Imagine a stranger moved into your house. You would have to adapt to many changes, like sleeping in the same room, cooking in the same kitchen, and     1     (use) the same bathroom. What if that stranger argued with you, or took some of your things     2    asking? That would be quite a(n)     3     (pleasant) experience, wouldn’t it? Now, pause for a moment and consider that you will be a stranger to your future roommate. It’s always a good idea     4     (see) things from someone else’s angle, especially if you have to coexist     5     (peaceful) with that person for the entire school year.

Your relationship with your roommate should be similar to a business partnership. In other words, don’t do anything     6     you wouldn’t like your roommate to do. Share your duties and respect each other’s     7    (private) Living with a roommate in college can really brighten     8     darken your study years. Seeing things from another’s side is your survival guide to the world of strangers who can become your     9     (good) friends or worst enemies. It’s important to remember that there       10     (be) no naturally unfriendly people, but a lack of empathy (感同身受) can often lead to conflict.

4 . It was a cold December, at the end of the Great Depression, and things were tough. Mum had a _________ time raising us kids on her own. Looking back, I realize what Mum _________ sending us to school. Constant _________ was typical for my family, and it didn’t look like we’d be in our current house much longer. Rent was $25 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it.

The holidays were fast _________ , and we received S25 for Christmas from social services. Mum said instead of buying food and Christmas gifts, she was going to pay back our _________ with it. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer.

Unknown to Mum, I had been _________ Christmas trees, shoveling (铲) snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots.

The _________ day came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very _________ as I hurried to catch the bus into town. On the way a house with Christmas decorations reminded me that at our house, we had no such things and no _________ for Christmas goodies. Suddenly, I felt a sense of __________ . Here I was going to spend S23 on a pair of boots, while Mum was probably home __________ , wondering how to explain why there were no __________ . As I arrived at the bus stop, the driver opened the door. I stood there for what seemed a century, until __________ the driver asked, “Son, are you getting on this bus or not?” I finally blurted out, “No thanks, sir. I’ve __________ my mind.”

The bus drove off and I stood alone, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I went into a __________ across the street, with __________ and excitement. I bought a turkey, ham and all the Christmas trimmings. I spent every dime of my __________ money.

Two boys with carriers on their bicycles ran those groceries to our house. After we __________ piled (堆) the groceries against the door, I __________ the door. I could hardly wait to see my mother’s face! When Mum opened the door, some of the groceries fell inside onto the floor, and she just stood there, extremely __________ . Holding back the tears, I yelled, “Merry Christmas, Mother! There really is a Santa Claus!”

I watched my dad scowl (绷着脸) as he listened to the voice coming through the telephone receiver. I heard him say, “Yes, Miss Beisner,” and “I understand what you’re saying, Miss Beisner. I appreciate you sharing this information. We’ll see what we can do about the situation. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.”

Miss Beisner was my first-grade teacher, and I loved her. I thought she felt the same about me, but now I was beginning to wonder. The tone of Dad’s voice, the redness in his cheeks, and his repeated clenching. And unclenching of fists made it pretty clear. This was not a warm and fuzzy good news-from-the-teacher call.

As I was deciding whether I should lock myself in my bedroom for the rest of my life or run away from home, Dad hung up the phone. “Jacquie, come here and sit down. We need to talk.”

Uh-oh. When Dad said, “We need to talk,” it meant he needed to talk, and I needed to listen.

I shuffled (拖着脚走) over to the well-worn brown chair in the corner of the living room, plopped down, and waited to hear the nature of my crime.

Dad told me that Miss Beisner thought I was bright but not working up to my ability. She said I had strong verbal skills but weak study habits. Translation: I never closed my mouth, and I seldom opened a book. Apparently, my failure to memorize the addition facts, or even attempt to, was more than she was willing to put up with. Hence, the telephone call.

