6 . A few months ago, one of my fellow graduate students was offered an incredible career-building opportunity. His efforts on a student-led campaign to increase federal funding for basic research had________an invitation to speak on a panel (专家组) conference. It would look great on his CV (简历). I was happy for him, of course. But I was________ to him in efforts in campaign. I felt that I deserved the same opportunity. Yet I hadn’t been________and I wasn’t sure why.

However, I decided that I needed to________my life again—by becoming my own biggest advocate.

So, with my heart beating fast, I asked my classmate to ask the conference organizers to________me. My mind was filled with________. Maybe I didn’t deserve it. Maybe I was being too ambitious. But my classmates immediately contacted the organizers, who quickly agreed to________me in. Now I come to understand that I can’t be recognized if I’m invisible. This isn’t a revolutionary idea which many people are unfamiliar with. I know, but as an introvert (内向的人) this is my________Mount Qomolangma.

7 . Once upon a time there was great poverty (贫困) in a land. Three rich men were _________ together when they came to a very _________ village.

The first couldn’t stand seeing the poverty, _________ he took out all his gold and jewels and shared them among the villagers, wishing them all the best of luck, and he left.

The second rich man, seeing the _________ situation, stopped for a short time and gave _________ all his food and drink, since he could see that money would be of little _______ to them. He made sure that they each _________ their fair share and would have enough food to _________ for some time. Then, he left.

The third rich man, on seeing such poverty, _________ and went straight through the ____________ without stopping. The two other rich men saw this from a distance and commented with each other ____________ the third rich man lacked sympathy.

Three days later, they ____________ the third rich man, who was coming in the opposite direction. He was ____________ travelling quickly, but his wagons (马车), ____________ the gold and valuables they had been ____________, were now full of farming tools and bags of seeds.

8 . Doing something without thinking is easy, but it’s hard for us to take back what we have done. There was once a _______who repeated a bit rumor (谣言) about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community _______the story. The person it concerned, was deeply _______and annoyed. Later, the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely _______. She was very sorry and went to a wise old man to find out what she could do to _______the damage.

“Go to the marketplace,” he said, “and _______a chicken, and have it _______.   Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them _______along the road.” Although surprised by this advice, the woman did _______she was told.

The next day the wise man said, “Now, go and collect all those ________you dropped yesterday and ________them back to me.”

The woman ________the same road, but to her disappointment, the wind ________ all the feathers away. “You see,” said the old man, “it’s easy to drop them, ________it’s impossible to get them back. So it is with rumor. It doesn’t take much to spread a rumor, but ________you do, you can never completely make up for the wrong.”

A few weeks before Thanksgiving one year, my husband and I decided to invite a guest over for the holiday. I called a senior centre and they suggested Ilse. She was a stubborn 78­year­old lady, who favoured sequined (亮片的) T­shirts.

On Thanksgiving, within minutes of arriving, Ilse welcomed the glass of wine my husband offered with a wide smile. By the end of the evening, we felt as if we were old friends. The more time I spent with Ilse, the more she became like a surrogate (替代的) grandma. So when her only son Ralph died, I realized she was too upset to be left alone and helped her hire a caregiver. For me, she was like a family and I was the only one left in her tribe.

Each time I stopped by her apartment, Ilse seemed more disconnected than the time before. Late one afternoon, when I called her, I was unable to understand what she was saying. I drove her to the emergency room, where the doctor confirmed she had suffered a mild stroke. During the next few days, I dropped by her apartment, but she was no longer the energetic, stubborn Ilse I knew. At the end of the week, I received an early­morning phone call from her caregiver. “Please come over now,” the woman said, her voice matter­of­fact. “She’s passed away.” When I arrived, I saw Ilse lying on her bed, motionless, her eyes closed. I sat on the edge of the bed, too shocked to cry.

The morning after Ilse’s death, I read through her will and saw my name.

I donated the money to a cause she cared about deeply: children.