I was always complaining about wind or rain.   (1)   it was nothing unusual for the arrival of wind or rain, it caused inconvenience for me to go out, and sometimes it even created an awful atmosphere, so I   (2)   it strongly.

On a rainy day a meteorologist (气象学家) I met was very   (3)   at my great anger caused by rain that made a little inconvenience for me.

He asked, “Have you ever seen typhoon? Do you know what would happen to the world if there were no typhoon?” I shook my head. I had no   (4)   of how overwhelming it was when it   (5)   everything away in its way.

 “Well, let me tell you,” the meteorologist said.  “Without it the   (6)   of fresh water will be more serious, for it is a great   (7)   of water supply on earth. Without it, there would be a greater imbalance in the distribution of   (8)  . The equatorial area that receives the most sunshine on earth   (9)   entirely on typhoon to disperse (驱散) heat. Without typhoon the tropics would be even   (10)   while the frigid zones much colder. As a result the temperate zones would   (11)   from the world...”

Ignorance made me   (12)  . I disliked wind only because it ruffled (吹乱) my hair. I hated rain merely because I had to carry an umbrella. But I had no idea at all that typhoon---something much more violent, something a thousand times more   (13)   than wind or rain---was a   (14)   to the existence of mankind.

  (15)   no road on earth goes all the way on level ground, there’s no person in the world who can do whatever he pleases.   (16)   as it is for people to guard against typhoon, it is advisable for a man to stop   (17)   for a moment before he complains.  “  (18)   typhoon disappeared all together? What would the world become then?” The   (19)   will keep him calm and lead him closer to truth - he will be better   (20)   of the world he lives in.

Every dream has something to do with our feelings, longings, wishes, needs, fears, and memories. But something on the “outside” may affect what we    (1)   . If a person is hungry or tired or cold, his dream may include a feeling of this kind. If the    (2)   on your body has slipped off your bed, you may dream that you are    (3)     or resting on the ice and snow. The material for the dream you will     (4)    tonight is probably to come from the experiences you have today.

       (5)    the subject of your dream usually comes from something that has an effect on you     (6)     you are sleeping (feeling of cold, a noise, a discomfort, etc.) and it may also use your past experiences and the wishes and interests you have now. This is why very young     (7)    are likely to dream of fairies, older children of school examinations,     (8)     people of food, homesick soldiers of their families and prisoners of freedom.

     To show you how that is    (9)    while you are asleep and how your wishes or needs can all be joined together in a dream,    (10)    is the story of an experiment. A man was asleep and the back of his    (11)     was rubbed     (12)   a piece of cotton. He would dream that he     (13)     in a hospital and his girlfriend was visiting him,    (14)    on the bed and feeling gently his hand!

     There are some scientists who have made a special    (15)   of why we dream, what we dream and what those dreams    (16)    . Their explanation of dreams, though a bit reasonable, is not accepted by everyone, but it    (17)    an interesting approach to the problem. They believe that dreams are     (18)     expressions of wishes that didn’t    (19)    . In other words, a dream is a way of having your wishes     (20)    out.

Thousands of years ago, it was common to see many stars in the sky.   (1)   , this changed with the invention of   (2)   . Cities have gone brighter, using more lights. And that means most people in urban areas will never see beautiful groups of stars. They will never see a   (3)   night sky and never be inspired by it.

Today, people are   (4)   by light — even at night time. Much of this light   (5)  where it shouldnˈt be — it creates light   (6)   . For example, a person can put a light outside to shine on his own house. But the light could be so strong that it may   (7)   shine on his neighborˈs house. The   (8)   light shining on the neighborˈs house is one kind of light pollution.

But is all this light really a big   (9)   ? People need light to see, work and drive safely at night, and for many other things! But scientists say that this extra light has proven   (10)   on living creatures — animals and humans.

One kind of animal   (11)   by light pollution is the bird. Many birds travel to a different area of the world to lay eggs,   (12)  at night. But lights from tall buildings can   (13)   the birds off their natural path. They may also crash into brightly lighted buildings, in danger of losing their   (14)  .

Human beings experience problems   (15)   light pollution too. Light affects some chemicals in peopleˈs bodies. And people who are continually   (16)  to light at night have higher rates of health problems.

People and animals need light,   (17)   they also need darkness. Experts say that people must use light   (18)   . Only use the amount of light that you   (19)   . Donˈt think that more light is better light. People also can greatly   (20)   light pollution by using well-designed lights, which only shine light where it should be. Using less light and better lighting decisions reduces the energy people use.

