1 . When I have a sad look on my face and my mind isn’t where it should be, my wife says, “You need to go home!” So, I get my plane ticket, pack my suitcase and _______ Sierra Leone, the country I escaped from in 1999 when a war over diamonds destroyed our _______. The civil war lasted 11 years and ruined many schools, leaving children without an education or a future. It only seems _______ that I try to help the people in my home country, especially the children.

In 2009, 10 years after I ran away, I believed it was time to rebuild and _______ the life we had before the war. With most of the schools ruined, it was a _______ task. The first one was the school in Mbureh village. With the help of several charities, the organization I work with raised enough money. The school was rebuilt and the children _______ me with smiles.

I consider that payment in full. And it _______ me to do more. With each brick cemented (用水泥粘结) into place and each nail hammered, I thought about the kids who were now going to have a _______. Workers and volunteers _______ day and night, rebuilding one school after another.

After I returned to Canada, my wife could see the ________ in me. But something in my life here would always take my ________ back to the problems of my country. Sometimes it was wandering in the grocery store. All that food reminded me of the empty stomachs of the children overseas. Or sometimes it was the ________ I heard around me: The weather wasn’t just right or a flight had been postponed.

“Go home,” my wife always said ________. So, I’d return once again to build more schools, create more futures and see more ________ children. I’ve met many people who have the same heart as me and want to see the smiles of more children in Sierra Leone.

We all know how much a smile can ________ us: It is payment in full.

2 . Two Canadian teenagers, William and Henry, have been taking on a series of remarkable challenges. Their most recent action _______ following the shores of the Lake Ontario for 73 kilometers. They walked from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

“We like to challenge ourselves physically and _______. We like to _______ challenges like these. And we feel as though going on a long walk is kind of just the purest form of challenge that you can have.” Henry told CBC news.

With very little _______, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 5 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with _______ views along the way, which appealed to them so much.

During their walk, one of the interesting _______ they encountered was an abandoned cargo ship(货船).“You’d be _______ by the amount of things that you don’t see when you are driving and that you will see when you’re taking your time walking,” said Henry.

_______, the journey was not only a physical _______ but also a significant mental challenge. There were moments of ________ for the pair, requiring them to ________ each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ________ a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing a mental health ________. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me and Henry. But we tried to ________ him to get out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was ________and everyone was all right,” William told CBC News. The walk is now over but William and Henry are not ready to stop challenging themselves. They set about planning a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.

3 . Emily was once invited to a party. Not knowing anyone except the host, she was anxious. An hour before her scheduled _________, she hesitated. She eventually called the host, saying she had to _________ their appointment as she wasn’t feeling well. _________, Emily had social anxiety. If you _________ with social anxiety too, you may have experienced such things: You don’t _________ a course because you need to interact with the _________ or other classmates; you refuse to go to a party afraid of _________ up. No wonder Emily felt better when she stayed home. However, doing this made the anxiety in her brain stronger.

You can do something to fight such anxiety. First, step outside your comfort zone, and gradually you’ll find the world _________. It’s also a good idea to get _________ from others. Before going to a party, you can turn to some friends for some effective __________. At the party if uneasiness __________ you, you can move away to the bathroom and then __________ what to do next. After the party, you can __________ yourself for going to the party. Small things like a delicious meal can motivate you to __________ next time. As long as you take acceptable __________ and build your confidence, you’ll enjoy socializing with others sooner or later.

4 . 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.”

5 . 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.

6 . 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.”

7 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . 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.

10 . 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.