2 . In Favour of Simple Writing

Do you edit text messages carefully before sending them? If so, you may be the kind of person who takes pride in _______ even the simplest message. If you do not, you may see yourself as a go-getter, one who values excitement and speed over _______: get it done decently now rather than perfectly later.

People are constantly receiving messages, from the mailbox to the inbox to the text-message alert. What to read, what to skim (略读) and what to ignore are decisions that nearly everyone has to make dozens of times a day. A new book titled All Readers are Busy Nowadays makes the argument for being the careful kind of _______, even in informal lines. The authors also present well-established _______ that have long been prized in guides to writing.

Take “less is more”. Most books on writing well advocate the advice to _______ needless words. The authors, however, have _______ the idea. In an email to thousands of school-board members asking them to take a survey, cutting the count from127 to 49 words almost _______ the response rate.

Keeping messages to a _______ idea—or as few as absolutely needed—helps ensure that they will be read, remembered and acted on. _______ the number of the available options has the same effect, too. A link in an email, ________, attracted 50% more clicks when presented alone than when it was sent alongside a second additional link.

Syntax (句法) and ________ matter, too. It is more ________ to adopt short and active sentences, with common words familiar to everyone. From Facebook posts to online-travel reviews, even brief, informal pieces of writing that follow these rules get more likes and shares.

If everyone is a busy reader, everyone is a busy writer, too. That may make it tempting to sent as many messages as ________ as possible and hope for the best. But from essays to text messages organizing dinner plans, devoting time to the needs of readers has provable ________. If you are so busy that you write an undisciplined message which readers scan, ignore and delete, then you might as well have not ________ it at all.

3 . From birth, every person needs other human beings. Babies need to be cared for to survive. Their first _________ usually come from parents and brothers or sisters. As children grow up, _________, they spend more time with others. And they may or may not feel connected to the people they see every day. Some people feel different from or rejected by their neighbors, people they work with or even their families. People who don’t feel like they belong often feel _________, even when others are around.

People find different ways to meet their natural desire to _________ a group. Some rely on their families _________ others find communities based on other interests. These can include religious beliefs, shared goals, life experiences or popular culture.

You need others for many _________. Community members can offer advice or practical help when you go through difficult times. You can also grow as a person from helping others. And belonging helps give a sense of meaning as you become part of something bigger than yourself.

So what can you do if you _________ a sense of belonging? The first step will usually be to make a mindful effort to _________ others. You could join groups based on interests you share. Or you could contact an individual with whom you have something in common and decide when to meet up. This may be uncomfortable _________, but as with most things, it becomes easier with practice. Focusing on others more than on yourself may help. Ask questions that show you __________ others’ lives. This will help them feel valued. If you are shy, it will spare you from having to talk about yourself too much.

Finding community requires a(n) __________ to accept others. But it is also important to remain __________ to yourself. If you hide your thoughts and feelings to fit in, you won’t feel like you belong.

Finding a place where you belong may not be easy, but it will help you live a happier life.

4 . We all remember our first days of high-school, college, our first job. We all remember the feelings of butterflies in our stomachs when we took our ________ steps into those positions, the feeling that we were unqualified for what we were doing, that we didn’t ________.

What if my coworkers don’t like me? What if I mess everything up? These are the ________ that run through your mind during those first few days as you tiptoe your way around the workplace, being ________ that you don’t do anything that will get you noticed, with the ________ that when they notice you, you will mess up. But eventually you do get noticed, and you don’t mess up, and soon you develop a ________.

It has only been a week and you have already fallen into a rhythm. You walk into your workplace and ________ to the receptionist who now knows you by name, you get you morning coffee and ________ a conversation with a coworker who you’ve quickly developed a friendship with. Whereas before you looked around ________ for the sugar and cream, now the location is familiar and you ________ it immediately. You walk to your desk, take a sip of coffee, and look over your daily ________ that has become all too familiar to you.

You notice a new task that you haven’t encountered before, but you no longer feel ________ and fear of messing it up. You have ________ a week in this place without messing up, people have ________ you on how good of a job you’ve done, and you belong here. A ________ creeps over your face as you look forward to undertaking this new unproven challenge. The day begins and you fall into your rhythm.

