Jane _____ her teacher by passing the exam with a nearly perfect score; she almost failed the course last semester.

The vacuum cleaner is not working. Let’s send it back to the _____ to have it inspected and repaired.

Due to the global financial crisis, the country’s exports _____ by 40 percent last month, the largest drop since 2000.

The potato chips have been left uncovered on the table for such a long time that they no longer taste fresh and _____.

The townspeople built a _____ in memory of the brave teacher who sacrificed her life to save her students from a burning bus.

The students in Professor Smith’s classical Chinese class are required to _____ poems by famous Chinese poets.

Although Mr. Tang claims that the house belongs to him, he has not offered any proof of _____.

Ancient Athens, famous for its early development of the democratic system, is often said to be the

_____ of democracy.

The candy can no longer be sold because it was found to contain artificial ingredients far beyond the

_____ level.

Jack’s excellent performance in last week’s game has _____ all the doubts about his ability to play on our school basketball team.

It is bullying to _____ a foreign speaker’s accent. No one deserves to be laughed at for their pronunciation.

Mary lost ten kilograms in three months, so her _____ skin-tight jeans are now hanging off her hips.

The police officer showed us pictures of drunk driving accidents to highlight the importance of staying

_____ on the road.

The claim that eating chocolate can prevent heart disease is _____ because there is not enough scientific evidence to support it.

Over the centuries, henna tattoos   16 used in weddings and holiday celebrations because they are thought to carry blessings from the gods.

Today, the ancient art form has found a new   17 in the hands of contemporary artists.

Henna Heals, an artist group based in Canada, uses henna tattoos to help women suffering from cancer feel confident and beautiful again. They draw elegant henna crowns on the women’s bare heads to help them   18 the loss of their hair after cancer treatment.

Featuring floral patterns, religious symbols, and messages of hope, the painted henna crowns are amazing substitutes for the hats and wigs that the cancer patients would   19 use to cover their heads.

Many women report that the henna crowns really work as a healing device, helping them build a more   20 self-image at a time when they are vulnerable and depressed.

When a person sneezes, the droplets can spread diseases. Now research shows that plants have a somewhat   21 problem. Plant diseases can also spread through tiny water drops that jump off leaves—a plant’s version of a sneeze.

Scientists already knew earlier that wind and splashes of rainwater can move bacteria and other germs from leaf to leaf.   22 other possible transmission routes, researchers at Virginia Tech observed water drops on the leaves of wheat plants that were infected with leaf rust.

They found that the sick plants could “sneeze” and   23 tiny water drops filled with leaf rust germs, spreading the disease to neighboring plants.

As they were moving, the energy of the droplets in motion would be released. This energy allowed the water   24 into the air, which looked just like sneezing!

However, not all plants can sneeze. The ability is   25 to those with leaves that are hydrophobic, or repel water—a special feature that forces the liquid to move away when the leaf is exposed to it.

The idea of Blue Monday dates back to a 2005 campaign by Sky Travel. The travel company wanted to   26 people to take January vacations, so they reached out to a psychologist.

Since then, other companies have jumped on the bandwagon to promote everything from soft drinks to new clothes as a   27  . A group in the UK even started a website devoted to “beating Blue Monday.”

Many scientists, however, say there is no evidence that Blue Monday causes any more sadness than other specific days of the year.   28  , the idea of Blue Monday persists.

According to psychologist Dean Burnett, people feel down in January   29 post-holiday discontent, and the Blue Monday claim makes it seem like there are scientific reasons for this.

Also, the idea   30 a very complex issue regarding depression into something simple and easily understandable, and that tends to appeal to a lot of people.

Dimples are small folds or indentations on the cheeks of one’s face. Generally, they appear on both cheeks; a single dimple on one cheek is a relatively   31 phenomenon.

Some cultures are found to show preference for dimples on one’s cheeks, as the feature is claimed to be a sign of   32  .

Though often associated with beauty, most dimples are actually a genetic   33 caused by shortened facial muscles. When a person smiles, the shorter-than-normal muscle pulls up the facial skin, which in turn creates a small indentation—or dimple—in the skin.

Such dimples tend to occur in families, and are assumed to be an inherited feature. In fact, some researchers believe that the   34 of dimples from parents to children takes only one gene.

If neither of the parents has dimple genes, their children will not   35 the trait.

Not all dimples are formed by a genetic defect, though; some may appear due to the   36 of excessive fat on the face. Such dimples are not a permanent trait, for they vanish when the excessive fat goes away.

Such dimples are not a permanent trait, for they vanish when the excessive fat goes away. Many babies, for example, have dimples on their   37 cheeks.

As they grow older and lose their baby fat, the dimples may   38 with time.

For those people who were born without   39 dimples, various methods can be applied to successfully create them.

These methods   40 from a simple step like makeup to a drastic one like surgery. It all depends on whether you think it is worth the effort.