I know a woman who tries hard to be a good custodian. I pass her every day after school as she pushes her cart down my hallway. She is my building’s cleaner.

One Tuesday morning I came into school and saw a _______ on my desk from my custodian. It seemed that some unbearable first year students had damaged the bathroom in a particularly disgusting way and she had been _______ to clean it. This took _______ than she had expected. She had left the typewritten note on my desk to _______ for not being able to clean my room as she was _______ to do.

At the beginning of the period, I shared her note with my first period _______. When I mentioned that our custodian had apologized to us, their first _______ was to volunteer to seek out and beat up those first year students for making our custodian have to clean up their _______. It turned out that just about all of my students also knew our custodian by name--all of them responded with smiles and _______ for a long time about this time or that time when she’d __________each of them in the hallway. That she felt she needed to apologize __________ a strong reaction from many of the kids.

As the class period was about to end, I asked them to __________ the floor like I do every period and thanked them for picking up any garbage __________ it wasn’t theirs. My entire class disappeared; they each disappeared instantly __________ their desks to pick up those annoying tiny pieces of paper that __________ so easily from notebooks. One girl made a(an) __________ that I later used with my other classes: “Her job might be to clean the room, but she shouldn’t have to clean up __________ us. There’s a difference.”

I believe that people know the difference between right and wrong. I believe that people appreciate it when others __________ take care of them. And I believe that people, even adolescents who are not quite yet mature, appreciate it when they see someone who takes __________ in her work. Sometimes we need a(an) __________ of the things we take for granted...things like a good custodian to take care of us.

My Ph.D. adviser called me into his office and started by saying, “Anurag, this conversation isn’t going to be easy.” My mind was instantly ________ into a burst of thoughts about what was to follow. He looked me in the eye and announced, “You are fired from the lab.” I stared back in ________, “Is he joking?”

I ________ my Ph.D. adviser, and my experiments progressed as planned. Though I made a few mistakes in the lab, I wasn’t ________ that my adviser noticed them, and he never spoke to me about any concerns. That’s why I was caught ________ in his office that day. I suspect he fired me because of those mistakes. He wasn’t ________ that I could complete my research.

I tried to change his mind with ________ results, but he remained unchanged. I was soon thrown into a state of ________, and I could not break the news to my family.

________ I collected myself. I thought of a movie, one line from which ________ to me: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade (柠檬汁).” What kind of “lemonade” could I make out of my current ________?

My desire to complete a Ph.D. was never in doubt. After much ________, I reminded myself that one ________ attempt was not the end of the world, and that I needed to give it another try. I emailed potential advisers and ________ to other programs. Within 2 months, I received a(an) ________ from a Ph.D. program in Italy—my goal of completing a Ph.D. was ________ once again.

I’m ________ that I didn’t give up on my dream and that I found another ________ professor who accepted me. So, if you find yourself in ________ situations and life gives you lemons, ________ yourself: “How can I make lemonade?”

Think about it: throughout life, we’ve always been encouraged to learn to build a better future for ourselves. Indeed, lifelong learning holds the key to our future whether it involves our ________ growth or getting the most from our life. The following shows exactly how it can help us advance our careers and improve the quality of our life and future.

It increases job ________. Lifelong learning ensures that you’re the most qualified and suitable for your job. It can even make you irreplaceable. If you’re competent and knowledgeable, your job will remain yours. A great way to stand out from the rest is to participate in ________ online courses voluntarily so as to keep up with the latest developments in your industry. By doing so, it’ll show your company that you’re devoted to improving yourself and the quality of your work, which may give you a competitive ________ over others and even help you to become an asset to your company.

It promotes innovation and flexibility. Researchers find that innovation ________ with lifelong learning. lf you just know the basics of your role, you probably won’t be revolutionizing your company anytime soon. By accumulating new knowledge and skills, you are more likely to develop ________ ideas essential for you to adapt to changes and seize new opportunities, and this in turn helps you become more _______, another key skill for the changing workplace in modern society. So make sure to ask questions and seek others’ ________ to expand your own. Everyone has got something unique to teach you, and you can spend your whole life learning from others.

It enriches various areas of your life. Let’s just get this straight: you don’t need to be financially rich to have an enriched life. ________, it means having a life full of meaning and satisfaction. Lifelong learning increases your self-awareness and curiosity, helping you embrace who you are. To be continuously ________ to learning means that you’re creating an exciting multi-dimensional life. Diversifying your learning is also a great way to enrich your life further. If you normally read fiction, ________ it up with a different type. Try reading a biography, ________, or a collection of essays! This is a good approach to take with other learning media, too, including music, podcasts and movies.

It improves relationships. In any case, an active ________ life is hugely beneficial for anyone. Lifelong learning helps you meet more people, share what you know and ________ new meaningful relationships. These opportunities to socialise improve your interpersonal skills. It’s great: you’re learning and you’re engaged in life.

The ________ of lifelong learning stretch far and wide, from personal growth to the overall quality of your life. Regardless of your age or gender, you can ensure that learning never stops.