Freedom and Jeff

Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 2011 with two     1     (break) wings, thin and dirty. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet's office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks. This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point     2     the decision was made to euthanize (安乐死) her if she couldn't stand in a week.

She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday,     3     I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized, but I went anyway and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day. We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her.

In the spring of 2013, I was diagnosed     4     non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (淋巴瘤). I had stage 3, which is not good, so I wound up doing eight months of chemo (化疗). Lost the hair- the whole bit. I missed a lot of work.     5     I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2013, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after eight rounds of chemo, then my last option was     6     stem cell transplant. I went in Monday, and 1 was told that all the cancer was gone. Amazing!

So the first thing I did was     7     (get) up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn’t said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them     8     (press) in on my back, and she touched my nose with her mouth and     9     (stare) into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I didn't know how long. That was a magic moment. We     10     (be) soulmates since she came in. This is a very special bird.

An old story is told of a king who had a close friend. The friend had a habit of commenting on situations even terrible     1    (thing) happening in his life, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were hunting. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had     2    (obvious) done something wrong in preparing the gun, for after     3    (take) the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend     4    (argue) as usual, “This is good!” The king replied, “No, this is not good!” and sent his friend to prison.

About a year later, the king was hunting when cannibals (食人者) captured him     5     took him to their village. They tied     6    (he) hands, stacked (堆积) some wood, set up a stake (桩) and bound him to the stake. As they came near     7    (set) fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. They never ate anyone that was not whole. So they sent him on his way.

Returning home, he remembered the event that had taken his thumb. He went immediately to the prison to speak     8    his friend, “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was gone.” He told the friend everything     9     had happened. “Sorry for sending you to prison for so long.”

His friend just gave a     10    (nature) reply, “This is good!” “What do you mean? How could it be good that I sent you to prison for a year?” “If I had not been in prison, I would have been with you.”

Eating in China

The mouth-watering hot pots of Sichuan are as famous overseas as they are in China, and the hot flavour is enough to heat up a cold midwinter evening or to let loose rivers of sweat on a summer afternoon. I gave it my     1     (one) try last night, together with a few local friends! As the soup bubbled slowly over a gas burner in the middle of the table, its surface     2    (cover) with a beautiful layer of chillies, Sichuan peppers, spring onions and red oil.     3     (slow) at first, and then faster and faster, we tipped plates of fresh meat, fish and vegetables into the pot. The hot flavour quickened our     4     (laugh) and conversation, making the meal the perfect way to relax with friends.

Sichuan hot pots are perfect for the damp, foggy climate     5     which they were invented. They are believed     6    (start) off in the late Qing Dynasty as a way for boatmen on the Yangtze River to keep warm during the cold and wet winters. In the beginning, the delicious dish was made simply by     7     (boil) vegetables, chillies and Sichuan peppers in water. Over time, it     8    (expand) to include multiple options of soups, vegetables, meats and sauces, appealing to people of different tastes.     9     I love best about Sichuan hot pots is that they offer a great opportunity to socialize with friends since a meal can last for hours. I instantly became     10     big fan of Sichuan hot pots and I’ll soon be back for more!

In ancient China lived an artist    1     paintings were almost lifelike. The artist’s reputation had made him proud. One day the emperor wanted to get his portrait (画像) done so he called all great artists to come and present their     2     (fine) work, so that he could choose the best. The artist was sure he would    3    (choose), but when he presented his masterpiece to the emperor’s chief minister, the old man laughed. The wise old man told him to travel to the Li River～perhaps he could learn a little from the greatest artist in the world.

Filled with     4     (curious), the artist packed his bags and left.     5     he asked the villagers on the banks of the river where he could find the legendary (传奇的) artist, they smiled and     6     (point) down the river. The next morning he hired a boat and set out     7     (find) the well-known painter. As the small boat moved,     8     (gentle) along the river he was left speechless by the mountains being silently reflected in the water. He passed milky white waterfalls and mountains in many shades of blue. And when he saw the mists rising from the river and the soft clouds    9     (surround) the mountain tops, he was reduced to tears. The artist was finally humbled (谦卑) by the greatest artist     10     earth, Mother Nature.