1 . I was angry with my sixteen-year-old son Anthony, and stormed out of the house. Standing on the front porch (门廊), I ________ deeply. I saw my elderly neighbor, Clara, working in her garden. Seeking ________, I walked across the street.

“Anthony again?” Clara asked. “It’s his hair again,” I replied. “Have you seen him? All that mass of messy curls ________ over his shoulders! But just mention a haircut, and he gets that same ________ look in his eyes I’ve seen a million times before.”

Clara smiled, “It’s only hair, Liz.” She spoke slowly, ________ each word, “It’s … only… hair!” Then her smile disappeared, and her expression became ________. “I learned years ago when my husband died, leaving me three young kids. I had to put everything in perspective if I were to ________. I learned how to say, ‘But it’s only…’ But it’s only a bad day. Tomorrow will be better.” She nodded her head firmly. “You ________ it, don’t you, honey? Everybody has enough ________ in their lives without wasting ________ on the ‘it’s only ’ things that come their way.”

After returning to my house, I baked some cookies, and carried them to Anthony’s room. “Can I come in, honey?” “Not if you’re going to ________ about my hair again.” I pushed the door open and held out the cookies. “Not one word. I ________.” He stared at the plate of cookies greedily, but there was still a glint of ________ in his eyes. “Not one word about my hair?” He looked at me challengingly.

“It’s only hair,” I said. “It’s your hair. Not mine.” Anthony smiled broadly, saying, “Thanks for ________ understanding me, Mom. And thanks for the cookies.” Now I’ve learned to let go of the “it’s only” ________, and Anthony is more willing to listen to me.

2 . My father decided to start learning French when he was 57. On the surface, his retirement hobby seems a little random — our family has no connection to French-speaking countries — but his ______ ran deeper than a passion for cakes. My grandmother developed signs of Alzheimer’s disease (阿尔兹海默症) in her early 70s, and studies suggest that being bilingual, that is, being able to speak two languages equally well, can ______ the start of the condition by up to five years. Drawn by that ______ benefit, many people have attempted to pick up a new language in adulthood.

Lots of activities are linked to better brain health in old age, like getting more education when you’re younger and physical activity. Experts say regularly speaking multiple languages may be especially ______ though. “We use language in all aspects of daily life, so a bilingual brain is ______ working,” said Mark Antoniou, a professor at Western Sydney University who specializes in bilingualism.

The age at which you learn another language appears to be less important than how ______ you speak it. The cognitive (认知的) benefit is from having to ______ your mother tongue, which your brain is forced to do if you’re trying to recall the right words in another language. So if the second language is used a lot, you’re getting that cognitive ______. That process is called cognitive inhibition. In theory, by improving these types of processes, the brain becomes stronger to the ______ caused by diseases like dementia. The stronger your mental power, the thinking goes, the longer you can function normally, even if your brain health starts to ______.

However, evidence for the benefits of learning a second language as a hobby in your 60s is ______. Research by Dr. Antoniou and colleagues found that while Chinese adults 60 and up improved on cognition tests after a six-month language learning program, people who played games like Sudoku did as well. Two more recent studies on the topic found virtually no ______ in cognitive performance after people took part in language-learning programs.

The scientists who conducted those studies offered a few potential ______. One is that the participants were highly motivated volunteers, who may have already been at peak performance for their age, making it hard to see any ______. Another is that the language interventions were perhaps too short. The handful of studies looking into the issue have used language lessons that were very different in their ______ and frequency. Some studies taught participants for eight months, others for just one very intense week.

3 . Every weekend my parents give me $100. I bet you think I’m really spoiled (宠坏的). Think again!

It all started when I wanted a really cool _________. I asked my parents to buy it for me but they said I would have to buy with my own money. “But it’s only $100!” I _________. An hour later, my parents _________ there would be a family meeting at dinner.

They _________ the meeting with the words, “We’ve been thinking about how to give you more _________ in our family.” They brought up several “new ways” I could “have more say.” One way was to allow me to _________ for the family. Each Saturday, I was to be given $100 — along with a shopping _________. It was up to me to buy everything on it. Whatever money was _________, whether two dollars or thirty, was mine and I could _________ however I wanted — whether to buy toys, books, jackets, or even a bicycle. My parents’ $100-a-week plan gives me real __________ to shop for the best bargains (特价商品). I __________ prices on every single item on my list before I __________ what to put in my basket.

My parents’ clever plan has turned me into a __________ shopper. Now, when I finally save enough money, that cool bicycle doesn’t just ________ a mere purchase; it stands as a symbol of my __________ success.

