2 . 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.

More than 25 years ago, a train took Saroo Brierley, a 4-year-old boy, a thousand miles across the country to a totally strange city. There, he     1     (bring) up by an Australian family and flew to Tasmania, Australia with them.

    2     he writes in his new book, A Long Way Home, Brierley couldn’t help but wonder about his hometown back in India. He remembered landmarks, but since he didn’t know his town’s name, finding a small neighborhood in a vast country     3     (prove) to be impossible.

Then he found a digital mapping program. He spent years     4     (search) for his hometown in the program’s satellite pictures. In 2011, he came across     5     familiar. He studied it and realized he was looking at a town’s central business district     6     a bird’s-eye view. He thought “On the right-hand side you should see the three-platform train station”— and there it was. “And on the left-hand side you should see a big fountain” — and there it was. Everything just started to match.

When he stood in front of the house     7     he grew up as a child, he saw a lady standing in the entrance. “There’s something about me,” he thought — and it took him a few seconds but he finally remembered     8     she used to look like.

In an interview Brierley says, “My mother looked so much     9     (short) than I remembered. But she came forth and walked forward, and I walked forward, and my feelings and tears and the chemical in my brain, you know, it was like a nuclear fusion (核聚变). I just didn’t know what to say,     10     I never thought seeing my mother would ever come true. And here I am, standing in front of her.”

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.

I have a lovely brother. He is 4 years younger than me. I still remember that day when he was born. He is     1     premature baby. When he was a little baby, he always used to cry for no reason and hardly slept. He never allowed me and my parents     2     (sleep) well.

As time went by, he     3     (become) a little older. I used to get angry with     4     (he) since he started snatching (抢) all my toys away from me.     5    , my parents taught me that he is my younger brother and I should make him     6     (learn) to share things.

Now,     7     we still fight over things, we both love each other deeply. We share the same school and have the same     8     (interest), like doing sports, singing and reading.

We do a lot of secret things without informing our parents and if     9     (catch), we will join hands to deal with the situation. Life is fun when we are together. As we are growing old day by day, we are becoming     10     (responsible) for our duties than before. And we know that no matter where we go in life, we both are always there for each other to face the hardships of life.

Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother.     1     (Expect) a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like     2     walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”

Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”-Mike, Randy, and Alex-came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head     3     it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat. Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.

Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked     4     in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, but they     5     (be) before their very eyes. Someone     6     (name) “Not Me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.

By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall     7     his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared     8     (draw) a picture quietly in the family room，but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and     9     (read) would be impossible.

At exactly 11:17, Brad called the daycare centre. “I suddenly have to go into work and my wife’s away.     10     I bring the boys over in a few minutes?” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.

Discovering a Brother

Kieron Graham always knew he had an older brother. His adoption papers, signed and sealed when he was three months old, listed a brother named Vincent but no last name. Though Kieron spent years     1     (think) about Vincent, he could never track him down.

That changed in December 2017,     2     Kieron’s adoptive parents gave their four adopted children Ancestry DNA tests as Christmas gifts. Kieron, now 21, sent his saliva (唾液) sample in for analysis. When his results came back, he was surprised to find he had some DNA matches for relatives who     3     (take) the test, too. Most were distant connections, but one match was so strong that it     4     (label) ‌“close family59. His name was Vincent Ghant. Kieron looked for him online and soon made a possible connection.” This is going to sound so wild .......but you seem     5     (be) my brother,” Kieron wrote on the instant messaging app.

“I was given up     6     adoption in 1997 and it says on my paperwork that my mother has a son with your name and your birth date. Her name is Shawn.”

“OMG do you know your real name?‌“ wrote Vincent, now 30.

”I think it was Tyler.‌“

“OMG YES!!! You are my brother.”

“Wow,” wrote Kieron.

“This is crazy.” said Vincent.

The craziness was just beginning. As they talked, the brothers realized they lived about 20 minutes from each other, outside of Atlanta. More mind-blowing, they attended the same university and majored and minored in the same subjects: political science and legal studies.

“What are the odds we’re separated our entire lives and then end up at the same school with the same interests?‌“ says Kieron.

Now the brothers had the chance to make up for the     7     (lose) time. They decided to meet at a local tea shop that week. ”I was really nervous ,‌“ says Kieron.

“I was wondering     8     I should say.” As he waited outside the shop, he heard someone call his name, and he suddenly found     9    in a hug with the brother he’d thought about his entire life.

The men went inside and talked. ‌“We connected,” says Vincent, ‌“     10     we already knew each other.”