I read about an athlete who made it all the way to the Olympics despite hating his chosen sport. He committed his entire life to ______ one tiny, yet large, sentence—I’m proud of you. At some point we all have someone we want to ______, whose approval means the world to us.

I have a clear memory of the person I wanted approval from telling me I was intelligent, the kind of memory that stays very clear because you’ve recalled it so many times. I had ______ someone’s opinion about buying a Canadian soda. “We should really support our own economy,” ten-year-old me said. I had no idea what that meant, ______ I was looked at with approval, and my heart was filled with ______. I loved that feeling—the approval of my hero. It was nothing like the Olympic athlete, but I made some very big ______ based on what might make them ______. I was hugely affected by wanting their approval.

Months ago this person removed me from his life. It hurt a lot. However, in life there is rarely hurt ______ growth. I recently ______ on myself and my behavior and noticed something—I feel free. After a period of denying and upset, I ______ that this is just how it is. This realization made me see how often I was transforming myself according to the ______, “What would they think?” I’d been using the desire for approval as an ______ excuse for hiding. My excuse was gone immediately I realized it ______. It was time to ______ step into myself and stop hiding who I am from others. Are you hiding? I hid in approval-seeking. Maybe you hide behind judgment. We all have our ways, and it can be really scary to let ______ go.

The thing is, ______, as long as we prevent ourselves being truly seen, we will never be truly understood. Connection with others won’t be wholly authentic, and we will edit ourselves because we ______ potential thoughts in other people’s heads. It’s pretty ______. Of course, breaking up isn’t ________ when you expect to be freed from wanting someone’s approval. You don’t even have to tell them you no longer care what they think of you. Just ______ and do what makes you happy and go for the things you really want in life. Do your thing, and let them do theirs.

1.A. searching    B. seeking    C. making    D. reading

2.A. love    B. upset    C. please    D. annoy

3.A. shared    B. assessed    C. analyzed    D. parroted

4.A. so    B. but    C. as    D. for

5.A. disappointment    B. depression    C. satisfaction    D. amazement

6.A. profits    B. statements    C. decisions    D. preparations

7.A. cozy    B. healthy    C. wise    D. proud

8.A. with    B. without    C. by    D. through

9.A. reflected    B. dawned    C. counted    D. experimented

10.A. assumed    B. accepted    C. anticipated    D. argued

11.A. opinion    B. concept    C. thought    D. reason

12.A. unconscious    B. unforgettable    C. unpleasant    D. unbelievable

13.A. existed    B. rose    C. faded    D. disappeared

14.A. physically    B. precisely    C. automatically    D. authentically

15.A. them    B. it    C. us    D. you

16.A. therefore    B. instead    C. though    D. eventually

17.A. miss    B. fear    C. doubt    D. advocate

18.A. appealing    B. scarce    C. silly    D. inspiring

19.A. impossible    B. necessary    C. important    D. abundant

20.A. look out    B. hurry up    C. hold on    D. go ahead

----Mum, we’ve searched at least 5 stores, but still cannot find one that suits my taste.

----Be patient, dear. ____________ .

A. The best fish swim near the bottom.    B. One’s meat is another man’s poison.

C. A bad workman always blames his tool.    D. The lion is not so fierce as he is painted.

If an excellent Chinese novel is translated into English, ____ means many more people in the world can enjoy it.

A. as    B. which

C. what    D. that

— Cathy, in my opinion, is very ________.

— Absolutely! She prefers home life to going out.

A. domestic    B. energetic

C. dynamic    D. enthusiastic

We have a few reports on English ______ twice a year in the College Entrance Examination, which has aroused a growing concern among us.

A. to be tested    B. to test

C. being tested    D. testing

—How did you keep in touch with the agent, Mary?

— I surfed the Internet and called ______ whose telephone number is provided.

A. one    B. those

C. the one    D. that

So difficult _____ it to make such great progress without the help of his deskmate that he was close to giving up.

A. he have felt    B. have he felt

C. he did feel    D. did he feel

She said she is prepared to provide “strong, proven leadership to steer us through ____ will be difficult and uncertain economic and political times.”

A. which    B. where

C. what    D. that

To survive in the world, we have to act ________ others, but to survive as ourselves, we have to act alone.

A. in terms of    B. in concert with

C. on behalf of    D. in contact with

I ________ able to catch the first flight home, but my watch betrayed me.

A. were    B. had been

C. would be    D. would have been