I have been reading books for as long as I can remember. I have always loved to read and never thought_________about this hobby—until I heard that some people consider reading to be “nerdy”. When did having a_________for reading become associated with being a so-called nerd（书呆子）? People who_________others for their love of novels just don't understand what bookworms experience when reading stories. They don't_________the feeling of wonder and amazement that comes from these paper pages, the_________roller coaster the stories set us on.

Books are like loyal friends—always_________for the day you decide enough is enough in the real world. You take their hand and_________into a whole other universe with them. Throughout my life, I have managed to get through tough times by disappearing into a book, into the story of another_________. I envelop myself in the conflicts, crazy plot twists and small successes that_________these novels, and I forget about the__________moments in life temporarily. When I finish reading, I often say to myself, "If that character can__________in a situation like that, I can__________make it through this day."

Novels have inspired me and helped lead the way through__________toward the light. I'm just going to keep__________the pages of my life and maybe one day, I'll reach a happy ending that allows me to__________the book and, with a smile on my face, pass it on to the next bookworm to start a brand new story.

NANNING - Every Monday morning in Mentun village, locals gather in their rural library to share books and they are often ______ by book lovers from nearby villages. The tennis court-sized library is now the place many locals ______ in the village.

The village's library was previously a small office, where about 3,000 books were ______, according to village official Tao Hanshan.

"There wasn't enough room in the library for visitors to read or ______ books, and villagers didn't want to come," says Tao.

The village was once stuck in ______, and most villagers were trying to make a living back then. They ______ had any interest in reading, according to Tao.

"The village had no extra ______ for the library project," he recalls, adding that, at the time, some of the library's books were also outdated.

As Chinese authorities urged efforts to provide better services and facilities in ______ libraries, these improved libraries have seen ______ numbers of visitors in recent years.

In April last year, a local bookstore donated 30,000 new books and supporting facilities to the library in Mentun village, which allowed the library to be significantly ______.

Ruan Wencheng, a villager in his 50s, has since become a regular library visitor.

"Last year, my family tried to raise silkworms, but we ______ due to a lack of silkworm knowledge," says Ruan. "Experts are not always in the village, so I now often come to the library to read and borrow books related to silkworm ______. I have learned a lot."

Tao says that the library now continuously adjusts its books according to the needs of villagers, and it is gaining ______. More and more people are coming.

To make libraries in the countryside more attractive, authorities have taken various measures in villages across the country. Take the library of the Nanzhan residential community in the Sanjiang Dong autonomous county of Guangxi as ______. All residents were relocated from poor and remote areas of the county, so more books for younger readers have been included in the library's collection.

The past few years have also witnessed the ______ of digitized rural libraries. Provincial and regional authorities across the country have been promoting digital reading in rural areas, using TV sets, mobile applications and online libraries.

"Many books are now available in digital libraries and I can read them on my TV," says Ruan. "My life has been enriched."

Time for girls to shine

Most of us grew up reading fairy tales that start with “Once upon a time” and end with “the princess and prince lived happily ever after”. They seem to be harmless- even _________, perhaps. But in the eyes of two Italian writers, Favilli and Cavallo, this is what’s been _________ with children’s stories for years.

“Children’s books have always _________ the same since we were children,” Cavallo said. And a study also found while 80 percent of male characters in most popular children’s books have a(n) _________, only 18 percent of female characters do.

So they together wrote a book _________ only female protagonists (主角). Good Night Stories for Rebel (叛逆) Girls is an “anti- princess” book, which gives young girls role models of their own to _________.

The original book was published in December 2019, and the second volume _________ on Feb 28, 2021. Both books contain the stories of 100 extraordinary women from all over the world, and much to the_________ of children’s book writers, every one of them has a job or professional ambition. The “characters”_________ pop singer Beyonce and tennis star Serena Williams.

However, the word “rebel” may make some people feel uncomfortable, since it’s not really seen as __________. But being rebellious is__________ being independent, which many of today’s girls need to develop.

“It is important to __________ — especially if you are a woman or a girl- a rebel attitude, a rebel character, because you have to __________ harder to reach your dream and to get what you want.

And this __________ is made clear, with the book’s first page reading “To all the girls of the world, dream __________, aim higher, fight harder”.