For 26 years，Tess Heidelberger's wedding dress was sitting in a dusty box in her basement next to her Christmas decorations. She felt it was 【小题1】 waste of money，and then thought of her plain Christmas tree skirt on the top of the Christmas decorations. So she came up 【小题2】 an idea of putting the two of 【小题3】（they）together，and wanted to turn part of her wedding dress into a tree skirt.

Tess，【小题4】（live）in Mauldin，bought the wedding dress in 1989，【小题5】 had all the features（特色）of 80s bridal style. She got married the following year. Her daughters had no interest in wearing it as they felt it was 【小题6】（complete）out-of-date. So Tess made a 【小题7】（decide）to make the dress an art project.

She got a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue and got to work. All she needed to buy were some pretty ribbons to cover the glue, because she prepared 【小题8】 (put) the plain Christmas tree skirt under the wedding dress. When everything was ready she pinned the wedding dress skirt on the plain Christmas tree skirt until it was the way she liked. Then she 【小题9】 (decorate) the dress skirt.

In all, Tess only spent an hour completing it. She was very pleased with the 【小题10】 (finish) product.

Once a traveler came into a village, 【小题1】（hunger）. The villagers tried to stop the traveler from staying, 【小题2】（fear）he wanted them to give him food. They told him that there's no food anywhere 【小题3】（find）. The traveler gave an 【小题4】（explain）that he didn't need any food and that, 【小题5】 fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watched 【小题6】（strange）as he built a fire and filled a large pot with water. Then he pulled a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot. He tasted the soup and said 【小题7】delicious the stone soup was. As the villagers began to show interest, he said how good the soup 【小题8】（be）with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brought out a cabbage to share. This event repeated 【小题9】（it）until the soup had cabbage, carrots and onions-indeed, a large soup that fed everyone in the village.

Are you like one of the villagers, holding back？If you come forward and share your gifts, you will encourage others to do the same. The reward is 【小题10】 gift that can benefit（使受益）many.

I often remember those good old days when life was 【小题1】（simple）, and people were much more humane and gentler. Recently, to my surprise, I got an opportunity（机会）to experience that same warmth that I thought 【小题2】（disappear）from the world.

I was out shopping the other day with my husband, two daughters and one granddaughter. It was very hot, and we were all 【小题3】（obvious）tired and hungry. We entered a restaurant, 【小题4】（look）for some food and comfort. To our disappointment, all the tables 【小题5】（occupy）and no one seemed in 【小题6】 hurry to stand up. Suddenly, two young girls offered 【小题7】（give）their table to us although they had just got their order. They said they would enjoy their meal at home. We were grateful 【小题8】 them for their kindness. We thanked them sincerely. That day, I thought to 【小题9】（I）there still were some kind and polite youngsters 【小题10】 are willing to help others in this fast-moving and less caring world and my faith in humanity was brought back once again.

   I was reading an article the other day about a man by the name of Steven Callahan. In 1982, he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean alone in his sailboat when it _____ something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and _____ in a life raft, alone. He had few _____ and his chances of survival were small. Yet when three _____ found him seventy-six days later, he was _____ 一 much skinnier than he was when he started.

His account of how he survived was _____ Somehow he managed to catch fish and even made a device to make fresh water from sea water. The most remarkable thing, _____, was how he managed to keep himself _____ when all hope seemed lost. _____ how often he must have thought there was no point in continuing with the ______ He was suffering a great deal. His life raft was punctured (刺破) and even after trying for more than a week to ______ it, it was still leaking air and it was wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was hungry, totally exhausted.______ would have seemed to be the only choice.

Whenever you read about people who ______ these kinds of situations, you will ______ that they do something with their minds ______ give them the courage to keep going. However, there are many people in similarly hopeless situations that give in or go ______. The survivors do something with their ______ that help them find the courage to carry on.

For Callahan, he wrote simply, “I told myself I could ______ it. Compared to what those have been through, I was ______. I told myself these things over and over.”

Next time when it seems as if your own goals are far-off or when your problems seem too overwhelming, repeat that ______ over and over again, “I can handle it. I can handle it.”

I, together with my father, went to Zhangjiajie this summer vacation, where they paid a visit to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. In 1982, it listed as the first national forest park of China, that covers an area of 48. 1 square kilometers. Zhangjiajie, lie in the northwest of Hunan Province, is one of the most important tourism city. What’s more, it was recognized for China’s excellent tourism city in 2000. We were deep impressed by the natural scenery there. Therefore, we had kept on taking photos. In my opinion, a journey was worthwhile, because we were tired.