Much of what we know and believe has been taught to us by others. We often _______ information without spending much time thinking it over ourselves.

Nowadays, we are _______ with lots of different ideas and beliefs (信念), but many of them are often contradictory (自相矛盾的). Psychologists tell us that if we _______ a specific belief enough times, or if it comes from someone we _______, we will probably decide that the belief is _______. In these cases, we base our opinions on the opinions of _______. If we don’t come to our own conclusions, we become _______ more than parrots.

Some people believe _______ they read and then share the story on the Internet without thinking about the _______. All it takes is one quick click of the “__________” button and the story travels on its way to __________ more unthinking readers. This can cause __________ problems.

If we think more about what we see and try to __________ our own opinions, we will be more thoughtful, independent and creative. But __________ of us take the time to do this. Becoming aware (意识到的) of this fact is the first step toward changing our behavior. Hopefully, we can learn to judge (判断) __________ we read and hear on our own and make more reasonable (合理的) decisions.

I was in fifth grade and about to take a science test. Since first grade I had always been good at school. Simple science was easy for me and I always did well on tests. When it came to fifth-grade science, however, I was struggling (挣扎). I couldn’t seem to ________ it no matter how hard I tried.

My parents had always been proud of my grade, and I didn’t want to let them down. So just before the test I had written several ________ from the textbook on my desk in pencil. The writing was so light that it could hardly be seen. I sat ________ as the teacher started to hand out the test papers. I didn’t want to get caught nor fail the test.

As the teacher was starting down my row, the fire alarm went off. It was an unscheduled fire drill (消防演习).We all ________ out of the door and stood together, waiting.

As I stood outside in the warm sunshine, I ________ what a fool I had been. I knew my parents would love me no matter what my grade was. As soon as we came into the classroom, I walked to my desk and ________ the notes away. I had been given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to waste it. I took the test, did my best and felt ________. I don’t remember what my grade was, but what happened that day has ________ in my heart and mind ever since.

Life is full of second chances, but you have to be willing to take them. You have to be willing to accept your ________ and grow from them. Every day when you wake up, you are given a second chance at life. Treasure it and use it ________!

A wife came to her husband with a suggestion, “I read in an article on how to make our marriage（婚姻） stronger. I want each of us ________ a list of the things that make each other annoyed(令人恼怒的). Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier than ever together.”

The husband ________. So each of them went into a different room in the house and thought of the things that really made the other ________. They thought and thought the questions for the rest of the day and wrote down what they ________.

The next morning, at the breakfast, the wife started. She took out her list. There were many points on it, enough to fill three ________. In fact, as she started reading the list, she noticed that tears（泪水） were starting to appear in her husband’s eyes,

The wife continued to read the list ________ she finished reading all the points on the paper to her husband. Then she placed her list on the table and put her hands over the top of it.

It’s time for her husband to read his list. But ________ the husband said, “I don’t have anything on my list. I think you are _____. I don’t want you to change anything about you.”

The woman ________ by her husband’s words and began to cry.

In life, ________ we are disappointed, angry and sad, we shouldn’t lose heart because we always have wonderful time that it is full of beauty, light and happiness. Why waste time looking for the bad, disappointing things? Why not enjoy the wonderful things around us?