My grandfather had started experiencing major problems with his left eye due to his old age. He had visited the hospital on many occasions to seek treatment, but his condition was not getting any better. Finally, his doctor told him the only way left was to go for eye surgery as a way of trying to correct the abnormality with the eyes.

Since it was a weekend and I had no classes on that day, I thought it would be a good idea to accompany my grandfather to the hospital rather than to stay home and be bored despite the fear I had of surgeries and hospitals in general.

My uncle drove us to the hospital. After ensuring that my grandfather bad checked in, he had to leave for an important appointment. Luckily, there were several helpful nurses available to offer any assistance that my grandfather required, and the doctors were very friendly. Even though things were taking their natural course, the situation was tearing me apart. I guessed the nurses sensed the high level of nervousness that both my grandfather and I had at that moment. They talked to us nicely so that we ended up relaxing and seeing the surgery as something normal and nothing to worry much about.

Before long, both my grandfather and I felt relaxed and ready for the surgery, as we forgot the high degree of nervousness we had felt just a few moments earlier. I have always had this fear of doctors and injections so even as I began to relax, thoughts of the upcoming surgery were drilling my mind. I knew the surgery would be more serious than the injections that I feared so much as well. In an hour or so, I was just sitting on the couch and waiting while the nurses were preparing my grandfather for the surgery.

All of a sudden, a cup of coffee appeared before my eyes.

After only an hour, my grandfather was wheeled out with a bandage on the operated eye.

Born in 1998 in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, Jiang Yufan is the designer of Shuey Rhon Rhon, the Paralympic mascot. Jiang got the     1     (inspire) from the strong festive atmosphere in her hometown,     2     red lanterns can be seen everywhere.     3     the process of the design was challenging, she     4     (true) hoped the lantern could warm the world and light people’s dreams.

Her design is based     5     the red lantern, a cultural symbol associated with harvest, celebration and brightness. The name “Shuey Rhon Rhon” has several meanings as well. The word “Shuey”     6     (pronounce) the same way as the Chinese character for snow. The first “Rhon” refers to friendship and the second indicates integration. Combined, the full name sends a message of understanding and promotes     7     harmonious society.

Dominated by “Chinese red”, Shuey Rhon Rhon has a small hoop on the top of     8     (it) head, as well as snowy features, patterns     9     (take) from Chinese paper cutting and a red body that shines warmly. The mascot itself represents friendship, courage and strength,     10     (reflect) the fighting spirit of the Winter Paralympic athletes and the Winter Paralympics tenet (宗旨).

7 . The Iron Lady of Pakistan

Everybody has different life stories, some inspiring and some tragic. Muniba Mazari, a(n) ________ Pakistani woman proved that something positive can come out of sorrow.

In 2007, she was ________ in car crash. Many people came to the rescue, tried to ________ her out of the car and rushed her to hospital as she was ________ injured.

The terrible accident ________ her serious injury including the major one on her backbone. Doctors were able to perform a successful ________ on Muniba but she was unable to walk again. “Doctors have put a lot of titanium (钛钢) in my body to ________ the major damages. That’s why people call me the Iron Lady.” She once said.

She spent nearly two years in the hospital where she ________ multiple surgeries. But with ________ in her heart, she managed to smile back at what life had planned for her. She ________ sat in a wheelchair and chose to rise rather than cry. She planned to write down all of her ________ and face them one by one, like facing people and the look of sympathy in their eyes.

Later on, Muniba emerged in various fields, including performing and motivational speaking. She refused to ________ her disability and made the best out of her talent. She not only motivated herself to work but ________ the rest of the world.

Muniba’s perfectly ________ life shaped who she is today, showing that even a serious accident cannot break you if you have the ________.

8 . The Power of Poetry

People are suffering from depression and anxiety now more than ever. To help case the pain, they are turning to new approaches and, believe it or not, poetry is one of them.

