1 . Experts worry that teen texting is out of control. Instead of _________, Kenny, 16, often _________ with his friends through the night. “You get a(n) _________,” explains the teen, who lives in Texas. “When I get a text, I’m itching (渴望) to _________ it even if I want to sleep.”

Garcia, a high school senior from Grand Kennedy, has also felt the need to stay constantly _________. We asked how many texts she sent and received each day. “I don’t know… maybe 1,000?” she answered. “It’s too many to _________.”

Dr. Dowdell, at Villanova University, says that many people expect to be able to _________ anyone at any time. “It’s very _________, especially to a high school student. But it reduces the time that could be spent studying, exercising, or just relaxing. Another _________ is, there’s no downtime.” And people need to __________—especially when we have so much to do.

So we decided to have Kenny and Garcia do an experiment. These were the __________: No phone for 48 hours. No computer or Internet either.

“Wow, it was completely __________,” Kenny joked. Though he was sad and missed his friends at times, he __________ “it had benefits.” __________ texting, he went to the gym and caught up on schoolwork. Garcia had an even more __________ result. “I loved it!” she said, “I was hanging out with friends and slept better too.”

2 . Back in high school, I loved nothing more than going bowling. From freshman to junior year, starting and leading my school’s bowling club helped me come out of my ________. As time went on, our team began winning local and even ________ tournaments. These victories not only ________ my popularity but also allowed me to form meaningful connections. Man, life was great back then.

Still the bowling memory that really stuck out to me was ________ I met Leroy. I was already a junior by then, and he was still a young freshman. The strange thing about it, ________, was how he would always ________ in the back, watching others play. ________ his regular presence, he seemed too nervous and shy to play or even talk with others.

Then one evening something remarkable happened. During a game, I ________ Leroy actually picking up a bowling ball for the first time. He ________ to lift the lightest ball up, and with each throw, the ball ________ in the gutter lane (边沟), resulting in straight zeroes across the board.

That’s, when I finally went over to say hi to Leroy. ________ to see me, Leroy nervously cracked a smile and murmured with ________, “I just can’t manage the ball...” Reassuringly, I responded, “It’s no big ________. Everyone was a green hand once.” My words seemed to ________ his tension, and in the following hours, he ________ as I taught him how to bowl step by step. From his words, I realized how ________ he had desired to join the bowling club and how lonely he felt without friends.

That was the beginning of our friendship. Since that night, playing together and sharing our life stories has become our weekly ________. I was delighted to see Leroy’s significant progress through ________ efforts. He was a fast learner and soon ________ a spot on the team. What’s more, Leroy gained confidence to try new things. It was through practising bowling that his brand new life journey ________. As bowling enthusiasts, we’ll always cherish the sincere friendship and get the ball rolling forever.

4 . My dear girl, this is a letter for you to read when I am getting old.

The day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to be patient please, but first, try to ________ what I’m going through. If when we talk, I ________ the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt (打断) to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago...” Just ________, please. Try to remember the times when you were ________ and I would read the same story night after night until you ________.

When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be ________ and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you, trying to get you to take a ________ when you were just a girl?

When you see how ignorant (无知的) I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... Remember that I ________ taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed and ________ life’s problems every day.

________ I occasionally lose track of what we’re talking about, give me time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous or impatient. Just know in your heart that the most ________ thing for me is to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as ________ as before, give me your hand, the same way that I offered mine to you when you first ________.

When those days come, don’t feel sad... Just be with me, and understand me while I get to the ________ of my life with love.

I’ll ________ and thank you for the time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you, my darling daughter.

5 . Erinna’s son, Jackson, was an autistic (患自闭症的) child. One of the most _________ things for him was getting a _________. He would get so anxious that he would start _________ and crying. It was really hard for Erinna to _________, so she decided to _________ taking him to the barber.

Jackson went almost two years with no haircuts. _________, Erinna found a barber named Ree. For the past few years, Ree had been able to _________ things slowly with Jackson. But one day in early 2022, things _________.

“We got caught in traffic. He _________ his headphones behind. We hadn’t had lunch. It was just like a series of __________ events for him,” Erinna remembered. Ree was just trying to put the cape (斗篷) on Jackson when he was greatly __________ and started running __________ around the shop.

Erinna was about to __________ it a day. But Ree encouraged her to give it a few more minutes. The barber then made the haircut into a __________. She would shave a little hair off Jackson’s head; he would __________ it off and then run to a new __________ in the shop. “He doesn’t like the hair to get on him... so the game was a good distraction (分散注意力的事) for him. And she was able to cut his hair,” Erinna said. When the haircut was complete, Jackson was __________ and happy.

It meant a lot to Erinna that Ree took the time to __________ a way to give Jackson a haircut that day. “The patience and __________ that Ree took with my son seems like a __________ in the darkness,” Erinna said.

6 . At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comǎneci made history. She performed a routine ______ on the uneven bars (高低杠), scoring a perfect 10. She pursued perfection in her practice, which led to remarkable ______ in the game.

Perfectionism is generally appreciated as a good quality. Therefore, it’s not ______ that perfectionism in society has been on the rise for years. And it is more common in certain ______ like top athletes and medical specialists. Perfectionism can be seen as a behavioral ______. Perfectionists usually set extremely high standards for themselves and others. According to researchers, such behavior is rooted in insecurity. Many perfectionists ______ that if they don’t pay enough attention to ______, it will hurt their performance. So they ______ their perfectionism even when it’s self-defeating.

Aiming for a high degree of success isn’t necessarily ______ as long as you behave reasonably. People with adaptive perfectionism work hard to meet ambitious goals, but are also able to ______ mistakes, changes, and problems that they didn’t anticipate. When encountering barriers, they stay flexible.

Maladaptive perfectionism, which involves an intense ______ for others’ approval, and a high level of concern over mistakes, is unhealthy. It tends to ______ individual confidence and affects relationships and overall well-being. To overcome it, it’s crucial to ______ your mindset. Start by being ______ and gaining a broader perspective. Give yourself permission to loosen up a bit on certain matters, enabling you to ______ what truly matters. Transformation can be challenging, but it is indeed attainable.

9 . When you are concerned about your uninspiring exam grades or sporting performance, psychologist Adam Grant has some good news. “_________ is less a matter of natural talent, but more of nurturing (培养) hidden potential,” he says. Grant has experienced this__________.

As a(n) _________ in multiple fields now, it is hard to believe Grant has ever been anything less than highly________. As a child, his body wasn’t _________ to touch his toes as a teenage diver; he was told he _________ remedial (辅导的) classes for writing; he was too _________ to speak publicly. However, his father always cheered him up, “I believe you have hidden potential in all these areas.”

Despite these _________, his father’s firm belief in his potential and Grant’s determination _________his continuous pursuit s pursuit of excellence. _________, he made it to be on the US Junior Olympic diving team, write five best-selling books and speak to _________audiences. Overtime, he discovered that talent could be nurtured through _________. Grant’s transformation also serves as a _________ to the power of belief in one’s potential.

Much of our _________ to discover hidden potential lies in underestimation. When someone struggles with something, we _________ that’s not for me, and that I don’t have that talent, rather than trying to nurture something we’re yet to _________ in. Consequently, we _________ ourselves.

“I used to believe that you could _________ where you would land from where you start,” Grant says_________to that, Grant’s transformative journey demonstrates the profound ________ of being encouraged and hard work on one’s path to success.