1 . “What are those?” one pupil asked me, pointing at two large ________ beds.

“Those are potatoes,” I answered. The pupil was Jenny. In class, she usually had her head down, focused on her work. Today, however, she craned (伸长) her neck ________ as she looked over at the raised beds.

“But they are green.” she took a few ________, approaching the plants. “Aren’t potatoes brown?” I nodded. “Well, the parts we eat — the ________ — are brown, while what you’re looking at is the part above the soil.”

Looking ________, Jenny shook her head and just said, “Hmm.”

I knew the situation ________ drastic (果断的) action. I reached over to the potato plant, ________ its green leaves and pulled. As the plant was raised into the air, several large tubers (块茎) appeared. I held one out for her to ________.

As Jennifer took the potato in her hand, ________ began to spread across her face. Once removed from the stems and leaves, the tuber was now something that she ________. She looked at me and smiled.

For me, that pretty much sums up how much young people know about their ________ and its production. This is why I ________ an eco-garden at the school. It was a difficult project to get started and has been difficult to ________, but extraordinarily rewarding. We need pupils to be given more ________ to learn about nature and interact with nature. After all, education is about more than ________ and exam results.

3 . At the age of 13, Alena Wicker was accepted by the University of Alabama’s Heersink School of Medicine, becoming the youngest black student to study there. As a former NASA intern, she is well on her way to achieving her dreams.

Alena’s mother is not surprised, claiming that her daughter has always been exceptional. “From childhood, Alena was gifted,” Daphne McQuarter, Alena’s mother, says. “It was just how she did things and how advanced she was. She was reading chapter books.”

McQuarter pulled her daughter from school, and homeschooled her during elementary school. Even after Alena returned to school in fifth grade, she continued studying high school subjects on the basis of a curriculum (课程) crafted by her mother.

“I was bored,” Alena explains. “The high school work was so easy for me that I ended up graduating from high school when I was 12. I love school, I love learning, and I love reading. I have a hunger and desire to learn, and that’s just always been me.”

After graduating from high school at age 12，Alena enrolled (登记) in two separate universities, earning degrees in biological sciences from both Arizona State University and Oakwood University.

And, while studying for the accelerated degrees, Alena took the time to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

Alena started The Brown STEM Girl Foundation, in memory of Katherine Johnson, who had been a pioneering African-American mathematician at NASA. The Foundation’s goal is “to engage, empower, and educate girls of color in STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”.

Alena promotes her Foundation on Facebook. “It feels amazing to be able to create a path for girls that look like me,” Alena shared. “It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can do it. Don’t let anybody tell you no. I would say to any little girl out there this: Never give up on yourself, and never let someone tell you that you can’t do something.”

I had never ridden a snowmobile before. One day, my friend David invited me to the tracks outside Twisp, Washington, and I accepted his invitation willingly. I went diving, climbed mountains, and even went skydiving. Did I ever worry about hurting myself? Never! Because I was young and energetic.

Then the day finally came. We rented snowmobiles and hit the road. Wind blew through my hair as I flew over the snow. I felt great until my snowmobile sputtered beneath me. I slowed to a stop while my friend drove fast ahead on the snow-covered tracks through the woods, avoiding trees and rocks.

David headed back towards me, saying, “Did your snowmobile break down again?” I lifted my glasses. “Yes. Again,” I answered with a little discouragement. Speeding through the snow was so much fun, but sputtering to a stop every ten minutes was disappointing. We had been out for over an hour and I wanted to race over the snow.

“Why don’t we switch? I may have experience with yours.” he asked. “That will be great,” I said and climbed onto his big, shiny snowmobile, put my glasses back on and tightened my hard hat’s string.

“This one is more powerful than the one you just rode,” David reminded me. “You need to be careful with it.”

“I can handle it,” I replied confidently.

When I settled myself on the seat and started the engine, I felt its power right away. I stepped on the accelerator and set off, speeding through the snowy forest. It was amazing. The machine ran like a dream, except for a slight pull to the left that made it a bit difficult to control. With a little more acceleration, there was no pull to the left.

