We all know    1     it is like to want to win and most of us know what it is like to lose. More often than not, winning has the victor walking on air, lost in the glory of the moment,     2     the loser is left with a bitter taste and a feeling of failure. Almost nobody likes to come     3    (two), and sometimes it is difficult    4    (keep) everything in perspective. Modern society honours winners and successful sportspeople quickly become celebrities,     5    (admire) by all. However, there are ways to win and ways to lose. Whether you come first or last, it is important to remember     6     at any sporting event, you face two opponents: your fellow     7    (compete) and yourself. At the finish, your competitor will walk away but you will have to live with your decisions. A true sportsperson    8     (make) the right decisions for the right reasons and not worry about failure. There is an old and very wise saying, repeated many times, “Win with humility, lose with grace, and do both     9     dignity.” In praise of such acts of sportsmanship, the International Fair Play Committee decided to award the Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Trophy, in 1964. The first athlete    10    (receive) the award was an Italian bobsleigh competitor named Eugenio Monti.

I tend to go slowly when I drive in the mountains of my home because the forest scenery is     1     (fantasy)no matter what the season. This morning I was driving       2     (slow) than usual because an early March snow had turned the roads slippery.

    3     (amaze)to see a buck deer(公鹿)standing in the middle of the road, I came     4     a full stop and for a few seconds stared at the deer. His eyes seemed wise and were smiling at me. Finally, I     5    (signal) to him to go on. He then leapt across the road, up the hill and back into the woods.

Most of us rush through this life not knowing the very thing     6     we are missing. The next time you find     7     (you) going too fast, slow down. Take the time to watch the sunrise over the horizon and fill the world with light. Take the time to look your children in their eyes, hug them     8     tell them that you love them. If you do, your life       9     (be)so much better and more beautiful. And you might even end up not     10     (hit) a deer on your way home.

In 1879, Procter and Gamble’s best seller was candles. But the company was     1     trouble. Thomas Edison had invented the lightbulb (电灯泡), and it looked as if candles would become out-of-date. Their fears became a(n)     2     (real) when the market for candles crashed, since candles were now sold only for special     3     (occasion).

The outlook appeared to be     4     (depress) for the Procter and Gamble Company. Several months later an accident occurred. One of the employees left to go to lunch and forgot     5     (turn) off the machine. The result of this act was too much mixture. After fully     6     (discuss) with his boss, the employee poured the mixture into frames (模具). Thus, the floating soap was born. He decided to give the soap a name     7     could be remembered easily. Then the soap     8     (call) Ivory.

In Cincinnati during that period, some people bathed in the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink and     9     (consequent) never got lost. Ivory soap became a best seller in Ohio and eventually across the country.

Let us never give up when things go wrong. Creativity put to work can solve a problem. Well, it can make it into     10     gold mine.

The more I learn, the     1     (well) I know how much there is still left to learn. As I journey through my life, I have become aware that     2     (acquire) knowledge is not only a means by     3     you can better understand the world, but also a way of appreciating how much, as     4     individual, you do not know.

It is vital to remain lifelong learners in a     5     (rapid) changing world. As you progress through life, you may study and work in new environments. Consequently, you will be exposed     6     many new ideas, beliefs, practices and learning experiences. Furthermore, the     7    （produce）of knowledge is bound to grow rapidly.

So, how can you proceed? Firstly, lifelong learning is an attitude. Secondly, take advantage of opportunities for lifelong learning — for example, you could register online and subscribe to e-learning courses,     8     have become increasingly popular in recent years. Finally, understand that it is not sufficient to simply know something or to understand what you know, because for knowledge to have concrete value, it must be applied.

    9     summary, in a world of constant change, one should never cease to learn. Lifelong learning will help you develop your skills and further your career, and will boost your sense of self-worth and keep your mind active. Therefore, know what you know and use it; know what you do not know and embrace it; know that you will never know all there is to know and wonder at it.

The more I learn, the better I know how much there is still left to learn. As I journey through my life, I have become aware that acquiring knowledge is not only a means     1     which you can better understand the world, but also a way of appreciating how much, as an individual, you do not know. The ability     2     (admit) this should not     3     (perceive) as a weakness,     4     as a strength. I once had an art teacher,     5     (point) out that it is not only what you can see     6     is important, but also what you cannot see. When I drew a still life,     7     was impressed on me that the blank spaces between the objects were just     8     vital to the success of the composition as the actual objects themselves. Also, as the great educator Confucius     9     (state), “when you know a thing, to recognize that you know it;     10     when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know it — that is wisdom.”

How can people live in a country for years and not learn the language? I’d heard of such people and, if I’m    1    (complete) honest, I judged them. Then, the time came for me to move to China and I decided I wouldn’t waste my opportunity    2    others.

After two years, I’m embarrassed to report that I’ve not made significant progress.    3    I work mostly with Chinese colleagues    4    offer to help me, I simply don’t make the time. Why, though? How is it possible? Well, life is so interesting in Beijing that I get     5     (catch) up in anything and everything else.

One would think that living in a foreign country would practically press you    6     (study) the language, but it’s more complex than that. First, when your job is to use your native language, the majority of your day     7     (spend) in and around native language material. Second, let’s not forget that we live in the     8    (advance) era (时代) of translation apps. Yes, it is easy indeed to go about the majority of your day and not hear or need to use much Chinese at all. Thirdly, it must be recognized that learning    9    new language takes time.

In short, it has taught me how to abandon my opinions about how people “should” interact with the world. It has increased my     10     (able) to empathize(共情).