Several years ago I started riding a bike. At first, I thought it was only a short ride. But as I built up my strength, my friends inspired me     1     (try) some longer trips. The first one to come along was a 150-mile journey, an event held every year that raises money to fight cancer.

When I signed my name, the idea seemed fantastic. It was to support a worthy cause when we went for the distance. And I trained with great excitement. But as the time for the ride approached, I didn’t really want to bike all those miles for two days straight.

The ride began on a Sunday morning in the Georgia countryside. There were a number of strong riders. For the first few hours, I felt wonderful. There were not many     2     (vehicle) on the way. But by the end of the day, my energy had run     3    . I was sure I would give up before I reached the destination.

As I was getting to the top of hill, the sunset which looked so     4     (admire) kept me going for a few minutes more. I said to myself, “So far half of the distance     5     (cover) by me. That is enough.” Then in the distance, I saw a lone (单独的) rider riding very slowly. I noticed that the person looked different in some way, but I couldn’t tell the reason     6     that person was different. I managed to catch up. There she was, riding slowly but steadily, with a determined smile on her face. Then I kept up     7     her and found that she had only one leg. In my view, she can be regarded as a     8     (represent) of people with strong determination.

My focus changed at that moment. I’d been doubting my body for a whole day. But now I knew-it wasn’t the body, but the will that would help me reach my goal.

It rained all the second day. I never saw the one-legged biker again, but I pushed on without complaining. And at the end of the day, still feeling strong, I     9     (eventual) completed the 150th mile. Now it seems that I have been     10     (addict) to such a kind of event.

Luo Yan and his wife and son have settled in a big city. The Spring Festival is coming, so they travel back for the holiday, for     1    (they) dream of “three generations under the same roof”.

    2     the big city is far away from their hometown, the high-speed train has made it much more convenient for them to go back home. During the five-hour trip, they chatted excitedly with each other, their minds full of       3     (think) about their sweet home.

    4     their arrival, they find their home has been specially decorated by his parents for the joyous occasion. Everything represents joy, luck and     5     (happy).

At five o’clock on the Eve, the dinner table is already covered with white china plates and bowls, full of all sorts of dishes: chicken, duck, pork, fish and vegetables. The three generations sit around     6     table to enjoy the delicious food happily. Indeed, the whole family could not be     7     (happy) to be together. Despite the cold outside, their happy faces fill the air with warmth while merry     8    (laugh) rings throughout the house.

After dinner, the whole family are going to stay up late on the New Year’​s Eve. They gather around the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while ating snacks and       9     (chat) with each other about the past, the present and the future.

As midnight     10     (approach), Luo Yan takes his parents, wife and son outside to set off firecrackers, wishing all the best.

When she was just three years old, Alyssa Carson from the USA took an interest     1    the planet Mars. From that time on, her lifelong passion for and     2    (curious) about space began! Then, Alyssa     3    (start) to do all the things related to space!

Alyssa’s goal is to help others understand the potential for human life in outer space. She also wants to be one of the first humans     4    (walk) on the planet Mars. She even imagines     5    (live) on Mars! And while doing so, Alyssa wants to inspire lots of other kids to learn more about space and science.

She is studying astrobiology (天体生物学) at the Florida Institute of Technology. It is     6    only program in the USA focused on the potential for life on other planets. Whether you want to study the effects of space travel on humans, discover past or present life on Mars, or help develop     7    (way) to sustain (维持) life on the moon, you will be prepared at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Alyssa is a(n)     8    (impress) example of a young person     9    focuses on her passion and becomes the best version of     10    (she). Her example also inspires other kids to do the same.

Tom is an eight-year-old boy. He works hard at his subjects. His teachers and parents like him very much, but he has a much     1     (big) head than others. Many people think he is     2     very funny boy.

Last year, he     3    (spend) ten days in his uncle’s home on summer vacation. His uncle lives     4     a mountain village.     5     it’s about four hundred miles away from his city, he had to take a train. When he arrived at the train station in a small town, his uncle waited for him and took him to     6    (him) house by bike.

Tom made some     7     (friend) soon. They played games and swam in the river     8    (happy). But one afternoon he cried to his aunt, “All the children make fun of me. They say I have a very big head. I don’t tend     9    (play) with them any more.” 

“Don’t listen to them,” his aunt said. “You have a beautiful head. Now stop     10    (cry) and go to the store to buy fifty potatoes.”

“Where is the shopping bag?” Tom asked.

“Oh, dear. I haven’t got one. Use your hat.” his aunt answered.

Peter lived in a village. He was always upset and treated others     1     (bad). He enjoyed himself by making other     2     (villager) unhappy. So the whole village avoided     3     (he) as much as they could. On the day when he turned eighty,     4     unusual thing happened. Everyone     5     (hear) the words. “Peter looks happy today. Instead of     6     (say) something bad, he smiles to everyone he meets.” When the whole village got together, Peter     7     (ask) why. He answered, “I’d been running after my happiness     8     eighty years, but it was     9     (use). And then I decided to live without it and just enjoy life. That’s the reason     10     I’m happy now.”

Herman Travis, 55, lives in Holly Courts, a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco and he has not so many     1     (possess). Every Tuesday, Travis fills a shopping cart (购物车) with groceries from a local food bank Then he makes home deliveries to his elderly and disabled neighbors. He began doing it in 2007 and when he first started, people were doubtful. They didn’t welcome it as he had expected. “At first people were     2     (caution). They didn’t let me in.”

“However, only after they     3    (get) to really know me were they pleased to see me eventually. But I wish that I had started doing it earlier.” Travis once told me I am one of Travis’ neighbors     4     receive deliveries from him. To some degree, I depend on him to live my life. Like everyone else, on the one hand, I sincerely appreciate his help, and on the other hand, I expect     5     (see) the joy Travis gets out of making     6     (he) rounds. If he didn’t come to see me, I should miss him very much now. When we meet with each other on the way, he may stop to chat with me for some time so I know much about him. He often says it is not so stressful a job. Having kept doing such a thing for about fifteen years already, he is admired and respected by everybody. Some people once asked him,

“Do you think it is worth doing such kinds of things?” He nodded his head, saying, “I think so. ” He’s so kind and warm, always     7     (smile), as if he were doing     8     favor for his own family.

What he does always appeals     9     other people in nearby neighborhoods that have been trying to poach (挖走)Travis for years. They suggest paying him to go and deliver food for them when they run out of food. But he simply wouldn’t do it for money.

It might be a small thing that Travis is doing so, but he does that with big love. It’s     10     (spiritual) rewarding for himself.