An destination to the South Pole with the great Sir Ernest Shackleton—this is the adventure    1     I have been dreaming of. And I was ready for it. At the age of 19, I am fit and full of vigour. However, when I applied to join the expedition, Shackleton turned me down    2     he thought I was too young and wasn’t qualified. But I was so enthusiastic about the idea of going along with them that I    3    (secret) went aboard his ship, the Endurance, and hid in a small cupboard. Unfortunately, three days after we set off I was discovered. Shackleton did not want to turn back so he offered me a job.

During the Middle Ages, the purpose of Western art was     1       (teach) people about Christianity. Thus, artists were not interested in painting realistic scenes. Their works were often primitive and two-dimensional, and the main characters     2    (make) much larger than everyone else to show their importance. This began to change in the 13th century with Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337). While his paintings still had religious themes, they showed real people in a real environment. In particular, his     3     (painting) are set apart from other paintings by their realistic human faces and deep emotional impact.

Then what is causing the increase in the global average surface temperature? Climate scientists often mention a key climate process    1    (call) the “greenhouse effect”, which has two common meanings: the “natural” greenhouse effect and the “man- made” greenhouse effect. The “natural” greenhouse effect     2    (refer)to the fact that heat from the sun enters the atmosphere and warms Earth’s surface as short-wave radiation. The heat is released back into space at longer wave lengths. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as methane carbon dioxide, trap some of the heat,     3     (keep) Earth’s climate warm and habitable.

    4     this process, Earth could not sustain life. However, the “man-made” greenhouse effect has now become a big problem.

Cunningham was a world-famous fashion photographer. But he led a simple life. He lived in a small apartment. A simple restaurant was the place     1     he usually had the same meal. He always used cheap cameras and all his pictures     2     (take) on the streets of New York. Cunningham liked to photograph ordinary people in poor areas. He found inspiration in everyday scenes. These things were real, and it was within their reality that he saw both     3     (beautiful) and potential.

Since the 1960s, we have been sending unmanned spacecraft to Mars. Our probes have travelled around the planet,     1     (send) back valuable data and images. Our robots     2     (explore) the Martian surface several times, testing the soil and searching for resource, water and signs of life.     3     (encourage) by discoveries over the years, space agencies of various countries are planning manned missions to Mars. China     4     (land) its rover (漫游车) on Mars successfully on May 15^th, 2021, becoming the second country to have a rover on it.

My grandfather is a Party member. He often shares stories about the Communist Party of China     1     me. One day, he talked about his fight in the Anti-Japanese War. He admitted that he had been afraid, but his determination to defend the country helped him overcome his fear. I thought my grandfather was a hero. He often reminds me that our     2     (peace) and happy life today is because of revolutionary martyrs (烈士). Our generation should be grateful to our great Party.     3     (inspire) by these stories, I make up my mind to study hard and make our country more powerful.

The faces some people show to the world might be completely different to their real personalities. Most comedians have sweet smiles on their faces and always sound cheerful because that’s the nature of their work. Judging     1     the faces, we are not likely to know what their true feelings are. They might be crying on the inside     2     they might be laughing on the outside. How others are feeling is not something that we should make assumptions about, because it’s not always obvious who is     3     (true) happy.

Etenesh Diro had almost completed two thirds of the 3000m long-distance running when she was knocked down     1     some other competitors. She fell and her right shoe     2     (start) to come off. One after the other, the runners overtook her. She threw the shoe away to get up     3     (quick). Running the rest of the race with just one shoe on and her right foot bare raised a big cheer for her. Luckily, she     4     (give) a chance to compete in the final. Losing a shoe didn’t keep her from taking part. This is the true spirit of sport.

Earth is home to millions of different species. Some can be very small, like bacteria and viruses, which are so small that we cannot see     1     (they) with only our eyes. By contrast, the largest animal species so far found on our planet is the blue whale,     2     can grow up to almost 30 meters in length. The toughest species is probably the water bear. This tiny organism can survive temperatures from 150℃ to a below freezing -272℃.     3     (survive) in their environment, each species has developed its own unique physical characteristics.

Nowadays, some companies offer genetic testing for children’s talents. A large number of parents have been attracted to it. They are eager to know what talents their     1     (child) may have in the future. The process is simple. Every child     2     (provide) a sample of blood. After     3     (test), each of the children is given a report showing their possible talents. Is genetic testing reliable? Some scientists say that more evidence is needed.