1 . John Utsey went hiking with his two children one Saturday in August. While strolling along a trail (小路) in New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest, they heard someone calling out. About 600 yards away, they found a man ______ on the ground. He had spent 14 days waiting for ______ to arrive.

Two weeks earlier, the man ______ his back in the forest. Unable to stand or walk, he had to wait and hope ______ hikers would find him. As more days passed, he ______ by filling a water bottle from a stream by his side. When John found him, it was ______ that he wouldn’t be able to ______ for much longer.

After giving him all their food and water, John and his kids ______ back to the trailhead. The moment they had reception, John called 911. When the rescuers arrived, he ______ them straight to the ______ .

Because the man was in such bad ______ they built a fire to raise his body temperature before they tried to ______ him. The rescue team carried the man back down the trail. After nine long hours, he was ______ out of the woods!

Now, he’s getting the best ______ possible at a local hospital, where he can rest ______ and hopefully make a full recovery.

2 . Is Delivering Food a Risky Job in China?

According to a report, in 2020, the average time limit for each food delivery order was shortened by at least 10 minutes compared with three years ago. The report has put two of China’s biggest food delivery ________, Ele. me and Meituan, in the spotlight. On these platforms, the time limit and route for each delivery order is calculated by the algorithm (运算法则), without considering the real situation such as red lights at the crossroads, traffic rules, speed limits and fully occupied elevators, for example. However, riders are the scapegoats to bear the ________ from every aspect. The only way out is to rush against time, even risking their lives.

According to the traffic police section of Shanghai Public Security Bureau, in the first half of this year, food delivery men have been ________in a total of 76 traffic accidents causing casualties in the city, ele. me and Meituan — two of China’s biggest food delivery service companies — each ________for 26%.

By far ele. me and Meituan have over four million food delivery men registered on their platforms dedicated to running errands for about 150 million customers across China day and night. But a(n) ________fact has been that three out of every 20 delivery men were caught up in traffic accidents. The harsh industry rules made by those food delivery service companies could be one significant reason, which will give a fine or bad comments to the delivery men if deliveries are not done on time. ________, the platforms encourage the employers to do as many orders as possible by paying more commissions based on the number of orders they are able to finish.   Consequently, in order to take orders, many delivery men are seen on the streets ________ staring at their mobile phones to not miss a deal while still riding the electric bikes.

Ele. me was quick to make a response via the announcement with an ________headline “Will you give me five more minutes?” which has triggered sympathy among a few customers, but more ________. The customers blamed the platform for dodging (规避) the problem and trying to divert the attention. The customers ________that the new function can only cure the symptoms instead of the disease. “The platform is reluctant to provide more time for its riders, instead, they ask the customers to pay the bill. Is that right?” “The more reasonable way is to update your algorithm, loose the time limit and designate orders in a more ________way,” said another Sina Weibo user. Actually, there are more that can be done by the two delivery companies.

First, the delivery men shall be professionally trained on traffic laws and safety ________ before signing a contract. Second, all the delivery vehicles, whether it is owned or outsourced, will be checked to ensure that they meet the licensing requirements and are registered in accordance with the regulations. Third, an identification system shall be established to track every individual rider’s personal security. Fourth, an assessing system shall be introduced to ________the delivery efficiency by taking into consideration the possible road condition, speed limits and crowdedness in rush hours so that riders can prepare for possible delay and choose a better route.

Regulations on the food delivery service in other cities are also developing. Authorities of Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province, ________, has just established the country’s first delivery management platform on Tuesday, which would ________the delivery man from riding a takeaway vehicle for a year if violating the traffic rules.

3 . As a reader, I, as many other book lovers do, often leave with a long sigh after visiting a bookstore. The prices _________ on book covers keep reminding me how _________ my wallet is.

In the United States, the price of books is now so high that I _________ before buying a book I love. Many people feel the same _________ . But I remember that only a few years ago, when I was a college student, I bought several books almost every month, using what was left out of the _________ expenses sent by my parents.

But now that I am working and the money I earn is only used to _________ my own expenses, I find I can’t _________ many good books.

