1 . We moved there on my third birthday. My first ________ is our neighbor Arlene handing me strawberries from her garden through a hole in the chain-link fence. She and her husband, Bill, lived next door.

One day, my parents asked Bill and Arlene whether they’d watch me ________ they were out on a date. This ________ well for everyone, so it became a somewhat monthly occurrence. Arlene and Bill didn’t have kids. They had a ________ room in their house, which became “my” room. I had a cabinet and boxes of toys and books in that room, Arlene and I would do crafts together. Bill taught me how to ________ the lawn tractor and eventually a car (stick and automatic).

When I was about five, I had an idea. My parents were watching TV when I spit it out: “What if I adopt Bill and Arlene as my ________?” My parents said I could go over and ask them. I ________ on Bill and Arlene’s door, sat down in their living room, and said, “Will you guys be my grandparents?” They started crying and ________ accepted. Soon after, they printed out an adoption ________, and it hung on their living room wall from then on.

I remember being surprised that they took my ________ so seriously —not because I wasn’t serious but because I was just a kid. They could have ________ it off. Thinking of that moment still brings tears to my eyes. There is something truly magnificent about a child offering up her love and ________ being so excited to accept it. Every child in this world ________ enthusiastically responded love.

Arlene passed away in 2013, two days before our adoption anniversary. Bill gave her eulogy (悼词). At the end, he said, “Arlene ________ her husband, Bill. And the greatest joy of her life, her granddaughter, Katie.”

After the funeral, Bill gave me the ring he’d gifted to Arlene on their 25th wedding anniversary. It’s a simple gold band that I wear on my ring finger as a ________ of the kind of love I wish to put into this world.

2 . On our first anniversary, Jack bought a bottle of Casaque, an expensive cologne(古龙香水for me. “We agreed to save the money for your postgraduate education”, I said somewhat half-heartedly as I took it out from a beautifully-wrapped packet. “I am unable not to give something_________to the world’s most beautiful bride, honey! ”I held it to my_________, and smelled the most pleasant flavor I could ever_________. Looking down at my_________blue jeans and ugly, ragged tennis shoes, I wondered if I could ever be worthy of it. But I would_________.I used only a little of it every time _________Jack graduated and our life was financially easier. It’s a _________ the foolish love of a young husband.

Then one day three-year-old Jim was sitting on the floor_________the empty cologne bottle His lips wet, he was making a( n ) _________face. He drank my __________cologne! ”Jack; come quick, ’I cried, “Can cologne__________ my baby? Jim drank the rest of it!” “It’s mostly just alcohol, honey,” Jack __________ me. Little Jim was fine, and my concern for my child was __________. I now felt __________to see the empty cologne bottle.

A few weeks later, Jack bought another bottle of my beloved cologne. I__________ it as much as I had done to the earlier one. __________, it became three-quarters empty. I thought it best to buy another __________.But the shop assistant told me that there wasn’t even a maker of that brand any more.

Now I only use my special cologne on very important occasions, because there will be __________ to replace it when these last few precious __________ are gone. But from the bottom of my heart it’, not three-quarters empty but still one-quarter full. Perhaps if I’m very careful, I can __________using it for the rest of my life.

4 . 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.

5 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.

6 . I was said to be the worst student in my class and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to _______ sixth grade. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school.

One day after class, she _______ that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a _______ conversation. After that day, she gave me particular _______ and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that _______ believed me. So my _______ started to improve in her subject.

Months later, she moved into a house near my _______. We would walk home together after school. Her constant support helped me, _______ in my studies. I knew she would _______ my grades both in her subject and the other subjects. So I tried my best and finally ________ second in my class.

Then, after sixth grade, she started to drift apart (逐渐疏远) ________   still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in seventh grade, we ________ spoke. But by then I had become the ________ in my class. When I left school, I lost ________ with her, as she never answered the ________ when I called her.

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths ________ again. I met her at a wedding. I could not ________ asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?”

“Yon are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree ________ on your own roots, not depending on others. Now here you are and I feel ________ of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to ________ a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.

7 . I was a shy girl and I was afraid to talk to people I didn’t know. I enjoyed the______of exploring nature. ______, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My ______ was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was ______ good grades. My only failure was Spanish—I’d get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the ______ part.

Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had ______ of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for ______ on the local classical music radio station. I had ______ listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

I had no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of ______ thousands of listeners in “radio land” terrified me. However, I ______ survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies (交响乐) and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers’ names to ______. It wasn’t hard for me. I left the recording session (录音场次) with a sense of relief and a sense of ______. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a ______ job, but I grew to ______ it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I’m ______ basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my ______ nature that helps draw people out when they respond to my questions when I ______   them. My former shyness is a ______, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the ______ found in nature. But I’m also glad I decided to make a ______ in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.

9 . 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.