While thousands of college students headed for warm climate to enjoy sun and fun during their week off from classes, seven local students had other plans.

        The Northern Essex Community College(NECC) students and one of their teachers spent part of their spring break in New York City, helping repair an area {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (destroy) by the hurricane.

        “I wanted to see for myself what happened,” said Terry. “I couldn't imagine{#blank#}2{#/blank#}it is like to lose your home and everything that you know and the{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (power) effect the hurricane had on thosepeople. I wanted to do something, to understand their feeling of helplessness.”

        The group headed into Brooklyn's RedHook district, which was hit hard by the hurricane. There they met people fromother parts of the country, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}had also volunteered to help. Together, thosevolunteers and the NECC students{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (work) to clear rubbish out of at hree-story building. They put on protective suits and gloves{#blank#}6{#/blank#}they enteredthe building.

        Inside the building, the students saw nothing but broken walls and doors and pieces of the building   {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (lie) all over the place.

The students returned to school with{#blank#}8{#/blank#}sense of achievement, a feeling that{#blank#}9{#/blank#}helped people in need. I was remarkable how a community lost so much and was still able to recover, and this left the deepest impression{#blank#}10{#/blank#}thestudents.

    Henry is carried out to sea by a strong wind but {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (spot) by a ship, on which he earns his passage by working without pay. As a result, he is brought to London. Feeling hungry, he {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (wander) alone on the streets, hoping for {#blank#}3{#/blank#} job.

    Then unexpectedly he is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (invite) to a large and beautiful house by two rich brothers, Roderick and Oliver. They give a(n) envelope {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a bank note in it to him.

    They have made a{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(secretly) bet on whether a man can {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (survival) a month in the city with a million-pound bank note. Henry is the person they want.

    He feels surprised at first and doesn't want {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(accept) it, for he just wants an honest job from them, not {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(they) charity. The two brothers persuade him to take it at last, however. Though feeling very {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(surprise) about the matter, Henry promises them not to open the letter until one and a half hours later.

    Are you a man or a mouse? When {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (ask) this question, people want to know {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you think you are a brave person or a coward. But you will never really know the answer to this question until you {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (test) in real life. Some people think they are brave but when they come face to face with real danger, they act like cowards. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (hero).

    When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (call) adrenalin (肾上腺素) in the blood. With adrenalin in the blood system, you feel {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (strong) than ever before. {#blank#}8{#/blank#}, when you are absolutely {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (terrify), the body can produce too much adrenalin, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} makes you find you can't do anything at all.

    Yuan Longping was born in 1930.Since he graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953, he{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(devote)his life to finding ways{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(grow)more and more rice. As a young man, he saw the great need for increasing the rice output. At that time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(hungry)was a serious problem in many parts of the countryside. Yuan searched {#blank#}4{#/blank#} a way to increase rice harvests without {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(expand) the areas of the fields. In 1950, Chinese farmers could produce about 56 million tons of rice. In{#blank#}6{#/blank#}recent harvest, however, nearly 200 million tons of rice were produced. These increased harvests mean that 22% of the world's people{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(feed)from just 7% of the farmland in the world. Yuan Long Ping is now circulating his knowledge in India and many other less{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(develop)countries to increase their rice harvests.{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(thank)to his research, the UN is trying to rid the world{#blank#}10{#/blank#}hunger. Using his hybrid rice, farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before.

    Cards and digital(数字的) technologies {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(kill) off cash slowly, but is it a cause for concern? Not {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(necessary). Here are some ways of making the most of digital finance.

    Cash is no longer king. Over recent years fewer and fewer transactions have been made with cash. The most recent figures show coins and notes are used just 34% of {#blank#}3{#/blank#} time, down from 63% a decade ago. And usage {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(predict) to fall to just 10% in 15 years.

    Instead we're paying with cards and digital technologies. Some of this is down to user choice, with contactless cards and smartphones making spending {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(fast) and more convenient.

    But it's also being forced upon us. Some retailers are refusing physical money as they can avoid the high bank charges levied(征收) at them for {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(handle) cash. Meanwhile it's harder to get your hands on notes as cash machines and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(bank) disappear from the high street. And these are trends which are likely {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(increase) in the coming years.

    This could be bad news if you still primarily use cash, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} that's how you pay your bills or how you budget. For some, cash is just what you know. For {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, cash is a necessity­especially when going digital is the alternative.

    As a result this move towards cashless society makes many us easy.