1 . A man took a little too long to complete his PhD. While a majority of PhD programmes are _________ to be finished in five or six years, a 76-year-old student who studied for a PhD in 1970 completed it after 50 years.

Dr. Nick Axten received a scholarship for a PhD in mathematical sociology in 1970 at the University of Pittsburgh. _________, he returned to the UK after 5 years with an unfinished PhD.

Dr. Axten _________ his studies again in 2016 when he was aged 69, studying an MA in Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He then studied for a PhD in Philosophy at the same university and _________ in 2022, aged 75. This year, he _________ his doctorate in front of his wife and 11-year-old granddaughter.

“What I was trying to do in the early 70s was extremely _________,” said Dr. Axten. “Some problems are so _________ that it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. This one has taken me 50 years, which is simply _________.”

Dr. Axten’s research is a new theory for understanding human _________ based on the values each person holds. Dr. Axten says it can __________ our view of behavioural psychology.

“I have loved being a __________ again at the University of Bristol. All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23 but they __________ me as one of their own,” said Dr. Axten. The 76-year-old considered his classmates as __________ and expressed that he loved spending time talking to them.

“Nick was a(n) __________ energetic and hardworking student,” said his professor. “It’s great to see him graduate half a __________ after he started his original PhD.”

3 . My dad worked in construction. His day started early and ended late. When he got home, all he ________ to do was lie on the couch and relax.

One hot summer, when my parents’ wedding anniversary (周年纪念日) was ________, they made plans to eat out. When the big day ________ arrived, Dad got home at seven. He was obviously tired. “Honey, I just need a thirty-minute sleep and then we’ll eat out for ________ ,” he said as he lay on the couch.

I knew how important that evening was to Mom, but before long Dad was ________. Then Mom did the strangest thing. She ________ the refrigerator and took out eggs and bacon. Soon she had some biscuits baking in the oven.

Mom ________ a plate with a lot of his favorite foods. Then she bent over and kissed him while whispering in his ear, “Time to ________ , honey.”

As Dad looked up, he found Mom standing in front of him with his dinner. I’ll never ________ the love that passed between them. “Honey, I promised you I’d take you out to dinner and I ________ it,” he said sincerely.

She kissed him on the cheek, “I know you would, but I’m also ________ that you’ve had a hard day and you’re tired. What’s important is that we’re together.”

That ________ on love is still with me today five decades later. Whenever I imagine how ________ they’re to be together in heaven, a sweet peace and comfort falls over me, the same way I felt when I   ________ their great love for each other on that night when Mom made Dad a ________ anniversary dinner.

4 . A 17-year-old teenager who got lost while on a snowmobiling (摩托雪橇) trip in the Canadian wilderness was safely rescued on Saturday evening. He was found in good _________, as he had built himself a snow cave to hole up until he was rescued. “It would have been a (n) _________ night,” the teen,_________ as Robert, told reporters.

Robert went snowmobiling that afternoon with his father James and his brother Peter near Mahood Lake. At some point, James stopped to _________ Peter when Peter’s snowmobile got stuck, but Robert did not realize they were not _________ him. He wound up in a(n) _________ area, where he turned to the steep slopes and got _________. “I tried to get back the way I came, but I destroyed the trail (痕迹) in the _________.” Robert said.

Trying to find a temporary _________, the young snowmobiler left his ____________ in an open field and headed towards a tree line, where he built a snow cave to warm up and wait for help. “It look me about an hour to ____________ build it,” said Robert. Meanwhile, his family had returned lo a parking lot, where Robert never ____________.

“This young man made our task a little less ____________ by staying in place and having some backcountry winter survival ____________.” South Cariboo Search & Rescue (SCSR) said in a statement. “He displayed some real ____________ choices there.”

5 . My daughter Rachel had severe ADHD (多动症) as a child. The most _________ moments often came when we were out _________. All parents have been there trying to remain calm while their child is having an tantrum (耍性子) and shoppers are _________ their heads.

Rachel is now twenty-four and has grown into an amazing young woman. _________, those old terrible memories feel not-so-distant when I _________ a child’s similar behavior. The screams caused flashbacks that I would rather _________.

Last week, Rachel and I were shopping in the supermarket when we heard a child’s _________ that lasted more than fifteen minutes. My daughter asked, “Mom! Is that what I used to sound like?” “Yes, you sounded just like that,” I _________.

As we approached, I could see people whispering to each other and shaking their heads. Then I saw the embarrassment and _________ in the young mother’s face. I then did something I’d never done before. I walked over to the mom and put my arms around her shoulders. “I know exactly what you are ____________ right now, and I know how you feel. It does get better. Believe me.” I said. I then introduced Rachel to the mother. I ____________ that my daughter had been just like her son when she was little.

She hugged me back, so tightly that I knew she was ____________ to me. Her son stopped screaming for a minute and looked at us with a(n) ____________ expression. At that moment, I could see ____________ wash over her.

Sometimes, a stranger’s kind words during a ____________ moment can mean the world to someone.