There is a saying: book lovers have no money, but rich people have no feelings for books. This is exactly the case. Sometimes I wonder about who the books are published _________ especially those books with beautiful _________ covers.

It is said that usually, the listed price is more than twice as much as the book’s cost and we can see high   __________   from selling books. But now there is a contradiction (矛盾). On the one hand, readers who want to buy books aren’t able to, while on the other hand, publishers and sellers   __________   from the large stockpiles of unsold books being stored in their warehouses. The situation is also a(n) __________ to intellectual property right (知识产权) protection because many copies of bestsellers are sold at a lower price at some books stands.

The key to solving the problem is to   __________ the price to a(n) __________ level to both sellers and consumers.

I wish sincerely that in the __________ future common readers like me can buy the books we want without worrying about the high prices too much.

4 . The Negative Impacts of Volunteer Tourism

Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is an increasingly popular form of altruistic travel. Its appeal lies in being an experience that allows visitors to feel good by being a part of some kind of meaningful change. But despite good intentions from participants, volunteering abroad has been the target of heavy criticism over the past few years.

Voluntourists only have a limited amount of time, and the ability to change the systems and provide support for the places they visit. Being volunteers, they also simply don’t have the skills to do so. And they can sometimes inadvertently perpetuate unhelpful and even patronizing(自视高人一等的)ideas about the places they visit. A number of studies have shown that volunteer tourism can have negative impacts, ___________benefiting the local communities.

*Unskilled labor creates more work

Previously, volunteering opportunities were often___________to skilled professionals, but this is not the___________of volunteer tourism. Anyone can become a voluntourist, which brings a series of problems. Though___________, they are often unskilled, especially when it comes to work such as construction and digging. This can often lead to locals being forced to take on the added responsibility for rebuilding homes and schools that would have been___________inadequate.

*Volunteers take local jobs

In the meantime, this takes jobs away from locals who would have been paid to do the same work. It also prevents them from learning or being taught the skills that could then be used to___________the community. As a famous proverb says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The time and efforts of volunteers could be better___________making local communities more economically independent and self-sufficient, allowing them to improve___________even after they depart.

*There is no long-term commitment

Lots of communities do need the help and assistance of volunteers, but what are they able to address in the few short weeks of their “___________”? Most places tend to benefit more from long-term engagement, and often the largest number of meaningful volunteers come from the communities themselves, rather than from____________eager to fix things. While short-term volunteers can do a lot of good, it is often so only when they have skills and training that____________the specific needs, such as medical aid, construction, conservation, teaching, or even religious work; as well as having experience doing the required work and with different cultures.

* There is a lot of focus on__________the volunteer

Voluntourism tends to place a lot of emphasis on the volunteers, sometimes even at the expense of the community they are looking to help. Travel companies attract individuals with promises of____________but immediately-rewarding experiences. This, in turn, can lead to large numbers of volunteers who, instead of helping create a change, can actually____________local communities from becoming more economically independent due to their very presence.

What Can We Do Instead?

Short-term volunteers, especially students, also need to be given the opportunity to explore various different cultures and destinations. But they should take the time to learn about the socio-cultural backgrounds of the places they visit. Short-term placements thus become more about experiences and____________exchange, where they may gain knowledge and respect other cultures, rather than go on trips that “help the poor”.

This kind of cross-cultural engagement can do a lot of good in a world that is increasingly leaning towards violence and xenophobia.

5 . In the city of Lyon, hundreds of the world’s finest chefs gathered on 26 January for the funeral of Paul Bocuse, the man credited with the creation of innovative cuisine (菜肴). Meanwhile, in branches of the Intermarche supermarket across France, shoppers were _________to get hold of one-kilogram jars of Nutella, on special offer at just €1.41, down from about €4.50. One branch shifted 400 jars in 21 minutes. Videos showed shoppers stuffing jars of Nutella into bags. Some customers came the night before the promotion to _________the Nutella pots in other places in order to prevent them from being taken. Shoppers broke items in their _________ for the treat.

Thus, a dirty secret is uncovered: France has fallen in love with cheap, fast food. It’s tempting to think that perhaps France should _________its bright self-image along with the master.

