1 . The sun was beginning to sink as I set off into the Harenna Forest. I was on my way to _________ a unique honey harvest. Here, in south-east Ethiopia, hand-carved beehives (蜂房) are placed in the _________. Reaching them to get the honey is difficult and often _________.

I followed beekeeper Ziyad over a wide stretch of grassland _________ entering a thick jungle. Ziyad began preparations. He gathered _________ of damp tree leaves, wrapped them with string, and _________ the bunch to create a torch (火把). Then, with one end of a rope tied to his waist and the other end around the trunk of a tree, Ziyad began _________. He stopped every few minutes to move the _________ higher up the tree trunk.

_________, Ziyad got close to the hive which was around 20 meters above the ground. Sitting on a branch, he __________ towards it and blew smoke from his torch into a tiny hole in the hive. Suddenly, Ziyad __________ a sharp cry. Within seconds, he’d __________ the trunk and was back on the ground.

It was too __________ to collect the honey. A cool summer had delayed __________. Baby bees were still in the honeycombs (蜂巢). The angry adult bees kept attacking as Ziyad escaped from the tree. He had to wait for the right __________ to go back up.

2 . Last year, I started the journey of being a remote product designer. The thought of a flexible (灵活的) schedule, a comfortable home office, and the escape from the _______ public transport was incredibly _______ . The first few weeks were filled with a long-lost feeling of _______ .

However, the _______ of working from home gradually set in. I had started my day with the best _______ , promising myself quick breaks and regular stretches (伸展) . But deadlines, endless emails, and virtual meetings _______ me to my computer throughout the day, leaving me little time to _______ . Gone were the short walks to a coworker’s desk and the quick lunchtime walks around the office complex. Finally, my world was _______ to the walls of my home, my steps _______ in meters only rather than kilometers.

One day, I tried ________ one of my favorite dresses and it wasn’t passing through my waist (腰) at all. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a ________ person carrying extra weight, rather than someone enjoying freedom. The ________ of work and personal life had left me feeling like I was a never-ending motion machine.

This incident (事件) marked the ________ of a journey of self-discovery. I made up my mind that I needed a (n) ________ not just for my waistline but for my overall well-being. It was a promise to prioritize my physical and mental health, and a promise that I could ________ control over my life and my body.

3 . My aunt Cindy has her own cake shop. She can make nice cakes for special occasions, such as weddings and birthdays. I spent a week last summer helping her in the shop. Making a nice cake is harder than I thought it would be.

I practised for hours in Aunt Cindy’s shop. I made little colored dots (圆点) on a piece of wax paper (蜡纸). Unluckily, I could not get the dots to be the same shape or size. I decided to take a break from making the dots, so I helped move cakes. However, that was not easy for me, either. I dropped a cake when trying to take it out of the freezer (冰箱) by myself. Luckily one of Aunt Cindy’s assistants (助手) was there. He saved the cake from hitting the floor.     

It takes a whole team to make a huge cake. That’s one of the most important things I learned. Each person on the team has to be great at his or her job. Aunt Cindy designs the cakes on paper, Larry does the mixing and baking, and assistants carve and put frosting on the cakes. Aunt Cindy and Larry do most of the decorating while the assistants help make small parts like flowers and figures. Building a big cake is like playing a team sport. If one person doesn’t do his or her job well, the whole team pays for that.      

Even though I was not much help to my aunt, I’m glad I spent the week in Aunt Cindy’s shop. Designing cakes takes more than just baking skills. It takes art and painting skills too. Now when I see a really nice cake, I don’t think of eating it first. Instead, I look at it and wonder how many hours it took to make.

4 . I believe that we get out of this world what we put into it. Usually, the rewards are indirect and sometimes hard to _________，but usually what you _________ comes back to you there and then!

A couple of days ago my step-son, Josh, was preparing for an event. Children from his primary school were going for their first trial day at the secondary school，so that they could know what they would meet after the summer holidays. A big _________ for a student!

I was in the middle of softie stuff when I noticed him _________ in a pot where we keep pens and pencils. In primary school they use pencils, _________ secondary kids get to write with pens. And Josh was looking for a pen. He came out with a(n) _________ pen that was missing a piece off the end. His _________ day deserved a pen better than that. So I _________ what I was doing and went to the drawer where my _________ pen lived. I would __________ that pen, but this was a special occasion.

“Josh,” I said in a deep，serious voice. “I __________ my pen which I like best to you, the next generation. Protect it well and cherish it. ” He smiled and said thanks. And I went back to go on __________. Coincidentally, that day was __________ my birthday, but we were just back from a weekend away and I wasn’t expecting any more gifts. Moments after the pen ceremony, Josh walked to me with a smile on his face and gave me a prettily packed box. __________, I opened it—and was even more surprised! Inside the box was a beautiful, brand new pen!

