1 . When I was a teenager, I was invited to a formal dance party. I was _________, but also nervous about what to wear. Mom suggested I wear high heels (高跟鞋).

“Mom, I don’t know if I can wear these,” I said, feeling _________. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Just take small _________ and keep your weight centered,” she suggested.

As I arrived at the party, I tried to be _________ and act like everything was fine. But _________ struck when I stepped onto the dance floor. I _________ my own feet, falling to the ground in front of everyone.

I quickly got up and laughed it off, pretending like it was _________. But deep down, I felt like a tomato, wanting to _________.

My friend Lilly helped me _________ that incident and managed me another high heels as a support so that nobody would understand my hesitation. But a little bit __________ continued in my mind.

When I returned home, I told Mom I felt like a complete __________ at the party. “It’s okay. You tried something new, and it didn’t go as __________. But that’s how we learn and grow. Don’t be too __________ on yourself and wear what you feel __________ in,” Mom said, giving me a hug.

From that day forward, I stuck to flat shoes. I learned to __________ my true self and not worry about what others thought.

2 . It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a _______ in the waiting area,_______ him it would be at least 40 minutes_________someone would be able to see him. I saw him_______his watch and decided, since I was_______busy—my patient didn’t_______ at the appointed hour, I would examine his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment. The gentleman said no and told me that he_______to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his_________. He told me that she had been_________for a while and that she had a special disease. I asked if she would be____________if he was a bit late. He replied that she __________ knew who he was, that she had not been able to __________ him for five years now. I was____________, and asked him, “And you__________go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled and said. “She doesn’t know me but I know who she is”. I had to hold back __________ as he left.            

Now I __________ that in marriages, true love is____________of all that is. The happiest people don’t__________have the best of everything, they just__________the best of everything they have. ____________isn’t about how to live through the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

3 . The expression, “Everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ______ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.

People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ______ that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ______, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine” when a stranger asks “How are you?” even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) ______ aspect to this: It helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ______ day-to-day interaction between people.

For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ______: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ______ their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that _______criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ______ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can’t afford in an effort to ______ the peers.

However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at contests may be ________ to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ______ can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.

Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ______ that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ______ is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ______ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.

4 . When I was in high school, I watched as many of my friends got excited about applying to universities, eagerly waited for the results, and happily shared which four-year university they were going to attend.

I never experienced anything like that, because I was going to a community college, a place I’ve _______ a lot. It’s a place for people who aren’t sure what they want to do or those who were not _______ in high school. I felt some jealousy when my friends went away to universities. In the end, _______, the community college turned out to be a great place for me.

I _______ English as my main subject, and many of my professors were writers who were passionate about what they were doing. My class was _______, with only 16 students, and it allowed me to get close to my professors and get   _______ regularly. Having professors who really knew me brought _______ like being able to edit the magazine, organize poetry readings, and be _______ in writing competitions on campus. Although in the first year I sometimes felt _______ for not having the traditional university experience, I was so glad that I was close to home to have the ________   of my family.

I got all of my units done quickly and was able to graduate a term earlier, which ________ me a large amount of money and time. I’m so ________ that I can get a jump on finishing college, stay close to my family and have ________ relationships with professors. I got a good education and was ________ prepared for my work. There are many ways to finish school, and everyone has to decide what’s the ________ for them.

5 . I’m proud of myself for this kindness I did last night. I did it ______ and did the right thing. However, I was unwilling to share, because by sharing I am also sharing the ______ and more self-centered side of myself.

It was last night and I ______my shift at work. It was late and I wanted to go straight home. On my way out of the door I noticed a fellow staff member and colleague. She doesn’t have a ______and usually either catches a taxi home or ______for an hour waiting for another staff member and friend of hers to finish work.

In the past I’ve ______ to drive her home as she ______ on my side of town. But last night I really did not want to. I wanted to drive straight home, alone. And I did not have to make “small talk”．

So I tried to ______ her, walking past her, heading down, and stealing out (偷溜) to the ______without letting her see me and ______ without offering her a lift.

Yet, something in myself was stopping me. Something in myself made me look at her and put myself in her shoes. She had young   ______ who she wanted to go home to attend to and, she could go home right now ______ I took her, not an hour later when the other staff member and friend of hers who was taking her. So I offered. She ______. And of course, she was extremely   ______．

Well, I learned a great ______ last night about not being so self-­centered and selfish!

