2 . While many local teens spent their summers playing by the pool, Shea Frenyea-Provost brought her talents to life, leaving a lasting memory for years to come.

After five weeks, the 15-year-old’s artwork is now on show in People’s Park for all to see as the Village of Dannemora’s first outdoor mural(壁画)-symbolic of the ongoing efforts to give new energy to the village and all it has to offer.

For the young artist，the project took her out of the comfort zone(舒适区)-going from colored pencils and sketchbooks(素描本)to her first life-size mural- the first in what will now become a series of projects between the local teen and village.

With her mom active in the village’s growing Beautification Committee, Shea also got involved with volunteering. After seeing Shea’s sketches during the early stages of the mural planning, Tina Leduc, director of Beautification Committee, was awed by her talent and knew she was a perfect fit for the project.

With the help of her family, Shea was soon set up with her very own studio, where she spent weeks researching the Luna moth(蛾)，observing its outline and perfecting each final detail. “I used a projector(投影仪)to observe the moth for weeks and researched native plants in our area and the rest I really ended up doing freehand,“ Shea said, pointing to the fine lines of the climbing grape plants and moth antennas(触角).

For the Beautification Committee and villagers alike, her work has brought a welcomed new addition to the park while clearly showing her bright artistic future ahead. “She’s just such a natural,” said Leduc, who offered beginning guidance, otherwise leaving the creativity and design to the promising young artist. “I feel this is just the beginning for her. I know it is. We’re going to see so much from her.”

4 . Rachel had a healthy life both physically and mentally till one unfortunate winter evening. It was raining cats and dogs; everything was wet. Rachel’s cat went outside in this cold weather. She ________ him to bring him back inside. He hid near a utility pole (电线杆). Since it rained heavily the pole was charged and ________ to touch. Rachel, bent down to ________ her cat. She held the pole for support not ________ it was charged. The pole electrocuted her so badly that she was barely ________ seconds before her death. The electrocution resulted in ________ both her arms, which had to be cut off.

Rachel had to face such a (n) ________ accident. People get ________ about losing a finger. What would it be like if you lose both your arms? That’s what Rachel was trying to digest. It wasn’t easy at all. Rachel, slowly and gradually was accepting the ________ that she lost her arms and was ________ dependent on others for basic necessities that ________ the use of her arms. It upset her that she could not ________ her own duties herself.

Many people would lose hope. ________, that was not the case with Rachel. She did not want to ________ her dream. She didn’t let the slightest hopelessness bring her down and make her ________ her motivation. After recovery, Rachel ________ day and night to do most of her work with her feet. She emphasized mostly on ________ since she had no arms to do that with. She tried and tried. After many ________ and failures, she finally could write with her feet. She continued her school, ________ her examination and got a scholarship for law school.

Her optimism paved the way for a bright future. Her hard work ________ all because she never gave up.

6 . My younger brother has a strange relationship with birthdays. One year, he sent me an unexpected birthday card, which turned out to be a double _________ as it arrived four months after my birthday.

“You should just _________ when you feel like it, and not be restricted (限制) to a specific day,” he said.

“So basically, that means it doesn’t _________ when my birthday is. You just get to celebrate the day I was _________ any time you like, even though I _________ to celebrate it on the actual date?” I asked.

“You’ve always been a little over the top about _________,” he said.

“Fine. But I always remember yours,” I said. I would _________ forget the day he was born.

The first year my daughter was away at college, he missed her birthday. By then, we both knew her _________ had many great attributes (特征) except remembering birthdays.

Her birthday is in September. In January of the following year, she _________ a letter. It was from her uncle. No card. Just some __________ and a note that said, “Buy whatever you want.”

She later told me the special gift from her uncle __________ made her happy. The idea of surprising her when she was least __________ it was amazing.

And it continued. Once he __________ us with several stylish hats and it was no one’s birthday. He had described our __________ to the saleswoman and she had __________ what she thought each of us might like. And she was right; we all liked our gifts.

So this year I was a bit __________ when he called me the day after my birthday. Was his __________ attitude towards birthdays disappearing? Had he been dragged (拖) down by societal expectations to behave __________?

“I’m __________ I missed your birthday yesterday,” he said.

“You’re __________ to do that. It’s what makes you my brother,” I replied.