4 . On a fresh May morning, with my guitar in tow, I ventured down the road to a busy restaurant. I was about to _______ the fear that had held me hostage for 35 years.

As I reflect upon my childhood, I’m _______ of a kind, sensitive kid with long-term struggles. But there was one bright spot in my life: I loved singing and playing the guitar. It was my grandmother, Peg, who _______ a flame within me, kindling an unyielding love for _______ in me. But then, in the blink of an eye that joy was _______.

I was 10 years old and our entire fourth grade was in _______ for our annual choir concert. The substitute choir teacher had _______ me with a solo in the concert’s finale (终曲): “76 Trombones” from The Music Man. But each time my solo _______ , terror kept a firm hold of my voice. The teacher rushed to me, “You’re wasting all of our time. Let someone else sing.” Since then I hadn’t sung in _______ again for 35 years.

The broad road in front of the busy restaurant was filled with people. I pulled out my guitar. As I ________ the first chord, I heard a voice in my head: “You are going to ________ yourself like never before.” But I gathered the courage, and ________ a cascade (瀑布) of songs that had built up inside of me for 35 years. ________ my voice wasn’t beautiful, my passion and excitement won over the crowd. Afterward, I felt a wave of pride, ________, and happiness coursing through my veins (静脉). Eventually, I ________ myself from the clutches of fear and reclaimed the stolen joy.

7 . After my mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease(阿尔茨海默病), the plants in our house began to die. In years past, I remember the deep, earthy smell that would ________ in our house after my mother had made her weekly watering rounds. Back then, I never connected it with the care that was at the ________ of everything she did.

But now, leaves were ________ , some dry and edged with brown, and many of the stems(茎) bare. It was a mark of how my mother can no longer attend to all the things that she lovingly cared for. I was so focused on the increasing ________ of her own care that her beloved plants had escaped my ________ .

I began her old rounds, pouring water into the thirsty soil, and soon the plants ________ . That’s the thing about houseplants: They demand nothing. They wait quietly, no matter how ________ they are. But even after my best ________, some of the plants couldn’t survive. My mother’s kind caregivers have since brought new ones to add to her ________ , and my father buys fresh flowers every week.

Though Alzheimer’s disease ________ so much of her memory, her desire to care is still there. I would guide her down the steps to water the plants herself. I watched as her shaking hands picked the brown leaves. Each time, she smiled up at me with ________ satisfaction because being able to ________ something is still, what brings her the greatest joy.

I look at plants ________ these days. I see them as my mother does:________ reminders of the need for kindness toward all living things. It is clear to me that the things we spend a lifetime ________ are never truly lost and the love she has planted in me still blooms(开花).

8 . Today I am working with Simon for starting a mobile repairing shop. His _______ made me think of the day he joined us as a participant under Naya Savera, a skill-building program for different _______ .

My _______ stretches back very easily. When I first looked at him during selection interview we conducted for _______ the participants, I wondered how I was going to _______ this person who could not even walk on his feet.

Simon has a serious problem in both his legs and to reach from one place to another he has to depend on a wheelchair. I didn’t take him _______ at first, but something changed when we started _______ with him.

He made us laugh with all his funny stories, and made us cry by sharing his _______ to live normally. It is a _______ that people underestimate him and look down on his ________ to become a successful person. By the time interview was over, we were all looking at him with ________ and wondered who interviewed whom as most of the time he was the one ________ questions.

Needless to say he was ________ for the training program and also completed the program with ease. He was one of the participants who never missed even a single day of ________. He was one of the highest scorers in exams held on completion of the training program. He ________ everyone with his positivity and attitude.

10 . I was raised in a village where people lived in harmony with the natural environment. Throughout the year we would have numerous ______where all the villagers would ______and celebrate. The entire village was like one big______.

However, within less than a decade my village was no longer the______village that I grew up in. Due to rapid modernization, everything______. The rich cultural traditions that once held the village together were ______. Everyone in the village was______in making money and had no time to participate in traditional celebrations. No one favored such a change, but they somehow______it as they felt that it was unavoidable.

It made me feel______that some ancient traditions had stopped to exist, so I______I had to do something. I ______the Cultural Heritage Studies Program, which enabled me to gain a better understanding of cultural heritage______.

Then I involved myself in protecting cultural heritage sites in my hometown. With the knowledge I______in the Cultural Heritage Studies Program, I was trying my best to help make the process of modernization run more______ for cultural heritage sites with heritage protection as a focus point.

I would say the success of the preservation work is the most______aspect of my job.