1 . “I seldom read posts on WeChat Moments because many of them are not true and don’t present what a person is really like,” a friend of mine told me. Then, I ______ a small gathering at a bar a few days ago, and a girl asked me why my posts are full of positive energy—as if there is nothing ______ in my life.

I reread my WeChat posts to ______ whether what she said was true, and surprisingly, it seems my daily life ______ smoothly with almost all my posts filled with high spirits. As we know, online and offline communication are the two ______ for interpersonal exchange. WeChat is among the popular online social platforms in China, and people share their ideas and ______ personal images by posting on WeChat Moments. One way to build a better personal image is to polish photos, ______ selfies or other portraits by using photo editing apps ______ posting them on WeChat.   It helps ______ a sense of goodness and happiness to other users. Another way to ______ our charming personality is by posting ideas or comments. We take account of a lot of things before we post on WeChat.

However, sometimes it is the posts that take a negative tone or those that we delete that carry our ______ self-expressions. I once had a stomachache and went to hospital by myself to ______ a physical examination. Then, I had to do all the tests to ______ the cause of my illness on my own. In the outpatient area, all the patients except me were ______ by family or friends. Loneliness suddenly overcame me and ______ me to post on WeChat Moments. I described how I felt and expressed my ______ to look for someone to take care of me. Many friends left messages to ______ me and wish me a speedy recovery. But some suggested that I become stronger to deal with such situations. The reactions to my self-expressions vary. So, why do I ask for ______ by posting the other side of me on WeChat Moments?

WeChat posts are ______ with reliability and untruthfulness. We post our thoughts with invisible masks to hide whatever we refuse to tell the world. But ______, WeChat still provides an effective way for us to learn more about someone.

2 . The whole world knows them: actors, singers, models, athletes and TV personalities. If I use social media, I get too familiar.

I have nothing against the entertainment industry and celebrities. The problem is that by idolizing the entertainment industry so much, we sometimes completely forget about the things that are truly important and that are changing our world. You probably know who Leonardo DiCaprio is—a very talented American actor and film producer. But then you probably don’t know who Cori Bargmann is. Bargmann is a scientist who is uncovering the causes of Alzheimer’s and autism, which have been unknown for years.

What I think is wrong is that DiCaprio’s net worth is $260 million dollars, while Bargmann’s is less than $l million dollars. DiCaprio is definitely talented and has worked hard to give us good films, but Bargmann is working for something that can save thousands of humans who are suffering. And just because our society prefers to idolize the entertainment industry instead of science, she gets paid much less than she deserves.

But if it would benefit the world to invest all of our time and attention toward scientists, why don’t we make scientists our new “celebrities”?

First of all, we like being entertained. We love pretty faces and easy-to-digest information. It’s easier to care about simple stuff rather than scientific, complicated things. Another reason is that most scientists don’t like being in the spotlight. They’ re mostly reserved and like to have privacy. They’ re busy people, which explains why they haven’t attracted the media the same way that performers have. Also, people have free will and the right to be interested in whatever they want to be.

However, studies have shown that young people are more interested in a scientific career as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic has also made known some scientists who have suddenly started appearing on TV and guiding us on how to get protected from this deadly virus. Maybe that is the start of the development of a different point of view which will be in favor of science for future generations.

3 . It seems as if social media platforms have taken over our lives. According to a study, there were over 3.6 billion social media users in 2021. And that number is only expected to grow.

Although social media platforms have helped to keep friends and family connected, there is also a dark side to social media. To put it simply, it is a money making machine. This is partially because of social media influencers. A social media influencer is someone “who can shape audience’s attitudes through blogs, tweets, and the use of other social media”. You may be asking yourself, “Why would they want to do this, though?” The answer is simple: to make money. Social media influencers make money by promoting brands among their followers. In fact, influencer marketing is so profitable that the study reported that the industry is expected to reach $15 billion in value in 2022.