6 . It was a heartwarming turn of events on the special night. The Inner Finland Police Department successfully _______ a missing child with the help of their police dog, Kuha. According to Finland’s Police Dog Association, the _______ went missing at around 7:00 pm on December 23. The snow covered the tracks, so the family had to seek _______ from the authorities. A rescue team was quickly _______ , including a dog, which played a(n) _______ role in the rescue.

The search initially focused on the city center, but the _______ came near the child’s home. Kuha carefully _______ a snow pile (堆) where children had built snow caves. Despite the challenging conditions, Kuha’s keen (敏锐的) sense of smell and its devotion _______ .

At around 12:30 am that night, Kuha discovered a shoe _______ under three feet of snow. The child, who had been trapped in a collapsed snow cave, was ________ firstly but gradually recovered after receiving medical attention. The community breathed a collective sigh of ________ as the child was able to speak in the ambulance.

The success of this rescue mission was ________ to the extensive training of police dog Kuha. The dog handler’s knowledge that human ________ rises in the snow led to a second search of the pile, ________ leading to the child’s discovery. The Finnish Police Dog Association also ________ Kuha’s role in the successful rescue.

8 . From the moment I met Madison, we both had a feeling that we’d met before. “Maybe I’ve _________ you at my favorite Chinese restaurant, Hunan Garden,” I said. “Never heard of it. But my favorite restaurant is _________, too.” she said. The more we _________, the more we realized how much we had in common.

A few days later, my best friend Mareya _________ me, who’d been out of town for a while. “You wouldn’t _________ how amazing Florida is! I brought you a _________. It’s a little creature’s _________. Can we meet in my place tomorrow?” she said. Any _________ friend would have _________ that she was glad to meet immediately! __________, I said, “Sorry, but I’m __________ with my new friend Madison.”

“Then give me a call on Saturday!” Mareya said. I responded, “Um, all right.” But it wasn’t until Monday that I remembered Mareya. I went to her __________, and she gave me the most beautiful seashell. Holding the __________ gift, I gave her a huge hug, but she burst into tears. “I thought you were __________ me with Madison!” she said.

I apologized sincerely. She finally gave me a smile. Through this, I realize that sometimes your friend doesn’t know how you’re feeling right now, and a __________ talk may help her understand.

9 . Money doesn’t grow on trees, as the saying goes, and learning how to spend money wisely is a valuable lesson we should all learn when we are young. In China, a growing number of young individuals are embracing this _________ and finding that being frugal (节俭的) can be both rewarding and _________ .

Young individuals in China are actively engaging with _________ responsibility by sharing their budget-friendly strategies and smart shopping advice across various digital platforms. Known as “koukouzu” or the “Frugal Tribe,” they _________ against impulsive (冲动的) spending on luxury brands or frequent _________ of trendy bubble tea. They would rather save up for good quality clothes that will last a long time, instead of some cheaply made fast-fashion _________ . To resist the temptation of impulse buying, some have chosen to _________ applications like Taobao and Mei-tuan from their devices. These frugal _________ have also banded together to form online communities, with one Douban group boasting a membership of 600,000, where members _________ ideas and support each other in their journey towards financial freedom.

Saving cash through the purchase of used goods is a strategy adopted by many who __________ that second hand does not always mean second rate. __________, I once bought a pair of __________ worn Crockett Jones shoes, a British brand with a regular price tag of $1,200, for a mere $100. What a __________ ! Moreover, choosing secondhand items supports environmental conservation by giving new life to objects that would otherwise __________ in landfills, reducing waste and promoting reuse.

Frugality, __________ in Chinese culture since Confucius, is a virtue. Yet, the joy of bargain hunting adds a modern twist to this ancient wisdom.

10 . I’ve wanted a cat for as long as I can remember. _________, my whole family, except for Dad, has wanted a cat for a long time. About a year ago, Dad finally _________. He went to the animal shelter to bring home three-month-old Larry. My two younger sisters and I jumped for joy. At first, Larry _________ constantly because of our two large pet dogs. It wasn’t long, though, before he taught us an important _________.

The day was very _________ outside. Our family of five, along with our two dogs, _________ the warm fireplace. The dogs, weighing about ninety pounds each, were sleeping in _________ together in their new dog bed after a long day of activity.

Larry had been keeping a(n) _________ eye from his cat post. All at once, he bounced off the floor, raced over to where the dogs were sleeping and _________ them sharply. Larry wanted the new dog bed for himself. The second Larry __________ them, the dogs jumped up. Both raced off their bed and out of Larry’s __________, their tails between their legs.

Seeing the funny scene, we couldn’t help but __________. What had just happened? Had our cat just kicked two ninety-pound dogs off their bed? Perfectly placed next to the warm fireplace, Larry fell asleep and had a wonderful nap(小睡). No one __________ him, not even the dogs.

We learnt something important from Larry that day, which we won’t soon forget: __________ doesn’t matter. If you want something, go to __________ it.