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For thousands of years，people have told fables （寓言）（1）　　（teach） a lesson or to pass on wisdom.Fables were part of the oral tradition of many early cultures，and the well﹣known Aesop's fables date to the（2）　　（six） century B.C.Yet，the form of the fable still has values today，（3）　　 Rachel Carson says in " A Fable for Tomorrow. "

Carson uses a simple，direct style common to fable.In fact，her style and tone （口吻） are seemingly directed at children. "There was once a town in the heart of America，（4）　　all life seemed to enjoy peaceful existence with its surroundings，" her fable begins，（5）　　（borrow） some familiar words from many age ﹣ old fables.Behind the simple style，however，is a serious message （6）　　（intend） for everyone.

（7）　　（difference） from traditional fables，Carson's story ends with an accusation instead of a moral.She warns of the environmental dangers facing society，and she teaches that people must take responsibility（8）　　saving their environment.

The themes of traditional fables often deal with simple truths about everyday life.However，Carson's theme is a more weighty（9）　　（warn） about environmental destruction.Carson proves that a simple lyric form that has been passed down through the ages can still （10）　　（employ） today to draw attention to important truths.

A

Every culture is riddled with unwritten rules，such as ones on punctuality（守时）.I'm British. Soon after moving to Switzerland，I（1）　　（throw）a house﹣warming party and was greatly surprised when all 30 guests showed up （2）　　（exact） on time. Years later，having moved to France. I turned up at the appointed hour for a dinner，only to find that no other guest（3）　　（arrive） and my hostess was still in her sleeping suit.

B

Mangroves，known as "red forest" in China，grow between land and sea，characterised by their complex roots. When （4）　　（see） from afar，the mangrove forests appear more splendid.

Mangroves can help soften waves and protect （5）　　（city） from coastal winds. For these reasons，they are praised as "coastal guardians". Up to now，China （6）　　（establish）a number of protected areas with mangroves.

C

Nina has run marathons in 32 countries. All of her runs have a guiding purpose: to call attention （7） global water issues. Nina recently finished her year﹣long series of runs in Chicago，（8）　 thousands were attending a water conference. She called for action （9）　　（address）the struggles of people around the world （10）（face）"too little water or too dirty water". Her efforts have encouraged others to take part by running through a global campaign called "Run Blue".

There 17 （be） a dramatic rise in the number of extreme weather events over the past 20 years， 18 （cause） largely by rising global temperatures，according to a new report from the United Nations．From 2000 to 2019，there were7,348 major natural disasters around the world， 19 （result） in USD2,970 billion in economic loss．Much of this increase can be due to climate change．The findings show a critical need 20 （invest）in disaster prevention.

Sam is an in-real-life streamer（播主），and he live streams himself just going about his day．While riding his bike home 14 a cold night，he came across a sad-looking elderly woman wandering the streets by herself．The poor woman wasn't able to give him any information about 15 she lived．Sam walked her to a nearby convenience store so that she could 16 （safe） wait for the police to take her home．

Why do we dream？Scientists aren't completely sure，and they have diverse 11 （idea）．Dreams might be a side effect of memory making．When you sleep，your brain sorts through everything 12 happened during the day，trying to link new experiences to old memories. As it 13 （connect） things，your brain tums them into a story，and you get a dream．