Have you ever been near an animal you were afraid of? How close have you been to a dangerous snake? Well, Tony Kepler raises killer snakes for a living and he loves his ________. He has been working with them since he was a little boy and he’s not ________ at all.

Tony’s father has been a snake handler (驯蛇师) for twenty years and he has taught his son a lot about them. In order to ________ the venom (毒液), Tony has to find rattlesnakes in the western part of the United States. He sends the venom to a ________, where they make it into something called anti-venin. Anti-venin is what they give people after they have been bitten (咬) by poisonous (有毒的) snake. This anti-venin is really helpful in saving the person who has been bitten. He has been making his living this ________ for five years and feels great.

Tony’s dad has handled nearly 1,000 snakes in his lifetime. And hundreds of people go to him to learn how to ________ snakes. Tony’s dad shares everything about how to hold, how to feed and how to get venom from snakes. But not everyone can get used to the idea of ________ a snake. Many people heard scary stories about snakes when they were children and have been afraid of them ever since. Tony has been trying to educate people about the positive (积极的) things snakes do. For one thing, they help ________ the rat and mouse population. Snakes are also very clean and quiet and they ________ trouble humans.

Tony’s job is very different from any other job I’ve heard of, but it is a really ________ one. Without venom collectors, many people would be in real danger and some would die.

Recently, my friend, who is a physician, told me she wasn’t doing a ＂good enough＂ job being a parent and was missing out on her children’s lives.

I’ve learned that other physicians also believe the ________ of their profession will somehow adversely(不利地)affect their children’s _________.

I tell my colleagues not to ________, and that one day their child will appreciate them for their life as a ________ child.

I can say this ________ my mother was a palliative-care physician. Being the daughter of a palliative care physician wasn’t ________: I came to understand mother’s absence, having to ________ her with others, and being ________ to human suffering and death were just ________ of my life. ________, being the child of a physician had a ________ effect on my life. I learned love was sacrifice and you would get love and appreciation in return. If I could have my ________ over again, I wouldn’t change much.

Sure, there were times when I wanted to ________ my mother’s pager（传呼机）out of the window, or ________ that she could have attended school events. But even as a child I knew what I was ________, and what she was sacrificing, were ________ worth it for the life that I got to lead. My mother’s work as a palliative-care physician provided me with experiences that enriched my life, teaching me ________ lessons, skills and the knowledge of kindness, sympathy and generosity.

So, to anyone who is concerned about ________ a career with raising children, I offer you my reassurance. While there will be tough times, one day your child will ________ you for the experiences and the life they’ve had as a result of your ________.