1 . Instead of being a pacing-up time, winter is a locking-down time. Winter frees us in all sorts of ways.

I once had a neighbor named Earl. An old-timer and a self-made man, he _________ told me stories about Maine winters in the past. He suggested he had _________ the ice age. He backed up his old stories with _________ of old black-and-white photographs of heavy snowstorms that piled up to second-floor windows and completely _________ cars.

And I’ll never _________ what he said as an end to one of his stories, “A man couldn’t get much done once the snow came.” So what did he do once the snow came? He spent a great deal of time _________ to home and hearth, where he _________ the wood stove, sat with his wife, made pots of coffee, and read by the fire.

As I write these words I occasionally raise my head to _________ the window at the woodpile stacked (堆), the garden harvested, the apple tree _________, the lawn mowed, and the bicycle shed newly roofed.

As I tended to all those things, when did I have time to __________?

Some years ago a friend sent me a quote by Socrates that I try to be mindful of: Beware the fruitlessness of a __________ life.

The advice __________ me to look forward to the coming of winter, because I’ve finally learned that it is a slowing-down time, a gift of rest, a (n) __________ to acknowledge that most of the outdoor work that could be done has been done.

A friend of mine who lives in the Southeast recently called. In the course of our __________ he celebrated the climate where he lives, which __________ him to work outside year-round. “I’m always on the go.” he told me.

But I think I need a good time of winter.

2 . My photographs are the items I would definitely take or guard in case of an emergency. But what else? This was the question I asked myself as a ________ came toward us.

Unlike some friends and________, we decided to stay in our home. We didn’t have to choose what we would save by ________ it into the car, but we still had to decide what required protection by storing it in our walk-in closet. Surprisingly, few items made the cut - an obvious ________ that we had surrounded ourselves with beautiful yet unessential items. We needed ________ for the truly important things: ourselves.

Because when you hear the roar of the winds, or when something ________ hard against your windows, you don’t think of photos.You don’t worry about your big screen TV, or those paintings you’ve covered with towels to protect them, or that ________ car that you still haven’t finished paying for.

As ________ goes on outside, this is what you think: My children, are they OK? Are their impact-resistant(耐冲击的) windows working ________? Are their roofs keeping out the damage? My grandchildren, are they crying out in fear? Are they ________ as their own grandparents are? My relatives — yes, even those I try to avoid — have they ________ the worst of it? My friends, will they be forced to move somewhere else permanently? You don’t think about what you own but about what you love; what money can’t buy back.

Months and years after the hurricane, I often told people that there are two parts to ________ this kind of catastrophe: the horror of the hurricane itself and then the rebuilding that follows. The ________ together of a life, however, will take months, perhaps years.

But we will do it, ________ and as a community. Of that I have no doubt. In fact, I’ll make one more prediction. Piece by piece, item by item, we will once again collect the material possessions that decorate a home. I hate to admit this, but lessons learned ________ fear aren’t always long-lasting.

3 . It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but there’s something unique about handwritten things. And I’m a real believer in the_______of letters.

When I was about 12 years old, my friends and I wanted a pet mouse. The pet shop wouldn’t_______us one until we had a letter from a parent, so, having the tidiest_______, I faked(伪)one.

My trick was quickly_______. My mum felt that the punishment should fit the crime, so she made me write letters to a few randomly selected_______.

One of them was my uncle who I’d only_______a few times. I wrote along letter_______my life and listing my interests.

My punishment_______, I forgot about this until I suddenly got a reply from him. He told me all about his life and would love to_______about what school subjects I enjoyed. And so started a correspondence(通信)that________for several years.

Then out of the blue, he passed away. My mum was________as they had not really spoken for years. I went upstairs and presented a box of________from him. She comforted herself reading them and knowing that ________she hadn’t been in touch, I had grown close to him by writing to him.

I often think about how that one________childhood behavior led to such an enriching correspondence. It________me-to write to lots of other people, and it’s something I keep up with to this day.

