When young urban couples get married, they usually hire a fleet of about 10 cars to escort them and their family to the wedding venue. But one new couple in Dalian, Liaoning province, did something a little different — they     1     (choose) to rent a public bus instead.

    2     (look) back on their wedding day on Oct 5, the bride, Yang Le’er, said she still felt joyful about the bus experience,     3     added special meaning to the wedding.

On their wedding day,     4     red electric bus carried the bride and groom, and the guests to a hotel. “We played festive music along the way, and friends sang along. Even though my parents didn’t sing, they     5     (attract) by the atmosphere and didn’t show the traditional     6     (sad) of a daughter’s marriage,” Yang recalled.

    7     a cost of 10, 000 yuan, which included the decorations, she said getting the bus was     8     (relative) cheaper than hiring a fleet of cars. Besides, using a bus as their wedding car was so much cooler than a luxury car. On the road, they drew a lot of attention. Pedestrians took out their phones     9     (take) pictures and waved at them. When the bridesmaids and groomsmen shouted to passersby that “we’re getting married”, they received smiles and cheers in response.

Song Jian, the head of Dalian Transportation Advertising Co, said the company will explore more creative “theme buses”     10     expand related businesses in the future.

2 . Remember the woman in Port Hood, N. S. whose recipe for meat rolls spread all over the internet? The dog from Quebec that attracted hundreds of thousands of followers for its advice on surviving social isolation? The pilot whose path over Nova Scotia formed the shape of a heart?

All of their stories, and dozens more, are collected in a new book by two Canadian authors. It took Heather Down and Catherine Kenwell just a little more than seven weeks to collect the stories behind the 49 uplifting moments they recorded during the pandemic.

The book includes everything from the tale of Robbie Griffiths, the father from Paradise, N. L. who dressed up as Spider-Man so kids could have something positive in their day, to Carter Mann, the Grade 5 student from Sudbury, Ont, who wrote a poem to encourage front-line heroes including his own father, who is a health carer.

“Not Canceled: Canadian Caremongering in the Face of COVID-19” is a reminder that a lot of positive things happened during lockdown. The book’s title is a nod to the Canadian attitude and reaction to the pandemic, as the word “caremongering” has Canadian roots. Even the number of stories is no accident: it’s a reference to the 49th parallel, along which runs the Canada-U. S. border between Manitoba and B. C.

One of the stories in “Not Canceled” centers on the marriage of a couple in B. C. They may have had to shift their celebrations to a living room, but the ceremony was far from lonely. Friends showed up in their cars outside, with everyone tuned into the same radio station, so the bride and groom could have their first dance in the middle of the street.

Down wanted to document how the nation navigated such dark times with kindness. She told CTV News that “the response has been amazing. I’m so pleased.”

The stories included in the book are just the tip of the iceberg. Down says that there are so many stories left over that she and Kenwell might just have to do a second book.

4 . John and Mary were approaching their home town by car when they noticed some smoke. Mary said. “Oh, well, it isn’t our house on _______ . Let’s go home.”

John, however, _______ up and they were both horror-stricken to _______ the whole house was burning. A woman was _______ , “The children! Get the children!” John grabbed her, “Where are they?” “In the basement,” she cried.

Despite Mary’s _______ , John quickly soaked (浸湿) his clothes and ran to the basement which was full of smoke and extremely _______ . He found the door and _______ two children, holding one under each arm. As he _______ , he could hear some more whimpering (抽泣). He _______ the two badly frightened children into the arms of the people ________ outside, asking how many more children were down there. They told him two more. Mary wanted to stop him again, “John! Don’t go back! That house will ________ in any second!”

But he went back anyway. It took him a very long time to find the two children. They three were all ________ and they bent to get some ________ air. As they stumbled (蹒跚而行) up the endless steps, something strangely ________ went through his mind. The little bodies he had just ________ were his own children.

Garden of Discovery

I was kneeling outside in my garden, pulling weeds in the bright sun, when a voice suddenly said, “What are you doing?”

I looked up. Looking over the fence was the boy who had just moved with his family into the house behind ours. “Don’t you hate getting dirty?” he said.

I laughed. “No, I don’t mind.” I stood up. “Hi, I’m Jeanie.”

“Mike,” he replied.

I saw him looking at my garden. “I’m getting ready to plant tomatoes, potatoes,” I said. “Also beans and...”

