3 . In Favour of Simple Writing

Do you edit text messages carefully before sending them? If so, you may be the kind of person who takes pride in _______ even the simplest message. If you do not, you may see yourself as a go-getter, one who values excitement and speed over _______: get it done decently now rather than perfectly later.

People are constantly receiving messages, from the mailbox to the inbox to the text-message alert. What to read, what to skim (略读) and what to ignore are decisions that nearly everyone has to make dozens of times a day. A new book titled All Readers are Busy Nowadays makes the argument for being the careful kind of _______, even in informal lines. The authors also present well-established _______ that have long been prized in guides to writing.

Take “less is more”. Most books on writing well advocate the advice to _______ needless words. The authors, however, have _______ the idea. In an email to thousands of school-board members asking them to take a survey, cutting the count from127 to 49 words almost _______ the response rate.

Keeping messages to a _______ idea—or as few as absolutely needed—helps ensure that they will be read, remembered and acted on. _______ the number of the available options has the same effect, too. A link in an email, ________, attracted 50% more clicks when presented alone than when it was sent alongside a second additional link.

Syntax (句法) and ________ matter, too. It is more ________ to adopt short and active sentences, with common words familiar to everyone. From Facebook posts to online-travel reviews, even brief, informal pieces of writing that follow these rules get more likes and shares.

If everyone is a busy reader, everyone is a busy writer, too. That may make it tempting to sent as many messages as ________ as possible and hope for the best. But from essays to text messages organizing dinner plans, devoting time to the needs of readers has provable ________. If you are so busy that you write an undisciplined message which readers scan, ignore and delete, then you might as well have not ________ it at all.

5 . Davon Cannon never thought that he would spend $5000 on a four-day summer vacation. But there he was, buying Universal Studios tickets for his three sons, ______a room at one of the theme park’s resorts.

“We’ve never spent that much money”, says Mr. Cannon, a 44-year-old IT manager. But he can’t stop thinking about the family get-togethers they didn’t attend, the ______ birthdays spent jumping in a rented bounce house, no friends ______ “I really just want to make sure they have the best time possible.”

______more than two years of canceled graduation ceremonies and spring breaks, parents are trying to ______ the lost time. So many childhood milestones were ______whether in state shutdowns, or positive home tests and quarantines(隔离). “We’re going ______”,says Kerry Doman, who invited many people to the combined birthday party she’s______ for her 6-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. There might be 100 guests.

Ms. Doman, who runs a website______for parents in the Detroit area, has been working on the September party since June. But she knows that booking the gathering place and sending out the invitations are no ______ that Covid-19 won’t interrupt her plans. Plenty of milestones continue to be missed as the latest______of infections fuels a fresh round of cancellations and inconveniences.

“It’s slightly frustrating, Ms. Doman says of the fact that plans are still ______ .She reasons this is just our reality right now, and it’s teaching her kids ______. It’s a great learning experience that, hey, there are disappointing moments in our life. ”

______, wouldn’t it be nice if our plans ______for once?

6 . When Jacob Kohut finally had some time off during his 12-hour shift standing guard outside the U. S. Capitol, he sat in the back of a Humvee (悍马), ________ in hand, teaching students via his laptop how to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” ( 《欢乐颂》)

“I’m a soldier for the Guard, but I'm as much a soldier for music ________ , ” he says. Kohut used to be in the ________ for ten years, and now when security support is needed at the US Capitol, he is one of the 25,000 troops supporting Joe Biden’s inauguration (就职典礼).

When he was called up for ________ , “My first thought was, what about my kids?” says Kohut. “The ________ thing these students need is a disturbance in their teaching.”

The school principal Diane Leipzig assured Kohut she would find a substitute teacher to ________ his classes, but he ________ continuing to teach. “He teaches our kids the importance of ________ and dedication.” Leipzig said.

________ has always been a driving force in Kohut’s life. He was a violin player throughout high school, studied music in college, and ________ earned his doctor’s degree in music composition at George Mason University.

Kohut insists he is not doing anything ________ —he’s simply taking care of what needs to get done.

Amid the long and stressful hours of standing guard, Kohut said his teaching time offers ________ .

When the familiar melody “Ode to Joy” ________ the Humvee, Kohut realized there wasn't a better ________ to teach his students.

