1 . When my mother told my father she was pregnant (怀孕的)，the first thing he did was buy a TV. It was 1957 and TVs were _______ technology back then. He thought that with a baby, they’d be going out a lot less and that he would need to find _______at home. That was the first _______ he gave me. But when I think of other gifts my father has given me, the first would be a love of _______ . He is not usually an observer of life, but he can be _______ and insightful (富有洞察力的)．He is always right in the middle of our study．He and my mother gave me a love of words and books. He has been totally deaf in one ear since he was two years old, so we _______ listened to music. In my childhood, storybooks were king-not songs.

The second is _______ all. Even when my sister and I were little, the conversation around the dinner table was _______ but adult-level. Your age didn’t matter. If you voiced an opinion, you had to _______ your case and give evidence. He ____________ everyone the same - child or adult, CEO or cleaner.

The greatest gift to his daughters was that he took interest in our ____________. Most successful women I know had fathers who ____________ their intelligence. My father said my mother was the wisest person he had ever met. They met at a dance in the early 50s, when she was a teacher. Wanting to ____________he told her about Jane Austen’s Emma, but misquoted (错误地引用) the book. My mother ____________ him and he was in love from that moment.

Over the years, my father taught me never to stand still and to ____________ for change. I continue to follow his lead.