6 . Yesterday, a salesman called me to sell his phone plans. I was at work and while I usually don’t like spending time on those things, I _________ myself that I couldn’t talk yet and _________that he call me back at 6 pm.

That’s what he did. So we talked about 20 minutes. He _________ to me his different phone plans. While listening to him, sometimes I was _________in my thoughts. I gave several “hmm hmm”, as a sign of agreement and to _________that I was still there. Sometimes, I felt a bit_________. But I stayed calm and _________ until the end of the discussion.

Finally, he said the following to me: “Thank you, Olivier. You are the first person in a long time with whom I had an enjoyable conversation. _________, people shout at us and slam down the phone. Today, since 10 am, I hadn’t had a phone _________ without an offense (触怒). I know you had a long day at work and you could have __________ in front of your TV. But you listened so carefully to me. I am __________ and I sincerely thank you.”

It set me thinking. He had been the __________ of verbal violence (语言暴力) all through his working day. Physical __________ do not exist in this situation but dehumanization (非人性) seems to happen. __________, he was only doing his job. I felt a sense of __________ that I hadn’t treated him so rudely.

7 . My husband, our children and I have had wonderful camping experiences over the past ten years.

Some of our _______ are funny, especially from the early years when our children were little. Once, we _______ along Chalk Creek. I was _______ that our 15-month-old boy would fall into the creek (小溪). I tied a rope around his waist to keep him near to our spot. That lasted about ten minutes. He was _______, and his crying let the whole campground know it. So _______ tying him up, I just kept a close eye on him. It _______ — he didn’t end up in the creek. My three-year-old, however, did.

Another time, we rented a boat in Vallecito Lake. The sky was clear when we _______, but storms move in fast in the mountains, and this one quickly _______ our peaceful morning trip. The _______ picked up and thunder rolled. My husband stopped fishing to ____________ the motor. Nothing. He tried again. No ____________. We were stuck in the middle of the lake with a dead motor. As we all sat there ____________, a fisherman pulled up, threw us a rope and towed (拖) us back. We were ____________.

Now, every year when my husband pulls our camper out of the garage, we are filled with a sense of ____________, wondering what camping fun and ____________ we will experience next.

9 . If you want to learn a new language, the very first thing to think about is why. Do you need it for a _______ reason, such as your job or your studies? _______ perhaps you are interested in the _______, films or the music of a different country and you know how much it will help to have a _______ of the language.

Most people learn best using a variety of _______, but traditional classes are an ideal (理想的)start for many people. They _______ an environment where you can practice under the _______ of someone who’s good at the language. We all lead _______ lives and learning a language takes _______. You will have more success if you study regularly, so try to develop a ________. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long. Becoming fluent in a language will take years, but learning to get by takes ________.

Many people start learning a language and soon give up. “I’m too ________,” they say. Yes, children do learn languages more ________ than adults, but research has shown that you can learn a language at any ________. And learning is good for the health of your brain, too. I’ve also heard people ________ about the mistakes they make when ________. Well, relax and laugh about your mistakes ________ you’re much less likely to make them again.

Learning a new language is never ________. But with some work and devotion, you’ll make progress. And you’ll be ________ by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ________ own language. Good luck!

10 . My father sold everything we owned, took all the money and disappeared from our life. My mother suddenly found herself _________ to care for five boys. I worried about the situation, but my mother stayed _________, and assured us that she would keep us together as a _________safe from harm. Although small in size, she could _________ heavy horse-drawn ploughs (犁). Besides, she found time to help us with homework.

As Christmas _________, my mother didn’t seem to smile as much. I _________she had no money to buy us presents. Considering myself practically grown, I hid my_________.

One day, my mother took a saw(锯) into the forest and _________ with some tree branches. She left them in the barn(畜棚) and did not tell her _________ children what they were for. She worked on her project__________ I was in school, but I looked __________ into the barn whenever I had a chance. Several days later, I still couldn’t __________ her purpose. When later I saw she used nails and paint, I __________ that she must be making presents.

By Christmas week, my mother was her __________ happy self again. Her project was apparently __________, and she obviously kept it secret because I’d looked everywhere without __________.

On Christmas Eve, I lay awake for a long time,__________ Christmas morning.

The next morning, my mother handed out the handmade presents happily in front of her delighted kids. Many difficult years would follow that particular Christmas, but I never again doubted my mother’s __________ to care for us. We were never hungry, and she made sure we got a(n)__________ in school. She taught us to have faith in our own abilities. That faith __________ me still.