The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching while my dentist was on holiday, and I’d been in a/an _________ with a friend. Her words still hurt, “You never put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head and felt the _________ in my tooth. It was really _________. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. _________, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.

“If you _________ right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”

I rushed out to my car. But suddenly I began to _________ about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to _________ someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as _________ as the others?

While I was in the dentist’s office, I saw nothing but the empty walls and I became even more _________. The assistant __________ my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.

When I told her my fears, she laughed, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good. Just lie down and __________. And enjoy the artwork.”

“The artwork?” I was __________.

The chair went back, and suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the __________. How __________ the dentist was! At that moment, I __________ what my friend meant.

How Running Changed My Life

Running has truly changed my life, but I never understood running as a form of exercise.

During the first two weeks this year, my grandmother passed away and I started to_____my job because of office politics. My life felt stuck. So I decided to run. It was my natural_____. I just wanted to get away. I started running—by the time I came back, I felt tired and_____at the same time. I knew I was on to something.

Once in a   while,   I would   get   excited about   running.   However,   I always   picked   up running for the____ reasons. I used running as a reason to buy new fashionable sports clothes. Or I decided to run to lose weight or become healthier. My running never lasted longer than 2–3 weeks. I would lose interest in running. I just didn’t _____ it. Why would anyone go through the ________   of running? Especially when the weather is bad. Who does that? I’d rather go to the gym with my friends, talk, and pick up some weights.

But I found that pain is __________   the reason I started to run again. When my life was not what I wanted it to be, I was upset. I decided to run when I arrived home one day after work. It was a cold January day, and I only ran for 3 miles in a time that I am too_______ to mention.   But   my time is not what’s important—during that run I     finally got it.

My stamina(毅力、耐力) was nearly the same as my life at the time—it was bad, but I knew it would be better if I ________ running.   If I would   fight against the wind, rain, cold, and my   thoughts   of _________, I would     eventually improve my stamina and be a better runner.

My life has improved at the same rate that my running pace and stamina has improved. But running has the most___ on my productivity, mood, creativity, and overall livelihood.

Every time life became difficult I would give up. Now, when life is difficult, my response is _______—I love the pain and struggle instead of shying away from it. My life is moving forward and I’m doing well in my job again. I owe this to running.

And the best thing about running is that it is easy to start. You just go. You decide when, where, and how fast.

After my graduation from college, I was always worried about my income. I was hopeful when I got a part-time job at a library, and happier when I got a _______ part-time job. But was I going to be able to _______two jobs at the same time? I _______, looking out the window.

My eyes came to rest on a tree outside. A squirrel (松鼠) was making his way down the trunk. It was _______ because he was carrying a piece of bread. How’s he going to _______ that? Obviously he couldn’t climb up and down easily like other squirrels. He moved down, carefully holding onto the tree. “Be _______,” I thought, cheering him on in my mind. When he finally _______ the ground, he pulled the bread behind him. It was _______ yet, but he kept trying! Obviously, this squirrel and I had a lot in common. I had my own bread to _______ and my own trees to climb. I moved from one ________ to another to follow the squirrel’s ________ , slowly but surely, he made it to the road and ________ to check for cars. Finally, the squirrel crossed the road ________ with his meal. When he entered the bushes, I cheered, though I couldn’t ________ what would wait for him and watch his next move. Then I went upstairs to get ready for the ________ before me. “You can do it,” I told myself.