Today, after finishing dinner in town, my husband and I were driving back home. As we pulled over, we saw a couple painting their furniture.

    I went inside our home, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (change) and then went back out again to ask our neighbors if they needed any help. While leaving my home, I was plagued (困扰) by thoughts of {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (embarrass), denial, or being received. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, I gathered the courage to go down and ask {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ,anyway!

    Initially, the woman denied. Then, the man said, “Sure”, and he handed me a spray paint bottle. We got into some good conversations {#blank#}5{#/blank#} painting with great effort.  When we finished, I briefly chatted with them before leaving.

    In the end, not only {#blank#}6{#/blank#} I enjoy helping them, but also learned about my neighbors. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the way home, I must admit, I couldn't help but wonder {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they might be thinking about me.  {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is tough to do a good deed for others and not expect that they will be thinking good about you.

    Today's experience taught me some  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (value) lessons in my life! Hopefully, these lessons will help me continue my acts of kindness in future.

Why Does Rain Smell So Good?

    Do you love the smell of rain? If so, you're not alone.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(actual), some scientists believe that people got their love for the smell of rain from {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(ancestor), who relied on wet weather for their survival.

    But what makes rain smell so nice? There are several smells associated with rainfall that people find pleasing.

    One of these smells {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(call) “petrichor（尘土的味道）.” Petrichor, a term created in 1964 by two Australian scientists studying the smells of {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(rain) weather, comes from some chemical reactions.

    During dry periods some plants produce oils, and when it rains, these oils go into the air. Another reaction occurs when chemicals {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(produce) by some bacteria are sent out. All of these chemicals combine to create the pleasant particular smell when rain hits {#blank#}6{#/blank#} ground.

    Another smell associated with rain is ozone（臭氧）. During a thunderstorm, lightning can split oxygen and another gad and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(it) in turn can combine into a new substance. This substance reacts with other chemicals to form ozone, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} has a sharp smell.

    When someone says he can smell rain coming, it may be that wind from an {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(approach) storm has carried ozone down from the clouds and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the man's nose.

    Are you sometimes a little tired {#blank#}1{#/blank#} sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time——about eight hours after {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (wake) up——your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (follow) a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    In many parts of the world, people take naps {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the middle of the day. This is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (especial) true in warmer climates, where the heat makes it difficult {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (work) in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (day) nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (problem) such as heart disease.

    Directions: After trading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word: for the other blanks, use one word that best Jits each blank.

    Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And {#blank#}1{#/blank#} more Americans, she's not alone.

    A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53%) have breakfast alone and nearly half (46%) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime {#blank#}2{#/blank#} we eating together, 74%, according to statistics from the report.

    "I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?" Bechtel said, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (look) up from her book. Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (work) through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on {#blank#}5{#/blank#} shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself,^" she said.

    Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis {#blank#}6{#/blank#} he wants to have a little interaction. "I reflect on {#blank#}7{#/blank#} my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (refresh) and with a plan."

    That freedom {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (choose) is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} company provided the statistics for the report.