A wealthy old lady decides to travel to Africa, taking her faithful (忠诚的) old dog Cuddles along for company. One day, the dog starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's 1 Wandering about, he notices a2heading in his direction with the intention of eating him for lunch. The old dog thinks, “Oh, oh! I'm in deep3now!” Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he4settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the5leopard.

    Just as the leopard is about to6 the old dog exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I7if there are any more around here?” Hearing this, the young leopard stops his attack in mid-strike, a look of8comes over him and he runs back into the trees. “Whew!”, says the leopard, “That was close! That dog nearly9me!”

    Meanwhile, a monkey who had been10the whole scene from a nearby tree decides that he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for11from the leopard. So off he goes … but the old dog sees him12the leopard and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, and explains that the dog is13and strikes a deal with the leopard.

    The young leopard is angry about being14and says, “Here, monkey, jump on my back and see what's going to happen to that15dog!”

    The old dog sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?” But instead of16 the dog sits down with his back to his attackers17he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to18 the old dog says: “Where's that darn monkey? I19 him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!”

    Life is not about holding all the good cards, but in20those that you hold well.

    I sat down at my desk and tried to focus on my studies. In just seven more days, finals would be over and all the students in my college 1 would be leaving to   go home-2 me. I would be moving 3 to another dormitory for the Christmas break.

    I had no 4. I was a student from Pennsylvania attending college in Utah and my family of ten couldn't 5 to pay for my ticket home. The only 6 I was even able to attend college was that I had received several scholarships.

    I started at the white snow dancing through the air. This would be my 7 Christmas away from home. I felt so 8 that I could weep. 9 I swallowed down the ache that was rising in my throat, my phone rang suddenly. I reached over and picked it 10.

    “Hello?”

    “Hi, Teddi. This is Elsie.” What was my boss from high school grocery job 11 me for? “All the workers here 12 that you weren't able to make it home this year.13 we bought you a ticket. You're coming home!”

    I screamed.

    Fifteen minutes later I was off the14and jumping up and down for 15. Neighbors came over to see what the 16 was all about.

    “I'm going home for Christmas! My17 at my high school job bought me a ticket!” I told them.

    Christmas 18, I was awoken by laughs and screams of joy. The smell of roasting turkey and the wrapping paper（包装纸）that grew higher and higher filled me with love and 19. The kindness of some special fiends 20 me to have the best Christmas ever.

    Chinese volunteers have completed a one-year test living in a simulated（模拟的）space lab in Beijing. The total length of the test, which started on May 10th last year, 1 370 days, thus setting a new record for the 2 stay in a simulated space lab.

    The space lab, called the Yuegong-1, or Lunar Palace 1, measures around 150 square meters. It 3 four sleeping rooms, a bathroom, a waste-treatment room and a room for raising animals. The Yuegong-1 provides everything humans need to survive in an environment 4 to that of a space station in outer space. Oxygen, water and food are 5 within it.

    A total of eight 6, all of whom are students at Beihang University, took turns 7 in the space lab. They were divided into 8 groups. On May 10, 2017, two men and two women 9 the Yuegong-1 for an initial （最初的）stay of 60 days. On July 9, they were 10 by another group of four, who stayed 200 days. The second group of students 11 on January 26, 2018, and the initial group12 and spent 110 days inside it.

    13, the volunteers were expected to stay in the Yuegong-1 for 365 days. But the project ended up 14370 days —from May 10 last year until May 15. The 15 five days were designed as a way to simulate a（n）16, in which the spaceship might experience a 17 in returning to earth.

    The goal of the project “Yuegong 365” is to 18 the limits of humans' ability to live in a 19 ecosystem for China's manned moon landing ambition. The success of the project means that China goes one step closer to putting 20 on the moon.

    On the first day of my school life in the USA, I showed a great interest in marketing class(营销课). My teacher, Mrs. Tolman, suggested I 1 a marketing club called DECA attracting students with talent and interest in 2. So I did.

    The first 3 was to collect money for the marketing competition by selling candles. Mrs. Tolman said the competition was due in a week and that 40 percent of the 4 would go into my personal account (个人账户).