7 . A former businessman, Dong Changkai, has driven across the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region again and again. Last month, Dong ________ with other four off-road vehicle ________ and drove across the Taklimakan Desert to create a route in the shape of a map of China, ________ their love for the country and its ________ landscape.

Dong’s eagerness to start outdoor ________ originated in his high school years. He often ________ his father, a geological explorer, to travel around Kashgar during summer holidays. The picturesque (优美的) ________ and diverse terrain (地形) he came across ________ his desire to explore wilder places. He put driving across the Taklimakan Desert on his to-do list at that time.

In 2012 he planned to ________ doing business and prepare for a solo cross-desert ________ . He began to ________ his off-road driving skills and equip himself with the knowledge to ensure ________ when dealing with ________ conditions, such as sandstorms or vehicle ________. For adaptability training, he drove into the Kumtag Desert, the sixth-largest desert in China, dozens of times a year. ________ he became a(n) ________ desert adventurer.

Dong ________ that he drove Chinese-made vehicles every time he traveled across the Taklimakan. He says he hopes more people get to know the excellent ________ of these Chinese-made vehicles in rough off-road environments. He is working to support the local government and off-road driving clubs in Xinjiang to bold a folk sport event that     ________ professional off-road drivers to operate domestically made vehicles. He also plans to ________ his knowledge about Chinese -made off road vehicles and personal experience on cross-desert journeys on short-video-streaming platforms.

8 . Do you believe just a simple delivery could change a stranger’s life forever? Well, when 21-year-old Anabelle _________ some food using DoorDash, she _________ started a chain of events. It started when her doorbell camera gave her a _________ of an elderly man delivering her food. He was clearly _________, but he still _________ to get the job done. And it _________ Anabelle’s heart. To help him out, she gave him a $30 tip on a $21 order — but that was just the start of her _________.

After a TikTok she _________ of the delivery went viral, Anabelle became _________ to use the attention to raise money for this man. But first, she had to find him. Against all odds, she tried __________ DoorDash to get his information and kept posting __________ on TikTok.

Finally, Anabelle knew this sweet man’s name: Kerry. And __________ he’s normally very private, she had the __________ to get more information of him. At 71 years old, Kerry has yet to have the opportunity to __________. His wife died in 2011, and his two disabled sons are __________ his care. He works as a driver and that income doesn’t __________ his life. His recent health __________ have even made things more difficult. Anabelle shared his story on GoFundMe where it slowly __________ surely began to reach countless people moved by Kerry’s struggles. Before they __________ it, news outlets around the world were sharing Kerry’s story. And now, over a month later, over $107K has been raised!

“I can’t begin to __________ the amount of support from across the world! This is life changing for Kerry and beyond what I could ever imagine!” Anabelle wrote.

9 . Wang Fang, a Suzhou native, has given her heart and soul to Kunqu Opera. Wang, who has twice won the Plum Performance Award — China’s top award for theater and opera performances-started to learn the traditional art form in 1977.

Born with a melodic voice, Wang loved to sing and dance when she was little. She performed frequently, and was recruited by the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe (剧团) when she was in middle school. However, her parents refused the troupe’s invitation, insisting that she should concentrate on her studies and not drop out of school. After members of the troupe visited the parents repeatedly and showed great sincerity,Wang’s parents finally agreed.

Learning the traditional art form was never easy. She started to learn how to pronounce words, sing them lyrically and make gestures gently. As an actress playing martial artists roles at first, she had to spend extra time practicing kung fu movements. Years later, Wang used the word “unimaginable” to describe how hard the days were when she first learned Kunqu. She was soaked in sweat when practicing movements in summer, while in winter she often had chilblains (冻疮) on her hands when training in shabby classrooms with broken windows. “But I was young and determined at the time. No matter how difficult, I always got up early the next morning to practice,” Wang recalls.

Wang says she did not love Kunqu at first, but in her early 20s,when she watched the show Peony Pavilion performed by Zhang Jiqing, a master of the art form, it clicked. “I was shocked,” Wang says. “Her every movement was full of elegance and delicacy. Each of her lines and songs was perfect. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Kunqu for the first time in my life, and it has stayed with me since.” Now, Wang has herself become a master of Kunqu. Her performances have impressed generations and helped to promote the art form among young people.