Most people are poor listeners. Even when we think we are listening carefully, we usually   (1)   only half of what we hear, and we remember even less. Improving your listening skills can be   (2)   in every part of your life.

The most important   (3)   of poor listening is giving in to distractions (分心的事物) and letting our thoughts   (4)   . Sometimes, however, we listen too   (5)   . We try to remember every word a speaker says, and we lose the   (6)   message by concentrating on details. In other situations, we may jump to conclusions and   (7)   a speaker without hearing out the message. Finally, we often judge people by their   (8)   or speaking manner   (9)   listening to what they say.

You can   (10)   these poor listening habits by taking several steps. First, take listening   (11)  and commit yourself to becoming a better listener. Second, work at being a(n)   (12)  listener. Give your undivided attention to the speaker in a genuine effort to   (13)  her or his ideas. Third,   (14)   distractions. Make a conscious effort to keep your mind on what the speaker is saying. Fourth, try not to be   (15)   by appearance or delivery.   (16)  preconceived (事先形成的) judgments based on a personˈs looks or manner of speech. Fifth, suspend (延缓) judgment   (17)  you have heard the speakerˈs entire message. Sixth,   (18)  your listening by paying attention to main points, to evidence, and to the speakerˈs techniques. Finally, develop your note-taking skills. When done  (19)   , note taking is an

excellent way to improve your concentration and to keep track of a speakerˈs   (20)  . It almost forces you to become a more attentive and creative listener.

     Every dream has something to do with our feelings, longings, wishes, needs, fears, and memories. But something on the “outside” may affect what we ___21___. If a person is hungry or tired or cold, his dream may include a feeling of this kind. If the ___22__on your body has slipped off your bed, you may dream that you are ___23___ or resting on the ice and snow. The material for the dream you will ___24___ tonight is probably to come from the experiences you have today.

     ___25___ the subject of your dream usually comes from something that has an effect on you ___26___ you are sleeping (feeling of cold, a noise, a discomfort, etc.) and it may also use your past experiences and the wishes and interests you have now. This is why very young ___27___ are likely to dream of fairies, older children of school examinations, ___28___ people of food, homesick soldiers of their families and prisoners of freedom.

     To show you how that is ___29___ while you are asleep and how your wishes or needs can all be joined together in a dream, ___30___ is the story of an experiment. A man was asleep and the back of his ___31___ was rubbed ___32___ a piece of cotton. He would dream that he ___33__ in a hospital and his girlfriend was visiting him, ___34___ on the bed and feeling gently his hand!

     There are some scientists who have made a special ___35___ of why we dream, what we dream and what those dreams ___36___. Their explanation of dreams, though a bit reasonable, is not accepted by everyone, but it ___37__ an interesting approach to the problem. They believe that dreams are ___38__ expressions of wishes that didn’t ___39___. In other words, a dream is a way of having your wishes ___40___ out.

  When Chad Pregracke was a teenager in East Moline, Illinois, he and his father lived and worked on the Mississippi River — or rather, in it. Every day they dove into the river to   (1)  freshwater mussels (贻贝), which they sold to Japanese customers. The river was their   (2)  , but Chad came to realize that it was also dirty. While

searching for mussels on the river bottom, Chad could not  (3)   much because the water was too muddy. When Chad Pregracke was in college, he decided that he had to   (4)  the river. And thatˈs what he has done.

    In the summer of 1997, Chad   (5)   the Mississippi River Beautification & Restoration Project. Using a 20-foot motorboat and working   (6)   by himself, Chad cleaned up 100 miles of shoreline in Illinois and Iowa. By summerˈs end, he had   (7)   and recycled 45,000 pounds of trash! As people learned about Chadˈs   (8)   , they began to offer help. Towns and companies along the river   (9)   equipment, and communities (社区)   (10)  cleanup days.

    In 1998, the project   (11)   . Chad fixed up two boats, and he   (12)   a crew. During the summer months, Chad and his crew cleaned up 900 miles of Mississippi   (13)  from St. Louis, Missouri, to Guttenberg, Iowa. They collected 400,000 pounds of trash —   (14)   from old refrigerators to plastic legs!

    In the next year, Chadˈs group   (15)  the cleanup of more than 1,000 miles of the Mississippi River. They also   (16)  an“Adopt a Mississippi River Mile”program. In this program, companies and groups took   (17)   for keeping parts of the river clean. After that, Chad   (18)  the Illinois River.

    Today, Chad Pregrackeˈs project has many sponsors and an annual budget of $200,000. Chad also has   (19)   plans. He will move eastward   (20)   he has done what he can for the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. He wants to clean up the Ohio River next, and then perhaps the Hudson.