1 . I have a degree in business. But it was my father’s _________ for me to seek to attain a business major. He thought that having a business major would guarantee (保证) me more available choices and make me more _________ in entering a global labor market. I _________ his advice. However, even though my college experiences were _________, I had no interest in any field of commerce, let alone having a long-term career as a businesswoman.

After I _________, I worked as a marketing planner at a computer company. My _________ and working environment were great; yet I still didn’t feel happy doing something that had little _________ for me. After two months of working there, I made up my mind to _________ and decided to do what I love, namely teaching history. I have now been doing this job for over twenty years. I am _________ of being with my students.

If you are in a __________ where you don’t love what you are learning or doing, please ask yourself what you are really __________ about, and what you truly want for your life. Don’t __________ to get yourself a quick answer. Take some time to think about what career could bring __________ to you.

I like this motto “Success is not the key to happiness. __________ happiness is the key to success.”

Happiness __________ the inside of you, not from the outside. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

2 . When two ninth-graders discovered smoke storming out of their school bus early Tuesday morning, their bus driver knew just what to do. Thanks to her   _________ reaction, a terrible tragedy was   _________.

When _________ a group of 56 students to their school in Duncan, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Teresa Stroble noticed the heavy _________ rising from the back of her bus. She immediately pulled the bus over, evacuated the students as soon as possible, and _________ the transportation office to call 911. Firefighters arrived at the scene _________ after the fire began and quickly _________ the fire, which CBS News reports was so _________ that people were able to feel its heat inside their cars. Parents of the children on the bus were _________ the fire, but thanks to Stroble, the news they __________ was all good. Not a __________ child had been hurt in spite of the fierce flame. Since then Stroble has been __________ for her brave deeds. “We are so __________ of our bus driver, ” headmaster Scott Turner told CBS News. “She was calm and kept the students calm, too. She made sure they were safe. She __________have everything under control eventually. She is our __________ today. ”

Having __________ the fire scene, the local fire department is still uncertain what __________ the fire, but some say that this 1995 bus has been known to have __________ and electrical problems. However, we were so happy that Stroble was able to __________ on her feet and keep everyone safe and __________ .

3 . I was about to explain the meaning of the word “gossamer (小蜘蛛网)” to my five­-year­-old students. We were learning a poem. I _______ because one of them was waving his hand at me.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Once I got caught in a spider web _______ I didn’t see it,” the boy said.

“That’s gossamer!” I shouted, nearly jumping up. “Gossamer things are hard to see.” Gossamer is also how I might describe the voices of _______ young children. I can only hear them when I am close enough. They are not the children speaking with ease. They are the children whose faces turn _______ if I call on them, or who whisper (低语) “I don’t know” even when they do _______. I don’t want them to _______. I want them to be comfortable being _______.

Shy children usually have less practice in speaking, especially when there are other more children _______ to talk. It’s a loud world. Though shy children may appear _______ to be in the background, they are losing opportunities to participate. Without practice, fear of speaking ________.

It takes about three weeks, a small bit of ________ each day, for each of my 17 students to learn a poem. So far, they have memorized more than five. And now, an obvious ________ has happened. The “shyest” children are as eager to read aloud as the ________ ones.

Practice is an excellent way to increase ________ of shy children while learning a poem. And it is practice that makes them enjoy the ________ of the language.

4 . One day I took a bus with my girlfriend. It was so ________ that we stood for several stops until a vacant seat was ________ for her.

Then a pretty girl rushed towards me, saying, “Hi, where are you going?” I was so struck by the stranger that I had a hard time trying to ________ her. Clearly she had taken me ________ somebody else. I returned her greeting with politeness, ________ to give explanation to my girlfriend later.

Noticing my dialogue with somebody else, my girlfriend ________ her eyes and found she was pretty. She asked jealously, “Who’s she?” The pretty girl, quite ________ of the situation, spoke out first, “Hi, let me ________ myself. I’m Nancy, used to be ________. Very glad to meet you.” She behaved very ________.

