Tracy Wong is a well?known Chinese?American writer.But her writing ____ was something she picked up by herself.After her first ____， teaching disabled children, she became a part?time writer for IBM.____， writing stories was simply a ____ interest.Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher.____， they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long ____ and paid Tracy a $50,000 advance.“A pretty money，” said the publisher, “for ____ writer.”
___ Tracy's characters are interesting, her stories sometimes ____ readers uneasy: those about the supernatural.“My mother believed I could ____ the afterlife world，”she told a close friend.“She used to have me speak with my grandmother, who died many years ago.”
“Can I? I don't think I can，” Tracy said with a laugh.“But I do have ____ when things come to me ____.” Once, she was wondering how to complete a ____ set in ancient China, ____ the doorbell rang.It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese ____.It came without her having ____ it.
Though she has published 10 books, Tracy has remained ____ by her fame.She lives in the same ___ she lived 27 years ago—although in a more comfortable home.There's more room for ____ in her life—and it wasn't just ____.

What a busy day! The three boys were fed, bathed and changed into their nightclothes.Mary had ____ them a story and finally they were asleep.“Babysitting(照看)the three boys aged eight, six and four is extremely ____，” she thought.
“Sleep，” she considered, “if only I could！” But she had difficult homework to complete.Leaning back, she ____ her feet onto the sofa to get comfortable.Whoever said babysitting was a(an) ____ way to make money obviously hadn't met the three boys, she thought.The television was on, the room was warm, and the lights were dim.Mary's ____ felt heavier and heavier.I mustn't sleep, she thought — which was ____ what she did, of course.
Strangely enough, she soon ___ that she was a world?famous chef(主廚)．She made a ____ and wore diamonds and designer clothes.Most days she relaxed by the pool, meeting the rich and famous or ____ — her favorite hobby.She ____ took the leading role in her own TV show.
That is, until she became too ____.“I am definitely the best in the world，” she thought, as she prepared a tasty chicken dish.But ___ seemed to go right.She spilt the flour, she dropped an egg and she cut her finger.Despite all the troubles,  she ____ to get the chicken into the dove.Soon, smoke blanketed the room.The chicken was on fire.____ set in, but Mary could not run — she was ____ to the spot.She tried hard to move, but could not, ____ a sharp sound awoke her.
She got shocked and confused — ____ was pouring from the kitchen.Rushing to investigate, she was met by three ____ little faces and some very burnt bread.“Sorry, we were hungry and you were ____， so we tried to make some bread，” explained a boy.Relieved, Mary made them a snack and sent them back to bed.She____ them never to fall asleep on the job again！

Night after night, my mother came to my bed, even long after my childhood years.She would ____ down and push my long hair out of the way, and then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started ___ me — her hands pushing my hair that way, for they felt work?worn and rough ____ my young skin.Finally，one night, I shouted out at her, “Don't do that any more—your hands are too rough！” she made no ____ and left quietly.But never again did my mother do it with that familiar expression of her ____.
With the passing years, my ____returned to that night time after time.By then I ____ my mother's hands and her goodnight kiss.Sometimes the incident seemed very ____， sometimes far away, but always it was ____ in the back of my mind.
The years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more.Mom is in her seventies, and those hands I once ___ to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.
Now, Mom no longer has Dad and lives ____.One night on Thanksgiving Eve, I found myself  ___to her house to spend the night with her.As I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly ran across my face to ___the hair from my forehead.Then a  ____， ever so gently , touched my forehead.I burst into tears.
In my memory, thousands of times, I  ____ the night my young voice complained.Catching Mom's hand in hand, I told her how ____I was for that night.I thought she'd remember ____ I did.But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had already forgotten and  ____ long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new ____for my gentle mother and her caring hands.And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was ____ to be found.

