1 . I woke up by my dog barking in the early morning. I went outside to find a koala (考拉) at the yard gate wanting to enter. It was the first time that I had ______ a koala in my neighborhood. What a welcome ______ !

I was wondering why he was here, as koala ______ came down from the trees and didn’t like walking, either. ______ , there was no eucalyptus (桉树) around. Was he hungry or lost? Or maybe the bushfire across Kangaroo Island ______ him here?

He just sat there, clearly ______ , and sort of looked at me with a look, like helping me out of my suffering. At a(n) ______ look, I discovered a long cut at his back with bloods, ______ of attacks or cuts of something sharp in some other way.

I rushed into my room and came out with some iodophor (碘伏药水). It was not a ______ problem as I was a nurse. This poor koala seemed to quite ______ my kindness when I ______   the cut with the liquid. It ______ out that he came to ask me for ______ !

After the treatment, I watched the koala finally ______ in the wild, hoping he was able to ______ the hard time and live his life as he should.

3 . When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He studied hard to get good ________ and tried to behave well. He was shy and shorter than the other boys. Besides, his father was ________ and had little time for him. Except for his ________ for housework after school, there was no communication. Marco felt very ________.

One day,his maths teacher called him that some young teenagers were ________ a public speaking contest. She thought he should give it a ________. She firmly believed he could perform on stage (舞台) like other kids. Feeling her strong trust, Marco agreed to ________ the contest.

All winter, he took a bus to ________ twice a week in another city, where the competition would take place. Marco was taken by a strong ________ he never felt before. Finally, the big day arrived. His father, and yes, his maths teacher, were present. When he stepped onto the stage and began to speak, he felt ________ at home. He was funny,and acted very natural. He won! He noticed his father’s eyes were ________— he was so proud. It was then that his father ________ he should pay more attention to the child.

As the winner, his name was ________ in the local papers. He knew this was the ________ of his new life. It all happened because of a phone call, from one who ________ him.

4 . When she was a kid, Danielle Belleny “was always outdoors, playing with plants and investigating the world on my own.” “I wanted to be a veterinarian (兽医), at first,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to work with animals, and as a kid that was the only job I knew where you could do that.”

But when Belleny reached her second year of college, her dad mentioned wildlife biology (生物学) a another choice. She hadn’t yet heard of it before, but that’s what she was learning about. While in college, Belleny started working on research projects. She spent a lot of time with animals in their natural environment. On one project, she studied the plants that animals eat. Another is about placing trackers on a bird called the northern bobwhite.

Belleny’s current job is at Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, in Hays County, Texas. “In the morning, I’m usually out the door by sunrise,” she says. She studies birds. She keeps track of different animals. And she searches for signs of what other animals in the area are doing. “I love that there’s always a sense of discovery. It allows me to keep learning,” she says.

Around lunchtime, she’ll return home and write up a report. In the afternoon, she leaves for another site visit. Landowners can request her services. She advises people on how to accommodate the wildlife that lives on their land. “It’s a lot of meeting new people, a lot of quick introductions, and then talking for long periods of time.” That’s all her work for a day.

Outside of work, Belleny has been bird-watching, for seven years. Her first book, This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds, was published in May. It allowed her to share her love of the activity. Now she’s working on a children’s book about bird-watching. It’s scheduled to come out in fall 2023.

Belleny has some advice for young people who are thinking about professional goals. “Try everything you’re interested in.” And if you’re interested in working with animals, “Go to a library and find some field guides.” There’s a lot of information about animals out there. Books are always a good place to start.

5 . Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcements (通知). Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard (列车长) makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different. I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!

Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall the guard said something along these lines, “Good Morning Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, this is the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning and I hope to see you again soon.”

Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guards excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yes.” “Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.” I said.

There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work, it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate (积累) from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have when he got home?

9 . My work could be done at home, so I don’t need to go to ______ . Before I pick my children up from school in the evening, I’m ______ at home. For many years, my only companion (同伴) was our dog, Sno, who always ______ me wherever I go.

Sno and I didn’t agree on everything. However, we both agreed on ______ because we do not like to be bored. At least once a week, we took a long walk to the beach. For him, there were large areas of tall grass and exciting smells. For me, walking ______ the mind as well as the body.

Watching wildlife, exploring new paths, seeing other people with their ______ , and so on, are good for both you and your dog.

As a dog with short legs, Sno needed several ______ along the way. The one at the entrance to the beach was his ______ , possibly because there were beautiful sea view. I am the center of my dog’s world and he needs my attention. What better way to spend quality time with the dog than taking a walk?

When he was old and dying, our walks were ______ . In his final days, Sno still ______ walking. It took twice as long to take even the shortest walk, but we ______ every step. I don’t know if dogs can cry, but if they can, that will make two of us in ______ at the entrance to the beach.

After he died, I went for a long walk. I felt like part of me was ______ . I kept looking down as if he were there beside me and enjoyed the sun and fresh air. When I came to the place where we ______ for the beach, I chose the other way.

Later, I may be walking by myself, but I’m never alone. Personally, I’m ______ to earn the love of an old dog.