4 . When I hear the word stereotype (刻板印象), I feel it’s a word that doesn’t have a good aura (氛围) around it. It makes me feel ________ when I hear it. I’m not gonna ________ you on what you look like, I’m gonna judge you only when I meet you.

People assume that because of my ________ that I can’t do things that white women do, like finishing high school, going to college, graduating from college, getting a PhD, and having a career. ________ I go to the gym, people will be like, you run well for an ‘Asian guy’. And like this little ________ use of languages really affects how we view our world.

Being an Indian in a ________ American school, I’ve faced a couple of challenges. Many people assume things ________ me like I’m smart or I want to be a doctor, or I play things like chess, but I don’t think my skin color is what ________ me. I think it’s important for you to get to know a person ________ their skin. And really, I’m just American. I was born here. I like to live the same way ________ anybody else would.

When I first meet someone, I just talk about where they’re from and stuff ________ assuming where they’re from. Because it’s usually better to get to ________ someone’s background information than just assume it.

I break the stereotypes that I’ve encountered by ________ them, and walking off. A stereotype does not make you. You make you. You should accept who you are and love who you are, because we’re all human. We all deserve to have a ________. Your color or your race shouldn’t ________ your personality.

5 . I had some pretty serious issues with my community for the last year, and our relationship completely fell apart 6 months ago. As a result, I ________ them on social media, and did my best to forget about them. The events though continued to ________ me, and the ________ that I felt from those events affected other aspects of my life. It began destroying relationships in other parts of my life and I ended up ________ bridges with big opportunities and people I really ________.

Yesterday, I was forced to see this community because of a major work event. I was fearing this event for months and it was pretty ________ when I first saw the people with whom I was in ________. Despite all of this, the strangest yet most wonderful thing happened to me. After I left the event, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a long time-peace and ________. Some of the people at this ________ didn’t even know who I was and it was clear that a lot of people had ________ from the events.

________ breaking up with that community, I could still see them during the conference and apologize in my head and forgive them. After doing this, I felt peace in myself, and I find I’ve been able to see things from a bigger ________.

When you forgive others, you not only free them, but you free yourself ________. You not only find peace with them, but you find peace ________ yourself. Now, I only wish them the best life that they can have, the most success that they can ________, and the most happiness they could ever have.

6 . When I was young, I struggled with body image and disordered eating. I used disordered eating to deal with my _________ and feel more in control of my life. Afterwards, I’d over-exercise to_________my body for what I’d eaten, especially if I thought the _________ too much.

But later I realized how unhealthy my _________ were. A happier life was possible, the one in which I’d hang out with friends and join in enjoyable exercise in my free time _________. I wanted to have a wonderful life filled with amazing _________. In response to it, I stopped punishing my body and began to _________ it right. My body and I had done nothing _________ in eating and enjoying food, but my life would be happier once I was healthier.

Once I became healthier, I dove back into _________.   I attended Zumba classes with an old roommate. I ____________ how cool it was and how privileged I was that my body could do so many fancy dance moves. I even became one of the ____________ of the technique award.

We live in a world where feeling okay about our eating and body image is close to ____________sometimes. But a life free of diet culture and body ____________ is the one that everyone should fight for. I’m so ____________ that I’m able to exercise my body through dancing, and here I want to ____________other particular body’s abilities。

7 . This morning I was reading a book outside my favorite beachside coffee shop when an 18-year-old boy sat down next to me and said, “The ______   in your hands is great, isn’t it?” I closed the book and we started ______ .

He told me he was getting ready to ______   high school next week and then started his college life in the fall. But he had no ______ what he wanted to do with his life.

He asked me many questions, and I ______ them as well as I could, trying to give ______ advice with the time I had. And after a half-hour conversation, he thanked me and we parted ways.

But on my way home I realized the ______ I had with that 18-year-old boy was ______ quite nostalgic (令人怀念的) . He made me ______ the time when I was his age, more than twenty years ago. I had so many ______ back then. So, I started thinking about his questions again, and I began remembering all the helpful little things someone told me ______ I was 18.

