1 . In the past, American families tended to be quite large. Parents __________ five or more children were common. Over the years, the__________ of the family has decreased. One reason for this is an increase in the __________ of living. On the average, children attend schools for more years than they used to, making them ____________ dependent on their families longer. Moreover, children nowadays are better __________ and have more money to spend on _________ . The parents usually take the responsibility for all the expenses. Meanwhile, families are less close than they used to be. More and more American mothers _________ away from home. The break up of the family occurs when the parents ________ . A lot of children in the U. S. live part of their young lives with only one parent. Broken families usually result in problems for children and parents alike. Children blame themselves when their parents separate. They grow up feeling _________ as they are moved back and forth between parents. Usually one parent is responsible for raising the children. These single parents must care for the children’s emotional and psychological __________ while also supporting them financially. This is very demanding and __________ very little time for the parent’s own personal_________ . Single parents often marry other single parents. In this type of family, unrelated children are _________ to develop brother or sister relationship. The situations of many American families today are not good. However, recent signs ___________ that things are getting better. The divorce rate is__________ . The rate of childbirth is rising. Perhaps Americans have learned how important families are.

2 . The scars of love

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the ____ water, he ran out of the back door, ____ behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

He flew into the water, not realizing that as he ____ toward the middle of the lake, a crocodile was swimming toward him. His mother in the house was ___ the window and saw the two. In great ____, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as ___ as she could. Hearing her loud voice, the little boy became ____ and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the crocodile reached him. From the ____, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The crocodile was much ____ than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard their screams, raced from his truck, took aim and ____ the crocodile.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the ____ of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to ____ to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, ‘But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them ____ my Mom wouldn’t let go.’

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from a crocodile, or anything quite so ____. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to ____. In the midst of your struggle, he’s been there holding on to you.

3 . In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition of each new   skill-the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his _______ learning rate, but this can set up   dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any ______. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. _______, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.

Parents vary greatly in their ______of strictness towards their children. Some may be   especially strict in money matters, others are severe over times of coming home at night or   punctuality for meals. In general, the_____ represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child’s own happiness.

As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To _______ a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality(道德). Also, parents should realize that “_______ is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not _______   what they preach(说教), their children may grow _______ and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled. A sudden _______   of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their   morals can be a dangerous disappointment.

4 . For most people, the longest relationship they will have is with their sibling（兄弟姐妹）. It’s a shame, then, that we can’t choose them. As children, my younger sister and I were always _________with each other. I was jealous of her looks and she felt threatened by my academic success. But our rivalry（竞争）was _________compared to that of some famous siblings.

Take 1940s movie stars Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. The competitive relationship between these sisters is the stuff of Hollywood legend. “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did. And if I die first, she will ___________be angry because I beat her to it,” Joan wrote in her autobiography. Their rivalry became very _________in 1946 when Olivia won an Oscar. Joan was asked to present the award but Olivia refused to even shake her hand. “They just don’t have much in common,”, commented on person at the time.

But it’s not just in _________business where siblings fall out. Entrepreneurs Rudolf and Adolf Dassler started making sports shoes in the small German town of Herzogenaurach in the 1920s. Their factory south of the river became very successful but they were always very _________. Adolf, or Adi, was a quiet craftsman while Rudolf was “a loud-mouthed salesman”. _______in 1948, the brothers fell out permanently. Rudolf moved across the river and set up a rival sports-shoe company, which he called Puma. _________, Adi used the first letters of his name and surname to create his brand—Adidas.

The brothers never spoke to each other again and their rivalry _______the town. The residents wore either Adidas or Puma and would sometimes refuse to __________each other. It became a place where you always looked at the ____________someone was wearing before starting a conversation. The brothers died in the 1970s and were buried in the same cemetery—at opposite ends.

But not all successful siblings ________each other. Top tennis players Serena and Venus Williams have played each other in over 20 major tennis tournament finals, but have always remained the best friends. They played doubles together, lived together, and even had breakfast before these big matches.’ We leave everything on the ________.’ Serena once said. ‘We’re sisters the moment we shake hands at the net.’

So, now that we are adults, have my sister and i learnt to be more like the William sisters and less like the Gallaghers? Well, I’d love to say “Yes” but the __________answer is “not always”. I still hate seeing photos of us together because I still feel inferior to her. But our rivalry is not as bad as it used to be, and if I feel really jealous, I remind myself: __________fades but a sister is for life!

5 . Because conflict and disagreements are part of all close relationships, couples need to learn strategies for managing conflict in a healthy and constructive way. Some couples just ____ and deny the presence of any conflict in a relationship. ____ , denying the existence of conflict results in couples ____ to solve their problems at early ____, which can then lead to even greater problems later on. Not surprisingly, expressing anger and disagreement leads to lower marital (婚姻的) satisfaction at the beginning. However, this pattern of behavior ____ increases in marital satisfaction over time. Research suggests that working through conflicts is an important predictor of marital satisfaction.

So, what can you do to manage conflict in your own relationships? First, try to understand the other person's point of view and put yourself in his or her place. People who are ____ to what their partner thinks and feels ____ greater relationship satisfaction. For example. researchers found that among people in dating relationships ____ marriages, those who can adopt their partner's perspective show more positive ____, more relationship-enhancing attributes and more constructive responses to conflict.

Second, because conflict and disagreements are an ____ part of close relationships, people need to be able to apologize to their partner for wrongdoing and ____ forgiveness from their parents for their own acts. Apologies minimize conflict, lead to forgiveness. and serve to restore relationship closeness. In line with this ____ , spouses (配偶) who are more forgiving show higher mental quality over time. Increasingly, apologizing can even have ____ health benefits. For example, when people reflect on hurtful ____ and grudges (怨恨), they show negative physiological effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, compared to when they ____ on sympathetic perspective-taking and forgiving.