Having grown up in northern Arizona, I believe that the southwestern state is home     1     the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. That is, until I     2     (invite) to explore Guizhou province by an organization many years ago. There is nothing like seeing with one’s own eyes.

My father used to drag my brothers and me on     3     (fish) trips around Arizona. We would compete to catch the     4     (large) fish. On my trip to Guizhou I had the opportunity to canoe on Wanfeng Lake,     5     I enjoyed the silence and took in the surrounding karst mountains.

During my trip around     6     city of Xingyi, in Guizhou, I saw the artwork of the Bouyei ethnic group. They use dyes (染料)     7     (produce) from local plants to make clothing and blankets. Local elders still practice weaving with wooden machines and pass that tradition on to their grandchildren. The designs were ancient, and carried     8     (wise) within them.     9     (serious), I got the feeling of being home while looking at the art on display in Xingyi.

I     10     (live) away from Arizona for 10 long years, making my own living in China. I’ve managed to build a family, a career, a livelihood, and passion projects. I feel as though I have everything I need. In Guizhou, I feel at home.

5 . After decades of married life, I realized that my life was limited, and even having friends frightened me. To ease my anxiety, my husband and I explored the Blue Ridge Mountains about an hour’s ride from home. We chose a path only a couple of miles long. The process of putting one foot in front of the other started to ease my worried soul. Being with nature slowed down my racing mind. Up and down the path we went. The trees gently swayed in the wind as we enjoyed views of valleys below us.

I knew this was my way to heal. I found the Internet site Meetup, picked a group and signed up for a five-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park. All my worries came into play when meeting the hiking group. The fifteen hikers, at least ten years younger than me, started slowly, crossing many little streams on rocks. I enjoyed the tour but struggled to keep up. After a half-mile, my steps got into the rhythm. I felt a part of all that surrounded me.

I have been actively hiking since that day, walking thousands of miles, with several worn pairs of hiking boots to prove it. With my fellow hikers, I climbed Mount Le Conte at 6,593 feet. It was a challenging hike, but I made it.

I have hiked the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland with five other women, through more than a hundred miles of green hills and valleys filled with baby sheep and their mothers. I’m fortunate to have the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. Before the pandemic, I backpacked on the AppalachianTrail, falling short of my 100-mile goal but enjoying it. I met hikers along the way, camping next to them and listening to their determination to hike the entire 2,200 miles.

I don’t intend to give up being one with nature outdoors anytime soon. We all are responsible for our peace and happiness.

7 . Leigh Ann is a nurse at Valleywise, Arizona. She has earned the title of a hero after a(n) ________ off-duty rescue that saved a man’s life.

While driving home after work on July 26, Leigh noticed a truck had turned over on the road near Sky Harbor, with a man ________ inside. Despite her tiredness, she made a decision to step up.

“It’s strange,” reflected Leigh. “ ________ , I wouldn’t have been there. Many things brought me to that ________ moment.”

Leigh pulled over, and a couple of other individuals who happened to pass by ________ her. Luckily, no other cars were on the road, ________ her to cross over safely and reach the ________ of the accident. Leigh went beneath the truck to ________ the condition of the injured man. With her ________ as a nurse, she stopped the bleeding and then helped him out. Months have ________ since that fateful day, and on October 18, the Phoenix Fire Department ________ Leigh for her life-saving actions.

Leigh holds the firm ________ that everyone has a purpose in life. “I have many imperfections, but I feel that at that critical moment, a guiding force ________ me there,” she said.

The man Leigh rescued recently reached her to express his gratitude for the second ________ at life.

“I wish him nothing but the best,” Leigh remarked. “I hope he will ________ it and have a future filled with success.”

8 . While many Americans joke about their poor math, labor experts say the nation’s decreasing math skill threatens U. S. economic competitiveness and national security (安全). Jim Stigler, a professor studying the process of teaching. and learning, said, “The advances in technology that drive where the world goes will come from other countries, because they have the intellectual capital (资本) while we don’t.”

Concerning the math crisis facing schools, the U. S. military has called for a major program to support education in science, technology, education, and math (STEM). Government labor experts say the number of jobs in areas requiring math skill will increase by more than 30,000each year through the end of 2030, much faster than most other kinds of jobs.

Mathematics is becoming a part of almost every career, but most American students aren’t prepared. In the recent PISA tests in math, U. S. students tested lower than students from 36 other education systems worldwide. Only one in five American high school students planning to attend college are prepared for college -level study in STEM, say experts.

However, students from other countries are preparing to lead in these areas. An official report says only one in five graduate students in math-heavy fields at U. S. universities are American. The rest come from other countries. Most will leave the U. S. when they finish their programs.

“We’re just not starting students on career paths related to math and computer science to stay competitive,” said Josh Wyner, a vice president of the Aspen Institute, a think tank. It urged decision-makers to make education an important national security goal. “We are no longer keeping pace with other countries,” the Aspen report says, calling this a dangerous failure.

In Massachusetts, employers are expecting a shortage (短缺) over the next five years of 11,000 workers in the life sciences alone. “It’s not an educational question alone,” said Edward, director of an education program, warning that this may damage national security.

9 . Amazing new museums around the world we’re excited to visit

From an AI museum in Seoul to a music legend’s living room in Paris, here’s where to get your newest culture experience this month.

After work for more than a decade, this museum will open to visitors in late 2023. The GEM is expected to be the world’s biggest archaeological museum and will display more than 100,000 artifacts. Among the collections, you’ll find 5,000 treasures, some on public display for the first time in history.

Once a high-end restaurant overlooking the beach, Spain’s elBulli is reopening to the public for the first time since it closed in 2011 — but with a twist. elBulli 1846 will be a first-of-its-kind restaurant museum, showing the inventive cuisine crafted by its former head chef Ferran Adria. Opened in 1964, the restaurant was named the world’s best five times. Note: there won’t be actual food (sorry).

Whether you love or loathe AI, this new museum in Seoul, opening in November, is a proof to its attraction. Loaded with all things of artificial intelligence and robotics, the RAIM aims to educate the public on machine learning and robotic technologies.

A mix of music, dance, art, and performances, Manchester’s Factory International is a new cultural center showing creativity and innovation. The arts center, which this year will hold a large Yayoi Kusama immersive exhibition, came first on TimeOut’s annual list of the best things to do in the UK — so you know it’ll be good.