1 . Charles Potter lost his ability to walk in 2006 and had to use a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver. He said that after the _________, he woke up, unable to move anything below his head. _________, his injuries weren’t worse.

Once Potter started to _________, he had to relearn basic things like eating. His recovery was so _________, but he didn’t give up. “I always _________ a positive attitude. I believe I can look after myself soon,” he said.

Years later, Potter and Rhonda got married. They _________ their daughter, Charlize one year later. “She just knows I’m in a wheelchair and _________ to doing certain things,” he said.

Charlize has always been into dance. At school, she took such a _________. One particular class had daddy-daughter dances, and she invited her dad to _________. Potter agreed. The two __________ learning the routines (舞步) and came up with creative workarounds (变通办法). They got the moves together only within a few weeks and __________ them during a recital (演奏会). Several videos of their dances were __________ online and they became Internet stars soon.

So many people were __________ to see a father in a wheelchair dancing. The proud father is happy to spread a message of __________ and he hopes it makes others realize that no matter what their __________ they can live meaningful lives.

2 . “Why do Asians usually steam (清蒸) a fish for the New Year when it can be cooked in various ways?” asked Andy Ricker, who ran several famous Thai restaurants in America. “It can be fried or roasted. But if you live on a coast, or have access to first-rate fish, steaming is the best way to go.”

Another reason is that, in the right context, fish stand for good luck. The Chinese words for “fish” and “plenty” have the same pronunciation, and a fish, eaten on the eve of the lunar new year, represents a wish for plenty of good things to come. Therefore, enough fish should be cooked to ensure leftovers, which mean hopes for abundance in the year ahead.

Such lucky dishes are not unique to Asians. On New Year’s Day in America, black southerners have been eating Hoppin’ John, a delicious dish of rice and black-eyed beans (豆), cooked with salted pork or smoked ham(interest in African-American culture has made the recipe popular elsewhere). The beans symbolize coins, and the greens that are usually served as well stand for dollar bills. Some people even put a clean coin in the pot. Whoever gets it on their plate will enjoy a lot of good luck.

Diverse as these dishes are, they all represent hopes for good fortune. Fish, beans and greens are neither costly nor extraordinary, suggesting that luck is not something bought expensively or sought with difficulty. Good fortune, they suggest, lies all around, and is always within reach.

Whether anyone actually believes in the relationship between eating these foods and receiving the promised benefits is unclear. Mainly, these food traditions continue for the same reason that other traditions do: People have fond memories of celebrating them with their parents, and want to pass them down to their own children.

3 . People normally look for a bit of adventure in their lives. They hunt for something new, something unknown, and they learn new things about the world and themselves.     1    . Sailing in the Arabian Gulf, camping in the desert and traveling to Qatar — these could all be called adventures.

Most of the time, adventures can be rewarding, because they make you feel satisfied after doing them.     2    . For example, Ibn Battuta who lived 700 years ago had the courage to travel around the world, visiting new places and meeting new people. His journal, called the Rihla, can still be read today.     3    . There is another example, if you sail to an unknown part of the sea, you can tell people about what you discover in it like new islands or good fishing areas.

    4    . People have died when climbing dangerous mountains, racing cars or sailing ships. That is why staying safe is more important than looking for excitement.     5    . After all, there are plenty of other ways to explore this beautiful world we live in!

In 1974, farmers happened to unearth the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, which is filled     1     more than 8,000 statues of life-size soldiers. Now, a new theory     2     (suggest) that the statues have been inspired by Greek art. Researchers have even presented DNA evidence     3     (back) it up.

”We now have DNA evidence that close contact existed between the first emperor’s China and the west before the formal opening of the Silk Road. This is far     4     (early) than we formerly thought,“ says Li Xiuzhen, a researcher at a museum in Xi’an. ”The theory that the Chinese were interacting with Greeks or at least Greek culture at such     5     early date is not unbelievable.

