1 . My Kid-Free Life

I had expected to have more free time after my sons, Evan and Alex each of for college, and I do. The kitchen calendar looks spare. Rarely    1     I need to prepare family dinners every day. There is a lot     2     laundry.

When the boys were babies, I wondered how I     3     (spend) all the hours before they were born. Now that I have those hours back. I can focus on my own needs.

I had also expected to worry about them when they were away. And I do. Did they get their flu shots, will they remember the talks about good choices? On the other hand, the worry is mixed with    4     (relieve). I have seen     5     energetically they grow without me.

Do I miss them? Yes and no. Do I feel united for having lost my primary role in life? No, because over the year, I took great pride     6    the fact that my identity was not dependent on theirs. But, surprisingly, yes.     7     (be) a different kind of mother defines me now.

The missing comes at unexpected moments: seeing the school bus drive by, starting to put too many plates on the table...When they have doubts about friendship or job prospects, I can only say, “I’m sure you will figure it out.”

And yet, the spaces     8     (empty) by loss are more than filled by what I’ve found. I now have the chance     9     (see) them as the whole world does but also like no one else ever will.

The rooms     10     the the boys used to lie look vacant. I feel sadness but also joy.1 knew that they would leave bur they will find their way back.

My home is empty. But overflowing.

Growing up being the farmer’s daughter has been very interesting. It has made life challenging, fun and     1    (occasional) lonely. It has helped me grow as a person     2     have a whole new respect for all the farmers who most people just don’t pay attention to. It takes a special person to be a farmer, and even     3     (much) special people to be the farmer’s family.

I have always had a love for animals. Thank you     4     bringing me to the turkey and pig berms to see the cute little animals. Every time I see anything about pigs or turkeys I think about you,   just like when I     5     (buy) those plastic pig noses for you.

Every time I pass a field of corn, I think about how I grew up     6     (visit) you at fields just like that. I can even tell apart some of the     7     ( difference) crops. My farming vocabulary is pretty good    8    (compare) to a lot of other people. I also realize how important every little aspect of it is. The weather, bugs,a new type of seed or variety of plant - all of those play    9     part of a much bigger operation. I have a much bigger understanding of the world .

I’m proud to have a farmer dad. Although there were some     10     (struggle), I would never trade the way I grew up. You have worked so hard, and I appreciate everything you have done for me.

I Love you,Dad!

New research published by a team of psychologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that our own happiness     1     (influence) by the kindness and generosity we show to others.

    2     (arrive) at this conclusion, the researchers asked a group of research participants to engage in a series of     3     (experiment) that examine them in acts of their own happiness against those aimed at     4     (improve) the happiness of others. In one study, participants were given a few coins by a research assistant on the street after parking their cars. They were asked to put some coins either into their own parking meters (停车计时器)     5     in others' nearby.     6     (interesting), people who put coins in others' meters showed     7     (great) happiness than those who put money in their own, despite not knowing who they were helping.

The researchers offer a good     8     (explain) for the reasons why they come to such a conclusion. According to the researchers, an effort to make another person happy inspires feelings of closeness,     9    , in turn, explains why people end up feeling happy themselves.

But it is not just financial generosity that has the power to increase our happiness. Simply adopting an attitude that puts others' happiness above our own has     10     positive influence on our psychological happiness.