A’Driane Nieves didn’t attend art school, and she never dreamed of     1     (become) an artist. That changed when Nieves began to struggle     2     mental health. Painting is not only treatment for her, but it’s her career now. “Painting is now the primary way that I express     3     (I),” Nieves said. Nieves experienced deep     4     (anxious) after giving birth to her second son in 2010. Later, she was diagnosed (诊断) with Bipolar II disorder. “My doctor suggested to me that I find something creative to help manage the pressure,” she said.

Nieves tried crocheting (钩编) for about two weeks. She admitted she was     5     (tire) of it. And one day, she picked up painting. As she poured the paint and moved it around with her hands, she felt     6     sense of relief. “Within 45 minutes to an hour, I felt     7     (complete) different from what I had before,” she said.

Since she started painting in 2012, Nieves     8     (create) more than 1,000 pieces. In 2012,she set up her workshop. “I would like to encourage anyone     9     is living with a mental disorder to be kind to themselves and remember that you are worthy. You have the right     10     (live) a full and healthy life even while managing a mental health condition like this.”

Facing Challenges

A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather was explaining his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” The following day, as I tried to complete my day’s work, I happened     1     (notice) a bumblebee(大黄蜂)on the skylight (天窗). The skylight was particularly high up, but I thought removing the bee     2     (take) no more than five minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. What had changed was that the living room was a mess and     3     I was dizzy from looking up into the sunlight I did not expect to waste an hour     4     an insect so tiny, but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.

It is not only time that we tend to underestimate—we don’t account for unexpected costs. We often imagine what can work     5     our advantage, but we seldom think of all the negative things that could affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year might not go     6     planned, and that is completely normal. It is perfectly acceptable to feel challenged even at a task you thought was simple — because that is part of life.

If you can accept that nothing will ever be easy, then life might seem slightly     7     (manageable). In high school, I thought college might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself. Yet each time, 1 was both wrong and disappointed. After accepting that school wouldn’t(and shouldn’t)be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and     8     (improve) results.

Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can only help you accomplish your goals in a better way. However, there is no need to beat     9     up when something stands in our path. Maybe we cannot see a bee     10     (come) our way; but we can always give ourselves the extra time to catch it.

What might life be like if you looked very different from others? Most of us are lucky to be born with “normal” faces     1     the boy in the movie Wonder has no such luck.

    2     (adapt) from a bestselling novel, the movie Wonder is about a boy named Auggie,     3     has a facial deformity (畸形). However,     4     broken hearts, his parents try hard to bring him up like a normal child. He receives good home-schooling until he gains admission into a middle school. But to his great     5     (disappoint), school life only brings about great tension because he is exposed to prejudice form his fellow students. It is at middle school     6     he learns to accept himself as he is. He stays open to the difficulties and seeks to involve     7     (he) in various school activites. Through great efforts, Auggie ends up being loved among his teachers and classmates as well.

Kids     8     (teach) that it is OK to be different and most people celebrate being unique. Still it’s     9     (easy) said than done. There is a tendency that life will be hard for you if you are different from others. The story of Auggie tells us however different you are, be yourself     10     you can work wonders.

A long time ago, there was a mountain     1    (name) “Chengdu Zaitian” in the vast wilderness. This mountain was home to the Kua Fu tribe,     2     members were all tall and mighty like giants.

Catching sight of the sunrise and sunset, Kua Fu suddenly hit upon an idea     3     he wanted to race against the sun to see who ran faster! The next day,     4     moment the sun came out, he took a big step and ran towards the sun at full speed. The sun, however, was not still, and it gradually rose from the horizon, reached the highest point and then set to the west. Kua Fu could not stop for an instant, and he ran like wind all the way,     5    (struggle) to catch up. Most of the day passed,     6     Kua Fu was finally about to overtake the sun in Yugu, where the sun     7    (suppose)to fall! But as he got closer, he felt exhausted and extremely     8    (thirst) when a huge heat wave hit him all over. Then Kua Fu drank up all the water of the Yellow River and the Weihe River. But that was still far     9     enough. Kua Fu threw his cane out with his last bit of     10    (strong), which turned into a peach forest with rich fruits, serving as a resting place for people to enjoy the coolness and take peaches as food before they continued their journey.

One day, Zeng’s (曾子) wife decided to go     1     (shop), but her little son wanted to go with her to the market. Thinking that she would come back very soon, and that the naughty boy would bring her a lot of trouble, she was unwilling to do so.

In order     2    (let) the boy stay home, she told him, “Oh, come on, good boy, if you stay home and behave (举止) well Mom will give you a present     3     I am back.”

“What present are you going to give me, Mom?” asked the son.

“We haven’t tasted meat     4     a long time, so I will kill our pig and let you enjoy a big nice dinner.” The mother comforted the boy when it happened that their pig was walking in front of the house. Just at that time, her husband came back and     5    (hear) what she said. Thinking of the nice meal, the boy gave in.

At sunset, the mother came back, but     6    she saw shocked her. Her husband had killed     7     only pig of the poor family.

“Why did you kill it? You know it is very     8    (importance) for my family.” she was wild with anger and shouted at him.

“I did that just for your promise!” Mr. Zeng answered. “Parents are the first     9    (teacher) and role models (榜样) of the kids. A gentleman should mean what he says.”

The boy watched all this quarrel (争执) and kept silent. However, he was     10    (determine) that a promise was a debt (债务) in his future life.