“It’s a ________ of unity and peace,” he says. “And that’s what the world needs right now.”

8 . Skydiving has always held a fascination for me. Despite the fear, there is something that _______ me to it. It is an adventure, making me feel _______ but thrilled, with the world opening up before me in mere seconds.

November 24, 2021, a day perfect for my solo skydiving — sunny, with little wind.

After going through safety rules with my coach, I _______ with faith. As I flew through the air, the adrenaline (肾上腺素) ran through my veins.

However, after 30 seconds, I realized I was lower than anticipated. Urgently, without stabilizing my body position, I _______ to pull my parachute, only to have it wrap around my leg. I tried to untie the lines, but my efforts were _______.

With the ground getting closer, I prepared to _______. As an optimist, I didn’t think it would be destructive. _______, the automatic reserve (备用) parachute opened. I gained some control, directing myself toward grass, which I hoped would _______ a softer landing.

The _______ turned out far from gentle. I lay in ________ pain, screaming for help. The skydiving club members arrived quickly but they didn’t dare do anything due to the risk of ________ my injuries. Soon, the air ambulance crew came with ________, offering temporary relief.

Severe injuries cast ________ on my future. No one could guarantee if I would walk again. Sticking to my determination, remarkably, I took my first steps in three months.

My enthusiasm for skydiving ________ after that horrifying experience. As I embark on another journey later on, I will carry with me the undefeated ________ that pushed me to challenge my limits.

9 . In 2007, 22-year-old Ramesh’s peanut farm lost money. As was often the case in most of India, Ramesh was _______ pesticides (杀虫剂) and fertilizers across his 2.4 hectares in the Anantapur district of southern India. In this desert-like area, which gets less than 600 millimeters of rainfall most years, farming is a(n) _______.

“I lost a lot of money growing peanuts through chemical farming _______,” says Ramesh, who is interested in agriculture. The chemicals are _______ in many parts of southern India. The farmers depend too much on pesticides. The chemicals are _______ but the production is low. Then in 2017, he _______ the chemicals. “Ever since I _______ sustainable agricultural practices like natural farming, the production has been _______ and the cost has gone down,” he says.

One natural farming method calls for _______ all chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic matter to boost soil nutrient levels. Ramesh also expanded his crops, ________ peanuts and some tomatoes. Then he added eggplants and other crops.

With the ________ of the non-profit organization Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre, which works with farmers who want to try ________ farming, Ramesh increased his ________ enough to buy more land, expanding his field. Like thousands of other farmers practicing natural farming across India, Ramesh has ________ to enrich his dead soil while his new trees help keep carbon out of the atmosphere, thus playing an important role in reducing India’s carbon footprint. Recent study has shown that the carbon absorption ________ of natural farming is as much as 34 percent higher than standard forms of agriculture.

10 . Last summer, my fiance Eugeniu and I decided to drive to Provence for a holiday. The weather was beautiful, but then, about 700km into the journey, it suddenly _______. I’d never seen the sky go so dark; the rain was heavy. We _______ a tunnel and when we came out onto a _______, the visibility was so bad that we could hardly see a meter in front of us.

_______, we had the odd sensation that the car was lifting at the front. The next second, we were _______ into nothing. On the way down, Icould hear rock pieces hitting the car and my heart pounding to my chest. After that, there was _______

Our car ended up landing on a road below the bridge. We were still _______, but I was in shock. I hadn’t _______ what was happening and was still thinking about my holiday. I had no idea the bridge had _______ — thought it might have been an earthquake.

At first we shouted, but then stopped because we didn’t want to lose ________ and pass out. We tried calling an ambulance, but there was no ________ under the rock pieces. My leg was bleeding and I was too tense — because of the ________ I didn’t feel pain. My fiancé had broken his neck. Rescue workers eventually found us while saving a man whose van was ________ from another section of the bridge above us. We’d been down there for four hours by the time we were pulled out.

It was only afterwards in the hospital that I realized the ________ of the tragedy — 43 people had died. Before, we had focused on earning money. When we went on this holiday, I had lovely clothes and shoes in my suitcase, and they were all buried under the ruin. Maybe that was a sign that these things don’t really ________.