In China, a site that amazed me was one {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (provide) by nature—the Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River, the mother river of the country.

    The Yellow River was a main source of transportation in the past. Many ports and bridges were built and destroyed by the river's strong current(水流), and it was {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (challenge) for the locals back then to build a bridge {#blank#}3{#/blank#} was strong enough to withstand(承受) the current of the Yellow River.

    About 1,500 years ago, the locals of Puzhou, which is now Yongji,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (make) several iron oxen anchors, each {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (weigh) more than seventy metric tons to hold a floating bridge across the Yellow River. It was amazing to see these{#blank#}6{#/blank#} person and I was astonished by the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (wise) and workmanship of people back then.

    The hotels that {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (arrange) for us to stay in were among the best in each city we visited, which sums up {#blank#}9{#/blank#} China was shown to me, with sights both beautiful and amazing {#blank#}10{#/blank#} kind and helpful people.

    Long ago, there lived in Greece a learned man. He was so well-known{#blank#}1{#/blank#}his knowledge of almost everything that lots of people from all over the country came to learn from him. The great man{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(teach) his students whole-heartedly and answered their questions with great{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(patient).

    One day, a student asked him, “My dear teacher, didn't you say you yourself have many more questions about things than we do?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I think we students have far more than you.”

    With a smile on his face, the teacher drew two circles, one as large as a big cake, the other smaller. Then he said, “Of course, I have learned much more. But it is wrong{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(think) a teacher has fewer questions than his students. Now, look at these two circles. The inside of the{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(big) one is my knowledge of things, and the inside of the smaller one is{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(your). Out of the circles is what is still unknown to us. Since mine is larger, I have to use the longer line to draw the bigger circle. That means I have more opportunities to face something{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(know). And that's{#blank#}9{#/blank#}I myself have more questions than you do. The{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(much) you learn, the more questions you have. You will never learn enough, you know.”

    Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?

    In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of{#blank#}3{#/blank#}most outstanding（杰出的）examples of environmental cleanup.

    But the river wasn't changed in a few days{#blank#}4{#/blank#}even a few months. It took years of work {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(clean) than ever.

    Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you leave a habit{#blank#}7{#/blank#}is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don't know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don't you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

    While there are{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(patience).

    An Israeli woman accidentally stepped on a garden snail (蜗牛). Rather than simply ignoring the snail, she picked up all the pieces of {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(it) broken shell and took it to Halclinica, a local animal clinic. She was lucky enough {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(find) a committed medical worker who, instead of refusing her request for help, spent hours {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(glue) the snail's shell back together.

    "For the broken shell, we need a {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(combine) of patience and skill with the glue," the clinic wrote in a post {#blank#}5{#/blank#} its Facebook page. "We make sure the glue stays outside the shell {#blank#}6{#/blank#} does not harm the snail's body."

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(lucky), their hard work paid off and they were able to not only fix the snail's shell, but also put it back on the slimy owner. The operation was a success, {#blank#}8{#/blank#}.

The snail will still need a few weeks, or even months, to fully recover. So far the staff of Halclinica {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(have) a liking for their tiny patient. They have even named it Chevy. "I am happy to see Chevy is getting {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (strong) day by day," one of the staff said. He'll remain under their care as he recovers and animal lovers are welcome to visit him during his stay at the clinic.

    Yesterday, I was walking down the street {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I saw four separate dimes (角) on the ground shining in the sunlight. I bent down, picked them up and entered the post office. Inside a lady {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (dig) through her purse at the counter anxiously looking for change to mail a package. Believe it or not, she was exactly forty cents short. How amazing it was! I placed my dimes on the counter. The smile I got in return was worth a thousand {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (dollar).

    Looking out of the window of his Ford truck, Bob Fitzgerald sees large, undesirable plants growing in the fields.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (visitor) to his neighborhood in Princess Anne, Maryland {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(main) see dying forests and empty farmland.

    Fitzgerald says the land{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) in his family for over 3 centuries. "I'd say in the next 20 years. You're going to lose{#blank#}4{#/blank#}very high percentage of that land."

    The land around the Chesapeake Bay has been sinking for hundreds of years. But climate change is making things{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(bad). As sea level rises, salt water is entering rivers and other waterways. As a result, the ground is becoming too salty for crops{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(grow) on.

    Maryland's Eastern Shore is home to some of the oldest farms in North America.

    Fitzgerald says he has seen big changes during his life.

    "You just can't believe{#blank#}7{#/blank#}it's been taking things over in the last 15 or 20 years. I can show you land around here that people raised tomatoes on when I was a little boy. And now it's gone."

    Around the world, scientists warn that coastal farms are under{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(threaten) from rising seas and salt water. A World Bank report estimates rice production in coastal areas of Bangladesh may fall{#blank#}9{#/blank#}15 percent by the year 2050. Another study found hundreds of millions of people will{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(force) to move inland because of rising waters.