1 . Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren’t _______ but this was one of those celebrations that I didn’t mind. They are a bunch of young, single guys and I would have felt out of place.

What _______ me was the way they behaved. One of the young men came over _______ in the day to “warn” us of the upcoming event and said it would be over at about 11 p.m. That was the first step. Even more _______ was what they did next. “Here’s my _______,” offered our neighbor _______. “Text me if it’s too noisy.” That was a level of _______ I had never experienced in all my years of being a neighbor!

And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the _______ end time, even when the music reached high decibels (分贝), and even when we couldn’t get through on the phone number, we felt no _______. We knew they would stop and be ________ eventually.

It takes such little effort to make people feel that they ________ and get people on your side. Everyone needs to let loose every now and then, especially in these uniquely tough times. But people who do it without ________ others are few and far between. I hadn’t fully ________ my neighbors until this week. We had adopted that all too American “live and let live” posture. But now I see them in a new light and with greater ________. They didn’t just bring noise to the neighborhood; they shone the light of ________.

2 . John graduated from a key university and he was very good at his major. He wished to find a good job. One day, he went to a company to _________for a job. He got the news in a newspaper. He did some research on this company. When he was _________ , everything went well. The manager asked him some questions and he answered them fluently. John was very satisfied with his performances and was very _________ that he could get the job. But at that moment, the manager’s phone _________. He picked up the phone, listened and nodded. And then he turned around and said to John, “Sorry, I want to get some important _________ now. Please give me the book with the red _________on that desk.” John looked around and found 3 books on the desk, so John went to the desk, took one book and handed it to him politely.

Holding the book, the manager _________ the phone and said, “Sorry, we cannot give the job to you.” John was _________ and wondered why. The manager said, “ There are three _________. First, when you came into the office room, I found that the third button on your shirt had been missing. Second, there are three books with red covers on that desk, but you didn’t ask me which one I needed and you took one randomly (随机地). Third, I was answering the call. You should __________ to the desk to save time. These __________ showed you are not a careful person.” __________ John didn’t get the job.

We can learn a(n) __________ from John’s experience. Some people don’t mind the details in our life. But it is the details that count. Not only should we value what we learn but also we should pay more attention to the details. Sometimes they can even __________ our success or failure. We should form the habit of being careful and learn to keep the __________of quantity and quality. We should keep it in mind that quality comes first, without which quantity is of no significance.

3 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to _________. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane _________ our neighborhood while we were visiting my grandparents in Raleigh. Our kitchen was destroyed, and our clean and comfortable home was in ruins.

But something _________ happened. Our neighbors, the Flores family, came to our aid. They helped clear _________ pieces and offered us a place to stay. Their _________ was most impressive. We had never_________ spoken to them before, but they _________ their home to us and made us feel like family.

We started a new_________ of having weekend dinner together. We invited other families from the neighborhood to join us, and our _________ were filled with laughter and delicious food. It was a beautiful thing to see our __________ come together in the wake of a disaster.

I __________ knew Rosica, their daughter, before the hurricane. But she quickly became my __________. She had a gift for storytelling and our evenings together were filled with adventure and laughter.

Looking back, I realize that the hurricane__________ unexpected benefit. It brought us closer to our neighbors and __________ our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Sometimes, it takes a(n) __________ to bring out the best in people.

4 . “I’m going to fail!” My best friend cried. She and I had this conversation almost every day while we were in high school.

The truth was that my friend never failed in any subjects. I just think that she can’t accept failures because she lives her life as a perfectionist. What she fails to understand is that a lot of good can come from failures.

For example, failure can help build relationships. Once I was cooking dinner for a friend, I was tired, and several dishes I tried to make turned out bad. I grew more and more upset until my friend told me that I shouldn't worry. She cared more about our friendship than the dishes. That day, I learned that failure doesn't always make people dislike you. In fact, after she said those words to me, I grew closer to her.

Failure can make success evermore exciting. Every few years, there would be an important test in the PE class at our school. Students had to run a mile within eight minutes. I was never good at running, so I failed every time until the third year at school. Then I began working out regularly, and yet still failed that year. A few days later, however, the teacher gave me and some other students another chance to run and I got a pass finally! You can't imagine how excitedly I was after that. I felt the memory of the success was as sweet as honey, because I had to overcome failure to reach it.

Now it’s clear to see that failure can teach us good lessons. It's not an end, but it can be a beginning.

5 . A woman came out of her house and saw three old men sitting in her front yard. She said, “I don’t think I know you, but you must be _________ . Please come in and have something to eat.”

