A As a music teacher, I have always known that music touches the soul. It can   (1)   all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the   (2)   for each child to find their light. I would like to   (3)  a story about it.

 For a few years I was  (4)  with the opportunity to teach disabled students. One of my most  (5)  students was a five一year一old girl called Vanessa，who had difficulty walking，and could not speak. We   (6)   sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to  (7)  on my lap. One of her favorite songs was“John the Rabbit".It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students   (8)   twice while singing the repeating phrase，“Oh，yes!”Vanessa liked to   (9)  her hands together With mine and clap With me. We probably performed that song during every class，Vanessa and I clapping together. But she  (10)  said or sang a word.

One day，when the song was finished，Vanessa turned around，  (11)  me in the eye，clapped her tiny hands twice and said the words“Oh，yes!”I opened my mouth in  (12)  and for that moment I was the one who could not speak. When my heart  (13)  started beating again，I looked over at the assistant teacher to find her also  (14)  .Through music，we had made an awesome connection.

Several years later，I met Vanessa on the street in town. She waved with a big  (15)  on her face and then clapped her hands twice，imitating the song we had  (16)  so many times in our music class. The little girl，  (17)  her connection with music，left an impression on me that will last forever. Every child has the  (18)   to learn and grow. It is up to us to  (19)  the way to reach every one of our students. We all must find each child’s  (20)  

The Spring Festival marks the first day of a new year, so the first meal is rather important. People from the North and the South have different   (1)   about the foods they eat on this   (2)   day. In Northern China, people   (3)   eat Jiaozi. The word Jiaozi in Chinese means the   (4)   and the beginning of time. According to historical

   (5)  , in the past people from the North and the South both ate Jiaozi on Chinese New Year’s Day.    Perhaps   (6)   the areas in Southern China  (7)   more rice than those in Northern China, southern people slowly   (8)   to eat many other kinds of food on New Year’s Day.   (9)  , the most common foods for the first  (10)   are noodles, New Year Cake and Tangyuan. The noodle symbolizes(象征)   (11)   life. The New Year Cake is called Niangao in Chinese,  (12)   represents(代表) the hope of improvement in  (13)  year after year. Tangyuan is a symbol of   (14)  according to the Chinese.

To  (15)   a New Year visit to relatives and friends is an important activity during the Spring Festival. People also   (16)   cards to express a New Year’s greeting. What children love most is to set off firecrackers.   (17)  , as the pace of life is becoming faster and faster, people have   (18)  new ways to celebrate the Chinese traditional New Year. For example, many people no longer send out greeting cards.  (19)  , they use short messages or emails. Also to travel during the New Year holidays has come into   (20)  .

Do you ever feel like you are studying a mad rush of a subject after another? When things happen at such a _  (1)    pace, it is easy to lose sight of what you are learning. It is important to  (2)   every now and then to think about what you have been learning.

Self reflection(反思) means stopping the mad rush and  (3)   yourself so that your brain can evaluate（评估）what it has already  (4)   . Some people prefer to do their self reflections  (5)    while others keep a journal. Either method can work, depending on what your personal  (6)    is.

School textbooks are often divided into units. This can make it  (7)   for someone to begin the process of self reflections. Watch for the times when you complete a unit of study. Sometimes you are mentioned that the unit is  (8)   because there is some kind of test or quiz. Use these natural  (9)   as opportunities to stop and reflect.

You should find  (10)    place---anywhere without noise is OK. This can even be sitting at your desk at school when you finish something  (11)   and the other students are still working. If you are going to take notes, take out your journal and write down some notes on things that you  (12)    learned in this unit. Let your mind think about the notes you have written and make some  (13)  .

Sometimes just pausing to think deeply allows your brain to make connections   (14)  new information can quickly appear when you  (15)  it again. Next, think about things that you still wonder about  (16)  , maybe you learned about a certain body systems, but you don't   (17)   how it works with the other body systems. Maybe you learned a new way to solve a math problem, but you are not sure when you use it. Writing down your   (18)  will help you remember to continue seeking answers the next time you   (19)   the same topic.

Self reflection is an essential skill for a   (20)  student. If you have never taken the time to reflect, try it now.

One day, Jim’s father received a phone call from his teacher. Over the phone, the teacher told the father that Jim   (1)  asking or answering questions in class.

