1 . When I decided to buy a house in Europe ten years ago, I didn't think too long. I liked traveling in France, but when it came to picking my favorite spot to _______, Italy was the clear winner.

During my first visit to Italy, I _______ to ask for directions or order in a restaurant. But every time I tried to _______ a sentence of Italian together, the locals smiled at me and _______ my language skills. That encouragement helped me to get through the language _______. After I made Italy my permanent home, I discovered how _______ Italians are. Neighbors will bring me freshly made cheese and will come to my door to _______ me to close the window in my car when rain is coming. It's these small _______ of kindness that make a new country feel like home.

As a foodie, the way to my heart is through my stomach, and nowhere fuels my _______ quite like Italy. Each town has its own traditional ________, and every family keeps a recipe passed from one generation to another. Families ________ for big meals on Sundays, birthdays, and whatever other excuses they can ________. These meals are always ________ by laughter and joy. Whatever ________ life in Italy might have, the problems are ________ once you sit down to a big meal with friends and family.

3 . I once worked on a farm. One day, a powerful wind slammed (猛推) me against a post. My left arm got totally _________, and it was later cut off.

Back home after an operation, I found everything a(n) _________. My husband tried to help me, but I wanted to be _________. I called my left arm “Stumpy” and tried to _________. I learned to squeeze toothpaste; I developed a technique for pulling the toilet paper.

“Mom can do anything,” my daughter said _________. The one thing I really wanted to do, though, was get back into _________. First, I tried to swim. When I swam with Stumpy, there was no forward motion. _________, I kept going and finished the lane at last. Then I tried the triathlon (铁人三项). I _________ how to balance the bike with one arm and start running. Within a year, I became an _________ athlete, winning a silver medal at the Paratriathlon World Cup.

In 2020, I decided to do New Zealand’s __________ event. Competitors have to run for 36 km, cycle for 140 km, and kayak (皮划艇) for 70 km. I __________ hard over the next six months. Then the big day came. After kayaking for a long time, my legs felt like jelly. “Don’t __________,” I told myself. In the last few kilometers, I heard loud __________. Many people came to support me.

Life in __________ for me, but I choose to change it. “Just because you’ve got only half a wing doesn’t mean you can’t __________ to achieve your dreams,” I said to myself.

6 . Good news came from Killington. In a challenging ______ that unfolded in 2024, the police department, along with the search and rescue team, ______ rescued 23 lost skiers and snowboarders. It was a remarkable ______ of teamwork and commitment.

The police department received a call at 2: 30 pm informing them of 7-9 lost individuals in the woods. However, as the officers, ______ with the search and rescue team, dug into the investigation, they ______ a more extensive situation involving a total of 21 last individuals. They set off instantly.

______ frosty temperatures, the rescuers hiked and snowshoed about 5 miles to reach the trapped skiers and snowboarders. They tripped and ______ their knees. But their goal was ______ : find everyone and bring them to safety. Finally, they did it.

Just when the rescuers thought their mission was ______, an additional call came in for two more lost skiers. Without any ______, six of the rescuers reentered the woods. They ______ and accompanied the lost to safety, ______ the highly organized activity at about 7: 30 pm.

The rescuers went to great ______ to ensure the safety and well-being of others. The ______ of these selfless individuals illustrated the true spirit of community. The police department ______ special thanks to all involved.

George, owner of a popular restaurant, was known for his excellent food, which was much loved by his customers. Even though he was talented, successful, and wealthy, his employees feared him for his strictness.

Debbie, a new waitress at George’s restaurant, was hardworking, always serving customers with a smile. George was satisfied with her work. After about two months, George asked the night manager about Debbie, and the man had only good things to say about her. “She’s smart, quick, and efficient, and she deals with customers better than anyone! We are searching for an assistant manager, and she seems like a good candidate. She’s got great potential!”

However, one night, George caught Debbie in the act of stealing. Walking into the kitchen, he saw her putting a box carefully into her bag. “Debbie!” he called out. “Come to my office now!” He was seated behind his desk with a serious look as she entered. “Open your bag,” George ordered. Debbie’s face tuned red, and she opened her bag to take out two plastic boxes, shaking as she placed them on the desk. George opened them to find some leftover food and a piece of cake. “You’re fired,” he screamed out in anger. “Right now!”