“Is the man of the house home?” they asked. “No,” she replied, “He’s out.” “Then we cannot come in” they replied. In the evening when her _________ came home, she told him _________ had happened. “Go tell them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited the men in. “We do not go into a _________ together.” they replied “Why is that?” she asked.

One of the old men gave an _________ that their names were Wealth, _________ and Love. Then he added, “Now go in and _________ with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was _________ and he suggested inviting Wealth to fill their home with money, talking and laughing. “With riches, we buy new houses, expensive furniture, and colorful clothing. We will look much better in the eyes of both ourselves and our neighbors.” he said. And his wife wanted to invite Health: but their daughter-in-law _________ they should invite Love so that their home would be full of warmth. “With that we will feel much better in our family and our neighborhood as well. That’s of more importance.” she argued, ____________ the husband said to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”

The woman ____________ and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”

Love ____________ and started walking toward the house.

The other two also got up and ____________ him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Health: “I only invited Love, why are you coming in?”

The old men replied ____________: “If you had invited Wealth or Health, the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love. Wherever he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is____________ Wealth and Health!”

6 . Pennsylvania is full of mysterious places! One of those is an old turnpike (收费高速公路) abandoned for decades. People in Pennsylvania view it as a museum. My dad loves________, and he learned it was open to the public. ________, when I was 14, we took a bike trip to ________ this road!

My dad chose a 16-mile________ of the road for us to ride. Part of it included an old tunnel called Sideling Hill which is over a mile long! To prepare, we checked our ________ and made   sure our lights had batteries. In the morning, we loaded our bikes into the car and set off.

As we ________ the tunnel, I felt nervous as it was absolutely black inside! But Dad ________ me. He said he would be ________ me. He reminded me to stay ________ and keep my light on!

When we entered the tunnel, the sound of our bikes was heard through the darkness. I shined my flashlight around and saw walls________with graffiti (涂鸦). And I felt like I was being ________! I was pretty scared, but ________ following Dad. He helped me relax. After riding ________through, I could see light coming from the other end motivating me to keep going. And I was so delighted to ride out into the bright   afternoon!

________ going through difficulties in life, I remember this trip. It reminds me that my father is always beside me. He turns on the light of hope in my heart and gives me courage to keep riding through life’s ________tunnels.

7 . When I was in sixth grade, I joined the band program to learn to play the clarinet (单簧管). The beginning of the year had gone _________. But as most students progressed, I seemed to fall behind. One day, when my teacher told us to play in front of the other students. I was filled with fear. I knew I would _________. When I began to play, my rhythms (节奏) were good, but my tone was another _________. “Did you practice your lesson?” the teacher barked at me. I felt so ashamed and my world came _________ down in an instant.

From then on, I hated playing the clarinet and I kept getting _________. With the day of the new performance approaching, I grew increasingly upset. In a moment of _________, I asked for sick leave. It was so relieving and such a(n) easy way out.

The avoidance of my lessons continued until my mum asked me about it. “I want to quit.” My tears started _________. “If you really want to quit, why are you crying?” asked Mum. She _________ and I realized I wanted to stay in band and, by not facing my fears, I had created a black hole that would be difficult to _________ out of. I made a resolution not to hide from my fears and to stand up to even the worst of them, so a __________ could be achieved.

The next day I met with my band teacher and told her I was having a problem and couldn’t __________ why. She asked me gently to play for her. I tried, but only an unpleasant sound came out. She didn’t shout at me and handed me a new reed (簧片). I put it in place and tried again. To my great __________ I could play well. My problem was solved and my fear was __________ a lot that year.

Looking back, I’m glad that I overcame my fear. Fear can __________ everything in a person’s life. Hiding from those very fears only creates a hole, which makes a person stay __________ inside. After facing up to a fear, one may find life easier and much more enjoyable.

10 . When I was about twelve years old, my mother told us that we would not be _______ Christmas gifts for lack of money. I felt sad and thought, “What would I say when the other kids asked what I’d _______?” Then, three women _______ at our house with gifts for all of us. For me they bought a doll. I would no longer have to be _______ when I returned to school.

Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my _______ Christmas special and memorable there, I_______ remembered the women’s visit. I decided that I wanted to create the same feeling of _______ for as many children as I could possibly _______.

So I _______ with a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help. We gathered about 125 orphans (孤儿) at the Christmas party. For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, each with a child’s name. We wanted all of them to know they were ________. Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I ________ them that they couldn’t open their presents until every child had come forward. Finally the ________ they had been waiting for came as I called out, “One, two, three. Open your presents!” As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles ________ up the room. The ________ in the room was obvious, and it wasn’t just about toys. It was a feeling — the feeling I knew from that Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit. I wasn’t forgotten. Somebody still remembered me. I know I ________.