4 . The rainforest of the Amazon region of Brazil in South America covers five percent of the world’s land.    1    The area is also the home of 220,000 people from about 180 tribes (部落) who live deep in the forest. The rainforest itself is an important environment but, because of its size and location, it also plays a key part in controlling the world’s climate.

However, large areas of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down to make more land for farmers.    2    This is as six football field being opened up every minute. Much of the destruction, which leaves the land dry and dusty, is against the law.

    3    Some people use most of the new land to grow soya, which they export to other parts of the world to be used as animal food. Millions of chickens in Western European countries are fed in South American soya beans. Increasingly, some soya beans also begin to be turned into food for humans, because many vegetarian foods are based on soya beans. Other people clear the rainforest to use the land for their cows, to sell the valuable hardwood from trees, or to find more oil.    4    But they are at the expense of the future of the global environment.

Deforestation (滥伐森林) destroys ancient forest and changes the world’s climate.    5    They are dependent on the rainforest for everything they need, from food and tools to medicines and shelter.

5 . I was on one of my usual group bike rides on a quiet country road in Santa Barbara, riding with about 30 other road cyclists, when a car tried to change direction suddenly to avoid a runner. From what I’ve been told, the driver moved around us so fast that he lost country of his car and hit me.

I don’t remember any of this because I was thrown off my bike and directly into a tree. I had a serious brain bleed (出血) — despite the fact that I was wearing my helmet. I also broke a number of bones. Luckily, with good treatment I survived.

That accident happened four years ago. Because of my brain injury, I had to stay off my bike for a year because if I fell and again got my head hurt, it would be worse. To get back on my bike, I started running. I was still in a lot of pain, but I was determined. Nobody was going to hit me, change my life and then keep me from doing what I like at some point.

A year after my accident, I finally got back on my bike. But it had left an influence on me. If there are cars behind me, I will feel strained. However, I still ride.

Before my accident, I never raced. Now I’m faster than ever. One reason is that I have lost about 30 pounds. When I got hit, I weighed 205 pounds. After six weeks of being on a feeding tube (饲管), I walked out of the hospital at 175 pounds, and I’ve stayed around that number ever since. I also think I’m faster because my accident lifted my competitive spirit. Since my accident, I’ve loved bike racing.

At the end of the day, I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back to doing what I loved — and I did that.

6 . India has successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon. It’s the first time that a country has safely landed at the moon’s south pole. The landing is a huge success for India, which has been working on the project for years.

The Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023. In early August, the spacecraft began orbiting (环绕……运行) the moon. Then, the lander, called Vikram, made a successful “soft landing” at the moon’s south pole. Leader of the project, Sreedhara Somanath, announced, “India is on the moon.” Before this, only three other countries had ever made soft landings on the moon.

In 2019, an earlier Indian mission, Chandrayaan-2, ended when the lander crashed onto the lunar surface unexpectedly. But India learned from its mistakes. It made several changes to the lander to make it stronger and improve the computer programs that control it. Pragyan, the rover (探测器) that the lander carries, hasn’t changed since the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

All Indians were excited about the landing. Across the country, people gathered to watch and cheer for it. Now that India’s lander is safely on the moon, Vikram and Pragyan will start studying it. They have special tools to study the moon from different aspects (方面), including studying its temperature and materials. The machines are solar-powered, and are expected to work for about 14 days. After that, the sun will set at the south pole, and the machines will no longer have power.

One reason why the moon’s south pole is worth studying is that there exists ice. Learning more about this frozen water could help astronauts on future trips to the moon. India has many more plans for space, including sending Indian astronauts into space, and possibly even planning trips to other planets. The country has also worked hard to encourage private Indian companies to develop space programs.

7 . To some, fishing is a hobby. But to William “Big Will” Dunn, it’s a(n) _________ that has led him to change the lives of thousands of children.

It all _________ with one child: Cameron Delong. When the two of them met, the then 8-year-old was _________ with his home life. William didn’t know why until he found out Cameron’s _________ was not in his life.

Growing up, William had a hard time in Miami, _________ peace and solace (安慰) in fishing. Hoping that it could have the same _________ on Cameron, he asked Cameron’s mom if he could take her son out fishing every once in a while. They _________ doing so several times a week.

“He started doing _________ in school, showing more respect to his mom, and just becoming more of a man of the household because his dad was still not in his life,” William said.

Inspired by the _________ impact their fishing trips made on Cameron, he founded Take a Kid Fishing, a(n) ________ that utilizes (利用) fishing as a way to teach children life skills and to be __________ inside and outside of the classroom. “We take them out, show them a __________ day, and spend time with them and everything,” he said. “Just to get out of the boat, you see the __________ in them.”

Today, William ________ tries to help those children in his own way, making the others realize that the __________ kindness can make a great impact.

Wild mushrooms have become a new favorite in Chinese cuisine. As     1     matter of fact, the rising interest is helping the business develop fast in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province,     2     (know) as the “kingdom of wild fungi (菌类) ”.

A key recipe for this dish is soup. The ingredients include    3     (variety) of wild mushrooms, chicken, and mineral water,    4    are cooked together for four hours. Just like chefs, the diners also need    5     (patient). The mushrooms have to be cooked for around 20 minutes before they can    6     (consume) , because some of them might be poisonous if not fully cooked.

So far, people’s ideas towards the natural cuisine    7     (change) greatly, according to Wang Wenzhong, the founder of Juncai Wild Mushroom Hot Pot Chain. At first, many were     8     (familiar) , and now they’ve developed a real taste.

Juncai,     9     a rapidly growing brand (品牌), plans to develop business beyond Yunnan. “    10     (original) , my purpose in opening the business was to carry forward our food culture, and it’s also the mission of my company.”