【推荐2】2020 is drawing to a close. I haven’t seen my ______ in a year.

“Take care of yourself, my dear granddaughter,” she spoke into the phone. “I’m ______ already and have lived long enough. Don’t you worry.”

I didn’t want this to be her last ______. While I stay locked in the Klang Valley, she lives far away and is indifferent (不感兴趣的) to modern technology－which makes ______ difficult.

I knew she really ______ to see my face and began to try to find a solution (解决方法).

“Baby steps are the key. Start with what she already ______”, came the Internet advice. ______, she knows WhatsApp and that has a video call function.

“OK, Nani, you know WhatsApp, right?” I ______ her on our next call. “Did you know we can actually ______ each other by using the ______?” I   continued and heard an “oh” on the line. I knew I had her.

While the task is simple enough to us, the cloudy eyes of old age make it a(n) ______ task－coupled with the fact that the Internet connection isn’t always ______.

The first attempt (尝试) had some good results, ______ the angle (角度) was off. I could only see the very top of her head. In the second attempt, we made a little progress, but the poor Internet service ______ to allow us to see each other.

After two ______ attempts, I could tell she was getting upset (沮丧的) “It’s going to be worth it!” I ______ her during our next call.

Finally, on one good day of Internet connection, her ______ was on my screen.

No matter how many phone calls we exchange, nothing ______ seeing her face filled with happiness and love. Our experience shows that even if we can’t see each other ______, the Internet still makes it possible for loved ones to be continually ______.

【推荐2】Picture this: you’re out to dinner with a friend who you know makes a lot more money than you do. When you open the _________, your heart sinks. There’s not a dish in sight that is less than $35, and even a soup is going to run you $18. You probably vow (发誓) to _________ dollar pizza slices the rest of the month to balance out this dinner. _________, this time, what if you just turned to your friend, closed the menu, and said, “Sorry, I have to be honest. I can’t afford this. Let’s go somewhere else?”

That’s the idea behind “loud budgeting”, a trend that could not only relieve you of the _________ burden, but help you deal with these sorts of stressful situations both mentally and emotionally. In an age when everybody is showing off nice things on social media and _________ to be something they’re not, it feels somewhat revolutionary to just tell the truth about what you can’t afford.

The term was first introduced by TikTok (抖音) comedian Lukas Battle. Battle explained his concept in an interview: simply put, loud budgeting is being _________ about what you do and don’t want to spend money on. Since his video, the concept has caught on rapidly among the _________, who are pointing out that it has come at a significant time when everything is uncontrollably expensive.

It’s not just a TikTok thing though. Even those in the financial services industry are on board with the _________. Nikolina Cuca, a financial advisor, says that she’s seen social media add pressure to her clients, causing them to spend _________ on luxury items. “There should be no shame about trying to match your spending to your means. This trend helps young people moderate spending by __________ the idea of living within budgets.”

Beyond just saving money, loud budgeting is also bringing people closer. Honest money talks lead to greater respect among friends and family. By __________ discussing money goals, people are creating stronger bonds based on mutual understanding for each other’s financial situations. And perhaps the most valuable part of the loud budgeting trend is that it provides a sense of __________. For example, if you tell a friend you are trying to cut back spending on drinks out, you are much __________ to stick with the goal than if you just keep it to yourself.

With its focus on being open, spending wisely, and building __________, loud budgeting is more than just a passing trend, but a cool way for the younger generation to __________ their finances. As more people adopt this approach, it is likely to stay a big part of how we handle money in the future.

【推荐3】In the past, many people regarded people living around them as their close friends and even relatives. And there was a need to _______ one’s neighbors. But nowadays, people do not _______ with those who live close to them as they did decades ago. _______, these people are now living lonelier lives and they are living in a neighborhood of _________.

To begin with, there are several reasons for this _________,which may help the understanding of why this is _______. Firstly, people’s lives are generally _______ today than in the past, as they have much more work to do, which leads to interacting with their _______ instead of their neighbors. Secondly,the lives of the general public are more mobile these days. _______ frequently causes them to develop a more superficial(表面的) relationship with local residents. Lastly, in some ________, there may be cultural differences between neighbors, which makes communication almost non-existent.

________ these reasons, there are also a number of ________, which may help deal with this problem. First of all, the local council(委员会) could ________ community events, to improve relations between local people. Moreover, people should ________ themselves and invite their neighbors to dinner or a casual barbecue, in order to ________ a relationship with each other. Finally, ________ people ought to attend local council meetings so that ________ of the community have the opportunity to communicate with each other.

________, many different solutions are available to help start introductions and communication among ________ such as community events, social gatherings in one’s home and council meetings. And it is in my opinion that it is up to the ________ to do something first. What about spending next weekend with your neighbors in your backyard?

【推荐3】Do you listen? Do you really listen? Is there more to listening than just hearing?

Listening is, by far, one of the most important aspects of communication. So often, you pay attention to your way of speaking, your _________ , your dialect, but neglect your ability to listen.

It is my _________ that people scream out or change the intended purposes of much of what they hear. Too often, we consider listening the _________ part of conversation, although it requires our focus, purpose, and active participation.

Listening means to give ear to, to pay attention to, to _________ , to witness, to hear with thoughtful _________ , or to understand.

The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and to be understood. The only way to understand is to _________ .

Learn to be an active listener. Give off positive body language._________ a willingness to socialize. Ask the right questions. Boost your _________ so that you can understand more and achieve effective listening.

Listening means we should respond, that we should be touched, that what we hear has a(n)_________ on us. I believe that history __________ itself only because no one listens the first time.

You were given two ears, but only one mouth, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more, because God knew that listening was twice as __________ as talking. Listening is the key building block in effective communications. Good listening skills are crucial, as listening is the fundamental __________ of all information.

Isn’t now the time to give the gift of listening to those about you? Given them your __________ attention. Use your God given __________ to become a better listener. For me, I’m going to put into __________ what I believe in my heart and become a better listener.