    At the beginning, I tried to sell candles to my host mom. She said that if I could 5confidence and do a wonderful sales presentation, she would buy some. I started my presentation with a 6 handshake. Then I introduced the candles and the special sales I could offer and 7 her that our candles were perfect for gifts and home decorations. Finally she bought three. Greatly 8 I decided to sell them in the neighborhood. On Saturday morning, with great courage, I knocked at the door of my first potential 9.

    "I'm a student and we are 10 money for DECA. I'm trying to sell..."

    "Not today, sorry," the man stopped me and 11the door. Embarrassed, I walked away and said to myself the 12 thing that might happen was being refused like that again. I couldn't even count how many times I was 13 with reasons like "Not today" or "I don't have any 14 money".15, I had to continue. 16, a woman kindly bought $60 worth of candles. I couldn't even hide my 17 and said "Thank you very much" to her with a bow.

    After a 18 hard work, I turned in my $408. I was 19 to find out I was the second highest seller in all classes.

    It was the first time that I had worked as a salesperson. Now I look back on this experience with satisfaction, and I feel glad that I did not 20 in face of difficulties.

    My grandfather died in 1970, leaving my grandmother living in their old house alone. Shortly after that, we went to the animal shelter(收容所) and picked out a little 1 to accompany(陪伴) Grandma. The dog was named Penny.

    Grandma and Penny quickly became very attached(依恋)to each other, and that attachment grew much 2 as years passed—they became very close. When Grandma went to 3, Penny walked along and lay beside her until she woke up.4 Penny aged, she could no longer jump up on the 5 to lie next to Grandma, so she lay on the blanket beside the bed. Grandma never went anywhere without her partner by her side.

    The time came when both my grandmother and Penny were becoming 6. Grandma had been sent to hospital several times, and Penny couldn't 7 around very well. When Grandma was in hospital, Penny would sit at the window 8 out for the car bringing Grandma home and would 9 wait at the door when Grandma came through it. Each homecoming was a great meeting again between the two.

    On Christmas Day in 1985, Grandma was again taken to the hospital. Penny, 10, sat watching out the window for the car bringing Grandma home. Two mornings later, I 11 she couldn't stand and wouldn't eat. Later, she had difficulty in breathing. I quickly 12 her to the hospital where Grandma stayed to let her see her owner for the last time. There, as soon as Penny saw Grandma, Penny's eyes brightened suddenly and then slowly 13.Grandma left this world, several 14 later.

    After fifteen years of loving friendship, Grandma and Penny passed away on the same day. God had it all worked out—Penny was waiting at the door to 15 her when Grandma came home.

I was working as a lifeguard at Tower 15 on Newport and two blocks to my right was another guard named Mike, working at Tower 17. He called me over the phone and said, “Hey, I have 1 two kids who are swimming in the dangerous zone. I have to give them a warning. Keep an eye on us.” I said “Sure.” In case of 2, anytime we got out of our tower, we were supposed to 3 somebody else.

Mike hung up the phone and 4 the lifebuoy(救生圈). Then he realized that these two kids had been 5and that there was a great tendency for them to be 6 by the wave. 7, Mike rushed toward the ocean. I 8 the water and all I found was two small heads. The mother of the two kids knelt(跪) down on the beach with 9 .

    When I dropped my binoculars(望远镜) and reached the mother, Mike was in waist-deep water, 10 the two kids. I turned to the mum and said, “Hey, it's OK. They are safe.” I saw the terror started to 11. Then she glanced back and got her first good look at Mike. A new kind of 12 washed over her face as though there was another threat to her kids' lives. She snatch(抢) her kids without 13 .

    Mike had some seemingly 14behavior, and his shaved head showed a scar(伤疤). Maybe he had no 15 manners, but his lifesaving ability 16 his unsatisfactory skills in PR(public relation). In the mother's 17 , Mike was a really terrible guy. However, that couldn't change the fact that he had just18her kids.

    Mike just glanced at me and smiled. As I jogged back to my tower, I promised myself I'd never let my own 19 prevent me from 20 a hero when I meet one.