“Although the Silk Road between China and Europe was     6     (official) established in the 3rd century AD, Romans were already wearing Chinese silk even during the rule of the First Emperor of Rome,” says Lukas Nickel, chair of Asian Art History at the University of Vienna. “I can even imagine the Chinese artists see some     7     (example)of Greek art, which made its way into Asia after Alexander the Great,     8     army in the 4th century BC fought all the way to present-day India. Before the     9     (appear) of the soldiers, China did not have a tradition of     10     (produce) life-size statues. The change indicates they may have had some outside influence or help.”

5 . Social media, when approached the right way, can be just as valuable for practicing a new language as TV shows, books or any other form of media.     1    .

Be a focused follower

The best way to get started in your language learning via social media adventure is by following a number of accounts in your target language. But it would be helpful to have a clear goal in mind first.     2    . Whether you’re interested in sports, travel or any other topics, there’s an account for that.

    3    

Once you’ve chosen some accounts to follow, you should not stop there.     4    . This means reading posts, watching videos. You may set a target for yourself, like reading five posts every day. It’s important to make this a habit if you really want to use social media for language learning effectively.

Be a positive contributor

When you’ve followed the accounts you want to follow and have made a habit of engaging with them, you can consider taking your use of social media for language learning to the next level. For example, you can set up your own account.     5    .

6 . The contributions of women to society have often been overlooked. Yet their work has helped many people both in the US and around the world.

Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in 1845. When Mahoney was a teenager, she took on a variety of roles over the course of 15 years at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, including washer and, most importantly, nurse’s aide. At the age of 33, she was admitted to the hospital’s nursing school and graduated in 1879, becoming the first black woman to earn a nursing degree in the US.

Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison is the first black woman to serve as an astronaut. In 1973, she entered Stanford University when she was 16 years old. She graduated in 1977 with degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies. In the same year, she went to study at Cornell University’s medical school. In 1983, she applied to be an astronaut and was sent into space for a week-long trip aboard the spaceship Endeavour in 1992.

C. J. Walker

Born in 1867, C. J. Walker is widely regarded as the first female self-made millionaire in America. Her parents passed away when she was 7 years old. After suffering from a skin disease that resulted in her own hair loss, she founded a company and developed a successful line of beauty and hair products for black women in 1906. By the end of her life in 1919, her total net worth was around $ 1 million.

Arianna Huffington

As the founder of The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington has become one of the biggest names in online media. Although she sold it in 2011 for $315 million, Arianna has kept her position as president and editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.

10 . “They are our guests,” Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar said on an extremely cold day as he and his colleagues broke the ice and dropped grain at bird feeding points on the Hokersar wetland in Kashmir.

Dar and his colleagues are hired by the local government to feed the hungry birds as weather conditions in the region became worse. “Since December, temperatures have dropped to—10℃ and there have been two heavy snowfalls, which have blanketed the vast rice fields and fruit farms in the area. Scores of wetlands and lakes, including parts of the famous Dal Lake, have been covered up by thick ice in Kashmir,” Dar added.

The cries of hundreds of thousands of birds that visit Kashmir during their winter migration (迁徙) have long been a welcome noise for the locals. They arrive from as far away as eastern Europe, Japan and Turkey to feed and produce babies in the wetlands. Officials say at least 700, 000 birds have moved to Kashmir in the past two months and expect more to arrive as temperatures improve in February.

In recent decades, the number of visiting birds has declined, which experts say is due to climate change and urban development. “Construction around the Hokersar wetland, poisonous waste and the changing climate in the area are robbing the birds of their traditional watering holes and nesting areas,” Dar explained.

According to a recent study by the University of Kashmir, the Hokersar wetland shrank (缩小) from nearly 19 square kilometers in 1969 to 12.8 square kilometers today. Fortunately, environmental groups and local residents are also joining hands to feed the hungry birds in the icy conditions.

“It’s not just our official duty to feed them but also an order from Nature,” Dar told me.