driving on slippy roads, and feeling the cold wind bite my face every time I went outside.

I lay on my bed, hoping I could sleep under the covers until ______ . Just then my little dog climbed onto my ______ and looked at me with her big, wet eyes. She appeared so sad and miserable. “Is that how I ______ right now?” I thought, knowing that she often ______ my moods. I smiled and patted her until she smiled too.

I feel grateful for having this loving, little dog. She ______ me that the whole world around us is our mirror. We can either be a reflection of ______ or darkness. We can either give the world kindness and joy or fear and ______. Life truly is what we ______ it and we can reflect our warmth, love and light even in winter’s ______ days.

6 . Jamil Jan Kochai moved to America from Afghanistan at age one. At home, his family only spoke Pashto (普什图语), so when he reached first grade in an English-speaking school, he was _______ at a loss.

Then came Ms. Lung, Kochai’s second-grade teacher, who quickly realized that Kochai was _______ hard at school. Nearly every day after school, Lung would give Kochai _______ lessons on reading and writing. By the end of the year, Kochai had learned to read and write, and even _______ the first prize in the school reading competition.

Sadly, Kochai _______ the teacher after his family moved several times. “I tried everything to find Ms. Lung, but all proved _______,” he explained. “The problem was that I didn’t know her first name. She’d always just been Ms. Lung to me.”

In the meantime, Kochai was starting to go after a successful career in writing. He has received many writing _______. But he never gave up _______ Ms. Lung.

Two years ago, Lung’s husband, Allen Lung, happened to read an article Kochai wrote for a literary magazine that _______ Ms. Lung. He then ________ Kochai through Facebook. Allen Lung asked Kochai if he wanted to speak with his ________ that same night. Because of the pandemic (疫情) they were only able to ________ each other, but Kochai was excited. This was the moment he had been waiting for years.

Kochai cried when he heard his teacher’s voice. He told Ms. Lung everything he had achieved was all thanks to her. They planned to meet ________ at some point in the future.

However, that moment didn’t come until August 13, 2023, when Kochai was doing a book signing event for his new novel. Allen approached Kochai, introduced himself, and brought him over to reunite with Ms. Lung. “I didn’t know why I didn’t see her ________ , since Ms. lung is sitting in the front row. It has been 22 years since I saw her last time,” Kochai said.

“My father used to say that every child is a rocket filled with ________ and all they need is a single spark (火花) to lift off into the sky,” Kochai said. “Ms. Lung was my spark.”

7 . It was July 2019 and Mum had taken me on a 120-km mother-and-son walking holiday as a treat for my birthday. Although I was still on my first special ________, I’d love to see some ancient civilisation.

“Why don’t we go to Egypt?” I said. “It sounds ________, but I’m not paying for it,” Mum smiled and replied.

“I’ll save up my pocket money, and get a ________,” I said. I started saving my $10-a-week pocket money and washed my parents’ car for ________ cash.

In 2020, we moved to Perth. One day, I ________ a brochure in the letter box which was advertising a job delivering catalogues (目录). I applied for the job, and ________ I got it a week later.

On a Monday, a mountain of catalogues were ________ at our house. It took me nine hours to sort through them, and then I ________ them to 430 houses. At first, I used my bike and ________ the catalogues in my backpack, but this wasn’t very ________ so I bought a trolley (手推车) which improved my speed. As time went by, people started ________ me and saying hello on my rounds.

After three and half years, I’d ________ a massive $6,500, and in January this year I flew to Egypt. I had a good time visiting the powerful pyramids at Giza, ________ local food and sailing down a river. I fully ________ that nothing can stop a person from following his ________.

8 . I started my cycling adventure early. The morning ride was _______ , the gentle breeze (微风) was pleasant and the road was free of traffic. The path was lined by colorful flowers. Gazing at the mountains, I felt like I was _______ through a painting. Looking down, I _______ fallen leaves on the track. It was the first time I realized leaves could be so rich in color. I came to understand the true _______ of autumn is found in these subtle, often overlooked details.

Of course, this journey was also a challenge. Each time I endured a lengthy uphill climb, I _______ myself somewhere ahead lay a (n) _______ downhill section. It became a kind of reward. I was thirsty and tired. I pushed my bike up the incline, which helped stretch my muscles.

I passed by a woman selling oranges. I wanted to buy some. However, the woman _______ my money and encouraged me to help myself, _______ the oranges were from her own trees. I was deeply _______ .

After eating two, I crouched (蹲) by the roadside, gazing at the uphill stretch ahead. A young couple in a car ____________ to buy oranges. I asked if they could give me a lift. They ____________ and even offered me bread and water. I learned they were from Suzhou and had driven here for the weekend. They ____________ I visit Suzhou for an around-the-lake ride of Taihu. About 10 minutes later, I said goodbye to them and continued riding.

My mood was ____________ transformed. A team of cyclists approached, giving me thumbs-up. I was incredibly motivated. Cycling 144 km in nine hours was a (n)   ____________ . However, as I reflect on the beauty along the route and the kindness of the people I met, I am still full of   ____________ and I am glad came.

9 . 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.

10 . While warming up to a cheerleading competition, 17-year-old Keianna Joe experienced a scary medical event. She _______ suddenly and went into cardiac arrest (心脏骤停).

Andrea Joe, Keianna’s mother, said her daughter’s cheer coach ran madly, _______ for help, and asked someone to call a/an _______. Andrea Joe then witnessed her beloved daughter _______ and without a pulse. Andrea, a certified medical assistant, _______ into action, working to save her precious daughter’s life. “I just _______,” Andrea said. “I know CPR. I know how to do this. This is my baby and I have to _______ her.”

For about ten _______, this loving mother worked to save her cheerleader daughter in cardiac arrest. She _______ CPR (心肺复苏术) on Keianna, hoping to get her heart beating again.

Then, a portable defibrillator (除颤器) arrived on the scene. Thankfully, Andrea had received training on these ________, but there was something different about this one.

“The machine said, ‘Shock required’,” Andrea said. “And I mean, I’ve trained on these AED (自动体外除颤仪) devices before and they’ve never told me, you know, ‘Shock required’.” Nevertheless, Andrea used the defibrillator to ________ Keianna’s heart back into rhythm and performed even ________ CPR on her. Finally, a heartbeat returned! Andrea had saved her daughter’s life!

After a 10-day hospital stay, Keianna is out, but with a mini defibrillator in her ________. It still remains unclear what on earth ________ Keianna to go into cardiac arrest. Andrea stated, with tears ________ up, that on the way home from the hospital, she made Keianna hold her hand.

“She’s with me, she’s here, she’s right next to me and I’ve got her,” Andrea said. “And it’s the best feeling ever.”