1 . When I was three, I had a very good friend named Gemma. She was fearless where I was anxious, rebellious where I was conservative, and _________ where I was awkward. She was also entirely imaginary. With Gemma’s support, I almost made it to the top shelf of the bookcase before my parents found me — and “Gemma said it was fine!” did not _________ me from a telling-off (责骂).

I cannot remember when or how I “met” Gemma, and, perhaps sadder still, I do not remember the _________ time I “saw” her. _________ my brain created her, she inspired me to go on adventures I would not have had the confidence to embark upon without her. It _________ me, then, that 72 percent of nursery workers believe children have fewer imaginary friends than they did five years ago, as is shown by a recent survey. This is believed to be a result of _________ screen time.

It is thought that 40 percent of us at one time or another had imaginary friends during our _________. In an essay for Aeon, writer Sophie Elmhirst found that 81 percent of those surveyed had “lost” their imaginary friends after they turned ten, but most of these friendships ended _________. Perhaps imaginary friends simply stay with us for as long as we need them. They move on when our lives become too _________ for our brains to make space to generate their own entertainment.

If you have enjoyed an imaginary friendship, I would guess that you did not __________ sit down to create a perfect pal. They probably arrived as an indication of the thoughts and ideas you never knew you had. In order to be a good __________ to an imaginary friend, you need to be able to make “what if?” into an exciting proposition. When we grow up, we are too quick to finish the sentence with “what if it goes wrong?”

Having grown up, we might not need our imaginary friends anymore, but we could still use a reminder that a little bit of boredom is good for us, and that our brains can create the best ideas when they are left to their own devices. If there are fewer imaginary friends __________ the worlds where our children live, that might lead to a future with fewer artists, writers and problem-solvers. This is a real cause for __________.

As an adult, I think of my fearless, invisible friend Gemma whenever I have to do something that __________ me — usually public speaking, rather than scaling a bookcase. However, whenever I __________ my own expectations and meet myself in a place that I did not think I could quite reach, I can hear my subconscious whispering, “Gemma made me do it.”

4 . Do We Miss Something in Life?

“In this life what did you miss?” The wife asked the husband when she was 25. Sadly, the husband replied: “I missed a new job opportunity.” When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus. At 45, the husband sadly said: “I missed the opportunity seeing my closest relative     1     his last breath.” At 55, the husband said disappointingly: “I missed a good chance to retire.” At 65, the husband hurriedly replied: “I missed a dental appointment.” At 75, the wife did not ask the husband anymore. At this moment, the husband     2     (kneel) in front of the very sick wife.     3     (remember) the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and peaceful look, replied: “In this life, I did not miss     4     (have) you!” The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always busy with work and trifles. So much so he     5     (not be) thoughtful to his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said: “Over 50 years, how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me.”

In the busy city life, there are many people     6     are always busy with work. These people revolve their lives around their jobs, these people sacrifice all their times and health     7     (meet) the social expectations. They are unwilling to spend time on health care.

They miss the opportunity to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect the     8     (love) ones who care for them, and also their health. But     9     knows what is going to happen one year from now.

    10     life is not permanent, always live in the now. Express your gratitude to the ones you love in words. Show your care with actions. Treat every days as the last episode of life. In this way, when you are gone, those you love would have nothing to feel sorry about.

The TERM “killjoy parents” has been trending on Chinese social media platforms as many young pcople complain that their parents would rather criticize than praise them for their accomplishments. One poster, for example, remarked that his parents said his high score in math wasn't good enough     1     several other students had scored higher.     2     complained that, after     3     (accept) into a “second-tier” university, the response he got for his father was “Congratulations. You got admitted to a garbage university.”

It’s a terrible feeling to have someone “burst your bubble” when you think they should be sharing your joy. And your parents, after all, are probably the people with     4     you most want to share the best moments in your life. But why do some parents seem to be so hard     5     (please)?

I think a lot of it has to do with Chinese society. Parents know that life     6     be full of hardship and dificulties, and they want their children to be “hardened” to these realities. Another reason can probably be found deep in Chinese culture.

When I asked a Chinese friend why Chinese parents don’t praise their children, he said it’s because they don't want to bring their children bad luck. He told me the story of two women sitting in a park and watching their children play. One of the mothers said to the other, “Your boy is so handsome and healthy.” That other mother replied, “No, he’s very ugly and he’s a very sickly child.” The mother, my friend explained, didn't want her son praised in case the “gods” heard and punished him. It's an old superstition (迷信), but it does have some basis in fact.