But I was ________ to search in my memory for someone called Nancy among my neighbors. I was worrying how to explain this to my girlfriend ________ the pretty girl again turned to me, “Will you give me your cell phone number so that we ________ keep contacts later?” I had to submit to her ________. Then the girl got off the bus at the next stop.

A minute later I got a short ________ on my phone — from a stranger. My girlfriend ________ my phone and read the note. It was from the girl, who said, “Just now, two thieves tried to ________ your pocket. I had to act as an acquaintance (熟人) to draw your attention. I should have left at the ________ stop but gave up as I noticed these two thieves also ________ to leave at the same stop. Because of the ________ I delayed my departure. Now you’ll understand all I have done to you. Wish you luck.”

5 . I remember one of my last few years at an amusement park. I spent five years working at a booth (摊位) across from a (n) ________ comedian.

His name was Moonie. He was ________   amazing, and his act was done by using gestures instead of words. I remember watching his shows and always being ________. Even when the audience wasn’t ________, or he was having a bad day, he always ________ to keep things funny and fresh. That’s a very hard thing.

When I heard it would be his last year that he performed at the amusement park, I wanted to ________ him for all the amazing shows he had done. He was ________ with the crowd after one of his last shows of the day. As each person dropped a ________ into his basket, he was pointing at them with a huge smile and saying “No, you’re the ________!” to each one.

I ________ him and dropped a twenty-dollar bill into his basket. He turned to me, smiling very brightly, and said,“No, you’re the greatest!” I ________ him directly and stopped him, saying,“No, Moonie, you are the greatest! I have been ________ your shows for five years from that booth right over there. And I just want to say thank you for the years of amazing ________ that you have given me.”

The look on his face said that he was truly touched by that ________. He asked to shake my hand. I accepted and we shared a moment of mutual (相互的) ________ and gratitude.

7 . For my daughter’s 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn’t really have the ___________ but we knew how much this band meant to her.

The night before she was like a ___________ at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to sit with us, because she couldn’t speak. On the night of the concert it was good to see her so ___________ and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.

Needless (不必要) to say when they ___________ after midnight, with T-shirts and lots of pictures of the band, caring for her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well ___________. This will be a memory she would never forget, and nor would we.

_________ full of excitement from the night before, the following day they continued to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I laughed, loving the fact that she had not ___________ that quality as she grew up.

Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a ___________ each. On each present were the words “Because you are the ___________ mum/dad in the world.” When we expressed our thanks and told her she didn’t have to, we asked her why she had bought us gifts. Her answer was simply “Just because I love you.”

This wasn’t something ordinary from our daughter; she had always given us gifts when she wanted to express her ____________, and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn’t have mattered, and it was the act itself and the feelings behind it.

10 . I was about to get on a plane after a trip. Honestly speaking, the trip was very _______ and exhausting. To make things worse, I had a middle seat in Zone 5, where they_______ the baggage(行李) because there wasn’t much room in the overhead bins (行李架).

I had to ask the flight attendant(服务员) if I could _______ my seat. Trying to be _______, she asked if I was willing to sit in an exit row(出口排). “Yes, sure!” I _______responded, full of hope. But a moment later, she told me that row might not be _______. I could only accept the reality.

Suddenly I heard her offer two seats in the exit row _______a young couple next to me. I was filled with _______that I was ready to get up and _______ with her. I wondered how she could _______ me and then go to help others. I was about to shout at her,_______my good sense won. For that belief moment, I tried to comfort myself. “If you are impatient, you’ll make a _______ of yourself.” Then though I was still annoyed, I managed to _______.

With about 5 minutes to board, when I was worried about how to keep my _______, the attendant handed a new ticket to me. “Is this for the _______ seat?” I asked. “No, it isn’t,” she responded. “Once in a while I’m able to do this and I’m glad it has _______ this time.” I glanced down﹣business class, Seat 2F﹣no charge! I was very _______ for that and I felt relived that I had _______ my anger. I do know even if I shouted at the attendant, she would _______try hard to help me, because she seemed very responsible. Now I realize that it is always important to show _______ and understanding for others in life.