Varatha Shanmuganathan is an 87-year-old woman in India. She has become the     1     (old) person to get a Master’s degree at Canada’s York University. When she isn’t dancing or singing with her grandchildren, she’s busy     2     (realize) her many dreams.

This is not Shanmuganathan’s first Master’s degree. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she returned to Sri Lanka     3     (teach) Indian history and English.

In 1990, she moved to London to teach English as a second language and received her first Master’s degree from the University of London.

When she found out the university offered free tuition     4     senior citizens, Shanmuganathan said she     5     (immediate) knew it was her last chance to make her dream of studying political science come true. She began her studies in 2019 and     6     (continue) throughout the pandemic (流行病).

“She will act as a powerful role model for     7     (woman) of all ages,” York University President Rhonda Lenton said.

Despite her achievements, Shanmuganathan said she is not quite finished yet in     8     (educate). Her next plan is to write     9     book about post-war Sri Lanka.

“Find out what you really want to achieve and pursue it until the end. Think of something     10     not only interests you, but is also beneficial to others. Go on after it, get it, do it, achieve it,” Shanmuganathan said.

My husband and I were watering     1     (flower) in the yard when an old man passing by     2     (stop) to talk with us. He asked us to guess his age and I thought he was 75 years old. However, that was     3     (obvious) wrong. He was actually 94! He said he couldn’t find people to talk to. I invited him to sit on our bench. I asked him     4     was the secret to his longevity (长寿). He told me that he had been a rich lawyer before retirement but he wanted a     5     (peace) mind. Then someone advised him that he should try to help others to have peace of mind.

Then, the new friend made a     6     (contribute) to charity. He gave away all his pension (退休金). He said he lived with his son and didn’t need the money. He enjoyed     7     (talk) and accepted my offer of some desserts (甜点). After a few minutes, the desserts for his son     8     (pack) too and he gave me a silk scarf as     9     gift. I am grateful for this chance, which makes me know that if you want peace of mind, do be helpful to others. This chance also reminded me     10     a valuable idea: To practice peace!

Born in a wealthy family, my nephew, Jack, leads such a thoroughly decent and cosy life that he hardly meets with cruel adversities. He has been dreaming of an adventure since he was young. At 18, Jack resolved to join an expedition     1     (advertise) in the newspaper, but the leader turned him down, thinking Jack was not     2     (qualify). Full of vigour, Jack never abandoned his dream for he was so enthusiastic about a great voyage. At 19, he joined the navy and     3     (assign) to be a steward with low wages. On a bitter cold day, the crew went aboard a massive ship bound for Atlantic Ocean. Jack was genuine, good-tempered and loyal and he wasn't selfish, cither. He often played the banjo for recreation. So those who were on the ship all liked him.     4     (fortunate). one day, the motor broke down and the ship got crushed on a huge iceberg. When the ship sank, their hearts also sank. At that time, the calm captain made a     5     (commit) to save them and commanded them to throw away     6     (they) belongings such as stoves, blankets, bats. cupboards and other pieces of furniture. Finally, they were fortunate enough     7     (escape) the ship. It was their endurance, resolution and perseverance     8     helped them survive. On the distant island, Jack managed to make fire with animal fat.     9     gave off a smelly smell and then he cooked sea animals. One month later, they were saved by a passing ship. In summary, it has been     10     unforgettable episode in Jack’s life.

Ouyang Zhuo,     1     hearing impaired(听力受损) student from Wuhan, who scored G80 out of 730 points in this year’s national college entrance exam, has made it to Peking University.     2     is remarkable is that the hearing impaired student should get full marks in the English listening test.

Ouyang was diagnosed with neurological (神经) bearing     3     (lose)in both ears when he was 3 years old. He went through a tough life with his pour hearing ability in his early life. Despite     4     (face) difficulties learning owing to his hearing problem, he never gave up.

Ouyang     5     (have)a hard time learning English at the beginning before he got a hearing aid in his study. He would     6     (repeated)watch the teacher’s lip movement to be able to pronounce better. He also used hearing aid     7     (listen) to English texts.

Existing policies exempt(豁免) students who are hearing impaired from the English listening test, giving them 50 percent of the total score. But Ouyang insisted     8     taking the listening test in the hope of getting a     9     (high)score. He not only got high marks in English, but also got full marks in the listening test.

Ouyang is also excellent in sports, such as table tennis, badminton and tennis. When     10     (interview)the reasons for his success, he said he never saw himself as ‘special’—“Wearing a hearing aid is like wearing glasses.”

Bazette is a good doctor at our local hospital. One day, he got off work as usual. On     1     (he) way back, he came across a horrible scene. Two     2     (truck) stuck together. The smaller truck went under the broken air brakes (刹车) of the bigger one. The man driver of the smaller truck was alive, but his legs were stuck inside his truck.

Over an hour’s time, the local firefighters     3     (brave) tried to cut away the door of his truck, and lifted the back of the bigger truck. By this means, they gained the access     4     the driver. During the entire time, Dr. Bazette was actively on duty, supporting and comforting the scared driver. After the driver     5     (free), his body broke down and fainted (昏倒). Then Dr. Bazette busied himself helping.

In the Life Flight ambulance, Dr. Bazette did first aid on the driver for over 20 minutes, and brought him back to life in preparation for the quick journey back to the local hospital,     6     Dr. Bazette had just finished his work earlier in the evening: In     7     next hour, Dr. Bazette assisted the team of doctors in     8     (calm) down the driver, thus saving his life.

A passer-by shared this in her article and praised Dr. Bazette’s virtue in our district newsletter. His     9     (respond) to the praise he received was like this: “When I am     10     (call) to act, I’m all in.”