“How does the yard look?” My father asked, with his eyes shining. I could tell he was eagerly waiting for my   (1)  . “Wonderful!” I replied after I gave it a thorough  (2)  . Then I recited all the changes I had  (3)  in his yard and he smiled contently.

       When I was young, my mother  (4)  in a car accident, leaving my father alone to  (5)  their three young daughters. At the beginning, life was not always  (6)  and my younger sisters usually complained. However, Dad always  (7)  us to believe that life was good. Meanwhile, he tried his best to  (8)  that belief.

       In 1972, my dad developed a piece of waste land that had been  (9)  on Okaloosa Island. Every year at the first sign of  (10)  , he would begin spending countless hours working there to make it be bursting with colors. Through his continuous hard work, the land  (11)  turned into a beautiful garden with different types of flowers and other unique plants. While our friends were enjoying their vacation through traveling to different places, we were  (12)  working with my dad in his yard, watering the flowers, weeding or cutting off the branches. Sometimes, our friends were envious of our working vacation, and we would  (13)  them. Dad made his yard very  (14)  so that it became our vacation paradise during our childhood.

       For so many years, when we were  (15)  , we liked to visit Dad’s yard, because it could  (16)  us of Dad’s belief. It was Dad and his yard that gave us  (17)  that enabled us to survive and   (18)  major challenges in life. One day, it shocked us that Dad said he would not  (19)  the yard. Then he explained, “Twenty years ago I decided to start my work in that yard to tell you life is good. Now my work is done.” We were sitting in  (20)  , recalling what we had experienced. Life was good. Dad was right.

When Walter Dean Myers was growing up, he was frequentlyin trouble. He   (1)  with the other kids at school. He talked   (2)  tohis teachers and was often made to sit in the back of the classroomby himself. But he   (3)  to read. He would   (4)  himself in books.

Today, Myers is the   (5)  of more than 100 books, most ofthem for children. He   (6)  writing for young people because heremembers how much he needed help and   (7)  at that time in life.He was named the National Ambassador for Young PeopleˈsLiterature in 2012. He travels the country,   (8)  kids of all ages toread.

Even at a young age, Myers had a way with   (9)  . He couldamuse   (10)  for hours by writing in his notebooks.One of his poems  (11)  on the first page of his schoolˈs magazine.

Myers was   (12)  in Harlem, a largely black neighborhood inNew York City. As a boy, he loved   (13)  people in hiscommunity(社区). But he couldnˈt find many   (14)  that told the stories of theordinary people he saw in   (15)  life. So he chose to write the kindsof stories he   (16)  he could have had when he was growing up.These stories honestly   (17)  the lives of kids today.“Some kids feeldeserted or   (18)  ,”Myers says,“but theyˈll   (19)  a book of mine andfind themselves or their families.”

It takes a lot of work to write as many books as Myers does,  (20)  he loves it. He wants to do the best that he can with hiswriting.

One day, a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor  (1)   the question papers, with the text facing down as usual.  (2)   he handed them all out. He asked his students to  (3)   the page and begin. To everyone's surprise, there were no  (4)  , just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor, seeing the expression on everyone's face, told them the following:

"I want you to write what you   (5)  there.”

The students,  (6)  , got started on the inexplicable(费解的) task.

At the end of the class, the professor   (7)   all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them, with no   (8)  , described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet, etc. etc.etc. After all had been   (9)  , the classroom silent, the professor began to explain:"I'm not going to grade this. I  (10)  wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the   (11)   part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot, and the same happens in our   (12)  . We have a white paper to observe and   (13)  , but we always focus on the dark spots. Our Life is a  (14)   given to us with love and care, and we always have   (15)   to celebrate: nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that   (16)   our livelihood and the miracles we see every day.

  (17)  , we insist on focusing only on the dark spots: the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the   (18)   relationship with colleagues, the   (19)   with a friend, and etc.

The dark spots are very   (20)   compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds. "

The journey my daughter Cathy has had with her swimming is as long as it is beautiful.

    Cathy suffered some terrible   (1)  in her early childhood. After years of regular treatment, she  (2)  became healthy.

    Two years ago, while Cathy was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head—to be a swimmer. Last summer, she wanted to   (3)  our local swim team. She practiced hard and finally   (4)  it. The team practice,   (5)  , was a rough start. She coughed and choked and could hardly   (6)  her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing bitterly one night, I decided to  (7)  her from it all. But Cathy woke me up early next morning, wearing her swimsuit   (8)  to go! I told her she shouldn’t swim after a whole night’s coughing, but she refused to   (9)  and insisted she go.

   From that day on, Cathy kept swimming and didn’t   (10)  a single practice. She had a  (11)  intention within herself to be the best she could be. My ten—year—old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this   (12)  human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of   (13)  of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Cathy to accept that she wasn’t a  (14)  ---ever. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

   Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Cathy didn’t expect any award but was still there to  (15)  her friends and praise their accomplishments. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach  (16)  , “The highest honor goes to Cathy!” Looking around, he continued, “Cathy has inspired us with her    (17)  and enthusiasm.  (18)  skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset(财富)one can hold is the heart.”