McDonald’s, the leader of all things unpalatable (令人讨厌的) yet delicious, opened its first branch in France in 1972, but it operated so badly that the company _________from the country soon. In 1979, McDonald’s returned and succeeded by going _________, which extended far beyond renaming its food. It _________identified the French preference for eating at table or in family and made sure the environment of its outlets was the same to comfort as to speed. Since then, France has grown to become McDonald’s most profitable market outside the US, with more than 1, 400 branches at the end of 2016. Burger King, _________, came in waving stars and stripes high and left with its tail between its legs in 1997 though it returned in 2012 with a far more _________strategy. None of this has gone exactly unnoticed, especially when fast food __________traditional restaurants in 2012, leaving traditionalists angrily waving their ham-and-butter baguettes (法式长棍面包) at the newcomers.

Nutella has had a(n) __________ride in France. Developed in post-war Italy at a time of cocoa rationing (定量配给) and hazelnut glut (榛子过剩), the Ferrero company’s spread was an instant __________when introduced in France in the 1960s. Half of all French families have it on their breakfast table, and for adults it has come to represent a taste of childhood. Such is the __________that one French couple were prevented from naming their daughter Nutella only by legal act.

If there is a(n) __________in Nutella, it is its ingredient, whose production has been linked to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats, pushing the French government to impose a special “Nutella” tax on products from palm oil. France’s Super U supermarket chain, a rival to Intermarche, has already __________palm oil from its own-label products, and the pressure on the big brands to do the same is likely to increase.

6 . I recently attended a wedding in Canada, in the countryside. When the Taxi driver sent us back at midnight, I was________worried all the way home about tipping him since I was not rich. I________nervously in my purse and realized that all I had was a $100 note, which I was keeping for a(n)________, nothing else but two chocolates from the wedding. I couldn’t not tip him, so I was________between a rock and a hard place. I handed in the note at last, controlling the urge to ask for ________.

Tipping has long been a source of________interactions throughout the world. Tipping customs________wildly from country to country, which generates no small amount of ________. Norwegians, who come from a culture where wages are high and tips are low, could________ people in Las Vegas with their tiny offerings.________, high-tipping Americans might anger people in Tokyo because good service in Japan is a________of honour.

Such an embarrassed mess often occurs because there’s no________logic to any of this. None! Similarly, a 2016 study from Cornell University,________, that people are twice as likely to tip a supermarket delivery person than a supermarket store worker. Why is that?And nobody can work out the reasons for this________.

Perhaps, tipping one and not the other only________in terms of what has become customary.

For years, psychologists have known how to measure the intelligence of individuals, but only recently have they begun to investigate the issue of group intelligence. This notion stems from the observation that some groups seem to work _________ across tasks, even tasks that are not very similar. Early investigations suggest that group intelligence is not the _________ of the intelligence of the individuals in it. So what is the secret to their success?

Researchers at Google have tackled this question and they believe they finally _________ what makes some teams successful. In the Google study researchers collected thousands of data points on hundreds of groups and combed through them trying to find _________. Are the members of effective groups friends outside of work? Do groups whose members have similar personalities or backgrounds work together _________? Does gender make a difference? They put forward many theories but found no patterns to support them. In fact, who was in the group apparently did not seem to make a difference; _________, the difference between more and less effective groups seemed to lie in the _________ among the members.

Among the findings, the most significant is that, in effective groups, members spoke for a roughly equal amount of time — not at every meeting or interaction, but across the course of a _________. A second finding was that members displayed empathy, an understanding of how it might feel to walk in someone else’s shoes.

There were additional findings that support these general ones. _________, in effective groups, members face one another directly when they speak, and they use energetic and enthusiastic gestures. They also communicate __________ with one another, not just through the leader or manager of the group. In fact, the study found that side conversations between individual members during meetings, far from being a __________, actually increased the group’s productivity. All the findings __________ the importance of having face-to-face meetings instead of phone calls, teleconferences, or email communications. The positive behaviors uncovered in the study occur primarily or exclusively in face-to-face interaction.

