About the movie

    It is the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (finally) part of the Hobbit movie trilogy, and it came out in the US on Dec 17. The main character Bilbo Baggins is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} of fantasy's most famous heroes. In the movie, he helps the dwarves to get their kingdom back from the dragon Smaug, and also fights an {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(expect) group of enemies. He shows that true heroics are not the absence of fear, but {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(have) that fear and doing something anyway.

Difficulties Freeman once had

    He {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(use) be overshadowed (使逊色) by Benedict Cumberbatch, his co-star in Sherlock. He seemed to be unable to take the role in the Hobbit trilogy because of his role in Sherlock.

His personality and habits

    He is known {#blank#}6{#/blank#} being outspoken and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(describe) as “direct and mean”. He is so old {#blank#}8{#/blank#} he doesn't use computers much, so he prefers his scripts to be mailed to him rather than e-mailed. He doesn't drive, and he's not interested in {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(hang) out with celebrities at clubs. He said he always saw the world in a funny way and {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(learn) not to care about being criticized.

    Mr. Glen is a millionaire. Years ago, after returning from abroad to his motherland, he 1his company. Speaking of success, Glen often tells us a story about his extra expensive “school” fee. He always 2 his success to it.

    At that time, Glen, who already got a Ph.D. degree,3 to return home, starting a company. Before leaving, he bought a Rolex watch with the 4made through years. At the airport he had to accept the routine customs(海关) check. The watch on his wrist was also required to be taken down for5. Glen knew that carrying such goods out had to pay the tax, and he worried about paying 6 for his watch. So while checked, he told a lie that his watch was a 7 fake(假货). When he was8of his “smarts”, immediately, in the presence of Glen, the officers hit the watch,9cost nearly 100,000, into pieces10hearing Glen's words. Glen was 11. Before he understood why, he was taken to the office to be examined 12. For many times of entry-exit 13 he knew that only those people in the “blacklist” would “enjoy” this special treatment. The officers looked over everything carefully, and 14 him no matter what time of entry and exit he must accept the check and if15 reusing and carrying fake goods, he would be 16 by law! Suddenly, his face turned red, and he had nothing in mind after17the plane for long.

    After that, he often told the story to his family and his employees. He said that this made a deep 18 on him, because the additional high “school” fee that he had ever paid made him realize the value of 19, which he would remember as the 20of his success forever.

    Once a little boy found a caterpillar（蝴蝶幼虫）. After he was allowed to 1 it at home, the little boy got a large box from his mother and put plants to eat, and a 2 to climb on. One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting 3. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon（茧）. The mother 4 how the caterpillar was going to go through a(n) 5 and become a butterfly.

    The little boy watched every day, 6 the coming out of the butterfly. One day it happened, a small hole 7 in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle（挣扎）to come out. At first the boy was 8, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard. But it looked like it was making no 9. Longing to see it out, the boy 10 to help. He cut the cocoon with scissors to make the hole 11 and the butterfly quickly flew out!

    To his 12, the butterfly had an unexpectedly large body and small wings. He 13 to watch the butterfly, hoping that the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the huge body. 14 nothing happened! It never was able to 15.

    The boy tried to 16 what had gone wrong. To help him, his mother took him to talk to a scientist. He 17 that the butterfly was supposed to struggle. Without the struggle, the butterfly would never fly. The boy's good wish 18 the butterfly.

    As you go through school, and life, keep in mind that struggling is an important part of any experience for 19. It is the struggle that 20 us to develop our ability to fly.

    My aunt came to my home with her six-year-old daughter Alice this morning. While my aunt was talking with my mom at home, my cousin felt a bit 1. So I suggested that I go out with her. My aunt happily 2. So we went to the park near my home together. There we bought two 3 and started flying them. While we were doing that, Alice couldn't help 4. She jumped up and down and I knew she was 5having great fun. And I must 6that I haven't enjoyed myself like that for a long time.

    Later, we sat down on a bench, looking at the gardens. As we were7there, Alice looked up at me and said, "What a 8day today!" I smiled at her and agreed. I then started 9 what we had done that day. We did something quite 10, yet we were very happy.

    Many people wait for their "best days". But I think today is our 11 day. That's a lesson I 12 today. As adults, we often make plans 13 in order to have a great day. Some people think that they can have a nice day through spending a lot of 14. I think we should be more like 15. They don't think about money or what will happen tomorrow. They 16 live in the moment and enjoy the moment!

    We often hear the expression that we should live in the 17. How do we do that? We're not doing such a 18 job. Remember today is important as we are exchanging (交换) a day of our 19 for it. Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a 20. That's why it is called present. So seize (把握) the day!

I just returned from India. While driving home from the airport, I was amazed by how everything in American streets 1 those in Delhi, a city in northern India. "You can eat off the street here!" I said. My family looked at me 2 I had gotten off a spaceship rather than a plane.

During the two years I was away, my friends and family 3 sending texts to each other by phone. After I came back, my phone was no longer 4 as before, just lighting up with the "ding" sound of a text, and I felt very 5 . I chose to talk to my friends instead of texting them. I asked my friends for their 6 as I made an effort to7 with them and rebuild our friendships.

While I was on my 8 trips, most of my friends had moved on with their 9 . We felt disconnected from each other's experiences. Just as 10 would always be part of my life, I understood that raising a family would always be part of theirs. I told them sometimes I felt 11 because I had been away and wasn't there for their 12 events.

Expats（侨民）in Laos say that sometimes, if you stay abroad too long, you become a permanent 13 . never quite making it as a local, and never feeling 14 in your home country. I 15 . If you always travel with a heart beating for your beloved ones, no matter how long you have been abroad, you will find satisfaction at home.

The Beauty of Creative Friendships

I recently walked through an incredible exhibition in Venice. It 1 about 75 art works that a Dutch-American artist created during the time he spent in Italy in 1959 and 1969. The pieces on show included his ink-on-paper drawings, some gestural drawings, landscapes and sculptures.

Born in 1904, de Kooning spent the majority of his artistic career as a (n) 2 but in 1969, while visiting Rome, he 3 an old friend, the sculptor Herzl Emanuel, who invited him to his studio and 4 him to try working with 5 .

At age 65, de Kooning 6 his first sculptural works, 13 small clay items. It was the 7 of a new artistic era for him and, over the next 15 years, sculpture became a (n) 8 and inseparable part of his career.

Later, after I left the exhibition, I was 9 by how beautiful it was that de Kooning began making sculpture because of the initial 10 and encouragement of his 11 . It got me thinking about the often unacknowledged role that some friendships play in the creative process of 12 across all types.

We often think about those friendships that journey deeply with us in our private lives, 13 us through emotional ups and downs. But friendships that develop our professional selves are also 14 .In offering courage, insight and clarity on the work that we produce, these friendships 15 the overall quality of our lives.