Dad ended our one-way conversation with a verbal outline for his plan of attack. Bubbles, our Toy Manchester Terrier, was going to teach me math. Silently, I thought, No way is any dumb dog going to teach me how to add, not even our beloved Bubbles. Out loud, I said, “How?”

Dad summoned Bubbles from her bed near the stove and commanded her to sit. “Bubbles,” Dad said, “how much is five plus three?” Bubbles let out eight loud, crisp barks.

I was incredulous (满腹狐疑的). I couldn’t understand how a dog could add, and I was more than a little embarrassed by the fact that the family dog was smarter than me.

Paragraph 1: After that, I threw myself into math with newfound determination.

Paragraph 2: One day, I asked Dad whether Bubbles really knew how to add.

Ritch Addison was ashy kid. In elementary school, he didn’t speak up for himself, and he    1    (worry) a lot. But once he went to high school, he made up his mind    2    (develop) a sense of humor to make more friends. His new approach worked and he started to become known for his jokes—like the time he made fun     3    a classmate’s poor score on a math test.

“It turned out that I had gotten a hundred on the test and he didn’t do so well,” Addison recalled. “And I joked heartlessly about it.”

Then one day, his good friend, Holly, pulled him aside and said, “Ritch, sometimes you really hurt     4    (people) feeling.”

Addison    5    (shock). He had always seen himself as the one who made his friends laugh. He couldn’t imagine that he might be hurting them.

“But I kept thinking about what Holly said. Finally, I realized that she was     6    (absolute) right. I started paying attention to     7    other people was reacting to my humor,” he said.

It couldn’t happen overnight,    8    . “Over the years, I worked on    9    (be) more compassionate(同理心的) toward the people around me since I wanted to have    10    different kind of relationship with them,” he said.

9 . If you miss one of the old friends you’ve lost touch with and think about reaching out to them, you may worry about whether it’ll be just like old times, or uncomfortable and awkward. Here are some ways to help you avoid any awkwardness while reconnecting with an old friend.

Reach out through social media. Connect with them through social media, text message or other means if you’re too nervous to make a phone call or to begin a meet up. Follow up on one of their most recent posts.     1    

Show some love. If you’re really happy to connect with your old friend, make it a point to communicate that to them.     2     Sincere warmth can help lessen some of the awkwardness that may build up in a relationship.

    3     Start conversation by bringing up a fun time you shared. It will transport you both back to that moment when you were close and help smooth over the “What are you up to now?” conversations that sound too rigid (死板).

Display your interest. As you chat with your friend, try to pay attention and ask follow-up questions.     4     Empathizing (共鸣) with them can help you connect with them and get to know who they are today.

Move past conflicts. Don’t talk a lot about your conflicts or the reasons why your friendship became less close. If it happens to come up naturally down the line, then feel free to address any possible hurt feelings.     5     In the beginning, just focus on what you had in common and the good times you shared together.

10 . Last May, my 15-year-old son, Benjamin, told my wife and me that he would attend a Kendrick Lamar concert. We ________ him that he was too young to go. But my son and his friend, Josh, ________ to take no for an answer.

Later I received a ________ from Josh’s father: “How about taking the boys to the Kendrick Lamar’ concert!?” While I felt ________ to attend a rap concert in my fifties, Josh’s father was as excited as the boys. He also knew how to get tickets and had started ________ the whole evening. By this ________ it was impossible to say no. I couldn’t imagine anywhere I would ________ less.

To learn about Mr Lamar and his ________, I downloaded and listened to all his songs days before heading down to the Scotiabank Arena.

The truth is the concert was really ________. The best part, of course, was how happy my son was. I stood when ________, I didn’t dance, and occasionally my son gave me an encouraging, accepting nod. ________ Kendrick Lamar is still not my favourite artist, I’m glad my son ________ me to him, and I’m glad I went.

It’s so easy to sit in our towers, ________ by age or upbringing background. ________, we have children, like Benjamin, to expose us to new experiences. If, of course, we have the ________ to listen to them.