Since I became a mother, I can’t remember the last time I had quality time (黄金时光) for myself. Even my simple _________ of reading a book was already a thing of the past. All my time was _________ taking care of the family, doing house chores, and of course, _________ to make money. I longed for “me-time”.

When I say “me-time”, I only mean having an hour of _________, listening to music, reading a book, or watching a movie, without being _________ by my kids.

It was not until quite recently that I had a _________ to travel to a new country all by myself! My husband and kids would have to follow at a later date.

Now, I am _________ in an apartment. Finally, I can do _________ I want and keep the house clean and tidy. I can read my favorite books and do all that I want to do with my time. I almost have all the time _________ myself!

But __________ it doesn’t make me happy. I feel __________. No more daily routine of nagging (唠叨) and pushing the kids to get up. I __________ my kids and my husband. I feel something in me is missing (不在的). Now I realize that making time for me doesn’t mean being __________ from those I love. I can still have “me time” even if I have the kids around and __________ chores to do.

I can change my attitude (态度) towards chores and routines. Life won’t be the same without the people you love near you. Now I am looking forward to __________ them soon.

A mind map is basically a tool that connects information around a central subject. It can help you make a knowledge bank to solve problems. A student recently said, “I thought mind mapping would take a lot of time to do, but in fact it saves me time. I don’t have to read my notes over and over again.” How to make a mind map? Now follow these steps for making wonderful mind maps.

One night, during the first of my eldest son’s three basketball games, we happened to be sitting next to a lady with a young son. The little boy looked a bit younger than my youngest son. At one point in the game, the little boy looked over to my son, and said, “Would you like to be my friend?” My husband leaned over to tell me what he heard. I spent the next 20 minutes taking pictures of my oldest son on the court (操场), and my youngest son, with his new friend, playing games two seats down where I sat. It was a heart-warning scene and reminded me how easy it can be to make new friends.

A few hours earlier, we went to a downtown cafe for an afternoon treat. There were no free tables for us, so we took a table for two, and crowded into the small space, each taking a bite of everyone else’s order. We were loud. Perhaps we made the college students annoyed who were drinking coffee and working hard to finish midterm papers. One of the girls came over to our table and said, “I have more room at my table. If you don’t mind. I’d like to exchange my table with yours.” It was a simple act but it showed a selfless (无私的) heart. We politely refused her offer, but her kindness stuck with me for hours after it happened.

These are just two examples of everyday kindnesses. I could name so many more. Although often overlooked or underrated, these small acts of service, friendliness and human care are what it takes to make the world go round.

Derek Rabelo was born in Brazil in 1992. His father called him Derek after a famous surfing (冲浪) star, Derek Ho. Derek’s father wanted Derek     61     (become) a surfer, too, but there was a problem:     62     (unlucky), Derek was born blind. His father’s dream to see his son surf seemed impossible!

When Derek was 17, his father told him a    63     his dream. From that moment, Derek tried his     64     (good) to become a surfer. He went to the beach every day and started taking surfing lessons with a coach. Derek kept     65     (try) and finally, he learned to surf!

Derek explains that a    66     he can’t see, he understands the noises that the waves make and he can hear them when they are coming. He says every p    67     of a wave makes a different noise, so he knows which direction to surf in.

In 2012, he flew to Hawaii to surf one of the most challenging and     68     (danger) waves in the world. Local surfers were very surprised to see the confident young man surf the huge wave with no problem at a    69     .

A film producer decided to make a film about him. Beyond Sight: The Derek Rabelo Story tells Derek’s inspirational story and teaches us that n    70     is impossible if you believe in yourself!

It was the first time my wife and I had flown first class(头等舱). As we got on the plane, we felt as if we were part of a wealthy group. We were filled (A) ________ a sense of pride at sitting with those important people.

We noticed that the stewardess(空中小姐) was busy working to make sure the first class passengers were comfortable. She could not walk by a seat without being given an order. I thought she must love her job very much because she gave each person such a big smile.

As the stewardess passed our seats near the end of the flight, I looked up at her and said. “(B) Thank you and I hope you have a great night.” She stopped with a look of disbelief on her face, and said, “Excuse me?” I repeated my words and she smile again. It seemed as if I had asked a question that she did not know how to answer. A little later, as we were getting off the plane, the stewardess said to me, “Thank you very much, sir.” Then she said quietly, “You are the only passenger who has thanked me or said anything nice to me all night. (C) kindness, you, your, really, for, thank, I.”

The sense of belonging to a wealthy group in first class disappeared as soon (D) ________ I heard those words. We were reminded that without kindness, there would be no first-class flying.