Suddenly, a field full of big stones came into view. I took hold of the handlebars and prepared to make a sharp right turn to avoid the stones.

My eyes dropped to my speed indicator: 89 miles per hour.

Jimmy and Bob who were raised in New York were childhood best friends. When Bob was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty, Bob set out for the West to make his fortune. They parted at “Big Joe’ Brady’s” and made a promise to get together at the same place after twenty years. However, at the appointed time and place, it turned out that Bob became a criminal while Jimmy was a policeman. Jimmy did his duty and Bob was put into prison. Having spent 20 years in jail, Bob was finally released. Now 58, felt lost and helpless.

“Twenty years is a long time,” he smiled bitterly, not knowing where to go. He had no family, and had never heard a word from Jimmy again since that cold, dark night. “Was he ashamed of having a friend like me?” Bob longed for an answer.

“Excuse me, sir, are you Bob?” Bob heard the voice of a young man.

“Yes.” He turned around and was surprised to find a familiar-looking man in his thirties. “Have we met before?”

“No, sir,” replied the man. “My father told me to meet you today. I have a note for you from him.”

Doubtfully, Bob unfolded the note. His hands were shaking by the time he had finished reading.

Bob, the doctor says I’ve only got three months. I’m afraid I won’t be able to meet you this time, but you’ll always be my dear friend.

Jimmy

“You’re Jimmy’s son?!” Bob shouted in surprise.

“Yes, sir,” the young man smiled. “And my name is Bob.”

8 . Jennifer was a waitress at the Big Cheese, and she was a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter Mary and 3-year-old son Jack. Life was ________ for her to make money and take care of her children.

________, all the people working at the Big Cheese were just like a big family and they tried to ________ one another and did what’s best for each other. Everyone worked hard to make the restaurant’s daily ________ go smoothly.

Jennifer was offered a flexible (灵活的) schedule at the Big Cheese. Jack couldn’t be around sick kids at day care. Jennifer had to take time off work when she couldn’t find a sitter (临时保姆). They gave her another shift (轮班) to make up for the one she ________. They were really ________ .

One Friday morning, Jennifer was ________ to go in for work to open the restaurant at 11. But she failed to find a sitter for Jack, which really made her feel ________. However, the manager allowed her to wait until Mary was ________ after school.

After coming into work, Jennifer was about to have her whole day turned around in the best way. A husband and wife that just ________ some sandwiches were so kind and left Jennifer a $200 tip with ________, which was great help for her and she was deeply ________. That is more than money. It’s just true ________.

Sometimes, when someone ________ difficulties in their life, a small act can make a ________ and go a long way.

10 . On Aug. 5, Favorin worked in the yard and watched his granddaughter. In the afternoon, he took a break and went downstairs to do his each-day exercise, a high intensity interval ________. One minute on and one minute off, he had been ________ each day for a few months and for the most half, felt fairly good doing it. But that day, when he did exercise ________, he began feeling dangerous. He couldn’t carry his arms above his shoulders and felt ache in his chest. He ________ he was having a heart attack.

Without his phone on him, Favorin slowly walked to his neighbors’ door, rang their doorbell and ________ in opposition to the porch railing (门廊的栏杆). Then, he misplaced his grasp on the railing and ________.

Inside the home, Chris and Rachel, a firefighter and a nurse, had been having fun ________ with an uncommon day without work. Chris checked out the ________ from the doorbell and noticed it was their neighbor, Favorin, and he seemed to be in ________. They went to the door and ________ Favorin on the floor. Chris and Rachel are professionals and started CPR (心肺复苏), making use of their ________ and talent to save his life. They referred to 911 and took turns doing ________ chest compressions and checking his pulse.

EMS arrived in six minutes. Rachel rode with their neighbor in the ambulance. Another neighbor took his granddaughter willingly.

Favorin was in hospital for two days. He appears to have ________ nicely. Talking to him, you’ll by no means guess that, just some days earlier than, he was close to ________.

The medical doctors ________ him that the fast motion by Chris and Rachel saved his life.