The ______ is that you’d better do your best, one ______ , not all at once. And above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t ______ when everything develops. Life is short, yet ______ . Enjoy the ride!

8 . It was Friday, and I slid into my seat I looked up and felt the _________. I heard our fifth-grade teacher say we were about to take our weekly math test. She told us not to _________ it. If we practiced our problems at home, we should be fine.

I took some deep _________ and comforted myself, “It’s only 10 questions. How hard can it be?” But when a blank test arrived on my desk, I was full of _________. Everything seemed like a blur (模糊) as I rushed to _________ on time. However, as I handed my paper to the teacher, I felt _________ good—maybe it was because the test was over. Before the end of the day, though, she handed back the tests. I _________. Another C.

Growing up, I felt math was a _________. Only thanks to a devoted teacher in a summer course did I gain the basic _________ I needed to move forward. From then on, math felt more or less tolerable.

So you might be __________ that I’m now an elementary school math specialist. Today, I often think about why many students find math __________, and I think it has something to do with the fact that we don, t develop in them the critical (批判性的) thinking skills needed for math reasoning. That’s why my __________ is to teach math as a way of thinking.

I remind those students, who think they’re born bad at math, that math is a skill you never __________ learning. There’ll always be something you haven’t yet mastered, and that’s OK. It, s also OK to __________ along the way. Actually, it’s not the __________ of the world if a problem needs correcting; it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. So keep learning.

9 . Once a year, around the time when Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Jews celebrate Passover, I often invite my 24-person team to a joyful and special dinner at my place. To _________ the needs of all my team members, I usually _________ different kinds of typical food from different religions.

I think this _________ reflects the wider philosophy(哲学) of my science lab: we aim to be a _________ yet united group of people working in a global scientific network. My lab _________ people with different _________. One of the most obvious _________ is our religions.

Yet when people _________ my lab, they gather together, first through their common _________ for science, and then as they get to know one another and enjoy spare time activities, we become a cohesive(有凝聚力的) team. I am ____________ this cohesion and the new friendships in my lab, and do my best to encourage them.

I’m also really ____________, while looking for new members. I interview many people before I ____________ the right ones for my lab. They must be ____________ capable(有能力的)of course, but it’s just as important that they’re friendly, interesting and interested in others. They should be prepared to ____________ various points of view and cultures.

As the person in charge of the lab, I see preserving a variety of cultural backgrounds as an important part of my job. Such an accessible, varied and supportive ____________ promotes new ideas and scientific breakthroughs.

10 . When 9-year-old Alice asked me, “Mom, do I have to brush my hair today?” I didn’t know how to answer. On the one hand, it’s good to have pride in our ________. And hair-brushing does not take a lot of effort. ________ on the other hand, I was happy that my daughter paid little attention to the way her hair looked, how she ________, or what people thought about her. In Alice’s world, brushing her hair was ________ and she would just do it as ________ as possible. I knew back then that those feelings would not last a long time.

Five years later, at age 14, Alice ________ her physical appearance. Hair has to be brushed, makeup used and clothes changed many times before we can even think about leaving the house. My confident teen worries about whether her nail (指甲) color ________ her shirt or if she looks “stupid” in the very same clothes she says she loved the day before. With shame, it ________ my mind that I somehow raised a looks-obsessed child, focusing on things that are _________

We have talked about in detail how looks don’t mater and that being a good, kind , ________ person in this world is way more important than looking good. Each time we have this ________, Alice tells me that she knows that technically looks aren’t important. But when she looks good on the outside she feels more confident on the inside. ________, that makes her a kinder, more caring and more understanding person. I certainly can’t argue with such ________ teenage thinking!

And just as she learned over the years that often brushing hair is probably a good idea, ________ she will learn that sometimes it’s okay to go out in a less-than-perfect coat or without ________. Somewhere deep down, her freewheeling (随心所欲的) 9-year-old self still knows that.