Social media influencers are now being called out because some of their actions have started to negatively impact the environment. One man in particular, who goes by Steve to remain anonymous (匿名的), noticed that some online influencers failed to follow rules when they went to national parks or public places. This included things like leaving garbage behind, or using drones (无人机) to take pictures from the sky.

Because of this, Steve made it his mission to stop social media influencers from hurting the environment with their bad behavior in order to get the “perfect shot”. In 2018, he made the account “Public Lands Hate You” to name and shame influencers who failed to follow the rules made to protect the environment. The account now has over 85 thousand followers.

He hoped that it could help some influencers find the light and right their wrongs. Steve said, “If everybody thought just a little bit more about their small actions and the impact those actions have on the environment and the people around them, I think that a lot of our bigger problems would be much more easily solved.”

5 . In 1910, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a boy who was charged with opening a valve (阀门) on a water pump powered by a steam engine to release the built-up pressure. His whole job consisted of staring at these machines all day, which was incredibly boring. The “ lazy ” boy then invented a release for the pump to run just as it should and won his freedom. The first automatic steam engine was born.

This story may be fictional, but the boy’s behavior reflects a deeper truth. When we are feeling lazy, we often search for an easier way, trying to update the process and save time and effort. In other words, laziness can drive innovation.

In recent years, some psychologists and business leaders have wised up to this insight, changing our perspective of what laziness really means. Both Bill Gates and Walter Chrysler have been credited with a quote: “ I always choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. ”

Our brains are born for laziness. Compared with our ancestors who had to conserve energy to compete for food, flee from predators, and fight, we now don’t take survival as a daily issue. It seems natural that we would choose to be “lazier” , but the opposite has occurred. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans sleep less and work more than we used to; productivity per worker has gone up 400 percent since 1950. Our culture teaches us that our worth depends on how industrious we are, so we work even harder to produce even more.

But there’s one big paradox (悖论), sad but true: The harder we work, the less productive we are. When demand increases, we tend to push harder. Yet the trouble is that, without any refresh and recharge, we are less efficient, make more mistakes, and get less engaged with what we’re doing.

Therefore, how can we make our labor more meaningful and our lives more fulfilling? Current research in psychology and neuroscience points to a new understanding of the value of the wandering mind. Taking breaks and allowing your thoughts to drift can help your brain retain information, refocus, and gain fresh perspective.

Here’s the core problem: When the time finally comes to put our feet up, we often don’t know how. We have little training in how to be idle. But at least give it a shot. Maybe this week, notice some downtime in your day, some white space in your calendar. Instead of filling the space with more work, just sit in the sofa, and be, in the words of poet Mary Oliver, “ idle and blessed. ”

7 . The Silver Line, created in 2013, is a free, 24 hours telephone helpline. It offers information, friendship and advice to_________ people.

“It’s often easier to speak to a_________, and nice to know you can_________ day or night,” says Bolton, who has no family nearby. She called the helpline after it was _________ by others.

New figures show that August was the charity’s_________ month, receiving more than 45, 000 calls. Summer can be a(n) _________ time for those left behind during the holiday season, _________ familiar faces are away for holidays, from the shopkeeper to the bus driver or even family members. Two-thirds of calls are_________ at night-time and weekends, when no other services are _________.

84 percent of older people say it is very difficult to __________ that they feel lonely, even to members of their __________ because they do not wish to become a “burden or trouble”.

A recent study found that almost three-quarters of older people in the UK are__________, and more than half have__________ spoken to anyone about how they feel.

Seniors can call the Silver Line__________, or can be connected with the aid of a relative. Helpline staff try to learn callers’ __________ first and then suggest information or__________ voluntary support from their communities.

“For a community, trying to solve the problems of seniors is a__________ task,” says Sophie Andrews, chief leader of the Silver Line, “Older people are regarded as being vulnerable (易受伤害的) to any social issues”. To__________ this situation, Andrews wants a greater understanding of their mental health__________: Being older means you are still exposed to mental health issues, but your ability to change your situation is__________.”