1 . In present times, stress is one of the major causes of mental illness and physical illness. Stress is no _________ to us. Everybody has met and experienced it. It lives in our homes, workplaces, and _________ follows us wherever we go, in some form or other. But do you know why you can’t _________ it?

You get stressed because you _________ to get stressed. This is ridiculous (荒谬的), you might say. You’re right. Who would _________ that stress is a choice that we make? And why in the world would we choose stress? Well, it is because we do not realize that we’re doing that. It happens _________. Choosing stress is easy, but the other way around is a _________ task.

Most of us would take the easy _________, the path of minimum efforts. We’re under stress at times _________ we don’t do anything that we should do — just because either we’re __________ or we don’t have __________ in ourselves. When you don’t complete your task on time, and the __________ draws near, stress envelops you.

If you did your task or carried your __________ as it should be, then you would not be stressed. Choosing not to get stressed is like swimming against the tide. Initially (最初), it __________ effort because you are used to going with the flow of your __________ behavior. So we need to overcome our laziness and self-abasement to be stress-free.

2 . I’ve been working hard with my children on recognizing when someone does something nice for us. He doesn’t have to do something super _________, but small things around us, like offering to open a door for us, and stopping his car to let us _________ the road. We should say thank you in recognition of that gesture. Also we recognize that someone may _________ our help and we offer assistance without expecting anything _________.

Recently we were in a small shopping center and stopped for a (n) _________ bite to eat at noon. I didn’t bring my kids _________ as we weren’t going to stay there for a long time. Kids being kids, of course couldn’t _________, so they wondered if they could go to the supermarket to _________ a bottle of water each. I gave them my gift card and said _________. Afterwards they came running back with a big __________   on their faces. They told me they saw an old man behind them in the shopping line with lots of things in his arms and they __________ let him go first to the cash register. I __________ how it made them feel to be able to do a kind thing for someone else. They replied that it made them feel really good.

It wasn’t a big gesture. However, it made my heart swell (充满) with __________ as they noticed a way they could make someone’s day a little __________. It seems that we can gain little by helping others, but I believe being a caring and helpful man is the best __________.

3 . Tommy hated school and was always looking for excuses not to go.

If he sneezed, he _________ his mother to write a note to tell his _________ that he had a cold. If he had a headache, he asked his mother to take him to the doctor _________ school hours.

He spent _______ time at home than he did at school. On the days that he did go to school, he _______ for excuse to come home early.

One day he came home from school in the middle of the _______.

His father was _______.

“You are home early,” he said. “Is the school closed today?”

“_______, Dad,” Tommy said. “It’s open. I came early.”

“_______ did you do that?” his father asked him. “ What did you ________ to the teacher?”

“I told her that I had a ________ baby brother and that I had to come home and help ________.” “But your mother has had ________,” his father said, “a boy and a girl. You have ________ a baby brother and a baby sister.”

“Yes, I know, Dad,” Tommy said. “I’m ________ up my baby sister for next week.“

4 . The secrets of long life

A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good _________. So what’s the formula for success? In a recent study, scientists have focused on groups living in several regions where exceptional longevity is the normal: Sardinia, Italy, Loma Linda, California, and the islands of Okinawa, Japan.

Sardinians

Why do they live so long? _______ is part of the answer. By 11 a.m. Tonino has already milked four cows, chopped wood and walked four miles with his sheep. Now, taking the day’s first break, he gathers his grown children, grandson, around the kitchen table. Giovanna, his wife, unties a handkerchief containing a paper-thin flatbread called carta da musica, pours some red wine, and cut slices of homemade cheese.

These Sardinians also benefit from their _______ history. According to Paolo Francalacci of the University of Sassari, 80 percent of them are _______the first Sardinians, who arrived in the area 11,000 years ago. Genetic traits made stronger over generations may favor longevity.   _______, too, is a factor. The Sardinians diet is loaded with fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, fish and wine. Most of these items are homegrown.

Adventists

The study found that the Adventists’ habit of consuming beans, soy milk, tomatoes, and other fruits _______their risk of developing certain cancers. It also suggested that eating whole wheat bread, drinking five glasses of water a day, and, most _______, consuming four servings of nuts a week reduced their risk of heart disease. And it found that not eating red meat had been helpful in avoiding both cancer and heart disease.

