In Rio, soccer was not only a sport but also a lifestyle. Lamine's flashy1 and exciting gameplay were the drive to his success. He was in a team called FC that had the best players.

As FC made it to the soccer final,2 filled the air. They were against their biggest rivals KD. As the clock counted down, one of Lamine's teammates3 the ball over to Lamine.

With a powerful4 , Lamine aimed for the goal, the ball soaring（呼啸） through the air. Time seemed to stop as the goalkeeper leaped5 . Luck was not at Lamine's side as the ball was cleared by the defender. The referee's whistle blew,6 the game.

With the sun setting, Lamine's father found him sitting7 on the field. Father was once a skilled soccer player, knowing the8 that came with the game. He patted Lamine on the back, "Lamine, even the greatest players would9 chances. Don't let one setback define you. "

Encouraged by father's words, Lamine10 and hugged him. For the next few days, they spent mornings and evenings on the field,11 his shots and improving his speed and skills.

The next game arrived, and Laminez found himself in a12 position. This time, with a swift move, he dribbled past defenders and13 the ball into the net.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Lamine's teammates14 him carrying him to the sidelines to celebrate. Lamine went to hug his dad tightly. "I'm proud of you, son. I'll15 you my signature move in my old days. "his father said.

Once,in a lovely garden,lived the most beautiful butterfly in the world.She was so pretty,and had won so many beauty contests {#blank#}1{#/blank#} she had become very proud.One day,the naughty cockroach(蟑螂)got fed up with her showing off,and decided {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(teach)her a lesson.

She went to see the butterfly,and in front of everyone she said that the butterfly wasn't really that {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(beauty),and that the butterfly only won the competitions because the judges had been paid.In {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(real),the cockroach was the most beautiful.

The butterfly was {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(anger) and said to the cockroach,"I will beat you in a beauty contest,with whichever judges you yourself choose."

"OK,I accept.See you on Saturday," answered the cockroach,and left without {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(wait) for a reply.

That Saturday everyone went to the beauty contest.The butterfly {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(arrive) completely confident of victory until she saw {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the judges were:cockroaches,worms and beetles.All of {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(they) preferred the ugliness and bad smell of the cockroach.

The butterfly was left {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(cry)and disappointed,wanting never to enter another beauty contest in her life.Fortunately,the cockroach forgave the butterfly for her pride and they became friends.

A friend who was depressed wrote me a letter a few weeks ago.He said his life was full of 1 and that his heart was full of worries.He was 2 about his life.He ended his 3 with this question:"We can't really change our life,can we?"As a famous musician,I 4 immediately and started my letter with these words:"Yes,we certainly can!"

I can still remember the first time someone 5 my life.When I was a child, I started to like 6 but I had no talent for any instrument.When I was 8,I went to a 7 with my parents.The 8 impression(印象) it gave me was a musician playing the guitar.She 9 so well.Later, my parents led me to 10 her.She let me try playing her guitar.I did my best 11 I couldn't play well."I played so badly," I said 12 .She looked at me with her kind eyes,smiled,and 13 me,"You played so well and I'm proud of you."Those 14 words changed me.They gave me 15 .They planted a seed(种子) in my mind that continues to 16 to this day.Her encouragement made me realize that I could do as well as her.From that day on,we became friends and our 17 lasts until now.

You have something inside of you that is 18 and that could change your life for the better.You just have to 19 it,bring it out and work hard at it.And that is what I have tried to do all of the years since that 20 day.Can you change the world?Yes,you can!You can change it and make it better every single day of your life.

When I decided to leave my home country to pursue a degree in Canada, I hadn't expected that communication would be an issue.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}I took English lessons in my teens and scored well on English tests.

But soon after my arrival in Canada, I realized how wrong I was. In research discussions, surrounded by native English speakers, I had to be careful. I needed to consciously follow each conversation and translate it to my native language.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Finally, I tried to find the right English words to communicate that response. Constantly thinking about what I would say next, I had a hard time remaining focused in conversations.

But when I again failed to say exactly what I meant in a meeting a few months later, a simple idea occurred to me. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Communicating with my colleagues by e-mail, I had more time to think and comfortably express my thoughts. Over time, this practice helped improve my English significantly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I decided to remind them that English is not my first language. I asked them to speak more slowly to help me follow the discussions. It was a little awkward to draw attention to what might be seen as a weakness. And at first, the other members of the research team seemed slightly surprised. But the dynamics quickly improved. They seemed to become more aware of how they were speaking, and I felt more comfortable joining in the conversation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Plus, I learned to be open with my colleagues.

B. Why not contribute to the discussion in writing?

C. I had thought I could express myself in English easily.

D. Gradually I grew uncomfortable with oral communication.

E. Then, I had to reflect carefully on it and think of a response.

F. With efforts on both sides, we could overcome language barriers.

G. How can one deny the significance of effective communication?

Let's do something in our daily life for the environment and the earth.

An English teacher has introduced a play to her class.

Characters: Benny, Jerry, Susie, Grace

Time: One Sunday afternoon.

Place: By the river near their houses.

（The four teenagers have just finished the picnic. They are tidying up.）

Benny: Wow! That was a great picnic. I'm so full that I can hardly move.

Grace: That's no excuse for not tidying up, Benny. Come over here and help me pack（包装）up the leftover food. Jerry, please? And clean up the place.

Jerry: （Speaking unhappily to himself.）How can I always get the dirty and difficult jobs? It's not fair.

（Jerry throws a bit of water on the fire. Then he picks up the ashes（灰烬）with an old newspaper and wants to throw them into the long grass.）

Susie: （Sounding surprised）What are you doing, Jerry? That's d....

Jerry: Whoop...the paper has caught fire.

Susie: And the grass…Benny, Grace, help! Help!

（Benny and Grace come over quickly. They help put out the fire completely.）

Jerry: Oh, no. Oh, no! What have I done? 

Grace: You know that we should do everything carefully, don't you? 

Jerry: （With his head in his hands.）Yes. What have I done? What have I done?

In 2014, Amy collapsed from a brain hemorrhage (脑溢血) while working. After a year recovering at home, she 1 a course with the ambition to become a 2 .

However, occasional vision disturbance was still 3 , influencing the amount of 4 she could give to the course. Further complications (并发症) left the young artist almost completely blind, making it difficult to see a whole figure. It's particularly 5 because it seemed to 6 her optimism to be a painter! 

One morning, when watching the sunrise, she suddenly felt a sense of 7 . She realized that she may not 8 a whole face anymore, but it shouldn't stop her from putting what she could see on canvas (画布). The following years, she 9 her special art journey.

"Strangely, my experience has increased my 10 when drawing, enabling me to catch a character better," she explains. "People often speak highly of the detail and sensitivity of the character. I have more determination and appreciation for my 11 . These are 12 I wouldn't have had without everything I've 13 ." For her new touring exhibition, she has produced a series of artworks based on her visual experience. "In the 14 interaction between what I can and cannot see lies my perspective on the world."

Sometimes, we can turn a loss into a gain: something unique and individual that has been gifted to us by never 15 .