Our country has endured many hardships, which makes us firm and brave __1__ with outstanding traits that distinguish us from other nations. This is my experience in one of those __2__.

　　The summer of 1993 was a typically hot season. The high __3__ and the long drought caused raging bush fires. The __4__ next to ours was on fire when the wind caught and __5__ the flames. Mum __6__ my brother and me early from school and explained the situation to us on our way home. As we got closer, we could smell the thick smoke and __7__ what was happening. I couldn't yet see the flames but I knew that they were there. Further down the road I saw the flames __8__ the houses close by, though they hadn't reached them yet. Bush fires had broken out further and were only meters from more __9__. My father and grandfather were there trying to __10__ the potential danger.

　　The fire hadn't reached our house yet, __11__ we started to pack things and tried our best to __12__ our house from the flames. I stood on the veranda (走廊) and looked down at the __13__ that ran through the communities. How terrible! The area on the __14__ was on fire, and on the right were our neighbors' flats, which began to __15__ too.

　　The fire came close to our house but never reached us. The __16__ thing that had protected us was the stream that hadn't__17__. Had it not been there, we'd have lost everything.

　　We Australians are still __18__ from bush fires, but it is through these hardships __19__ we realize how strong our country and its people really are, and more importantly, how __20__ life is. Cherish what you have now! Cherish every minute in your life!

　　1．A.Canadians　 B．Australians

　　C．Japanese D．Chinese

　　C．celebrations D．hardships

　　3．A.atmosphere B．pressure

　　C．temperature D．emotion

　　C．country D．street

　　5．A.spread B．stopped

　　C．introduced D．weakened

　　6．A.looked after B．figured out

　　C．sent away D．picked up

　　7．A.imagine B．forget

　　C．wonder D．dream

　　8．A.burning B．destroying

C．threatening D．leaving