Mr. West wanted to buy his wife a Christmas present, but he was always very1, so he was never able to find time to go to the shop. At last, when it was the week2 Christmas, and the shops were very crowded, he decided that he could not 3any longer. He worked in an office, and 4had lunch in a restaurant, but one day he bought some sandwiches, ate them 5 and went out to a big shop near his 6 during his lunch hour.

    The shop was full of women, who were also buying 7during their lunch hour. Mr. West stood 8at the edge of the crowd of9 who were pushing forward to try to get to the people who were10 necklaces and earrings. He tried to move forwards slowly, taking his turn with the others, but more and more women were11into the shop the whole time and pushing selfishly(自私地) 12 him. After half an hour, he was just as13from the people who were selling the necklaces as he had been when he came in, and his lunch hour was coming to 14 , so he decided to change his 15 of doing things: he put his head down, gave a sudden loud shout and started to 16his way towards the 17of the crowd as hard as he could.

    The women around him became very 18when they saw what he was doing, and began to scold(责备) him. “Why can't you behave(做事) like a 19 ?” they shouted.

    “Ladies,” he answered them, “I have been behaving like a gentleman for the past half an hour, and it has got me20, so now I am starting to behave like a lady.

    As I walked into the primary school, I looked down at my new black Mary Jane shoes—I wanted to be anywhere in the world but Fountain Inn Elementary School. I stood at Mrs. Blackstone's door. Before I tried the1, the wooden door suddenly opened. "We've been waiting for you!" Mrs. Blackstone, my new fifth grade teacher said at an unusually2voice. With a smile my mom walked away and I was left3in front of a group of students.

    Over the next few days, Mrs. Blackstone made it her4to find me a new best friend and help me join a choir（合唱队）. During history5, when I sat down at my desk6I didn't want to speak in front of the class, she would not only call on me but have me stand up to7my classmates. She laughed at my nervousness when I wouldn't get in line to sharpen my pencil 8being embarrassed. Her silliness made me smile and finally feel9in the new environment.

    One spring afternoon, Mrs. Blackstone 10me to stay after class. "I'd like to speak with you, Amanda." My mind 11. Had I made a bad grade? Had I hurt someone's feelings? "Are you enjoying your new school?" she sat comfortably behind her desk, "I want to tell you12, between you and me, not to be shared with anyone else." "Okay." My throat 13felt very dry. With her14raised, she said, "I see something15in you. I've been a teacher for over twenty-five years; I can16it. But you17believe in yourself. That's very important. Remember that and you'll go18."

    Her voice was19to my ears that day. I walked out of her class,20staring at my Mary Jane shoes. My teacher saw something special in me!

    The rosebushes were finally in full bloom on that spring morning.

    The sight of roses always brings to1Wanda's childhood memories. Then the family had no 2to buy extra things, so even a tired rose was something to 3 .

    Currently, to have a backyard full of different roses is pure 4. And her husband, Dale, devotedly 5the roses. 6that she loves the very first blooms, he picked some on this particular morning.

    But as Dale returned, he came across a neighbor who had7 for a quick visit. As the woman turned to go, Dale generously gave the 8 to her. And even though their visitor 9 she didn't want to take them, she was10 assured(确信)that the flowers were hers to keep.

    Seeing her precious first blooms go out the door11Wanda with regret, and a bit of 12. She knew it was "better to give than to receive." 13, she wished she could have kept the roses for herself.

    Later that day, the couple headed to the post office, where Wanda waited outside in the car.

    Then, without14, an older woman suddenly appeared at the open window, and gave her a bunch of fresh roses! "These are for you. They're my first blooms this spring."

    Completely 15, Wanda thanked the woman and16 for a moment to breathe in the rich fragrance. When she looked back, the mysterious visitor was gone.

That special17changed Wanda. It made her understand the true meaning of18gifts. Now, she always19her first blooms to others, as a(n)20that someone is thinking of them.