When Jim returned that day, the father   (2)  to have a good conversation with him. He asked him why he daren’t ask or answer questions in class. Jim told him that even the  (3)  of raising his hand and having everyone  (4)  him made him shake. He wasn’t always like that. He used to be so _45__. Hearing that, his father decided to tell him the_46__ below.

One day, a man named Billy _47_ a bear cub(幼兽) in the woods near his house. He couldn’t see its __48__ and it seemed that it could not care for itself, __49__ Billy fed the bear every day from that on. One day, the bear cub __50__ Billy home. It eventually moved from the backyard to the living room, __51__ more and more and growing bigger and bigger. Billy was _52__, but he felt he could do nothing. He __53__ to feed it. The bear had become a part of his life and he couldn’t imagine living __54_ it, even though it was starting to __55__ the furniture and impact his social life. Then one day, the bear stood up on its hindquarters(两条后腿), hit Billy hard with his powerful paws. Billy was killed __56__.

At the end, the father said,“Our fears often start as something small and __57__ just like the bear cub. But we let them into our __58__ and keep feeding them until they get bigger and bigger. We should __59__feeding them. Instead, we should face them bravely.”

Jim nodded hearing that. We should __60__ feed the fears in our heart.

College is a big deal for American students as well as for Chinese students. During the college   (1)  , some parents become extremely worried. This may only   (2)  the pressure.

  Before I applied to the college, I told my parents I would get everything   (3)   out. If I needed any help, I promised that I would ask them.

As it   (4)   out, I had no problem putting everything together on my   (5)  , including my resume （履历） and a basic outline of my activities in high school. The   (6)   part where I asked for my parents' advice was the essays. In writing and revising the essays, I needed feedback（反馈）from an audience. As my parents know me better than   (7)   else, they were   (8)  for the job.

The essays are extremely important in college admissions. In a competitive pool of applicant; the test scores and activities, as well as the recommendations are all going to be very   (9)  . The essays are the one area in which students can make themselves stand   (10)  . Essays don't have to be big and complicated. I wrote three essays, all   (11)  on small matters and using simple sentences. The admission officers have to read hundreds of essays a day; they are already   (12)   of SAT vocabularies and long sentences.   (13)  , a straightforward writing style is refreshing to their eyes as well as their minds. Essays were the key to my success in the admission game. I just wrote about what I wanted to say, not what I thought the admission officers  (14)   to hear.

In my main narrative-style  (15)  , I told the story of my American journey at the age of 14 During that time, I was not bogged down（陷入）by trying to fit into a new  (16)  ; instead, I looked up to Mother Teresa for guidance and strength. I found my new   (17)   and grew to love the name Teresa and the memories it held.

In my two minor essays, I   (18)   the major events of my life, why I loved writing and why my dad is the person who has the greatest influence on me. Both provided details of my character. The essay about writing, which is titled, "I Shall Not Live in Vain"  (19)   by an Emily Dickinson poem）,earned a lot of praise. It is   (20)   I really looked into my heart and thought deeply in order to reach my answers.

The Spring Festival marks the first day of a new year, so the first meal is rather important. People from the North and the South have different   (1)   about the foods they eat on this   (2)   day. In Northern China, people   (3)   eat Jiaozi. The word Jiaozi in Chinese means the   (4)   and the beginning of time. According to historical   (5)  , in the past people from the North and the South both ate Jiaozi on Chinese New Year’s Day. Perhaps   (6)   the areas in Southern China   (7)   more rice than those in Northern China, southern people slowly   (8)   to eat many other kinds of food on New Year’s Day.   (9)  , the most common foods for the first   (10)   are noodles, New Year Cake and Tangyuan. The noodle   (11)   long life. The New Year Cake is called Niangao in Chinese, which   (12)   the hope of improvement in   (13)   year after year. Tangyuan is a symbol of   (14)   according to the Chinese.

To   (15)   a New Year visit to relatives and friends is an important activity during the Spring Festival. People also send cards to   (16)   a New Year’s greeting. What children love most is to set off firecrackers.    (17)  , as the pace of life is becoming faster and faster, people have   (18)   new ways to celebrate the Chinese traditional New Year. For example, many people no longer send out greeting cards.   (19)  , they use short messages or emails. Also to travel during the New Year holidays has come into   (20)  .

