Mr. James owns a company. He put an advertisement {#blank#}1{#/blank#}a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of nearly fifty people {#blank#}2{#/blank#}came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed {#blank#}3{#/blank#}others.

    “I would like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brought neither a single letter, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}a single recommendation.”

    “You are wrong,” said the gentlemen. “He had many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door behind him, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(mean) that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to an old man, showing that he was kind and {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(thought). He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions quickly, showing that he was a polite gentleman. Everyone else stepped over the book that I {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(put) on the floor purposely. He picked {#blank#}8{#/blank#}up and placed it on the table, and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding. When I talked to him, I {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(notice) his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean finger mails. Can't you see that these are excellent recommendations? I considered them to be more significant than {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(letter).”

    Hearing the words, the friend nodded in agreement.

    The falling stars challenge, which began in Russia, invites participants{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(share) their best fake fall and recommend their friends to do the same, and people have been going to make their falls as dramatic as possible. At first, the falling stars challenge{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(regard) as a way for the wealthy to show their{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(possession). People were photographing themselves falling from cars, boats and even their own private jets,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(lie) face-down with luxurious jewelry, expensive items from high-end brands surrounding them.

    However, as the challenge spread, it transformed from being a way of showing off to a creative way to show {#blank#}5{#/blank#}people consider important in their lives. The social media craze soon made{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(it) way to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. A major difference with the Chinese version of the challenge {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(be) that professionals from different industries participated to show their daily routine. These include a firefighter lying in front of a row of fire trucks and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}officer at an emergency call center on the ground with documents thrown in all directions.

    While some pictures are intended {#blank#}9{#/blank#}fun online, Chinese authorities are taking it {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (serious). Some people who have participated in the trend have received tickets for breaking traffic laws to get the perfect photo.

    Are you facing a situation that {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) impossible to fix?

    In 1969, the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It was 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 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 have 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).