1 . “Do I really want to go through with this?” Have you ever asked yourself that question? Sometimes in life, there are moments when you ______ if you will be able to handle the responsibilities ahead of you.

For me, these ____ come daily, whether it’s taking a test or working. But one Saturday afternoon, my family and I were _____around when my dad pulled into a small mall. Little did I realize we were going to a______ store where a new member would be ______ to our family.

As my dad parked our car, I figured we would just take a ______ look and then leave. After a while, my dad called us over. He was standing next to my mom, looking at several cats.

I began to think, “Are we ______ a cat?”

My dad asked, “ So guys, you like any of these?”

My brother said “Yes!” before I could open my _______.

When I pictured feeding the cat, cleaning it and giving it water, all of these responsibility felt ______to me. Would I be able to handle it? After all, I would have to live a more adult-like ______ if I got a cat.

Later on, after ______ that we should get a cat, I thought about this new phase of my life. I realized that the _______ I make can affect my future.

Looking back, I find that I have been able to _____ the responsibility of owning a cat. Some tasks may be ______ , but that doesn’t mean they can’t be accomplished. You ____ need to do your best in order to push past them.

4 . A Story on an Island

A ship was lost at sea and the only survivor was washed up on a small, inhabited(无人居住的) island. He prayed _________ for God to rescue him and for hours he just _________ at the horizon(地平线), waiting for a heaven-sent _________ but it never came.

Then he decided to do something. _________ tired and upset, he _________ some branches and dry grass. Hours of hard work paid off and a little shelter was built. The “Robinson Crusoe” began his life on the island. Believe it or not, a couple of days going by, he _________ and it seemed not that hard.

But then one day, after _________ for food, he arrived home to find his little shelter in flames and the _________ rolling up to the sky.

The _________ had happened: everything was lost.

“God, how could you do this to me!” he cried with __________ and anger.

Early the next day, __________, he was awakened by the __________ of a ship that was coming near to the island. It had come to rescue him!

“__________ did you know that I was here?” he asked one of his rescuers.

“We saw your smoke __________,” they replied.

It is easy to get __________, when things are going bad. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even when we are in pains and sufferings.

Remember, next time your little shelter is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that calls for the grace of God. For all the negative(消极的) things we have to say to ourselves, God has a/an positive answer for it.

5 . When I was young, one of my fondest memories is going by the river and sitting leisurely on the _______. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, _______ the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboos _______ under the pressure of wind and watch them return _______ to their upright or original position after the wind had _______.

_______ I think about the bamboos’ ability to bounce back or return to its _______ position, the word “resilience” (恢复力) comes to mind. When used _______ a person, this word means the ability to readily _______ shock, depression or any other situation that ________ a person’s emotions to the limit.

Have you ever felt like you are about to ________? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have ________ the experience to live to talk about it. During the experience you probably felt a mix of ________ that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally ________ and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.

Life is a ________ of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you ________ one of those bad times or unhappy moments ________ take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.

A measure of hope will take you ________ the unpleasant torture. With hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant torture may be easier to ________ if the end result is worth having. When the going gets tough and you are at your breaking ________, Show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don’t break!

6 . I first met Paul Newman in 1968, when George Roy Hill, the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, introduced us in New York City. When the ________ didn’t want me for the film — it wanted somebody as well known as ________ — he stood up for me. I don’t know how many people would have done that; they would have listened to their agents or the studio powers.

The ________ that grew out of the experience of ________ that film and The Sting four years later had its root in the fact that although there was a/an ________ difference, we both came from a tradition of theater and live TV. We were respectful of craft (技艺) and focused on digging into the characters we were going to ________. Both of us had the qualities and virtues that are ________ of American actors: humorous, aggressive, and ________ each other — but always with an underlying affection. Those were also at the core (核心) of our friendship off the screen.

We ________ the belief that if you’re ________ enough to have success, you should put something back — he with his Newman’s Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn’t see each other all that ________, but sharing that ________ brought us together. We ________ each other financially and by showing up at events. I ________ saw him a few months ago. He’d been ________ and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn’t talk about it. Ours was a friendship that didn’t need a lot of words.

7 . My car slid easily into the school lane. I turned around and glanced at the back seat as my ten year old daughter_______. My daughter’s words started to spill, “Momma, Jenny_______all the girls in the class to attend her birthday party except for Heather and me. I_______I was her friend, too.” The air was filled with her_______.

As tears ran down my little girl’s face, I felt_______. As an introvert (内向的人), I often breathe a sigh of _______when I am not invited to a large social gathering. I prefer_______with a few friends who get me. _______, I don’t extend my preferences to my daughter’s social life. Since the age of four, rather than_______just a few, I’ve invited all of her classmates to her birthday parties. That’s because I am________to the need for young girls and boys to feel________.

I understand that at some point all of us are excluded from something and that this is a________children will eventually learn. But why does it have to happen when they are so________?

As soon as we got home, I hugged my still upset daughter and wiped away her tears. As I________her, I thought of her own approaching birthday party. The invitation would go out to all of her________.