American parents, at the other extreme, are taught to ever criticize their children because it may hurt their feelings—their self-esteem. Instead, they     7     (tell) to always praise their children, even for failure. Psychologists now believe this is a bad idea. According to one study, too much praise can result in negative effects.     8     kids with low self-esteem felt even worse about themselves, kids with high self-esteem became narcissistic or self-centered. Moreover, children who got too much praise were     9     (likely) to take risks, were unable to deal with failure and tended to give up when faced with challenges.

Stacey and Toby aren’t the only people to be welcoming Mariella’s app. It’s now got thousands of users, and she’s working long days to balance it with her A-level studies. The time difference from New York to her school in Rugby, Warwickshire, means she sets her alarm for 5am.

    10     (have) “killjoy parents” may not be enjoyable, but it’s important to recognize that their seemingly critical nature doesn't negate the love they have for you. In their hearts, they genuinely share in your joy.

6 . One summer night in a seaside cottage, a boy felt himself lifted from bed. Then, with the swiftness of a dream, he was held in his father’s arms out onto the nearby beach. Overhead the sky blazed with stars. “Watch!” Incredibly, as his father spoke, one of the stars moved. In a line of golden fire it flashed across the astonished heavens. And before the wonder of this could fade, another star leaped from its place, then another, plunging towards the restless sea.

“What’s this?” the child whispered.

“Shooting stars. They come every year on a certain August night. I thought you’d like to see the show.”

That was all: just an unexpected glimpse of something mysterious and beautiful. But, back in bed, the child stared for a long time into the dark, knowing that all around the quiet house, the night was full of the silent music of the falling stars.

Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate boy whose father believed that a new experience was more important for a small boy than an unbroken night’s sleep. No doubt I had all the usual childhood entertainment, but those are forgotten now. What I remember is the night of the shooting stars, and the day we rode in a caboose (列车末尾的职工车厢), the telegraph we made that really worked, and the “trophy table” in the dining room where we children were encouraged to exhibit things we had found — anything unusual or beautiful — snake skins, seashells, flowers, arrowheads... I remember the thought-provoking (引人深思的) books left by my bedside that pushed back my horizons and sometimes actually changed my life.

My father had, to a marvellous degree, the gift of opening doors for his children, of leading them into areas of splendid newness. This subtle art of adding dimensions to a child’s world doesn’t necessarily require a great deal of time. It simply involves doing things more often with our children instead of for them or to them.

Perri Klass and her mother, Sheil a Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped（重叠）.

Perri notes with     1     how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have fulltime careers; both have published books, articles, and stories; each has three children; they both love to read. They also love to travel ---- in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big     2     in circumstance and basic nature.

A child of the Depression（大萧条）, Sheil a was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered     3     a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up     4     in the New Jersey suburbs of the1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is     5     while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.

Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheil a take turns     6     the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheil a describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing     7     fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.

Looking deep into the lives they have lived     8     and together, Perri and Sheil a tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written     9     in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet（二重奏） that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will     10     .

Eleven-year-old Kristina shouted on the phone. Vera, her mother, packing lunches for her two children, heard the shouting and dashed to Kristina. Kristina gave her the phone. Kristina was talking to her father at his doctor’s office in Moscow, Russia.

“Vlad, why is Kristina shouting?” began Vera in Russian.

“Vera, this afternoon I must attend a conference at her school. But I cannot be there. I have an important meeting. Why don’t you attend it?” Vlad replied.

“How can I go?”

“You are not going to a forest. You’ll be fine!”

“I know, but I can’t speak English properly. It’s a rule at her school.”

“You can manage. GO!”

Vera turned to Kristina, “Kristina, your father is busy. I will come instead of him.”

Kristina shouted, “Mother, you can’t speak English. How can you come to the conference? NO!” She plowed through her mother and ran sobbing. But Vera convinced Kristina. As there was no option, she agreed and left for school.

Vera was depressed. She felt that if only she knew English, she could avoid such situations. “But how is it possible for me to learn English while balancing so many tasks?” Suddenly, she realized that Andrei was getting late, so she got him ready and walked him to school.

In the afternoon, Vera attended the conference at the school. All the teachers and staff gave a warm welcome to Vera. Kristina kept quieting her mother. All she said were phrases like, “You are embarrassing!” “Stop talking!” and “You do not know English!” Ignoring her daughter’s comments, Vera managed to keep her cool and finished the meeting.

After delivering a cake to a customer, Vera went home to start dinner. At home, she asked her mother-in-law where Kristina was. She said that Kristina had gone to study with her friends. While they were talking, Kristina walked in.

Vera asked, “Why did you go out? You can study at home, you know!”

”I have doubts about English Literature. Can YOU clarify them?” Kristina said in an arrogant (傲慢的) tone.