   It was the greatest   (19)  of my daughter’s life. With all she had been  (20)  in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph(成功).

A little girl was shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old,this beautiful red-haired image of  (1)  .It was    (2)   Outside. We waited, somepatiently, others annoyed because  (3)   messed up their hurried day. The little voicewas so sweet that it   (4)  the hypnotic trance（催眠性迷睡）we were caught in. "Mom,let's run through the rain," she said.

“  (5)  ?”Mom asked.

“Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

    “No,honey. We'll wait  (6)  it slows down a bit,”Mom replied.

    This young child waited about another minute and repeated:“Mom, let's run throughthe rain,”

    “We'll get wet through if we  (7)  ,”Mom said.

    “No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl saidas she pulled at her Mom's arm.

    “This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get   (8)   ?”

    “Don't you   (9)  ? When you were talking to Dad about his cancer, you said, ‘Wecan   (10)   anything!’”

The entire crowd fell into dead  (11)  . I dare say you couldn't hear anything but therain.   (12)  came or left in the next few minutes.

    Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would  (13)  it off and say she was silly. Some might even   (14)  what was said, But this wasa moment of affirmation（肯定）in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be  (15)   so that it will develop into faith.

    “Honey, you are  (16)  right. Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe wejust need washing.”Mom said.

    Then   (17)  they ran. We all stood inside, watching, smiling and laughing as they  (18)  past the cars and yes, across the puddles（水坑）.They held their shopping bagsover their heads just   (19)  .They did get wet.

    And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed  (20)   .

A funny story circulated recently about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle，creator of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes．Doyle clearly told of a time when he climbed into a ____  (1)  ____ in Paris．Before he could ____  (2)  ____ a word，the driver turned to him and asked，“Where can I ____  (3)  ____ you，Mr. Doyle？” Doyle was____  (4)  ____．He asked the driver if he had ever seen him before．

    “No，sir，”the driver responded．“I have ____  (5)  ____ seen you before．”Then he ____  (6)  ____：“This morning's paper had a story about you being on ____  (7)  ____ in Marseilles．This is the taxi stand where people who return from Marseilles always arrive____  (8)  ____．Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation．The ____  (9)  ____ spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer．Your clothing is very English，and not French．____  (10)  ____ up all those pieces of information．I ____  (11)  ____ that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle．”

    “This is truly amazing！”the writer ____  (12)  ____ with excitement．“You are very like my ____  (13)  ____ creation，Sherlock Holmes！”

    “Your ____  (14)  ____ is on the front of your suitcase．”the driver added．

    Perhaps the ____  (15)  ____ was no master detective，but he was ____  (16)  ____！He paid attention and paying attention is an important part of living ____  (17)  ____．

    Life isn't a matter of milestones，but of ____  (18)  ____．A life lived to the full is lived from moment to moment，rather than from milestone to milestone．It is more of a series of days in which we truly pay attention，than a few ____  (19)  ____ events along the way．

    Pay attention to the things of life，to people，to events，to your senses，even to the ordinary．

Your life will never ____  (20)  ____ beauty．By making the most of the moments，you make the most of the years．

Three years ago, Yuan Xi, a young white-collar worker in Wuhan, China, bought a car and started to drive no matter 16.___she went. Like other people, she bought a car 17.___she could afford it. But now, she likes walking or riding a bike to short-distance places. “Urban transport(城市交通) has developed so 18.___in recent years,” she says. “One bus ride will take 19.___ directly from home to work. Walking and cycling paths have become smoother. Driving less, I’ve 20.___money on gas.”

China was once known 21.___ the “Kingdom of Bicycles”. Today, though, with rapid development, the number of motor vehicles 22.___ growing.

But this has once come at the 23.___ of the environment. More cars mean more 24.___and a greater need for land to be used for parking and driving.

To 25.___more people to use buses, the Wuhan Public Transport Group developed public transport information systems, which 26.___ them to keep an eye on the traffic, the performance of bus drivers or any emergencies on the bus, so that they can 27.___quickly. Besides, but drivers now receive training. As a result, the number of people who take a bus has increased.

The World Bank is also supporting other Chinese 28.___such as Jinzhou, Xi’an and Taiyuan in their quest for(寻求) eco-friendly transport systems and low-carbon (低碳) growth.

It is 29.___that the more people walk, ride bikes, and use public transport in cities, the 30.___pollution and over-crowding people will suffer and the healthier and happier they will be.

Lainey finished third grade. She had good grades and could read   (1)   grade level, but she did not like to read.  On a family car trip, her Aunt Dede pulled out a copy of Harry Potter, as a surprise for her    (2)  .  But Lainey took one look at it,   (3)  her eyes, and said, “Borrrring!”