    I was studying chemistry at college because my family thought it was the key to success. One day, my professor took me aside and asked a very simple question, "Why are you in my class when it's obvious that you have little or no 1 in chemistry?"

    I came up with an explanation by 2 pressure from my dad, but he knew it was just a /an  3 excuse. He gave me the following advice.

    "Success can only be measured by oneself, and each of us is 4. Your success will not be the same as mine, as your neighbor's or your parents'. There is no secret formula(公式), no examination you have to 5, and no guarantee, but there is a secret ingredient­6. To be successful in life in the broadest sense, you must pursue your passion. 7 it is fixing cars or exploring the world, you must be passionate about your 8 and set a path to achieve it. Only then will you find true 9."

    Since I was just nineteen years old, that was pretty profound advice to 10, but I knew instinctively (本能地) that he was 11. I made a conscious self-examination of my short life to 12 where my passion was hiding. It was so 13 that even my kid sister could have told me my true passion was music. It was in my genes. I could play the piano by ear, but had 14 considered music as a hobby.

    Could I be a successful musician? Or a songwriter? Or a music critic? There was only one way to find out, so I took my professor's 15 and switched to the university's music school. I studied harmony and composition, learned how to play a clarinet(单簧管) and 16 the symphony orchestra. I felt as though I was on top of the world, and that 17 has never left me.

    I'm now fifty-four years old, and a very happy and 18 man. As I look at the walls of my small office, I still get a thrill at seeing the records I 19, the photos of the famous musicians I was lucky enough to play with, and the praises from many of the finest instrumentalists in the world who I am honored to call my friends.

    Life was a long journey, and not a/an 20 one, but I followed my passion and succeeded.

As I prepared for my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, memories of previous disappointing marks filled me with dread and anxiety. The mere thought of booking the exam made me feel completely strained. However, fate had other plans in store for me.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my trusty 10﹣year﹣old electric piano malfunctioned. The middle C note played as an F﹣sharp, and multiple other keys were out of tune.

Despite my distress, my father refused to buy a new piano and instead urged me to be more resourceful. Initially, I was at a loss without my beloved electric piano. But after struggling for a few days, I was determined to find every available piano room on campus. After discovering hidden pianos in corners, I spent countless hours practicing. As my exam drew near

One day, while practicing in a piano room, one of my teachers walked in and offered me a mini exam. To my surprise, I found a place where I could be anyone.

Playing the piano became my escape from the anxieties of adolescence and allowed me to express myself freely. When it was time to play in front of the examiner, I no longer feared judgment. Instead, I only feared not being able to represent all my hard work. As the lights came on

Eventually, I received my mark. Not only did I achieve a rarely given "well done", but I also discovered a newfound appreciation for music. Whenever I feel discouraged, some lessons are best learned the hard way.

It was a cold February day. Dangwen and his wildlife monitoring team patrolled(巡逻)along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. That day, they {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (meet) 220 blue sheep and five white-lipped deer. Through the camera, they found a mother and two baby leopards(豹) — and the babies had grown much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (big) than three months earlier.

Dangwen comes from Yunta, a village located in Sanjiangyuan, Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. Sanjiangyuan serves as an important habitat {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  rich and unique species.

Dangwen is neither officially a researcher {#blank#}4{#/blank#} an activist. But he has taken upon himself the task of monitoring local wildlife with a team of other villagers, as part of a conservation project driven by the Shanshui Conservation Center, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Beijing-based non-governmental organization. When the organization brought up the idea of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (organize) villagers to watch over wildlife and protect their lands, Dangwen volunteered {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (immediate). Having grown up in the village, he knows very well the land, the river and the wildlife, and he is especially proud of the sacred mountains {#blank#}8{#/blank#} are around all of them. This is the fourth year that Yunta villagers have carried out this monitoring, patrolled the village to identify poachers(偷猎者), and managed rubbish {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (keep)the land and rivers clean.

Monitoring data shows that local wildlife {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (population), including snow leopards, are increasing.