Quan Peng, a man in a wheelchair, set off from Beijing in August 2014, and     1    (visit) 43 cities and towns in five provinces so far. In the next six months, he hopes to make    2     to China’s southern tip — his final destination.

“I see it as a battle.” Quan said, “I’m not just battling against my disability,     3     also against discrimination (歧视).”

Quan has traveled on a tight budget. He has slept in a tent or in his chair, and camped out in hospitals, banks and public toilets. The few times he tried to stay in hotels, but he     4    (turn) away. “Restaurant owners would refuse     5    (take) me in because they see me as a beggar; I go to a hotel and they would tell me they are     6    (full) booked.”

Quan,     7     was housebound for eight years, wants to use his wheelchair trip to raise     8    (aware) of the need of disabled people around the country. Even in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, which are     9    (well) equipped for the disabled, Quan says he was not able to take a bus. “I would like to try my best to let people know that we are able to create value. We are not useless people    10    (stay) in bed all day long,” said Quan.

After attending a wedding ceremony, 17-year-old Norwood together with three friends was going home by car in St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 20. Norwood’s friends’ real     1     (recommend) was that she drive faster. Their car was about to pass a crossroads when a black car hit them. Their car sailed into someone’s yard and crashed into a tree. Later, the driver admitted not     2     (pay) much attention to the traffic on the road.

As the smoke rose from the car, a bystander (旁观者) who was     3     (scare) said loudly that it     4     (blow) up soon, adding, “Get out! Look! It is so     5     (horror).”The driver’s side doors couldn’t be opened, Quickly, Norwood climbed out through the window. Along with two of her friends, who’d also managed to free themselves, Norwood ran for her life.

But halfway down the street, she realized that her best friend, Simmons, wasn’t with them. Norwood couldn’t turn her back     6     her so she anxiously ran back and found Simmons in the back seat, unconscious. She threw open the back door and pulled her friend out. She dragged Simmons to safety, laid her on the ground and made     7     effort to save her. “I checked her pulse (脉搏), and put my head against her chest. No sign of life,” Norwood told CNN.

She started pumping Simmons’s chest     8     (appropriate) and breathing into her friend’s mouth in the hope of filling her lungs with the kiss of life. She made no response. And then, the 30 compressions (按压) and two rescue breaths enabled Simmons     9     (wake) up.

Soon, doctors arrived and rushed Simmons to a hospital. That was the hospital     10     she heard how her life had been saved by her best friend. “I wasn’t surprised,” Simmons said. “She will always help any way she can.”

A long time ago, a father was old and sick. He did not have much time to live, and he wanted     1     (give) his sons a good lesson before he died.

Recently, he noticed that his sons     2     (fight) among themselves and seemed unable to agree on anything. The old man feared what would happen after his     3     (die). He was afraid that his sons would begin to argue. “They will disagree about everything,” He thought. “Soon they     4     (be) enemies, each going his own direction.”

He called his sons together in his room. “Bring     5     (I) a bundle (束) of stick,” he asked his servant (仆人). Soon enough, a thick bundle of sticks arrived, tied     6     (close) together. One by one, he gave the bundle to each son, and asked him to break the bundle. One son after another pulled and twisted (拧) with all of his strength (力量),     7     the sticks would not break. The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.”

The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.” Of course, the single stick     8     (break) in two easily. The old father looked at his sons. “Do you understand this lesson?” he asked.

Each son, being intelligent,     9     (understand) the meaning at once. Alone, it is easy for one of them to be harmed. But together, they are strong and can’t be harmed even     10     great forces (势力). That’s the meaning of the sticking together. In unity, there is great strength.

A Californian woman has become a fitness influencer in her 50s after losing more than 40 pounds and taking up bodybuilding.

Denise Kirtley, 52, was inspired     1     (turn) her life around two months before her 50th birthday after finding that her wedding ring no longer fit on her finger.

“When I     2     (start) my transformation in 2020, I had been sedentary (惯于久坐不动的) for     3     long while,” Kirtley explained. She began lifting light weights in her spare bedroom, saying she was     4     unfit for the first two weeks that she quickly felt     5     (breath) and tired. But Kirtley said the secret to     6     (get) started on a body transformation is     7     (simple) to repeat workouts five times per week because action “often precedes (先于) motivation.”

“Action leads to more action. We can’t wait for motivation to kick in as it usually comes     8     (late),” she said. “If you can start taking action, any action, you will build momentum (推进力). That momentum will push you forward. It DOES get easier.”

The 52-year-old said she’s also transformed her attitude toward growing older. “We really do get to choose     9     we age. It’s all about your mindset,” she said. “Old and aging are very different — there’s nothing wrong     10     aging, and I embrace (欣然接受) my age. I’m aging, but I’m strong and spirited.”

Just after finishing his work, Mr. Philips was going to the grocery shop to buy some bananas, but he saw a poor old lady     1     (sell)fresh bananas on the street, so it seemed     2     (convenient)to buy some from her.

The old lady charged $7     3     one kilo of bananas. “But the shop     4     I usually buy from gives them for $5 per kilo!”, Mr. Philips said. “I’m sorry sir, I cannot afford to match that price”, the old lady responded. Mr. Philips said nothing and went to the grocery shop.

    5     , when he wanted to pay for bananas he picked, the cashier told him that the price per kilo was $10. He tried to bargain again, but the manager said coldly, “We do not bargain.” Mr. Philips felt very     6     (annoy)with his attitude, and decided to put the bananas back and go back to the old lady.

She recognized him     7     (instant)and told him, “Sir, I can’t match that price.” “Don’t worry, I will pay you $10 per kilo!” said Mr. Philips. “Now, give me two     8     (kilo)please!” The old lady happily packed the bananas and said, “I can’t accept $10 per kilo but I will accept $7 per kilo. I appreciate your     9     (kind).”

Mr. Philips left the old lady speechless with gratitude, and also recommended many friends to buy bananas from the old lady, which they did. From that day on, she made     10     much better living than ever before.