Every time I take time off with my family, I tend to reflect on how technology has impacted our lives. It’s when we try to _________ the technology that we realize just how much we have _________ it. What happens when we have to _________ our own imagination and mind when there is no technology? If you ever stood in a long line and _________ went for your phone, you know what I am talking about.

When my family and I go on a trip together, it usually takes a few days for my kids to finally _________the fact that they have to let go of their electronic devices. They go through a withdrawal period (戒断期) where Mom is “the worst” for expecting them to go a few days without _________. I need to be _________ here. I am writing about my kids but the _________ is that I _________ withdrawals as well. I find myself having to use all my willpower just to __________looking at emails.

It has become a(n) __________ that vacation time is quality family time and when we are together, there are no __________. When vacation mode sets in, it becomes easier to __________ the technology and enjoy the moment. My children start to share stories and we find ourselves having fun just spending quality time together. __________, it always surprises me how quickly we __________ to our regular routine once the __________ is over. It becomes part of my __________ once I am back at work to have the phone beside me at all times.

Do you use technology as a tool to improve productivity or communicate and connect? Or, has technology become a(n) __________ that contributes to devaluing ( 贬值) “real life”__________with the people right in front of you?

So, spend __________ time with your loved ones and become engaged in the moment.

This was my first year teaching in a special needs school. I was uncertain what to _______ at our annual Special Sports Meeting. My students had different _______, from mild learning disabilities to severe brain diseases.

Mark was one with the latter, limited to a _______ However, he _______ greeted everyone with huge smiles. His classmates loved him and often took their time to make sure of his participation in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, all _______ at sports. Mark imagined being like them. Watching and cheering for their elegant _______ on the playground seemed to fill him with wonder.

The big day came at last and the final _______ was the 400-meter race. Everyone was invited to _______ according to their own ability. Mike, Andy and Lucas _______ to prove who the best athlete was. But when they reached the finish line they paused and looked behind them. At the back, determined not to be left behind, was Mark, ________ on the track in his wheelchair with half the distance left to ________. Looking at each other, a ________ thought passing between them. Slowly, they jogged back towards their friend, ________ him on as he had done for them before.

The progress was ________, but eventually they crossed the finish line together to the cries of their teachers and classmates. I came to understand what makes the Special Sports Meeting so ________.

I’ve had many opportunities to experience living in a foreign culture. But my first experience came in an ________ place-my own country. When I was 20, I got an internship (实习职位) in New York City. It was my first time to________ outside of my home state of Texas.

With my move north came culture ________. I grew up in a big city in Texas. But it was no comparison to the tightly ________ New York with their 8 million citizens. I was used to life at a ________ pace; New York moved fast. The saying is truc- this city never ________. I had to adjust.

My first reaction was fear. Fear I would ________ at my new internship in the 54 -storey office building. Fear of getting lost on the subway. Fear that the locals wouldn’t have ________ for my frequent moments of confusion. My fear ranged from reasonable to silly. But I ________ my fears and kept trying.

I learned quickly never to ________ a New Yorker always speaks English. New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world. At weekends, I would spend hours ________ along Canal Street in Chinatown-the closest I’d ever been to an Asian country.

By the end of my internship, I was a little older, a little wiser and ________ of big city life. I hated the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a cheeseburger and fries. But I had ________ , too. I was quicker, smarter and more independent. I knew I would ________ that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep. It was good ________ for the life of travel I’d soon begin.