Almost like someone had planned it! It is so __________.Give and you will receive!

6 . Noah Wall recently celebrated his ninth birthday. The little boy from Cumbria, England, uses a wheelchair to get around. He’s extremely smart and loves learning about the solar system. His life is pretty normal, which is astonishing considering doctors didn’t even expect Noah to survive his birth.

His mom, Michelle Wall, was pregnant when tests revealed that her little one had spina bifida (脊椎裂) . When they performed more tests, a scan of Noah’s head showed a cyst(囊肿) that was destroying his brain.

Michelle and her husband Rob prayed for a wonder. On the day Noah was born, he let out a huge cry the moment he appeared to let his parents know that their little guy wasn’t going down without a fight!

Scans showed that just 2 percent of Noah’s brain had survived the cyst in his head. Seven weeks after birth, he received an operation to close the opening in his spine and place a shunt (分流管) in his head to lead fluid (积液) away from his brain. Yet Noah is not mentally disabled. In fact, he’s impressively clever! At 9, he is physically active and dreams of becoming an astronaut someday.

“They told us he might not be able to speak, hear, eat, or anything,” Michelle said. “But I see he can tell the time, read, do maths and love science. He can talk about the solar system. He has unbelievable dreams. ”

Noah has gone through 11 surgeries so far and there are many more to come, but he has already exceeded everyone’s expectations —in every possible way!

“Every single day he does something that impresses me,” Michelle said. “I’m so extremely proud of him. I will help him all I can and always be there for him.”

Noah! What a wonderful reminder of the importance of keeping hope alive.

9 . As sixth graders, kids were separated into groups, but I wasn’t sure where I belonged.

Our teacher gave us a task called “secret friends” for the coming week. We were supposed to do nice things ________ our friends without letting them know who was doing it. We could leave ________ notes or cards either on their desks or in their backpacks. Before doing the task, with our eyes closed, from a basket, we drew a name of a classmate who we were to secretly befriend over the next five days.

Soon, the task was turned into a competition of giving ________ instead of notes. Everyone was getting cool presents except me. My friend followed the teacher’s directions without a fault. I received nothing but handmade cards with nice words about me.

On the last morning, I finally got a package. When I ________ it, the girls around all ________. It was perfumed powder, an “old lady” gift. My face went red.

I tried to forget about the ________ gift, but when the same girls ________ it again during the break in the bathroom, I joined, “How stupid! My grandmother wouldn’t ________ want it.”

The girls laughed at my ________ and filed out of the bathroom. Washing my hands, I let the water run through my fingers as I thought about my words. It wasn’t ________ like me to say things like that.

“I’m your secret friend.” It was Rochelle. “I’m sorry about the gift,” she whispered to me, tears ________ down her face.

From a poor family, she was a ________ at school for those with rich parents. Yet she just took all the ________ and the horrible treatment silently.

I was sick to my stomach as my hurtful words ran through my mind. She had heard everything. How could I have been so cruel?

Later I learned she had felt bad all week about not being able to leave me any cool present and her mum had given up her only luxury.

And I had ruined everything for her.

I told her that I had only said those things to try to ________.

“We aren’t that different from each other, are we?” She smiled ________. Her simple words, spoken from her heart, found their way straight into mine.

In the past three years, my dad had tried his best to give me guidance on my running and encouraged me to do better and better. Running was everything to me, and also to my dad. He was a runner and was amazed by my progress in running. He would attend my every race, even flying home early from business trips to see me run.

I always listened for his voice, which rang above the crowd—telling me to relax my arms and calling out my time. He pushed me, cheered me on and believed in me. We spent countless hours running in the sandy areas of Arizona. Breathing in the dust of the desert and the smell of the farm, we made our way across our city. We pounded miles and miles into our-running shoes, marking our journey towards greatness with every single step. It was a journey that was just ours and a dream passed on from one generation to the next.

Then, we welcomed the arrival of the important race, the state cross-country race of my senior year of high school. During the past three years. my dad and I had been working hard for the race. Finally, it came.

I will never forget that November day. It was extremely hot. As I waited for the gun to fire, my throat felt like a field of cotton cracking (裂开) with the summer heat. I looked out at the crowd; dozens of familiar faces from my community and school shone across my view. They had come for me. They all had confidence in me. I saw my dad setting his watch. Obviously, he was a little worried.

My heart was beating with excitement, and then the race began. For the first two and a half miles, I felt great. I had never been so ready for something. The hot sun beat upon my back, blinding me with its brilliance. Nothing was going to stop me, though. Determination made me focused and guided my steps. In all of my races, I was in the front.

Then without warning, my strength began to weaken.

My lungs fought to take in enough air and my feet felt like bricks.

The medical workers were there in seconds and covered my mouth with an oxygen (氧气) mask.