It’s common sense that reading fiction can increase empathy (同理心).     1     Well, for decades, scientific studies have proven that poetry has a beneficial impact in managing pain, handling stress and improving personal well-being. Let’s dive a bit deeper, and consider some specific ways in which poetry can help mental health.

Poetry can be a form of comfort. By reading poetry, we can get the escapism we long for, transporting us out of our own world and into someone else’s.     2     Trying to uncover the meaning of a poem can give us a necessary break from our inner monologue as well.

It can be a shared experience. Poems are often quite emotional in nature.     3     There’s something quite comforting in the knowledge that we’re not alone and that our pain is shared with someone else. Poetry often reveals that there is universality (普遍性) in the human experience.

    4     Many poems creatively tackle some sensitive topics like depression, anxiety, abuse, poverty, all of which can be found in a poetic form, empowering both the poet and the reader.

To put it lightly, life is tough, but it’s important to remember that we’re not alone. The next time you’re feeling hopeless, try diving into the works of a poet.     5     Who knows?

9 . When using the Internet to fill-in gaps in one’s own knowledge — people believe they’re smarter and have a better memory than others, and incorrectly predict that they’ll perform better on future knowledge tests they take without Internet access, according to the new research.

“When we’re constantly connected to knowledge, we mistake the Internet’s knowledge for our own,” says Adrian Ward of the University of Texas. “Besides, the Google search process is also much like searching your own memory, which might cause people to confuse information found online with information in their own heads.”

To investigate that, Ward, in the first experiment, got participants to answer ten general knowledge questions either on their own or using online search. Then, they reported how confident they were in the ability to find information by using external sources, and in their own ability to remember information. Participants who used Google answered more questions correctly and were also more confident in their own memory.

In a second experiment, participants were made to answer the same ten general knowledge questions either on their own or using the online searching engine. Then, Ward told them they’d take second knowledge test without using any outside sources. Those who completed the first knowledge test with Google thought they’d know significantly more when forced to rely on their own memory in the future — suggesting they attributed their initial performance to their own knowledge, not to the fact they were using Google.

In a final experiment, participants were made to answer knowledge questions on their own, using Google, or with a version of Google that delayed search results by 25 seconds. Unlike those who used standard Google, participants who used “slow Google” weren’t more confident in their internal knowledge and didn’t predict higher performance on future tests. This suggests that in a world in which searching online is often faster than using our memory, we may know less but think we know more.

Ward says that the research has major implications for education, as students might devote less time and energy to gaining knowledge if they already feel knowledgeable. “Maybe we can use our limited cognitive resources in a more effective and efficient way,” Ward says.

10 . While saying no can be empowering and liberating to some, for others it can be frightening or uncomfortable. We feel that we must go along with things we honestly do not want to do in order to be socially accepted. However, there are benefits to the word “no”. Saying no can create more mental health stability and build your self-esteem and confidence. Saying no may be a difficult thing to do, but there are ways to make the process a bit more acceptable and effective.

The sandwich method, an approach that involves sandwiching something that individuals may consider negative between two positives, is helpful for you to feel natural and authentic to say no. Tell the person something positive followed by the no and end with something supportive or positive. For example. “Thank you for inviting me. I really appreciate you including me and being thoughtful; however, I won’t be able to make it. I would still really enjoy meeting up with you. I’ll look at my schedule for some dates I’m available, so we can spend some time together.”

It’s also important to keep in mind that saying no to something but giving other options that better fit your needs can also be an effective way to use the power of no. Remember that your needs are important and your decisions can directly affect your time and energy.

We all have various roles in our work, parenting, and social obligations. These roles can challenge our abilities to set boundaries. Learning about yourself and finding your inner power is important to your health and well-being. Consider setting boundaries around goals you have for yourself. For example, if one of your goals is to create better balance between work and life, you may say no to a call or meeting outside your normal working hours.

Using some of the techniques outlined above, you may not find it a big deal to say no.