6 . If somebody informs you that you have a leaf in your hair, smile politely and say, “Oh. Thanks.” When you turn to find it is the cute guy who asks smart questions, try to look as _______ as possible. Brush the _______ out of your hair as though its presence was accidental, as though you’re not upset.

Remind yourself that you will likely find another among the thousands on the _______. If he continues to walk _______ you and talk to you, then you have a difficult situation. You must decide if the attention is pity or interest. You must decide which kind of attention you’d rather have. You must decide whether you want any _______ at all.

Maybe he will not go _______ as quickly as you expected. Perhaps you will find yourself nearing a bench with him in the park at the corner. Do not tap on the bench before sitting down. Do not think about how good it would feel to be racing through the park right now, with the mud under your sneakers. Pretend to be how you imagine a(n) _______ girl would be; nod and smile in the _______ places.

Do not be too serious. Maybe he will talk about movies or books. Maybe about his school or his work. _______ with him and ask him questions.

If he seems exceptionally ________ and accepting, you may be attracted to say more about the disorders that rule your life. So ________ he asks about you, you must answer very carefully. “I play the piano,” you might say. Your favorite composer? Rachmaninoff, of course. “I like to ________” is starting to get a bit risky, but you could try it if you’re brave. “Too bad,” he may say. “You won’t be running for a while.” “I know” is a good, simple ________. Change the subject.

But even if you do, you will have to ________ home eventually. The light will begin to fade or the ________ will threaten another rain. Let him make the first move toward parting.

8 . Being a social butterfly just might change your brain: In people with a large network of friends and excellent social skills, certain brain regions are bigger and _______ connected than in people with fewer friends, a new study finds.

The research suggests a _______ between social interactions and brain structure. “We’re interested in how your brain is able to allow you to _______ the right way in complex social environments,” Mary Ann Noonan said, a neuroscientist (神经学家) at Oxford University. Studies in monkeys have shown that brain areas involved in face processing and in predicting the _______ of others are larger in animals living in large social groups than in ones living in smaller groups.

To investigate these brain _______ in humans, Noonan and her colleagues found 18 participants for a structural brain-imaging study. They asked people how many _______ they had experienced in the past month, in order to determine the size of their social networks. As was the case in monkeys, some brain areas were _______ and better connected in people with larger social networks. “These different brain regions are all singing _______ songs,” Noonan said. “ _______ areas are all singing the same song, and when they’re connected better, they’re singing more harmoniously with each other.”

The researchers also tested whether the size of a person’s social network was connected with ________ in white-matter pathways, the nerve fibers (纤维) that connect different brain regions. ________ , they found that white-matter pathways were better connected in people with bigger social networks. “The nerves were more like a Los Angeles freeway than a ________ road,” Noonan said.

The researchers couldn’t say whether social interaction ________ these changes in brain structure and connectivity, or whether the brain determined how social someone was. In the case of the monkeys, the researchers asked and wrote down the size of the animals’ social network, so they ________ that social-group size was causing the brain differences. It can be inferred that a similar process takes place in human brains, but to prove the ________ , long-term studies are needed, Noonan told Live Science.

9 . Being vulnerable (脆弱的) is not a choice. It’s a _________ in our life. What we do with vulnerability can either open doors to deeper connections, or build walls that _________ progress and fulfillment.

Vulnerability _________ the state of being exposed to the possibility of being harmed, either physically or emotionally. It’s part of human _________ because we are vulnerable in some way at all times. We are vulnerable to viruses, accidents, misunderstandings and _________ caused by whatever reasons. The only choice we really have is whether to _________ it or not.

When some people _________ that they have no vulnerability, they are hard to develop meaningful social connections with others. They are just _________. No one likes to spend much time with people who are dishonest or _________ to open up their feelings. Most of the time, a great friendship starts by __________ each other’s vulnerability.

Indeed, it’s not easy for us to admit our vulnerability in front of others. In order to protect ourselves, we tend to struggle with __________. But in fact, when we are vulnerable with people, we have signaled that they can also __________ share their anxieties. And we don’t have to worry too much about the results because a far more common reaction of people is to respect our __________ instead of laughing at us. Under this shared circumstance, we become less __________ by vulnerability and also we __________ a relationship.