Mike interrupted. “Why go to all this trouble when you can buy vegetables at the store?”

“It’s fun,” I replied. “I bet you’d enjoy gardening if you tried it. All boys like gardening.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” he said.

I smiled. “Work with me for a week. If you still don’t like it by then, I’ll never talk about it.

To my surprise he nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Before I knew it, the week was up. I was sure that Mike had changed his mind about gardening. He no longer complained about getting dirty! Each time he planted a seed, he would say, “I hope you grow big and make Jeanie and me proud of you.”

On the last day, Mike and I worked until the sun had set.

“That’s it,” I said, standing up. “Everything’s planted.”

Silently Mike rose, too. “The week’s up,” I said. I smiled at Mike, confident that he was going to tell me that gardening wasn’t so bad after all.

For a moment he didn’t say anything. Suddenly he said, “I’m glad that’s over. Don’t forget our deal—no more garden talk. See you.” Then he ran into his own yard. I stared after him in disbelief.

I went to bed. Around midnight a crash of thunder woke me up. Outside there was a terrible storm. I worried about my plants until the rain finally ended, and I fell back asleep.

The next morning I jumped out of bed, eager to see my garden. I pictured in my mind broken plants and flooded rows of seeds.

“It’s about time for you to get here,” said a voice as I pushed open the back door.

“I can’t believe what you’re doing after what you said last night,” I said.

A Perfect Party

One day, my friend Mary and I were enjoying our free time in my living room. While looking through a magazine, Mary said, “This looks fun.” She held up a photo of a crowd of happy people and a table covered with colorful decorations and plates of delicious-looking food. The headline on the next page read “Celebrate Your Weekend with a Perfect Potluck Party.”

“We should do that!” I said excitedly. “Let’s invite our friends to a potluck party in my yard!”

“Good idea,” she replied.

“There’s just one problem,” I said.

“That it’s going to be too much fun?” Mary joked.

I laughed. “Not exactly. I need to ask permission (许可), but my mom might not be as excited about throwing a party as we are. My parents have been really busy with their work recently.”

When my mom got home from work, I cautiously showed her the magazine article and told her our idea, waiting for her reply. After what seemed like a century, my mom said, “That looks like fun, but... I’m afraid I won’t have time to help you plan it. Do you think you can do it on your own?”

At her words, I asked ” So, mom, will you permit us to do so if we can arrange the party well?” My mom nodded with a smile. Unable to contain my joy and excitement, I threw myself into her arms, murmuring, “Thank you, dear mum.”

Then I continued. “I promise Mary and I will do every last bit of planning and cleaning and everything!”

“Everything? What about food?” my mom asked.

“It’ll be a potluck party,” I explained. “So everyone will bring something to share out among the guests!”

She nodded. “OK. If you want to make sure you have the right balance of food at a potluck, you should definitely talk to the guests ahead of time about what they’re bringing. Besides, I suppose you could draw up a guest list, make invitations in advance and decorate the yard carefully.”

“That’s great!” I said, “It’ll be a perfect potluck party. You’ll see!”

The next few days were extremely busy for Mary and I.

Finally, the big day came.

10 . Feeling free in the sea

“Freediving is all about breaking your limits,” said Mao Xiyao, 31, a freediving instructor who ______ works in Sanya, Hainan, “and an instructor’s job is to keep you ______ and help you along the way.”

Mao always had a strong ______ for water and the sea. He discovered freediving during a trip to Hainan and decided to become a (n) ______.

According to Mao, it only ______ a day for someone with no diving experience to learn freediving skills. Before going into the water, there are ______ to help learners adjust their ear pressure, such as moving the end of the tongue. Preparing the ______ for the dive is the most important step, Mao argued, as “people are naturally afraid of the unknow”. Every disturbing thought ______ oxygen underwater, so divers need to stay absolutely ______.

Being a freediving instructor for six years, Mao believes being ______ and thoughtful are two essential qualities for instructors. “______ students with different conditions, an instructor needs to show a great amount of patience,” Mao said, ______ that this becomes extra important if the weather conditions aren’t ______, such as with strong winds.

Before becoming a freediving instructor, Mao gained a certificate (合格证书) ______ by the International Association for the Development of Apnea. Instructors should be able to ______ their breath underwater for at least five minutes, “The longest record is 11 minutes 47 seconds. The instructors are probably not that impressive if you consider that,” he joked.