One might __________ that most of these findings are extremely obvious, and needless to say, good managers have probably always understood these principles. Our social and professional lives, however, are not always structured in ways that facilitate the kind of interaction that apparently __________ effective group performance. Understanding group __________ can help businesses and other organizations make the fundamental changes necessary to improve group performance.

8 . A woman in her 20s from Aztec, New Mexico, went on a hiking trip in the Deer Park area along the Colorado Trail. She __ off-path and didn’t follow the pathway. __ , she headed south along the Animas riverbank.

That’s when her worst __ happened. She fell off along the mountain’s side while taking photos. She also broke her leg and was forced to spend two nights in the cold ___without knowing how she could get out. Slowly but surely, she found a place where she could easily be __ and started calling for help.

The Silverton Narrow Gauge Train was carrying people to appreciate the beautiful ___of Silverton. One train __ noticed a woman who was crying for help. She told the train conductor, who __ asked for an emergency response team to __ them in their rescue. The two train conductors, Nick and Kylah stopped the tour train and asked the passengers to wait as they __ to rescue the woman. Nick got supplies and materials on the train to __ the hiker’s broken leg. Kylah stayed with her and kept her __ until the Silverton Medical Rescue Team arrived. The woman was rescued and sent to __ . Luckily, aside from the broken leg, she __ just fine. She thanked all the people involved, especially the train conductors. The __ could have happened but for the train passenger who noticed her asking for help.

9 . Last year marked 20 years since the deadliest accident in the history of Italian aviation (航空). In October 2001, the Linate Airport disaster _______ more than 100 people lose their lives _______ a ground crash at Milan’s most centrally-located commercial airport. The _______ involved a Scandinavian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-87 and a private Cessna Citation CJ2.

The date of the accident was October 8th, 2001. On this day, MD-87 was set to _______ a direct flight from Milan Linate to Copenhagen in Denmark. This _______ had 104 passengers and six crew onboard.

Also set to _______ Milan Linate that morning was the Cessna CJ2. Headed for Paris, there were just four people onboard.

On the morning of October 8th, 2001, foggy conditions prevailed (占优势) at Milan Linate Airport. Such weather can _______ visibility to minimal levels, potentially causing _______ operational trouble at airports. There is a very real _______ to it, as misunderstandings can be deadly in low visibility. ________, Vincenzo Fusco, the airport’s director, stated that conditions were still ________ for flying. The Cessna’s pilots, ________in the fog, took a wrong turn on the runway, which could have been ________ if there had been a ground radar (雷达) system at the airport.

At 08:09, air traffic control advised MD-87’s pilots that they were clear to take-off. Less than a minute after this clearance, the departing MD-87 ________ with the Cessna as it crossed the runway. The crash and the resulting fire destroyed both of the aircraft, leaving all the passengers and pilots ________ in the tragedy dead.

10 . On July 10, 1980, I was aboard an old destroyer (驱逐舰), sailing from Singapore to the Philippines. The day was grey with threatening clouds. There was a typhoon _________ our way. All of us were looking forward to arriving in the Philippines as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, the lookout _________ an object floating. He announced that it was a boat with many people on it in a _________ area with reefs (礁石). The captain announced that we were heading towards the boat to offer _________. Everyone prepared for the possible rescue. I made my way to the back end of the ship. The ship _________. But along the way, I heard most of the crew were _________ about assisting the people. And I even heard an engineer _________ said, “We ought to leave them out there to die!”

We got close to the boat and sent out the whaleboat with a small crew to _________ it out further. The crew reported back it was an old wooden boat _________ with about 50 men, women and children, who were very weak. Our ship became even more __________ after that news. Some gathered any dry clothes they could __________ and I prepared the area for rest and all the medical items.

We __________ got alongside the boat, and the first thing I noticed was the strange sound of babies crying. Then came the sound of the men and women excitedly talking with pain in their voices. All their faces __________ great tiredness. We helped get them __________. The weakest received __________ while the rest got a place to rest.

During those hours after the __________, I noticed a big change in the __________ of the crew. The same __________ even helped in caring a baby girl. Outside, the weather was growing worse, but inside, everything felt __________ and pleasant. Our new friends were very happy as if they were on a luxury ship __________ an old destroyer.