I used to be a lazy student who often fell asleep in class. Worse still, I associated with bad friends. As a result, I was     1    (落后的) in my studies. It was not until the beginning of the new term that I     2    (开始) to behave well because my English teacher, Miss Yang, a beautiful and attractive lady, kept encouraging me not to give up studying. Under her influence, I was aware of my mistakes and decided to change my     3    (态度) entirely. Every day I     4    (上学) school on time and pay attention to my teachers in class. To     5    (避免) making the same mistakes, I usually attach a note to my desk as a reminder. Knowing that my studies are     6    (糟糕的), I want to improve it badly by making an effort. First, I     7    (醒来) early in the morning to do some reading aloud and attempt to learn the basic knowledge by heart. Also, my teachers are ready to assist me with my studies. With their help, it is not long before I make progress and catch up with my classmates. Not long ago, I participated in an Spoken English Contest on     8    (代表) of my class and I held the firm belief that I would     9    (打败) the other competitors. What astonished everybody was that I attained the championship and was     10    (授予) a gold medal. Now, not only do I go all out to study but I often exercise because only in this way can I keep the balance between study and relaxation.

In the 1400s and 1500s, Peru was the centre of the powerful ancient Inca Empire. The Inca emperor lived in the     1     Machu Picchu. Spain took control of Peru in the 16th century and ruled until 1821. It is for this reason that Spanish is the main     2     of Peru.

Michael Jordan, known as “Air Jordan”, changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. His skills were impressive, but the     3     that he showed made him unique.

Tangshan started to revive itself and     4    . With strong support from the government and the     5     of the city’s people, a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins.

Saving nature, saving humanity

Our planet — the only home we have — is on the point of breaking down. And the costs produced by our broken relationship with nature are rising.

Firstly, these years see more natural d    1    , such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and hurricanes, causing people sufferings beyond     2     (描述). Worse still, human health is     3     (威胁), because we are now running the risk of picking up new diseases jumping from animals to humans such as bird flu and COVID-19. What’s more, due to environmental pollution, people in some areas have less a    4     to food, clean water or other necessities. Animals are struggling for     5     (生存) too. One million species are disappearing and in danger of e    6    .

To avoid completely     7     (破坏) our home, we need to act g    8    , which means all the countries on the planet should work together. As for the     9     (经济) advanced countries, they should take the lead. Although we don’t know what life holds in s    10     for us, we can focus on the present and do our best today.

The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great     1     included building towns and roads. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many     2     across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11^th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the     3     system.

Both Lang Ping and Michael Jordan are living legends of sports as they not only are     1    in their sport but also set good     2    by helping others.

Lang Ping is loved by fans at home and    3    . She is successful both as a player and as a coach of volleyball. The     4     she showed as a coach was impressive. In the 2015 World Cup, two important players had to leave because of health problems, but Lang Ping was not     5    . She encouraged her young players to work closely together as a team, which helped them become world     6    ! Then in 2016, Lang Ping led her volleyball team to Olympic gold in Brazil.

Michael Jordan,     7    as “Air Jordan”, changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps.     8     made him unique was not only because of his skills but also because of his mental strength. He refused to give up in time of failures and kept on learning from     9    , which was the secret to his success. In life, Jordan has learnt to     10     his success with others by starting a club to help young people.

Throughout history there have been many i    1     explorers both at home and abroad. Their great contributions to the world and good qualities are worthy of note. A    2     (显然), as senior high students, we are supposed to look up to them and view them as role models for lifetime.

Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, was considered the first European to reach India by sea. He d    3     from Europe and led the very first ships to sail non-stop to India. His experience makes me   c    4     (确信) that it is courage that helps overcome anything.

Ferdinand Magellan was also a great Portuguese explorer. He had such a natural c    5     about the unknown that he intended to search for a new route to the Spice Islands. The voyage, lasting from 1519 to 1522, confirmed the conception of the world as a     6     (球体).

Zheng He, who made a r    7     to explore the world at a very young age, was one of China’s greatest explorers. His seven voyages helped strengthen the h    8     relations between China and some neighboring and faraway countries and regions, exposing foreign people to Chinese culture. Nowadays Zheng He’s e    9     (杰出) accomplishments are widely     10     (承认) by Chinese people, and his life story is extremely encouraging.