Okinawans

The first thing you notice about Ushi Okushima is her _______. It fills the room with pure joy. This rainy afternoon she sits comfortably wrapped in a blue kimono. Her thick hair is combed back from her suntanned face, revealing alert green eyes. Not long ago, she started wearing perfume. When asked about the perfume, she _______that she has a new boyfriend. ________behavior for a young woman, perhaps, but Ushi is 103.

With an average life expectancy of 78 years for men and 86 years for women, Okinawans are among the world’s longest lived people. This is undoubtedly due in part to Okinawans warm and ________ climate and scenic beauty. Senior citizens living in these islands tend to enjoy years ________disabilities. Okinawans have very low rates of cancer and heart disease compared to American seniors.

A lean diet of food grown on the island and a philosophy of ________— may also be a factor. “eat until your stomach is 80 percent full.” may also be factors. Ironically, this healthy way of eating was born of ________. Ushi Okushima grew up barefoot and poor, her family grew sweet potatoes, which formed the core of every meal. During World War II, when the men of the island joined the army, Ushi and her friend Setsuko fled to the center of the island with their children. “We ________ terrible hunger,” Setsuko recalls.

5 . The lead role

Travaris always loved singing and he landed the lead role in the school musical. He could barely wait to tell his parents the _______. But when he made his announcement over dinner, they looked at each other and frowned (皱眉头). “You said the performance is in the week of November 13?” his dad asked. Travaris’s heart _______. Of course, his older sister was getting married in Hawaii that week. “I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to tell them that you can’t do it,” his mom said.

The next day at school, Travaris _______ to tell Ms. Phelps, the theater director, that she should give his part to someone else because he wouldn’t be in town during the _______. But all day he was flooded with _______ from his classmates for getting the lead role. He didn’t have the heart to tell them that it was all for _______ in the play.

Travaris was still staying after school to practice his part, reading his lines, singing the songs, and even learning the dance numbers. But as the weeks went by, Travaris started to feel _______. He knew that the longer he _______ dropping out of the play, the more he would hurt the rest of the cast and crew.

Finally, Travaris told Ms. Phelps how he couldn’t be in the musical. Ms. Phelps thanked him for taking the whole _______ into account. “But don’t forget to audition(试镜) again next year, and the chance is bound up with ________. ”she added with a smile.

6 . 15-year-olds Jake and Aidan have been in a program for junior lifeguards (救生员) since 9. Despite those years of experience, what they went through recently was a_________for the teenagers.

They were walking on the_________full of people when a small plane_________before their very eyes. The crowd were_________. Aidan and Jake had only seconds to register what was happening. They had been_________to deal with just about every possible situation —_________a plane crash in water! But that didn’t stop them from _________. Aidan swam towards where the plane was. Jake took a board and_________him.

The pilot_________out of the plane, but he was in shock and had an injury. Jake went straight to him and put him onto the__________. Aidan looked around at the site to make sure it was safe when Jake__________the guy.

But Jake felt__________. As a lifeguard, he knew he should keep the pilot__________and get as much information as possible, but the man sat silently.__________, he was too scared to speak. Luckily, soon an ambulance arrived and he was taken to hospital and was expected to get well. Young as these lifeguards are, they’re__________and have our admiration.

7 . American runner Isaiah Jewett took a deep breath. Entering the final stage of the men’s 800-meter semifinal race. Jewett _________ to finish in the top two and make it to the finals. And he was in the best possible position to achieve his aim.

“I was like ‘Okay, there’s a _________ to do this. Let’s do this,’” Jewett said.

That is when something unexpected _________. When Jewett got to the turn, Botswana runner Nijel Amos tripped (绊倒) him from behind.

“It was _________. I didn’t even believe it was me even though I was on the ground,” Jewett said. “I felt so _________.”

For Jewett though, showing good sportsmanship was more _________ than winning a medal. Growing up, he was exposed (使接触) to the world of anime (动画), which taught him valuable _________ such as never giving up and always finishing a race.

That is exactly what Jewett did with Amos.

“I just _________ that he was sad, and I shut off how I was feeling. I knew I couldn’t help him in any way but I _________ to do the best I could.” Jewett said.

After the __________, Jewett got up and helped Amos to his feet. Amos apologized for his __________, and Jewett put his arm around his competitor.

