Janelle would be late for work, However, what she _________ in the mirror made her stop. Being a busy college _________ just one year removing from her teenage years, she wasn't exactly concerned about the _________ of her clothes. But her restaurant boss saw things a little _________.

He had recently _________ the staff on the importance of appearance, and had specifically mentioned the need for _________ to wear clean and neat blouses.

As an assistant manager. Janelle thought she should set an example for the other _________. But if she stopped to _________ the blouse normally, she would be late. Her boss didn't _________ anyone to be late for work. So she __________ her iron and set it on low heat, Carefully keeping her blouse away from her __________, she started to iron it while wearing it. It seemed like a logical solution to a(n) __________ problem.

It seemed to be working __________ until Janelle accidentally ironed her neck by mistake. Then it suddenly turned into a really __________ and painful idea. It took more time to treat her burn than it would have taken to iron her blouse __________. And she spent a shift __________ the pain of the burn.

I had the same __________. When I used to clean our yard, I often destroyed its look by using a creative way of __________ wild grass. Then my dad would tell me the way was __________ and said, "There is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing it right." There is a reason why something is done in __________ ways. Those old boring ways work.

Christmas just isn't the same any more. When I was growing up, it was my _____ holiday. I'd get up early and run to the tree to find a dozen _____ from Santa and then spend the rest of the morning playing with toys along with my three sisters. Before long, _____, the truth about Santa came out. Santa was Dad. And Dad's salary as a _____ wasn't growing at the same rate as inflation（通货膨胀）. So over the years, a dozen gifts for each child _____ became six, then four, then two. _____ I sat in the living room in late December, home for a few weeks between semesters of college, I had one present to open.

The Christmas ritual（宗教仪式）in our family was to open gifts on Christmas Eve. We were sitting around in a circle and the unwrapping _____ continued. The ritual lasted about ten minutes. And then something _____ happened.

My mother said, "There's one more gift I want to show you." And with her _____ , she disappeared into her bedroom. Minutes later, Mom reappeared with an attractive red dress.

"It's ______ , Mom," one of my sisters said, breaking the silence.

Through a voice choked with emotion and a smile that could ______ the universe, Mom said quietly, "For the first time in 12 years, your father ______ a Christmas bonus（奖金）from school. And with the bonus, he bought this dress for me."

All eyes moved ______ Dad. I'd only seen Dad cry once. It was the day his father died. And at that moment, with Mom's announcement, he was on the point of bursting into ______ once again. Suddenly, the ______ of Christmas, which I had unfortunately ______ to gifts, returned on a wave of gratitude, flooding my heart like nothing I'd ever ______ .I was overwhelmed with appreciation for Dad. I've heard that the ______ thing a father can do for his children is to always show ______ for their mother. At that day, Dad's ______ and generosity changed me.

How I Failed My Oxford Interview

As soon as the words left my mouth I knew I’d ________ “You think Jane Austen is soft?” The man opposite me asked in disbelief. Then, he and his colleague took turns to ________ my claim, finishing each other’s sentences as they stressed Austen’s novels were, in fact, fierce.

“I just mean…” I said in a(n) ________ voice, trying to keep the tone light, “that she’s not as fierce as Virginia Woolf.”

The two professors patted this idea around, too, like a couple of cats toying with a frightened bird — giving_______ examples of how Austen’s work was, on the contrary, more fierce than Woolf’s. With no more defensive action to take, I ________ smiled and said, “Let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?” And all that moment, my dreams of going to Oxford university ________ in a puff of smoke.

Part of my problem, in hindsight was a lack of confidence. ________ I was a straight A student and had prepared for the interview to the best of my ability, I wasn’t a skilled debater. When faced with two experts who told me that I was wrong, instead of defending myself, I rolled over and accepted ________.

To pass the interview, you need confidence, of course. You also need a ________ passion for your subject, not just a keen interest. In other words, don’t put comments on your personal statement that you don’t have ________ for your in-person backup.

So, months later, I already knew the contents of my thin envelope when it appeared on my doormat. ________, I felt a pan g of disappointment. I had wanted to go to Oxford since I was 13. I used to look up images of my favorite college with the same ________ of a bride-to-be browsing wedding dresses.

Ultimately, I didn’t have what it took — but, looking back, that was ________ a bad thing. Instead of going to Oxford, I found a university that was a better fit for my interests. I loved my eclectic course, where I could write an essay comparing Jane Eyre to 50 Shades of Grey.

Failing my Oxford interview also provided a valuable life lesson. I’m now more confident in my opinions, more passionate when it comes to debate, and I try to back up my points with ________ evidence. What’s more, I had never since ended a discussion by giving a ________ laugh and saying, “let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?”