2 . Not long ago I saw the following headline: “Anti-homework trend goes global.”

Anti-homework? Where was this trend when I was in school? And if I tried to “forget” that English ________ or history report, my dad was there to ________ me: “Don’t you have homework to do?” In short, my teachers and my parents put great ________ on the significance of homework.

No longer. From what I have read, there are powerful parental forces ________ to make homework a thing of the past. The reasoning: It stresses children and it ________ “precious family time.” As a teacher, one of the problems I often encounter is that students ________ far too little importance to their studies.

When I was a kid, homework ________ created precious family time. I still remember, after supper, clearing the table and ________ the dishes with my schoolbooks. And then my parents would sit down with me and, to the best of their ________ , help me when and where they could.

I’ve often thought that the homework problem could be ________ if one thought of homework in terms of learning to play a musical instrument. For me, this was the clarinet (单簧管), which I began learning at age 9. “Practice an hour a day,” was Mr. Markiewicz’s no-nonsense ________ .

Because my ________ was strong, I did practice an hour a day, and I made great progress. And so let’s get rid of homework, but only the word “homework,” and replace it with “________ ”. As a teacher, it’s all I ask: that my students listen ________ in class and then go home to practice, so that when they return to me to show how much they understand, I — and their parents — can be proud of them.

What could be ________ than that?

3 . It was December 2022. I was finishing up my Ph. D. in the United Kingdom, and a professor I admired invited me to interview for a position in his lab in Japan. The interview went well. I was sure everything would go _________ in 2023.

Then, in April, my mother told me about some strange symptoms she was _________. “Have you submitted your thesis (毕业论文) yet?” she asked me. “Almost, Mom,” I said. She seemed to be _________. But I was buried in finishing my experiments, so I brushed away my _________. A week later, the doctors had an update: It was lung cancer. During the next 2 months, I was _________ between my research and my family as I prepared for my defense, _________ for mid-July. My Ph. D. supervisor (导师) encouraged me to take all the time I needed to be with my mom, but my _________ always pulled me back to the lab. In the meantime, cancer had spread throughout my mother’s body.

Yet my scientific _________ still occupied me. I was set to attend a conference in New Zealand in early July. But on my way to the _________, I got the news that my mother had 1 or 2 years left. So I flew back to Madrid instead. I __________ my Ph. D. defense. Meanwhile—in just 3 weeks—the rest of my mother’s life was changed to 1 year, then months, weeks, days. Cancer __________ my mother at the end of July. I am always __________ for losing precious time with my mother. I had never slowed down before, knowing what it takes to secure an academic __________. Losing my mother put things into perspective for me. I saw the humane side of science in the __________ and flexibility offered by my Ph. D. supervisor. And the work I missed felt __________. I defended my thesis in September and moved to Tokyo later.

Please, take my advice: If your loved ones need you now, be there for them.

4 . Have you ever felt the need to grab a pen and start writing your thoughts on paper? Words — beautiful and fascinating. But you know what is better than putting your imagination somewhere? In my case, to win the competition for the best novelist.

That was a small tournament organized by my school annually to _________ our creative writing and vivid imagination. Since I had a burning passion for _________, I decided to show my power. I thought no one could _________ me.

I finished a long story and e-mailed it. As I _________ the email every day, my eyes were wandering to _________ the line “Congratulations! It is a great pleasure to inform you that…” _________, no such thing came.

I was not accepted. I _________ my abilities. The next day at school, I tried my best to be _________, avoiding the usual contact. But in the corridor, I _________ Stacy Williams, my school rival. Could she be the __________? I started walking sneakily. In class, I was just looking out of the window at the __________ clouds which were a reflection of my soul.

Thankfully, a film that night — Forrest Gump lifted my __________. I wouldn’t let a stupid competition __________ my future. I could win on the next one or even at a better tournament. The important thing was to __________ my head and face my challenges without losing hope when everything seemed __________.

9 . Ten years ago I adopted my dog Rudy from a shelter just days before they were going to euthanize (使安乐死) him. We’ve had a special ________ ever since.

I’ve found his ________ really meaningful. Every night I get in my bed and he gets in his doggy bed right next to mine. But a year ago suddenly Rudy ________. Every night when I got in bed he’d jump up on my ________ and start licking (舔) my face. I’d get ________ and make him get off but the next night he’d do it again.

I was considering taking him to obedience (驯服) school when I suddenly ________ that he was licking the same spot on my jaw over and over again. I ________   my jaw and it seemed okay but it was so ________ for my dog that I decided to just trust him. I made an appointment with the ________ and felt silly telling her why I came in but she agreed to do some ________ . It turns out I had a tumor (肿瘤) in my jaw. It couldn’t be felt from the ________ but somehow Rudy knew it was there. I’m doing much ________ now but the doctors said if I’d ________ until the tumor was big enough to be felt, it’s likely I would have ________ . I saved my dog’s life and now he’s   ________   mine!

10 . I think we should try to find a happy memory, something to lift us on those unpleasant days. I’m saying this because I think I have just found mine.

I had some work in Glasgow then. I was on a really _________ schedule, which meant I would have no time for myself all day. I was having one of those days, when the train was completely _________ and the conversation around me seemed to be particularly meaningless. Besides, I had a bit of headache. Walking quickly across the station hall, I fished some _________ from my pocket. There was usually someone at the exit selling The Big Issue (a magazine that helps homeless folk earn a living).

As the crowd parted ways at the bottom of the hall, I saw someone selling The Big Issue. She really looked like she had been sleeping _________ . Her clothes were _________ and she obviously hadn’t had a scrub (擦洗) for quite a while.

As I _________ the exit, I saw that she was also _________ from side to side. At first I thought she was trying to keep _________ against the biting wind. But she wasn’t. She was moving in time to a _________. I couldn’t hear her, but I could see her lips moving.

When I got closer, I saw a white __________ hanging from her elbow and noticed that she had sunken eyes. She was __________ , dirty and living on the streets. I came closer and through the noise of the traffic I could hear her __________ the immortal (不朽的) line, “... And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”

I bought her last magazine for twice what I had originally __________. She thanked me and __________ her belongings and went tapping off along the pavement-still singing. So, I have my happy __________ for that day, and I think it will stay with me for a long, long time.