1 . Years ago, as a young business reporter, I interviewed an advertising executive. I was there to ask about the latest _________. But when I sat down, he wanted to talk about writing fiction. He spent hours meeting with clients and crafting slogans, but he dreamed of being a(n) _________ instead.

A decade or so later, however, I was _________ to see the advertiser on TV, holding up his new _________. James Patterson had _________ into a best-selling author. “Maybe I was delusional (痴心妄想), but I _________ thought of myself as an advertising person,” he told me when asked how he’d done it. “I always _________ to be a writer. It was always in my head.”

Mr. Patterson’s ability to see himself as a writer _________ a concept known as “possible selves”. It describes how people _________ their futures: what they may become, or want to become, or even fear becoming.

The term, __________ in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of some __________ on self-concept and self-perception. A possible self can take you __________ daydreams, which are often fleeting and not necessarily grounded in __________. It can come to fruition (实现) “if you build a __________ from your ‘now’ self to the possible self,” Dr. Markus said.

If you want a change, imagine your possible self and __________.

2 . I was a rising high school junior in the summer of 2021, when I took Philosophy 101 at Lehmon College, a   ____that allows New York City public school students to earn credits. Why philosophy?________, I chose it on impulse (一时冲动). I expected this course to be interesting. I didn’t expect this class, which________me to the words and works of Socrates, Plato and other moral philosophers, to change my________to college education.

But that’s what________. During the second week of class, when we________the work of Socrates, I read Socrates’ words, “The unexamined life is no life for a human being to live”. My eyes________in surprise and my posture was fixed. I read these words over and over until my professor broke my trance (出神、发呆), “Could anyone in the class interpret the_______ of Socrates’ words?”

Then I did my best to explain that the wise philosopher was making a________on how we should live. To me, this meant getting________about all aspects of yourself, putting yourself in academic, social and cultural spaces that will_______ your world view, and being open to personal growth along the way.

After reflecting on the words even after the course was over, I realized Socrates was________meaningful life means a(n)________to exploration. Being immersed in ideas such as Socrates’________me to think about the person I am. I began to see college as a place to gain knowledge and explore my interests,________just fulfill classes.

3 . My father Rong Xing isn’t exactly a good father.

He works very late every night because ________ his job, sometimes even ________ to eat dinner, and gets up ________ as well. Even when he’s at home, he thinks about his work all the time and hardly ever spend any time ________ my mother and me.

As a doctor who graduated (毕业) from a famous ________ before, he could make ________ of money and only do half the work he is doing now, but he chose to do more difficult and important work. He spends less money on himself ________ he makes more. He always wears old, cheap clothes, saying they are ________ and refuses to change. I sometimes get ________ with him for not caring enough about his clothes, but he just smiles and says, “Daddy has more ________ uses for the money, all right? ”

I never stopped being curious (好奇的)________ how he spent his money. Then one day when I was reading the newspaper, a piece of news caught my eyes: “Rong Xing ________ 100, 000 yuan to help   ________ children go back to school.” Then I ________ understood.

My father’s love for others touched me deeply, I started to understand the great ________ and I decided to pass it on.

4 . I wasn’t raised to be a fan of snails (蜗牛). I was always taught that if we see a snail on a plant, we should pick it off and_________on it. This brought us the kind of giggly (咯咯傻笑的) _________that only children experience. We loved it. However, my_________on snails has changed, as I’ve grown older. They bring me a different kind of happiness.

The first time I thought of snails as more than a_________was when I saw something that_________ me in my garden. A small snail, _________a hard shell, moved slowly toward one_________bud and explored it. The exploration lasted for quite a while and, _________enough, the bud turned into a full bloom. Watching the snail carefully touching the flower_________me of the lyric: “Snails see the beauty in every inch.” I realized that the snail is probably a best representation of__________and taking life slowly.

Then, I__________the snail in my palm. It was scared by the sudden move and immediately__________back into its shell. I thought it would__________inside for several minutes, but shortly after gutting used to the takeaway, the snail poked its head out again. It was not just hiding but__________.

Giving ourselves time to nourish (滋养) inside and out, and waiting for the right__________to reenter the exciting life, is extremely restorative and worthwhile.

5 . Sitting outside of my house, I was watching those kids playing in our neighborhood. Then, I saw a five-year-old girl just sitting and watching her siblings________with those other kids. After a while, I________that little girl gradually and asked her why she didn’t________ them, but she just didn’t________me. Instead she smiled at me.

Then I asked her if she knew how to write her name and read. She told me________that she could write her name, but she looked unhappy when she said that she couldn’t read and didn’t know________ how to read a single letter. She didn’t receive any________because of financial problems. I felt________when I heard that. So I told her to get a piece of paper and a pencil. I taught her how to read and pronounce the________. When I saw her smile and happiness after the________ I gave her, I realized that it was the most________ gift that I had ever received.

I didn’t have the________to take my dream course in college-education. However, I am now________ my dream to be a teacher. Even it is not about having the profession or degree, but the ________thing is that I shared my________ with that little girl.

6 . What guides my successful teaching career comes from my Dad’s tire shop. He_________the tire business when I was in high school. I began working for him. Although I had little_________ with things connected with motor vehicles, I_________to learn and work hard. My main motivation was to have customers_________him because of my work ethic (职业道德).

When I was in the shop, I was_________, not sitting around chatting with the other guys. The work was exhausting but_________. I had to remove the tires and_________a new one to the vehicles outside even in the hot summers. Two of my dad’s_________were sanitation (公共卫生)companies. I well remember times when garbage trucks, full of the morning’s collection,_________my dad’s lot with a flat tire on the way to the rubbish dump. It was my job to__________underneath the ill-smelling truck to set the jack, often while a(an)__________liquid fell on me. After a day at the tire shop, I was often__________, covered in dirt.__________, employment in the tire shop afford life lessons in meaning, perseverance, and fulfillment.

