1 . Our family enjoyed a beautiful houseplant for over thirty years. It had stayed with us through________years and good times, pain and joy. I had never thought of ________it.

However, two weeks ago, we________some changes in its leaves, which began to lose color. We watered and looked after it________. There was no hope of________for the plant. We finally picked a few almost dead leaves and________replanting them in another small pot.

What________us was that these leaves planted in the new place grew strong. In order to know the reason why the houseplant died, we dug the dead plant out of the pot. Then, it became________to us that its roots were in disorder, completely tangling up(缠绕). Our once-beautiful plant died because it grew out of its environment. We now realized that it became root-bound and had no more room for their roots to grow in its pot.

People can become root-bound, too. Those who________personal growth or development often want to make________ that can lead to greater achievements or much more happiness. However, they more often find they outgrow their environment and want to________. Their view becomes wider and they need________ environment to live in. They need people who will make ________ for their growth. If they cannot be________, some problems are sure to appear.

So if your new-found growth causes you to give up the old ways, you may need to ________you are bigger now, and need to have a bigger stage for personal growth or development.

2 . I have been extremely busy for the past six months mainly because I _________ a dental clinic.

As a dentist, I have always _________ owning a dental clinic. After dreaming about it for years, I _________ .

I never expected how _________ it would be. The previous owner left behind a mess that I could never have _________. It took lots of time and money to _________ things around.

A few weeks ago, the bank account for that new _________ was down to $147 and salaries about $11, 000 were due the next week. I started to _________ how difficult this was going to be.

What had _________ looked like a gold mine was turning into a money pit. It seemed my dream was going to __________ before my eyes. Looking at my banking website, I __________ over to the sidebar where four words caught my __________ and hit me over the head. “There are no shortcuts’’, It was like a wake-up call to me. There is no __________ to be gained from taking shortcuts and __________ the struggle. The struggles are the best learning experiences life can __________. They shape us into __________ people.

So whether you relate it to a professional __________ or to your family goals, remember that there really are no __________. There seem to be shortcuts at first but eventually they will leave you far off the path you want to be on, and often __________ you to return just to recover. The hard times are part of the journey and you will __________ respect for them when they are past.

3 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

4 . I was sitting in a chair having coffee when a text message from a former colleague woke me from my daydreams.

“Do you want to _________your rocking chair?”

I taught grades 1-2 for 17 years, and my dreams as a teacher were tied to that rocking chair. It was a _________idea to have it in my class. Every day after break time , the class would _________around and listen to the story I was reading. When the students are close, they find the _________to share their stories, dreams and fears. The chair was part of my ________, part of me.

________, I became unwell and couldn’t keep teaching. I experienced _________anxiety and at last I was forced to _________the job. With my life as a teacher over, I needed a new path. And I didn’t have to look far.

My husband and I _________one of my former students in 2017. The complexity of parenting a child who came to us at 9 years old changed our lives in _________ways. But it inspired the part of me that _________being a parent. We spent _________hours staying with books - healing, bonding and solidifying our family, which gave me a new purpose.

I joined a _________group of local moms. For about a year, I met with them weekly for walks or coffee. We came together to ________, and then I started giving and receiving help, I gave driving practice to a single mom with her learner’s license and received emotional support in _________I also took her son on hikes around the city. Another woman encouraged me to buy a stand-up paddleboard and gave me lessons.

My family, my books, _________a new purpose and belonging in a community -these are fulfilling the sense of self I used to _________as a teacher. I learned my _________doesn’t need to change, Fm still honoring those core (核心的)values _________I’m working as a teacher. What about that rocking chair? I looked back at the text message, My answer was no, and I don’t need the chair. I’ll let it go to a new ________!

9 . I just had two lovely conversations with my long-term friends. First, I was pleased to have an _________ meeting with Bryan. He’s CEO of a government agency and one of the first people I _________ when I moved to Medicine Hat. I _________ to work that morning sixteen years ago and he quickly began introducing me to other employees. His _________ was appreciated and we began a close friendship right then as he gave me a comfortable _________ in my new workplace.

Over the next few years Bryan would _________ me at the office. There were many times when we laughed _________ . We didn’t see each other very _________ after I moved on with other career paths. Later this afternoon, we unexpectedly met at a store and stood in the cold beside our _________ in the parking lot for an hour. We __________ memories and inspired each other with tales of our experiences.

One day I saw the light on my phone __________ and then heard the sweet message left for me by another __________ Chris, who has been in my life since 1973. He’s returned to retire and __________ in his hometown of Whitewood, where we first met. Though not having lived in the same town or __________ since then, we’ve held each other in our __________ for the past four decades. Even when we’re all __________ and don’t make contact with each other for months, it always feels like time hasn’t passed since our last __________ . We understand and care about each other and that’s all that __________

Most dictionaries __________ a friend is someone you “know, like and trust”. I’m grateful that many of my friendships go well __________   that.

10 . A lady wanted a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had liked a beautiful_________, and knowing her husband could _________it, she told him that was all she wanted. On the morning of the_________ , her husband told her how_________he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He_________her a beautiful gift package(纸盒). She opened it and_________ a Bible. _________, she raised her voice and said to her husband, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” She was so_________that she left him.

Many years passed and the lady was very_________in business. She owned two large companies. She__________her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to__________ him. But before she could, she__________a letter telling her that he had died, and gave all of his possessions(财产)to her. She needed to come back and__________ things.

When she arrived at his house, sadness__________her heart. She saw the still new__________, just as she had left it years before, With__________, she opened it and began to turn the pages. A ring__________from the Bible to the floor and a __________could be seen. She picked it up and found it was the ring she wanted in those days. And on the card was the date of her birth, and the words “LUV U ALWAYS”.

__________your gift is not packaged the way you want it, it’s because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little things; they usually lead you to bigger things! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched for they must be felt with the__________.