I had to visit my sister in another town because her husband {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) very ill. My children stayed back in {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (they) father's care, except for the youngest. I was nervous taking a train journey alone with my one-year-old daughter. However, I gathered all my courage and boarded the train.

    It was {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (surprise) that there were only three other passengers in that carriage, two old ladies and a young man. My daughter was crying, missing her dad. I tried to comfort her, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} her crying wouldn't stop.

    Just then the young man offered {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (take) my baby into his arms. He stood with her near the window and started talking to her in a soft voice. My daughter stopped crying {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (slow). I was both surprised and relieved. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} stranger handed my daughter back once she was asleep. During the long train journey this young man continuously helped me. He fed my baby, sang to her and told her countless {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (story). I was grateful for this man {#blank#}9{#/blank#} had come to my rescue.

    After so many years, I still remember this stranger on the train with a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (thank) heart.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

    Several countries in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns all over the world have helped to make China's New Year the most famous. These days growing {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(number) of people who are not of Chinese origin are joining in. In Tokyo window cleaners dress up like the animals of the Chinese Shengxiao. America, Canada and New Zealand have published memorial stamps for the year of the rooster. Last year New York City made the Lunar New Year {#blank#}2{#/blank#}school holiday for the first time.

    The spread of the Spring Festival is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(part) due to recent immigration from China: 9.5 million Chinese people {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(move) abroad since 1978, many of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}are far richer than earlier waves of immigrants.

    Aware {#blank#}6{#/blank#}China's growing economic and political influence, foreign leaders have noticed the occasion. Britain's prime minister, Theresa May, has given a video address, a tradition {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(start) in 2014 by her predecessor (前任) . This year's World Economic Forum in Davos was held a week earlier than usual {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(avoid) conflicting with China's New Year.

    China hopes the festival will promote  {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(it) cultural “soft power” abroad. It may give the Chinese people {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(satisfy) to see foreigners enjoy such festivities.

    Polar bears are suffering in a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (warm) world than ever before. Polar bears live in environments too cold for most animals. During much of the year, they live and hunt on the{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (freeze) Arctic sea ice. Nature has prepared them for the cold conditions but nothing has prepared the bears for the danger that {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (threat) the only home they know. The scientists have drawn a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (conclude) that the polar bears' world is melting. Studies show that the polar ice has reduced{#blank#}5{#/blank#}9.8% every 10 years since 1978. Now about 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live in the Arctic. Polar bears depend on the sea ice for their {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (survive). "The sea ice is more than just this platform that the bears walk over." As Andrew Derocher, a scientist who studies North American polar bear populations puts {#blank#}7{#/blank#}, "Only if polar ice melts quite slowly {#blank#}8{#/blank#}they survive on the earth." Some melting and refreezing of the polar ice is natural. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} in a warmer world, these cycles speed up, and bears have less time to hunt. Normally, they have three months in the spring when they gain more weight. The extra fat is used later, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the bears are not actively hunting.

    A few years ago, famous writer and editor Tom became very ill. His body ached and he felt constantly tired. It was difficult for him to even move around. His doctor told him that he would lose the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(able) to move and eventually die from the disease. He {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(tell) he had only a 1 in 500 chance of survival.

    Despite the diagnosis(诊断), Tom was determined to overcome {#blank#}3{#/blank#} disease and survive. He was always getting help from medicine books and some doctors {#blank#}4{#/blank#} gave the ideas of curing his disease. The ideas made Tom {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(think) about the possible benefit of several positive {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(emotion).

    He decided {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(concentrate) on positive emotions as a way to treat some of the symptoms of his disease. "Laugh therapy" became part of his treatment. He arranged time each day {#blank#}8{#/blank#} watching comedy films, reading humorous books, and{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(do) other activities that would draw out positive emotions. Within eight days of starting his ''laugh therapy" program, his pain began to decrease and he was able to sleep more {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(easy). He was able to return to work in a few months' time and actually reached complete recovery after a few years.

    There's no electricity {#blank#}1{#/blank#} water. However, one thing is for sure, I've become more imaginative in my teaching. Science is my most {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (challenge) subject as my students have no concept of doing experiments. In fact, there is no {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (equip), and if I need water, I have to carry it from my house in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} bucket! The other day I {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (show) the boys the weekly chemistry experiment when, before I knew it, the mixture was bubbling over everywhere. Sometimes I wonder {#blank#}6{#/blank#} relevant chemistry is to these students, most of {#blank#}7{#/blank#} will be going back to their villages after Year 8 anyway.

    Tombe's father, Mukap, led us to his house, a low bamboo hut with grass {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (stick) out of the roof — this shows it is a man's house. There were no windows and the doorway was just big enough to get through. The hut was dark inside so it took time for our eyes {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (adjust). Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a newly {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (make) platform for Jenny and me to sleep on.

Dragon Heads­raising Day, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes, "The dragon is awake, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (raise) its head." On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (pray) beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rain to breed their crops.

{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called "dragon's eyes". The special {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon's scales, popcorn and pig's heads.

In Shanxi, people get their hair {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In {#blank#}9{#/blank#} countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed {#blank#}10{#/blank#} on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector a good harvest.