“Please,” Debbie begged. “Please don’t! The food was just going to be thrown away…”

“It’s against the rules here,” George replied firmly.

“Please,” Debbie continued. “There’s something you don’t know…”

She said softly, “My son has leukemia (白血病) , and the treatments are more than I can afford. I’ve been taking the leftover food home to save money for his care.”

“Your son has leukemia…” George repeated. “Is this true?” Debbie showed him a photo of a young boy in a hospital bed, smiling bravely. George took a deep breath and looked at Debbie, and said more kindly, “The rules say you should be fired. I’ll talk it over with the night manager. Let’s discuss this tomorrow.”

Debbie was very worried, but she had no choice.

George said he made a decision after careful consideration.

8 . A dog named Kobe became a hero by finding a gas leak in his owner’s front yard. The dog’s action underlined the importance of paying attention to the _______ of our companions.

The story began when Kobe, owned by Chanell Bell, was _______ digging a sizable hole in the yard. Initially _______ it as typical dog behavior, Bell grew _______ as the hole expanded. _______ that Kobe’s action was unusual, she _______ the dog’s judgment, given his normally well-behaved nature.

Following the _______ and repair of a recent gas leak in her home, Bell _______ her house with a gas detection device. She assessed Kobe’s _______ dug hole using the device. The device detected gas coming from the hole, so Bell contacted the authorities about the ________ .

“If the gas had continued to leak into our homes,” said Bell, “something as ________ as a light switch turning on could have caused an explosion!”

Workers discovered three main leaks in Bell’s neighborhood caused by aging pipes. It took the workers over three days to repair the leaks and ________ new pipes. Bell said, “Kobe ________ them as an exceptionally outstanding dog. It feels amazing to know Kobe went to that kind of ________ to save our block. Humans and animals can, should and must enjoy each other’s ________ . I am very thankful to have Kobe.”

“Look!” I said to my husband, Roger, pointing to the branches. “The doves (鸽子) have built a nest.

On a chilly April day, we watched with horror as a hawk dived down and took one of the doves. By the next morning the other parent was gone too. Roger climbed up a ladder to take a look into the nest. Was it possible the hawk had spared the young? Yes, there sat a newly hatched baby dove! We brought him inside and set up the nesting box with the heat lamps we had used for raising chickens. Then we rushed to the pet shop to buy the formula (配方奶) which needed to look like the mother’s milk. But even with our care and prayers, we knew that the dove’s chances were slim. We were especially worried that our little bird, whom we’d named Hawkeye, hardly cooed (咕咕地叫) at all. That had to be a bad sign.

But to our surprise, Hawkeye not only survived but also thrived. Within a month, he was able to stand on the edge of a bowl and eat out of a baby spoon. And before we knew it, he was eating the seeds we gave him. Having the opportunity to nurture this new life brought me a greater measure of peace with each passing day.

As Hawkeye grew, we noticed that unlike all the other doves in our yard, he had a double breast with a line dividing it. When I did some research on the doves, I found out that females don’t often coo.

“We got it all wrong,” I told Roger. “Hawkeye is a girl!”

We realized that we’d have to teach her to fly. First, we urged her to fly from a finger to the bottom rung (梯子的横档) of a six-foot ladder, and in no time she was moving quickly to the top. She lit out (逃走，溜掉) for the kitchen whenever she heard the click of the spoon on her bowl. By mid-June she’d gained full confidence in her wings.

Paragraph 1: At that time, we knew it was time to set our Hawkeye free.

Paragraph 2: But one May morning, Hawkeye and the other dove landed on the rooftop.

Chinese speakers tend to use “spear and shield”     1    (describe) anything that’s contradictory. Actually, now the Chinese phrase for “contradiction”     2    (call) Mao Dun or “spear and shield”.

Nearly 2, 000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields—two most common     3    (weapon) at that time. When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man     4    (decide) to advertise his shields first. He said, “Please look at my shields. They are certainly the     5    (strong) ones you can ever find in the world.”

Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields,     6     they couldn’t see anything special about them. The seller then moved on to brag about his spears. “Now please have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapons     7    have ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce (刺穿) through it     8    (easy).” After listening to the seller’s pitch, a man stepped forward and said, “You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about     9    (use)your spears on your shields?” The seller was unable to respond.

So today, instead of saying “you are contradicting yourself”, Chinese will say “you are attacking your shield     10     your own spear”.