Now, whenever I return and visit the tire shop, I__________the cars and trucks I serviced, and the thousands of wheels I fixed. More importantly, I also remember the great feeling of__________that accompanies honest labor, no matter where it is accomplished.

7 . After twenty-two years raising three children, I was introduced to a concept: the empty nest. Apparently, this was now my time to ________ into new experiences. Why, then was I not excited, but ________?

For a job opportunity, my husband and I moved to another state. One day, I discovered a trail only a short ________ from our apartment, I was thrilled and began to use it regularly. The trail meandered along a river lined with bushes and towering trees. Ducks ________ on the riverbanks; Canada geese flew overhead; small rabbits bounded across the pathway, ________ into the bushes. These small peaceful scenes provided me with a(n) ________, but only slightly lifted me out of my loneliness.

Still, I continued to walk the path. I ________ something new: couples, young and old, holding hands, chatting as they walked; a father ________his daughter to ride her two-wheeler; a woman doing Tai Chi. They all ________the trail. I became fascinated with the lives of these strangers, yet still wondering if any of them feel ________?

One morning, an elderly woman holding the handles of her walker came into view. She sailed by me in the ________direction like a marathon runner. I turned around to catch another glimpse of this one-woman wonder. She was ________moving forward, not letting anything hold her back. That’s when it ________me. Nobody was.

As I walked toward my car, remembering the elderly woman’s energy and ________, I made a decision. I would fill my empty nest with ________. I was ready for the bright future that stretched before me.

8 . We had two adorable cats named Boo and Scout. Scout ate anything we gave and _________ spending his days in the comfortable couch (长沙发) while Boo was _________ in food and more adventurous. Moreover, Boo was more observant, and he _________ to learn skills very quickly.

Though Boo had his daily outdoor _________, he always returned home at night to sleep in the basement with Scout. Our basement was _________ from the rest of the house by a heavy door. In the morning, I found it difficult to know when Boo was ready to venture outside or when Scout was ready to test the _________ of the couch. Both cats would sit quietly behind the door _________ I happened to remember them or opened the door for some reason.

To deal with the door problem, I bought a cat bell with a button. I tried to _________ Boo and Scout to press the button to make a ringing sound when they wanted out. I assumed that Boo would grasp the _________ quickly, but I wasn’t sure if Scout would understand.

__________, within a week, Scout learned to ring the bell. When I heard the __________, I’d open the door. However, despite my best __________, Boo wanted to do nothing with the bell. He would always __________ the door to be opened.

Fortunately, the two cats __________ the door dilemma on their own. Somehow, Boo __________ to rub noses with Scout when he wanted to go outside and Scout would ring the bell for Boo.

9 . Mother has just taken her temperature—over 38℃. She’s got the bug that’s going around. It’s right after lunch. The older children are at school, and the_________is sleeping. There’s no     _________why Mother cannot go to bed. But first she has a few things to do. Leave a _________for the cleaners.Put in the next load of washing._________the garbage.

At last she_________into bed. Ah-h-h-h! Her aching_________ stretch out comfortably under the cover. Her burning eyes_________. Then, suddenly, the front door bangs open as the children_________ home from school. Without finding their _________mum as usual, they cried out “Mum!” Mother tries to answer but their cries__________out her weak calls. Soon they find her—in bed. “I’m sick,” she says. “I can’t do anything. I’ll just have to __________it all to you.” She sighs. The children then rush out like __________ going into battle. Then father comes back and joins them.

__________in her room, it is clear to mother that the family is eating dinner__________she lies there sick and alone. She feels left out and__________. Then there is a crash and noise until, finally, the children appear, smiling.

“Can we stay with you? And the kitchen is a__________. And nobody knows where the broom is.” “Mum, I sure wish you’d get better.It’s just no__________when you’re sick.” says the boy, “I hope you feel better tomorrow. We miss you.”

__________, mother notices that her aches and pains are gone. So you see how it is with mothers. Other people have the 24-hour bug for 24 hours. But not a mother. If she feels __________enough,she can get over it in 12 hours or __________!

10 . If you’re a parent, you know how important it is to develop a child’s creativity.

Joe Whale’s mom and dad have always seen the _________ in their son. _________, at 6 years old, Joe began drawing and fell in love with it. Since then, his family has _________ the creative outlet (释放)—even after he started getting into trouble for it.

When _________ about Joe’s doodling (涂鸦) began coming in from teachers at his school in Shrewsbury, England, the 9-year-old’s parents weren’t upset. They _________ that doodling was Joe’s way to express himself. So rather than _________ him for not paying attention, they sent him to an after-school art class.

_________ his artwork, his after-school teacher began sharing it on Instagram, where Joe’s _________ caught the attention of local restaurant Number Four. The staff thought his style was a perfect _________ for the cafe, so they reached out to see if Joe wanted to help __________ their dining room. When Joe heard about the __________, he leapt at the __________ to do it.

The __________ became Joe’s new after-school activity—and his first __________! He spent a couple of hours every weekday filling the restaurant’s walls with his art. Joe’s dad Greg said it took him about 12 hours to __________.

“Joe loves doodling, and we’re so __________ of everything he’s achieving,” Greg said. “The fact that a completely independent __________ has asked our 9-year-old son to do a professional piece of work for them is __________.”

__________, Joe has a bright future ahead of him! This job is just the first of many __________ more and more people can commission (正式委托创作) pieces through his website, and we can’t wait to see them!