Aunt Dede, a teacher, had read the book to her students,  and they loved it.   (4)  the youngest children in the class were   (5)  by the story. They  (6)   with great interest and then   (7)   joined in grand conversations about Harry`s adventures.

“How can you say it’s   (8)  ? Have you read it? ” asked Aunt Dede.

“No, it’s too long and it doesn’t have any  (9)  .” complained Lainey.

“Oh, that’s where you are   (10)  ; there are lots of pictures. Every page is full of pictures; you just have to read the words to  (11)  them. It’s like magic.”

“Nice try , Aunt Dede,”  Lainey replied  (12)  from the back seat.

Another  (13)   was in order. “Well, if you don’t want to read it, give it  (14)   . Maybe your mom would    (15)   hearing the story.” The book sailed through the air to Aunt Dede and she began to read it aloud. By the end of the first chapter,  (16)   were coming from the back seat: “Please read a little   (17)  .”

Lainey is an example of an  (18)  reader. As shown here, Lainey can become  (19)  about reading when  (20)  with literature on topics that interest her, and when the people around her model involvement in the reading process.

  Ted Schredd doesn't like cars. He wants people to stop  (1)   because cars make the air dirty. Ted had a(n)   (2)  . He said, “I'm going to cycle (骑自行车) around North America. I want to show everyone that cycling is a  (3)   way to get around. If more people ride bikes, the air will be  (4)  .”

He left his   (5)   with $160 in his pocket. When he  (6)   San Diego, he met another cyclist. The cyclist  (7)   Ted to speak at a big meeting about the  (8)  . He said, “We'll buy you a ticket to Texas.” Two hours later, Ted was on a plane to the environmental conference and to a big  (9)  !

While he was at the conference, he met Deanna. It was  (10)   at first sight! They talked for six hours. The next day, Ted asked Deanna to  (11)   the trip with him. Deanna said yes, and was on the road with Ted 20 days later!

“It was  (12)   at first,” said Deanna. “Ted got up  (13)   every morning, around 6:00 a.m., but I wanted to sleep until noon.” After a few days, they started having fun.  (14)   they cycled from Florida to Montreal and then back to Vancouver, every day was  (15)  . They had free meals in many restaurants, and  (16)   in people's backyards during the night.  (17)  , they made many new friends on the way.

On their way back to Vancouver, they  (18)   in Edmonton to visit Ted's parents. During the stopover, they got  (19)  . People wished them to grow old and happy together. They now want to  (20)   a book about the trip. “We want people to know that you can be an environmentalist and still have fun,” Schredd said.

A Race against Death

It was a cold January in 1925 in North Alaska. The town was cut off from the rest of the world due to heavy snow.

On the 20th of that month, Dr. Welch   (1)  a Sick boy, Billy, and knew he had diphtheria, a deadly infectious (传染的) disease mainly affecting children. The children of Nome would be   (2)   if it struck the town. Dr. Welch needed medicine as soon as possible to stop other kids from getting sick.   (3)  , the closest supply was over 1,000 miles away, in Anchorage.

How could the medicine get to Nome? The town’s  (4)  was already full of ice, so it couldn`t come by ship. Cars and horses couldn’t travel on the  (5)  roads. Jet airplanes and big trucks didn`t exist yet.

     (6)   January 26, Billy and three other children had died. Twenty more were   (7)  . Nome`s town officials came up with a(n)  (8)   . They would have the medicine sent by  (9)  from Anchorage to Nenana. From there, dogsled(狗拉雪橇)drivers—known as “mushers”—would   (10)  it to Nome in a relay(接力).

The race began on January 27. The first musher, Shannon, picked up the medicine from the train at Nenana and rode all night.  (11)  he handed the medicine to the next musher, Shannon`s face was black from the extreme cold.

On January 31，a musher named Seppala had to  (12)  a frozen body of water called Norton Sound. It was the most   (13)  part of the journey. Norton Sound was covered with ice, which could sometimes break up without warning. If that happened, Seppala might fall into the icy water below. He would    (14)  ,and so would the sick children of Nome. But Seppala made it across.

   A huge snowstorm hit on February 1. A musher named Kaasen had to brave this storm. At one point, huge piles of snow blocked his   (15)  . He had to leave the trail (雪橇痕迹)to get around them. Conditions were so bad that it was impossible for him to   (16)  the trail again. The only hope was Balto, Kaasen’s lead dog. Balto put his nose to the ground,   (17)  to find the smell of other dogs that had traveled on the trail. If Balto failed, it would mean disaster for Nome. The minutes passed by. Suddenly, Balto began to  (18)  .He had found the trail

   At 5:30 am on February 2, Kaasen and his dog  (19)  in Nome. Within minutes, Dr.Welch had the medicine. He quickly gave it to the sick children. All of them recoverd.

   Nome had been  (20)  .