When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship (奖学金). Having been a straight-A ____41____, I believed I could take difficult subjects and really ____42____ something. One such ____43____ was World Literature run by Professor Jayne. I was greatly interested in the ideas he ____44____ in class.

    When I took the first exam, I was ____45____ to find a 77, "C+", on my test paper. I went to Professor Jayne, who ____46____ my arguments but remained ____47____. I decided to try ____48____, although I didn't know what that ____49____ because schooling had always been easy for me. I read the books more ____50____, but got another 77. Again, I reasoned (争论) with Professor Jayne. ____51____, he listened patiently but wouldn't ____52____ his mind. One more test before the final exam. One more chance to ____53____ my grade. So I redoubled my ____54____. But my efforts were no good and everything went as ____55____.

    The last hurdle (障碍) was the final. No matter what grade I got, it wouldn't ____56____ three "C+". I might as well kiss the scholarship good-bye. I ____57____ working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even ____58____ myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I'd have fun with a test. A week later, I was surprised to find I had got a(n) "____59____". I hurried into Professor Jayne's office. He seemed to be expecting me. "If I gave you the grade as you expected, you wouldn't continue to work as hard."

    It was the ____60____ "A" on the course. The next year I received my scholarship. I've always remembered Professor Jayne's lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.

Joan’s job is to use American Sign Language (ASL) to enable teachers to communicate with English-speaking deaf students.   (1)   Joan, learning ASL was not that   (2)   , but learning to be an excellent interpreter could take a lifetime.

    Three years after being admitted to Pierce College, Joan   (3)  as a Certified(合格的)ASL Interpreter. Plenty of job   (4)  were waiting for her. She likes the college environment,   (5)  she applied for a job at Newton Community College with 28,000 students in it. There are 22 students who were   (6)   of hearing at NCC. Joan has   (7)  with most of them.

    They are very   (8)  with her．Often they invite her to talk   (9)   a cup of coffee after class. Sometimes the women talk about   (10)   things, especially about how hard it is to find “Mr. Right.” Joan   (11)   with them, saying she herself has given up on finding him.

    Joan is one of the four interpreters in the college. She accompanies a deaf student to   (12)   .The student sits in the front row．Joan usually sits   (13)   the teacher, facing the student．She   (14)   as the teacher talks. If the class is longer than 90 minutes，there are two interpreters per student. They take   (15)  ; one interpreter will sign for 20 minutes, and then the other will．

    Joan will go   (16)   to school soon. She wants to become a Certified French Sign Language Interpreter. Her mom taught Joan that American men are   (17)   . She frequently told Joan that only a (n)   (18)    man knows how to make a woman feel like a woman. Joan   (19)   her mom, and takes her   (20)   to heart．Her plan is to leave California, to move to Paris, find a romantic French boyfriend, and live happily ever after.

My (1) is often a brief “You have so much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about (2) twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an (3) explanation of (4) something done.

(5) in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors (6) saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was “ That’s irrelevant(无关的) (7) is important is the (8) of your work.” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the“(9)”dodge(诀窍). And I have come to some (10) - all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.

If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, (11), the matter of time, which we can think of (12). Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it's not how hard one works (13) the quality of the product that’s important.

That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That (14) is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. (15)” There is a lot of sense in that idea.

If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of (16) time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “(17) habits”.

Then, as a smart student, you will (18) those skills that you use in study, (19) reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that (20) in all your studies.

A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor. While talking about the present-day  50   topic—Happiness, the conversation soon turned into complaints about  51   in work and life. Offering his  52  coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and  53   with a large pot of coffee and a  54  of cups — porcelain(瓷), plastic, glass, crystal(水晶), some plain-looking, some expensive, some beautiful — telling them to  55  themselves to the coffee.

Seeing all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you have   56  , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 57  , leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is  58  for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the  59 of your problems and stress.”

“  60  the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.  61  all of you really want is coffee, not the cup.  62   you consciously went for the best cups…. And then you began  63  each other’s cups.”

“Now consider this:  64   is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just  65   to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the  66   of life we live. Sometimes, by focusing only on the cup, we  67   to enjoy the coffee. So, value the coffee, not the cups! Don’t let the cups drive you.   68  , enjoy the coffee.”

“It’s true that the   69   people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”