Thanks to the Chinese government scholarship, I was able to come to China and realize my dream as    1     international student. In my two years of Master's study, I collected a bunch of wonderful memories.

One of them was joining a hiking marathon or climbing to the top of a mountain. I did not win the marathon,     2     the sight of the beautiful landscapes along the way was enough for me. In China, I found that hiking was one of the best leisure     3    (activity) of Chinese people.

The visit     4     Zijin Mountain last year was the most challenging yet very memorable to me because of the bad weather in winter and the long hours of journey    5       ( reach) the top. The temperature at that time reached a freezing point. My hands were stone cold and my face    6       (go) very pale. When we reached the top, it was just so     7    (attract). The sunset view was the best of all. One of my friends took a photo of     8    (I) and my Chinese friend as if we were sharing the sun with our hands. We stayed on top for a while, until we felt that we should be leaving before we would     9     (total) freeze to death.

I believe that     10     (climb) mountains gives someone a sense of direction and a motivation to reach your goal no matter how hard or unimaginable it could be.

A group of our friends from church were planning a picnic, and it sounded like fun.I was a   single-mother with four    1     (child) then, so time was a bit tight for me.What did have that we could contribute     2    the picnic?Then a thought struck.I could make a cherry pie! A friend had given me two canned cherries     3    would make a very nice pie filling,so I worked at once .When   the cooking was done and served,it looked so good and the smell was     4     (wonder).

At the picnic,Stu,my then new boyfriend ,was the first     5     (take)a   bite of my pie.I saw a     6     (puzzle) look go across his face.Then he    7     (begin) to spit out cherry stones.It had not     8     (occur) to me that someone would can cherries without getting the stones out first.    9     embarrassing! Well, he married me anyway. And the cherry pie has been    10     inside joke for the past 48 years.

Ski touring is exactly that—touring on skis. It combines     1     best bits of skiing and mountaineering and provides the perfect way     2     (explore) the mountain in winter. The     3     (advantage) of ski touring are that you can really escape the crowds, enjoy the peace of the mountains and     4     (reward) with breathtaking views and exciting descents.

Ski touring involves both going up and down the mountain; both of     5     (they) present challenges and new skills are to be acquired. There is much to learn about getting up the mountain that improves efficiency and saves energy.     6    , (similar) you want to be prepared to enjoy going down, which means learning to deal with the variety of snow conditions you will face. Because all ski touring is very demanding, you must be     7     good physical condition. The fitter you are, the     8     (much) fun you will have.

Rapidly changing conditions and the human factors are the primary reasons for accidents. The human factors include stress, poor     9     (communicate), over-confidence and tiredness. You should always ski within the limits of your ability, and make sure you know     10     to navigate (导航) properly with map and compass.