1 . One of the biggest complaints in modern society is being over-scheduled. Ask people how they are and the answer usually is “super busy,” “crazy busy”. _________ is just “fine” any more.

When people aren’t super busy at work, they are crazy busy exercising, entertaining or parenting. And if there is ever a still moment for thoughts--for example, while waiting _________ at the supermarket or sitting in traffic—out come the mobile phones. So it’s worth noting a study published last month in Science, which shows how _________ people will go to avoid the examination for our thoughts.

“We had noted that we are so dependent on our mobile phones that people seem to find any _________ they can to keep busy,” said Timothy Wilson, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia. In his experiments involving 700 people, the majority found it _________ to be alone with their thoughts for just 6 to 15 minutes.

It could be because human beings, as problem solvers and meaning makers, when _________, tend to think about what’s wrong in their lives. When we aren’t _________ our Facebook page, the things we haven’t figured out appear in our minds—_________ relationships, professional failures, health concerns, etc. Unless there is a solution, these thoughts just repeat themselves in our heads.

But you can’t solve problems _________ you don’t allow yourself time to think about them. It has actually been __________ by our culture, which values doing more than thinking and believes answers are in your hand __________ in your head. “We all feel that busyness is normal but it’s really harmful,” said Timothy. “There’s a widespread belief that thinking will only slow you down and get __________, but it’s the opposite.” __________ negative feelings only makes them more powerful, he said. Allowing and tolerating the flow of thoughts is part of the solution itself, such as meditation(冥想).

Negative feelings are sometimes hard, but they are part of everyone’s life, especially if you are busy. It is those deep and troubling feelings, and how you __________ them, that make you who you are. While busyness may seem to prevent the flow of sadness, it may also limit your ability to be filled with __________.

4 . One student took a box of chicken to class. Another carried on a cell phone _________ , and still another whistled loudly every time the _________ turned his back. Reform school? No. College.

More and more, professors say, they are coming across _________ students in their classrooms. Many of today’s young scholars(学者) arrive late, leave_________, talk loud or take care of personal _________ such as paying bills during class.

Why are the students behaving badly?

“Because they can,” said a student of University of North Texas. “A lot of the time, the professors let them get _________ with it. ”

Some educators say it is time to bring politeness back to their classrooms—and even _________ taking some of the blame for bad behavior. They say that rude students are by no means the majority but that one of them can ruin an entire _________.

People are _________ when they learn that impolite behavior is becoming more and more common in __________ education, says Dr. Gerald Amanda, a counselor at City College of San Francisco. They __________ some high school students to misbehave but think those who get to __________ will behave more politely.

Dr. Amanda believes that society in __________ has become more tolerant(容忍的) of rude behavior and __________ people in power, including professors, no longer __________ standards for __________. That leads to a growing imprudence(轻率行为) __________ some college students. “There’s a great __________ of bad behavior in the world around them, and young people see it and __________ disrespect,” said Dr. Amanda, __________ that sometimes students have no idea that they are being rude.

5 . “Whenever I am in a group of people, I feel like everyone knows what to say except me. When I try to join in, I get anxious and have a struggle _______ words. This happens at parties or meetings and I feel _______ — as if I were being interviewed for a job. People think I am a loner. Maybe I am?”

Individuals experiencing this type of social _______ often avoid eye contact, because it makes them feel _______ and judged. The feelings of awkwardness and not fitting in with others are often frustrating. It prevents these individuals from defending and _______ for themselves in social environments, though they may be _______ at holding on to their opinions in environments that are focused on a task rather than _______.

Fitting into groups of people requires _______. You need to be interested in the topics that others in the group are interested in and talk about them the way they do. Becoming a part of these groups requires that you _______ some of your individuality in order to accept others’ __________ and values.

Some individuals are like chameleon (变色龙) in that they __________ pick up the patterns of different groups and __________ themselves accordingly. For them, this is automatic and they don’t even come to the __________ that they are changing themselves to fit into groups. If you are one of those people who feels __________ in most social group settings, it may be because you __________ changing the way you think in order to feel part of a group and this shouldn’t be a weakness or a failure.

6 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and ________ of consumer demands for environment friendly products have ________ the pollution problem. One ________ is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

________, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. ________ they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be ________ or can it only be used once?”

A recent study showed that two ________ five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the ________ they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green,” that is, friendly to the environment.

Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products ________ labels to show that the product is green. Some companies emphasize that their products are clean and safe in their advertising and have made it their main selling ________.

The ________ for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink ________ they do business. No longer will the public accept the old ________ of “Buy it, use it, throw it away and forget it.” The public ________ is still here, and companies are ________ their act gradually.

9 . Since finishing my studies at Harvard and Oxford, I’ve watched one friend after another land high-ranking, high-paying Wall Street jobs. As executives(高级管理人员) with banks, consulting firms, established law firms, and major corporations, many are now ________ on their way to impressive careers. By society’s ________, they seem to have achieved success.

On the surface, these people seem to be very lucky in life. As they left student life behind, and ________ out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine ________ a college year’s monthly rent. They replaced their beloved old cars with expensive new sports cars.

The thing is, a number of them have ________ that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some ________ of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they hate. Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and ________. However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the ________ which they have so quickly become used to.

People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and ________ in the end the idea of leaving their jobs to do something they ________ or finding a job that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion: it’s ________. They have car loans, household bills, a mortgage(抵押贷款) to ________, retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something ________ in their lives, but it’s hard to step off the track.

In a society that tends to ________ everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn from a young age to consider the costs of our decisions in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs involved in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of costs many of us tend to ________—and the very ones we need to consider most.