“Hey man, let’s __________ this race together; we’re not done yet,” Jewett told Amos. __________ , they crossed the finish line.

“It’s okay to compete but it’s also important to show that you’re a __________. That’s the way you show your heroism by __________ each other along the way and finishing the race together,” Jewett said.

8 . In January, a few days after a heavy snowfall, I walked my dog through Toronto’s Don Valley as usual. I found a ring with a Cartier logo in the white _______. I tried to find who had _______ it but in vain (白费力气), so I went home and posted it online. I waited and waited but nobody _______.

When my daughter came back from Europe, I showed her the ring. My daughter’s _______ was far better than my own, and she soon noticed two _______ on it, “Omar and Yoshi ” Right away, I knew the owners’ names and I decided to do whatever I could to find the _______.

I found hundreds of such names, but never the two _______. I began to give up hope. I then had one _______ thought: Why not call Cartier stores in the city? I dialed. A gentleman listened to my story and went _______ for a moment. He then told me nearly a year earlier, a couple had ________ losing one of their rings. He gave me Omar’s ________ and I called right away. Omar was ________, and asked if he and Yoshi could ________ me immediately. I said yes.

I explained how I found the ring, and only because of my daughter had I discovered their names. They shared how they ________ it. I now have a great ________ of the three of us, their hands raised to show off the rings. We stay in touch now.

9 . Facing a fear of fish soup

I loved eating fish when I was a child. However, once I _______ got a fishbone stuck in my throat, so I have never eaten fish since.

But recently, my mom made fish soup and I was so attracted by its smell that my stomach rumbled(咕噜作响) .I couldn’t _______ to have the fish soup. _______ suddenly, my consciousness(意识) seemed to bed vided into two halves, half an angel and half a demon(魔鬼).The angel said to me, “Be _________! You must not get stuck again.” But the demon said to me, “Have it! It’s so delicious!” But I still remembered how it felt to have the bone stuck in my mouth—the _______ bone was stuck in my throat, making me heave(呕吐) while it stayed motionless(不动的).

My mother felt very _______ and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to have fish soup today?”I _______ my head sharply, not admitting that I had said so.

As I watched my mom eat, the fish soup began to attract me again. I started to imagine the fish soup _______ my stomach. I suddenly thought since the meat in the fish soup had been stewed(炖), the bones must be stewed into the soup. It seems to be a bowl of fishbone soup. It must be dangerous to have the _______ with this fish soup!

I quickly called out, saying, “Mom, don’t have the rice with that soup. If you do that, you will get a bone stuck in your throat!” Mom looked at me with a ________ look, and then she nodded. She gave me a bowl of soup. I was puzzled when I heard my mother say, “It only ________ once! Why won’t you eat fish again? Eat it while it is __________.You won’t get stuck again!”

I ________ the bowl and was about to drink it, but __________, I put it down. Mom laughed and said, “Once ________, twice shy!”

10 . We have to admit that we all get defensive(戒备的)sometimes. Defensiveness is a human________in certain situations. Not everything makes us defensive - it seems that specific situations________ defensiveness. I was usually a________ individual, but there were always some cases where my insecurities________ me and I got defensive and doubted my ability.

In my family’s eyes, I was________ my elder sister. I was an outgoing kid who liked undertaking outdoor work________ my sister was shy and preferred to do household chores. We were responsible for sharing different housework. My parents were satisfied with such “perfect”________ in our life. But problems started to________ after I got married. The members of my new family are all great cooks. I suddenly found myself a(n)________ . Any time the subject of cooking came up, I became________ and defensive. When I went deeper and________ the reason, I discovered it was due to its conflict with my value. I perceived their reaction to my poor cooking skills as a(n)________ .

It took me years to________ myself and my cooking abilities.________ , my new family did much to make me feel relieved. I know it is the insecurities that make me annoyed easily. Over time, I’ve learned to calmly     ________ those insecurities and I have learned to be happy with “good enough”. Now I’m aware of the trap and________ myself not to connect the feeling of inadequacy with my sense of self-worth.

When our defensiveness________ , it can feel like we are being blamed for something. Being defensive can________ effective and honest communication. Sometimes, it has the________ of preventing the issues from being resolved. So we should get rid of too much defensiveness to make ourselves________ constantly.