I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old.My brother and his friends were all ____ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday.When they ____ that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought ____ for performance.However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn't go, so my brother ____ me the ticket.I was really ____！
I remember the buzz (嘈雜聲) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our ____.After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became ___.I could barely make out the stage in the ____.We waited.Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band ____ the stage.My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn't ___ what he was saying.The first song was already starting and the music was as ____ as a jet engine.I could ____ the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.
I can't recall any of the songs that the band played.I just ____ that I really enjoyed the show and didn't want it to ____.But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished.We left the ____ and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement.I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just ___from a long sleep.My ears were still ____with the beat of the last song.
After the____， I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music.Once in a while，____， I listen to one of their songs and ____I'm back at that first show.

“Kevin, we are getting a divorce,” said my mother. My heart plunged (急降). I was 9 years old and I thought that my life was going to ________. My brother and I were going to move with my mother to southern California. My dad was to ______ in New Jersey because of work. My family was splitting apart.
Now that my mom is a ________ parent, I do my own laundry, make dinner and do extra chores around the house. _______ it was hard at first, I now recognize the positive ________ that this responsibility had on me. My mother gave me these _______ and duties so that I would learn to become self-disciplined (自律的) and trustworthy.
I strive to show these ______ in my life, and have seen the benefits. When I was only 11 years old, my ______ told me that he was selecting me as soccer team captain because of my determination and ability to get my teammates to ________ themselves. We _________the championship, but I won the fair play award for keeping my team together.
I am always determined to be an individual and not participate in anything that I feel is ________. I am, for example, extremely _______ of my decision not to drink alcohol. Personally, I don’t feel the need to drink to have fun, and I stand by my decision even when others try to ________ me.
My mom and dad both found new _______ and happily remarried. I am ______ close to my father, even though he lives 4,800 km away. I thought my parents’ divorce was going to be the worst thing that _______ happened to me. Ironically (諷刺的是), it turned out to be the ______. I wasn’t willing to let it _______ my life without putting up a fight, and neither was my family.
At age 9, I fought with the confusion and ________ of divorce. Today, at age 16, I understand that _______ can bring opportunity and success, and that hard work, determination and self-discipline can turn your worst time into your best time.

Jack was happily trying his new car. The car was good and there wasn’t__   traffic on the roads. Suddenly, a flower shop_32 his attention. He stopped his car and took a closer look at the flowers___   _ there. The beautiful “Mother’s Day” card___   him it was Mother’ Day.
Jack thought about his loving ___    who lived two hundred miles away. So he___   a nice bouquet(束) of pink roses, signed the card and___   the shopkeeper to send it express to his mother. Just___    he got into his car, he noticed a girl standing outside the shop. She was___   the money in her hand. She seemed a little___   . Jack asked, “Can I help you?” She replied in a___    voice, “I want to buy some___    for my mother, but I don’t have enough money.”
Jack asked her to go to the shop with him and____    a big bouquet of red roses for her. She____    him. While leaving the shop, Jack offered her a___   _. She was pleased and her eyes were shining with____   .
On the way, she told him that her mother was dead. So when they arrived, she ran to her mother’s____    _ and placed the bouquet there. Jack was silent for a minute. Then he made a U-turn_____   and drove back to the____   flower shop to take the flowers. He decided to drive down to meet his mother.
He handed his mother the bouquet and said, “I love you, Ma.” She kissed him and asked, “Why did you___    down all the way? You could have simply sent the bouquet to me.” He understood this was a Mother’s Love: mothers think only about their children’s comforts.

Terry was a middle-aged leather trader whose repeated failure in career made him a depressed man, often __   that he had been cheated by others. One day he told his wife he was so  __   with the city that he had to leave.
So his family moved to another city. It was the evening of a weekend. When Terry and his wife were busily _23_ up their new home, the light suddenly __   . Terry was regretful to have forgotten to bring along  __    and had to wait  __   in a low mood. Just then he heard light, hesitant  __   on his door that were clearly audible (聽到) in the  __   night.
“Who’s it?” he wondered, since Terry was a  __    to this city. And this was the moment he especially hated to be  __   , so he went to the door and opened it __   . At the door was a little girl, shyly asking, “Sir, do you have candles? I’m your neighbor. ” “No,” answered Terry in anger and shut the door  __   . “What a nuisance(麻煩事)!” He complained over it with his wife. “No sooner had we settled down than the neighbor came to __    things.”
After a while, the door was knocked again. He opened it and found the same girl outside. __   this time she was  __    two candles, saying, “My grandma told me the new neighbor downstairs might need candles. She  __   me here to give you these.” Terry was very  __    by what he saw.
At that moment he suddenly realized what caused his __   in life. It was his  __   and harshness (刻薄) with other people. The person who had cheated him in life was  __    nobody else but himself, for his eyes had been blurred (蒙蔽) by his unsympathetic mind.

