Green Spring Renews Life’s Promise

For me, two of the loveliest words in the English language are “Life persists”. I came across them years ago as a college freshman, sitting in the library on a beautiful spring day, bored, working on a history paper. I don’t recall 【小题1】 I was researching into. Out of nowhere, those two words came 【小题2】 (dance) off the page in a quote by Gandhi, “In the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.”

After those words 【小题3】 (read) again a dozen times, suddenly I was no longer bored. Outside in the sunshine, I kicked off my shoes and danced barefoot across a spring-green lawn.

I love spring. And this year, I was especially hungry to see it. Flying home last weekend to Las Vegas, after 10 days in California, I looked down on hills that were so green that I 【小题4】 almost taste them. When I approached Vegas, the green turned a dull desert brown. We landed after sunset, and the only green to be seen was neon(霓虹灯).

But the next morning, to my surprise, I 【小题5】 (awake) to find signs of spring all over my yard. 【小题6】 my absence, all sorts of things had leafed and bloomed. Three days later, I drove to Arizona to visit a friend and get yet another taste of spring seeing the Giants play the A’s in spring training. The drive across the desert was completely great, a variety of wildflowers and blooming cactuses.

Sometimes we need the chance 【小题7】 (remind) that we’re still alive. After my husband died, a friend sent me a card which read: “Just 【小题8】 you think you will never smile again, life comes back.”

Life persists, and so do 【小题9】 in the green of spring and the dead of winter, in the birth of a child and the passing of a loved one; in the words we leave behind and the hearts of those 【小题10】 will remember us. Spring reminds us that we’re alive forever.

We’ve all heard that laughter is the 【小题1】 (good) medicine, and it’s true. Laughter makes you feel better and it’s also good 【小题2】 your relationships. Laughter brings people closer, and is a 【小题3】 (power) tool for making you relax when feelings are running high. Whether with your friends and family, or co-workers, you can learn to use humor 【小题4】 (solve) disagreements, lower everyone’s stress levels, and communicate in a way that deepens the relationships.

Humor plays 【小题5】 important role in all kinds of relationships. In new relationships, humor can be a useful tool not just for attracting the other person but also for getting over any awkwardness (尴尬) 【小题6】 (arise) when we get to know each other. In old relationships, humor can keep things more exciting and fresher.

Sharing the pleasure of humor 【小题7】 (create) a sense of closeness and connection between two people—【小题8】 (quality) that are signs of strong and successful relationships. When you laugh with one another, you create a positive relationship between you, 【小题9】 acts as a strong buffer (缓冲剂) against stress, disagreements and disappointments in your relationship. And laughter is spreading—just hearing someone laugh often makes you smile 【小题10】 (happy) and join in the fun.

December 16, 2013 was my birthday. It was the day 【小题1】 my best friend left me. I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was also our Christmas concert. 【小题2】(offer) a job in Colorado, my friend’s father had to leave our city. And his family had to go with 【小题3】(he). Mr. Escalante, our old headmaster, brought her whole family up on the stage, and they made a big 【小题4】(announce) about how they 【小题5】(leave). After the concert ended, I was in a total mess. I felt as if I had made something torn out of my body that could never be 【小题6】(full) replaced. My best friend’s name was Hannah Zona.

Ever since I was a little girl, my family was always with the Zonas. We would go to the fair, did anything you could think of. 【小题7】(live) so close 【小题8】 each other, we could always go to each other’s houses after school. 【小题9】 she is about 7 years older than me, we act like we are sisters. 【小题10】(word) can’t describe how much I miss her. When she comes back to California, it’s like we were never apart. Hannah Zona is the best friend you could ask for. No one could ever replace her and the love I have for her.