2 . I am 49 now. Reader’s Digest has been a(n) _______ part of my family since even before I was born. My father, a planter who _______ a tea estate in Sri Lanka, has _______ Reader’s Digest since the late 1950s. And then he naturally changed from a tea merchant to a writer for it.

In an era with no television or the Internet, the evenings were spent _______ the magazine. By the time I became literate, there was a cupboard full of Reader’s Digest _______ by me, which my father bought for me. With its _______, my knowledge was gathered too. At first, it was the real stories that were most _______ for me, where I learned some life lessons.

I read through them all over my school holidays. One thing I learned from Reader’s Digest is how to reverse (倒车) a car, which still benefits me today. I _______ reading a small piece of news about the tips on _______ a car up to a space in a short time, and to date, I can make it with the ________ effort and the most relaxed mind than most people.

I’ve ________ had to spend much time getting trained how to reverse a car fast. Every time I need to do it in one ________ step, I thought of the textual ________ and the vivid diagram from the Reader’s Digest. Who would have thought Reader’s Digest could be a “________”? I hope that the next generations will continue to enjoy reading and gain something ________   like me.

3 . The surprise discovery of gold bars and gold coins in an old building has left a mountain community in eastern France celebrating.

The mayor (镇长) of Morez, a small industrial town, said the ___________ of the find was more than €600,000. Town hall ___________ first found three jam jars (罐子) of gold bars and coins worth €500,000 at the back of a dusty shelf, and then ___________ a safe hidden behind boxes to find up to €150,000 in gold coins.

The mayor, Laurent Petit, said the three-story building in the town centre had been ___________ by four brothers and sisters without children. When the ___________ died in his 90s last year, a relative ___________ to sell the building to the town hall for €130,000. Morez was ___________ to buy up and renew old buildings to ___________ families back to its emptying centre.

“The house was ___________ with objects and furniture,” Petit said. “There had been several generations who ____________ almost everything. I ____________ we’d buy the house as it was and we’d gradually ____________ its contents ourselves.”

When COVID-19 struck and France was locked down, the east of France was heavily ____________ and plans for workers to tidy the ____________ were put on hold. But Morez was once a manufacturing (制造业) centre for clocks and glasses and officials wanted to check if any items were of ____________ interest.

The mayor, the head of services and the local museum head went in themselves. Then came the surprising find Petit said the elderly relative who sold the house received the news calmly and decided to donate the money to the town hall. The find is small compared with the town’s annual budget of €6m, but it will be spent on a special public project yet to be decided.

4 . The Open Book, a bookstore, is the idea of American writer Jessica Fox, a former NASA employee who packed in her Californian lifestyle at the age of 24 after dreaming of another life in Wigtown—Scotland’s National Book Town. Fox fell in love with Wigtown and its bookshops. She never looked back.

“It’s not just me. I think the people who come to the Open Book have a very similar reaction to Wigtown,” said Fox, now in her 30s. “It’s a magical place, which has all the things you could hope for on a trip to Scotland.”

The idea for the Open Book was sparked (触发) by Fox’s love for Wigtown, which hosts the popular Wigtown Book Festival each September. “I’d never been to Scotland. I’d only seen it in films,” recalled Fox. “I went from a heavily populated place with a car, and stuck in traffic a lot, to a place with hardly any people, amazing scenery, and no car. I absolutely loved it.”

The community of Wigtown welcomed her as one of their own when Fox settled in the town. She realized she was living the fantasy that had formerly played in her head. “I thought I couldn’t be the only crazy American who dreams of working in a bookshop by the sea in Scotland. There has to be more of us,” she laughed.

While Fox was considering this idea, one of Wigtown’s bookstores announced it was closing shop. . It seemed serendipitous (偶然的). “Finn MeCreath, who is on the Board of the Festival, and I decided to take it over and try out my idea of having a bookshop holiday,” she said. Five years later, the Open Book is a runaway success. It’s booked up online until years ahead, and there’s an extensive waiting list.

Jackson’s parents died, and his neighbor Mrs Herring adopted him. The Herrings was a large, happy family.

One day, Jackson had a big argument with Mrs Herring and he packed up and left the Herrings’ house in anger. With no place to go, Jackson spent the night on the street. The next morning. Jackson was standing outside the Herrings’ home, regretting what he had done the previous night. However, he was still hesitant to enter until he heard a voice behind him say. “Where were you last night?We all were worried about you.”

After they entered the house, Mr Herring told Jackson Mrs Herring suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital the night after Jackson left.

Jackson felt terrible about what he had done. But he felt worse when Mr Herring told him how much Mrs Herring loved him.

“She had helped your mother during her delivery, and she was there for you when you were a baby!After you live with us, she always tries her best to make you feel at home. She really hopes you can call her Mom.”

“I was really horrible, wasn’t I?” asked Jackson. “I need to apologize to Mrs Herring. She’s done a lot for me.”

“Well, then, I have an idea,” Mr Herring said.

A few days after this, Mrs Herring returned home from the hospital to find her house decorated with balloons. And there were also flowers on the living room table, where a beautiful cake awaited her. “Happy birthday, honey, and welcome back home,” Mr Herring, said as he led her inside. On her 60th birthday, all the family members wished Mrs Herring, but her sad eyes were searching for Jackson everywhere.

“He isn’t here?” she asked sadly. “I’m sorry, honey,” said Mr Herring. “How about putting everything aside and just cutting the cake?” Mrs Herring sighed. She sat at the table and was about to blow out the candles when the doorbell rang.

On the doorstep stood Jackson with a huge bouquet (花束) of red roses in his hands.

Then Mrs Herring asked Jackson to blow out the candles together.

9 . A mother of nine who started medical school when her youngest child was 4 years old graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).

Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. Merrill first thought about going to school part-time to get a degree, but later she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. Speaking of her successfully returning to university, Merrill thought it was credited to her family largely. “When I was accepted at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona,” said Merrill, who is moving to Indiana with her family to begin her residency (实习期) in neurosurgery. “In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.”

Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study for their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched knowing her 11-year-old daughter wants to become a surgeon and overhearing her son tell his friends his mom’s going to be a cool brain surgeon, though he doesn’t understand that really.

Merrill’s next step into a neurosurgery residency will take her into a male-dominated field where only 5% of board certified neurosurgeons are women. Dr. Michele Halyard at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine said Merrill was known as a focused student. Halyard said, “If you can deal with nine children and keep your reason, the residency should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”

Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly specialty, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”