Mr. Gray travelled a lot on business: He sold machines of different kinds to farmers.
He had a big car, and usually      driving it long distances, but he was quite satisfied to go by   sometimes too, especially when the      was bad. He was a little afraid of driving in rain or snow, and it was   tiring to sit comfortably in a train and looked out of the window without being worried about how   was going to get to the next place.
One of Mr. Gray’s problems was often     to stay when he reached some small place in the country. He did not      great comfort and wonderful food, but he found it annoying (使惱火) when he was given a cold room, and there was no hot water or food after a long and     day.
Late   winter evening, Mr. Gray arrived at a small railway station. The    by train that day had not been at all interesting, and Mr. Gray was cold and tired and   . He was looking forward to a simple   satisfying meal by a brightly burning fire，and then a hot bath and comfortable bed.        he was walking to the taxi rank, he said to a local man who was also  there.  “As this is my first visit to this   of the country and I was in too much of a hurry to    about hotels before l left home, I would very much like to know    you have here.”
The local man answered, “We have      .”
“And which would you    me to go to ?”Mr. Gray asked him.
The local man thought for a while and then answered, “Well, it’s like this: Whichever one you go to, you’ll be    you didn’t go to the other.”

A group of people were in search of a home. After          some time walking around, they finally found a place to           down.
They needed some          , and the chief (首領(lǐng))sent out three groups of people to          the surrounding areas. After a short discussion, the three groups went out in          directions.
The first group explored the north. There, they saw large fields with          crops, vegetables and fruits. They went back to report their          . “We saw lots of vegetation (植物). We can be          .”
The second group went southwest. There, they saw lots of          .  As they went back, they said, “We saw hundreds of animals. We can         for our food, and rely            on meat to sustain (維持) us.”
The last group went southeast. There, they reached the sea and saw hundreds of fish swimming. They returned and said, “We saw plenty of fish. We can go          for our food.”
“We can eat meat alone!” shouted the second group.
“No!         ! We did not see any animals at all!” said the first group.
The third group joined in, “Are you          ? We did not see anything like you have          . There was only water. We need to become fishermen!”
Each group got so         with the others that they each went to the place they had explored. They were          that they alone had the answer and that the others must have been wrong.
       , each group of people only chose to believe themselves. 39 they had chosen to learn from one another and         them, they could have had the best of everything.

  Seven loyal（忠實的）readers came to the Teens Office two weeks ago. They had a wonderful day learning how to make a newspaper. But what       made them excited was that they had their say. “What most __    me was when I was saying something, I found all eyes were on me,” said Tang Shining, one of the students. Her friend, Li Chunbei __, and felt very glad that when she was talking, the editors（編輯） nodded and __    took notes.
Students are happy to see the editors listen to their __    . You may often __    about being neglected（忽視） by teachers and parents. ___ before complaining, please make sure that you have already spoken about your _    _.
Traditionally in China, teachers at school and parents were__      the ones to tell teenagers what they should and shouldn’t do. The young are __     to doing what they are told, rather than thinking by themselves. But then their ideas would be locked in their brain and not be __   .
A girl wrote to Teens about her family story. She ___    to be very sad because her father seldom talked and played with her. After years of consideration, she          _ decided to write her father a letter, telling him about her sadness. To her __   , the father _   , saying that he didn’t realize his mistake. From then on, he really __  .
Sometimes, we need to let our ___ be heard, so others can understand our thoughts and feelings.Don’t be afraid of being __    for what you have done. You know it is your _39_ to speak your mind. Even if your suggestions are denied, at least you have tried your best. You will not be left with any __   .