1 . I remember when I was young, people often asked me, “What are you going to be when you grow up?”

It _________ being a cowboy or some super hero. Later it was a fireman, a policeman, a lawyer. As I grew older, my dreams for the future _________. When I was in college, I set my heart on becoming a (n) _________ like my father. _________ I studied and prepared for that. I reached the _________ in the end and I was teaching _________ full-time for much of my adult life. However, there is a “thief” that goes around stealing our _________. Sometimes, the thief will come as a parent, or a friend, but the _________ thief is usually _________.

We find ourselves just about reaching the top, and a “small” __________ inside says, “You’ll never make __________”. “You __________ possibly do this.” On and on, the “small” voice predicts our failure. Failure, __________ is one of the most important tools we have, may teach us valuable __________. When we learn these lessons well, we are ready __________ success.

I always tell my children that you are __________ to do anything that your heart desires. Remember the saying, “Nothing is __________ for a willing heart.” There are __________ “overnight” successes, but with determination, they will come. Imagine __________ a life you dream of. Then in your heart, believe it will happen to you. Then work, work, work. You’ll get the picture.

So, be true to your dream, and don’t let anyone __________ it from you — especially yourself.

4 . Since finishing my studies at Harvard and Oxford, I’ve watched one friend after another land high-ranking, high-paying Wall Street jobs. As executives(高级管理人员) with banks, consulting firms, established law firms, and major corporations, many are now ________ on their way to impressive careers. By society’s ________, they seem to have achieved success.

On the surface, these people seem to be very lucky in life. As they left student life behind, and ________ out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine ________ a college year’s monthly rent. They replaced their beloved old cars with expensive new sports cars.

The thing is, a number of them have ________ that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some ________ of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they hate. Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and ________. However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the ________ which they have so quickly become used to.

People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and ________ in the end the idea of leaving their jobs to do something they ________ or finding a job that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion: it’s ________. They have car loans, household bills, a mortgage(抵押贷款) to ________, retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something ________ in their lives, but it’s hard to step off the track.

In a society that tends to ________ everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn from a young age to consider the costs of our decisions in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs involved in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of costs many of us tend to ________—and the very ones we need to consider most.

5 . A man went to buy fruits and asked the shopkeeper about the _________ of the fruits. The shopkeeper replied that banana was $2 and apple was $4 per kilo. At the same time, a woman came into the shop and _______ the same question. Without a second _________, the shopkeeper answered, “Banana is $1 and apple is $3 per kilo.” Hearing this, the man stared at shopkeeper in _________. The shopkeeper noticed this immediately and signaled him to wait for a while. The woman took the fruits, paid for them and left _________.

After the woman left with a smile, the shopkeeper looked toward the customer and said, “I didn’t mean to _________ you.” He continued after a brief ___________, “The woman lives in my neighborhood. She is a poor mother of four. I have tried many times to help her but she is not _________ to take any help from anyone in our _________· Then I thought of this way to help her. Whenever she comes, I sell her fruits at the ______________ price. This way, she won’t feel that she is being helped and ______________ on others. This is the only way I can extend my help. And whenever this lady comes, my sales ______________.”

After he learned the story, tears ______________ in the customers eyes. He hugged the shopkeeper and bought fruits without complaining or ______________. More importantly, he left with a lesson learned that if you want to ______________, you will always find a way and your own bless will come along.

8 . The old Chinese saying "as happy as spending the New Year" might be outdated now in the busy modern world. The Spring Festival is regarded as the most important festival for Chinese people and an occasion for all family members to get together, like Christmas in the West. But many traditional customs accompanying the Spring Festival, however, have weakened in practice.

Setting off fireworks was once the most typical custom of the Spring Festival. People thought the sputtering(爆裂) sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, the activity has been completely or partially forbidden in big cities for years as the government has taken security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.

"In recent years, some cities have begun to allow people to light fireworks during limited hours at the Spring Festival, surrendering to(屈从于) public demand. Respecting folk traditions is a gesture of respect toward public opinion," said Zhou Xing, a folklore researcher.

"As people gain more income and it becomes easier to buy daily goods, the New Year holiday is just like any other. After long workdays, many people use the New Year holiday to take a rest, rather than visiting friends and neighbors. The process of making and enjoying the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve is the most important thing. However, many families would like to eat out to save time and energy," said Li Shunzhi, a resident of Harbin, Heilongjiang.

"I enjoy the holidays very much in the countryside. My family has been preparing for the Spring Festival more than two weeks before the holiday, cleaning the house, buying holiday goods and decorating the house with paper cuttings. On New Year’s Eve, the whole family stays up to see the New Year in, and in the days to follow, a series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held. Without the ancient traditions, the holiday is nothing to us," said Zhang Hui, from Hebei.