4 . It was 1994, and I was a 19-year-old student in my third year at Western University in London, Ontario. I had _________ a course in the Department of English taught by one Donald S. Hair.

A few weeks into the class, the professor _________ our first test. I didn’t think I had anything to worry about — until he handed my exam back the following week with a 67 written on it in red ink.

Sixty-seven! I’d never received such a low mark. I was dependent on a _________, and any grade below 80 put my future in trouble. My seatmate’s annoyed expression suggested her mark had been painful too. We _________ silently: Professor Hair was an old weirdo (怪人)! How dare he _________ our GPAs? What was the old boy’s problem, anyway?

But the real problem was this: He was right. I knew it as soon as I’d _________ off and taken the time to digest his _________. My writing was careless, my understanding of key concepts _________. Like many of my partners, I was used to earning top grades. Now, for the first time, a teacher had introduced an uncomfortable question. Were we actually “_________” them?

The next day, I went to his office. With burning cheeks, I told him I knew I’d __________ the exam. To my childish __________, he wasn’t a “weirdo” in the least. He was funny, warm and __________ patient. He assured me if I worked hard, I’d achieve my __________ in the course, and he’d be available to help me.

I went away, reading and reading some more. The more I read, the more interesting his classes became, and soon, his complex, absorbing lectures were the __________ of my week. I spared no effort in that course. The grade I earned in his class was the lowest I’d received that year. But I had earned that grade. Nearly 30 years later, I’m still __________ of that.

5 . There are many things parents can do to help children with autism (自闭症) overcome their challenges. Learning all you can about autism and getting _________ in treatment will go a long way toward helping your child.

Stay consistent (一致的). Children with autism have a hard time _________ what they have learned if there is a change of setting. For example, your child may use sign language at school to communicate, but never think to do so at home. Creating _________ in your child’s enviropment is the best way to promote learning. Find out what your child’s therapists are doing and continue their techniques at home. Explore the _________ of having treatment take place in more than one place in order to encourage your child to _________ what he or she has learned from one environment to another. It’s also important to be consistent in the way you _________ with your child and deal with challenging behaviors.

_________ a schedule. Children with autism tend to do best when they have a highly-organized schedule. Again, this goes back to the consistency they both need and desire. Set up a schedule for your child, with _________ times for meals, therapy, school and bedtime. Try to keep interruption to this routine to a(n) _________. If there is an unavoidable schedule change, prepare your child for it __________.

__________ good behavior. Positive encouragement can go a long way, so make an effort to “catch them doing something good.” Praise them when they act sensibly or learn a new skill, being very __________ about what behavior they are being praised for.

Pay attention to your child’s sensitivities. Many children with autism are “hypersensitive” to light, sound, touch and smell. Other children with autism are “under-sensitive” to sensory stimuli. __________ what sights, sounds, smell and movements cause your kid’s troublesome behavior and what brings about a(n) __________ response. If you understand what affects your child, you’ll be better at solving problems, preventing situations that cause difficulties, and creating __________ experiences.

6 . In the dining room of my grandfather’s house stood a large clock. When I was a child, the old clock interested me very much. I was surprised at how the clock would chime (敲响) three times, six times or more, with a wonderful _______sound. I often _______ it instead of the _______ when I had meals. And always the clock stood like an old family _______, watching the family. I found the clock comforting and _________. Year after year, the clock became a part of my _______.

It was even more wonderful to me when my grandfather carefully wound that clock with a special key each day. The key was magic to me. It kept the clock running. It kept the clock chiming. How did it do that? I watched as my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the door in the old clock and used the key to wind it. He never let that clock wind down and stop. When I got a little older, he _______me how to open the door, and let me wind the clock myself. I remember the first time I did, I felt so _______.

After my grandfather passed away, every time I saw the clock, I couldn’t help _______. Never could I see ________again. The hands on the clock were ________. It stopped. I took the key with my shaking hand and opened the door. All of a sudden, I was a child again, ________my grandfather. He was there,________me. I stood there, lost in the memories. Then ________ and carefully, I wound the clock. Tick-tock, tick-tock… The dining room and the ________ seemed to be filled with life. In the image of the clock, my grandfather also lived again.

8 . A few years ago, I walked into Panera and placed my order. After I paid and filled my plastic cup with water, I walked further into the cafe. As I sat down, I ________ an older man eating his soup alone. The chair in his front was ________: he wasn’t saving the seat. He was genuinely eating all alone. As this fact settled in, a feeling of sadness began to ________ me. Why was he eating alone? Was he lonely?

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt ________ when spotting someone eating alone. I ________ assume they’re lonely and need someone to be there for them. For some reason, eating with others is the ________. Modern society has evolved to the point ________ most people do almost every activity together. If we’re getting lunch after class, we’d rather ________ to see if someone will come with us. But is it possible we just don’t want to appear lonely?

Many people are always ________ someone else, and that may make people think we always need someone with us to feel ________ about ourselves. But that’s not true. We can enjoy being alone— not everyone needs to be ________ surrounded by friends to be happy. And we shouldn’t be ________ to eat alone if that’s what we want to do.

I don’t think I’ll ever not get sad if I see someone eating alone, but I’ll ________ in mind that maybe they just want a ________ from the world, or maybe they prefer it that way. It’s important to ________ seeing someone doing something alone doesn’t always mean they’re lonely.

10 . My friendship with the students in a primary school in Uganda started on a shaky ground. The ________ of not being understood was hidden within, for they spoke a language different from that of mine and mine too fell on ________ ears.

I greeted them with a broad smile, and they replied with ice cold ________ when I spoke further. A ________ echoed (回响) in my mind: you must live through it to get to them. So I gave it another try. I spoke ________ English with hand gestures and a bit of dancing. If all failed, the smile would ________. Soon we picked up and then the _______ of the learners came into play. At the mention of a name, reddish cheeks and shaking voices were the response I got. I decided to ________ a desk with a team each day during group work to get closer. After school, I ________ them home.

________, we became friends. They were even aware of my favorite fruit, avocado (牛油果). If I didn’t get one on my desk, it would ________ me wherever I was. My slippers were ________. One night I left them out as no one could steal a pair of slippers in that state. The next morning, I was ready to drag my slippers on as usual and I was surprised they had been ________. Wow!

The little things we do for each other bring us great joy and ________. We don’t have a proper spoken language, but we are fluent in the language of ________.