I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through phone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

   Parents feel that it is difficult to live with teenagers. Then again, teenagers have_____feelings about their parents, saying that it is not easy living with them. According to a recent research, the most common ___between parents and teenagers is that regarding untidiness and daily routine tasks. On the one hand, parents go mad over ___rooms, clothes thrown on the floor and their children’s refusal to help with the ___. On the other hand, teenagers lose their patience continually when parents blame them for ___the towel in the bathroom, not cleaning up their room or refusing to do the shopping at the supermarket.

The research, conducted by St. George University, shows that different parents have different ___to these problems. However, some approaches are more ___than others. For example, those parents who yell at their children for their untidiness, but ___clean the room for them, have fewer chances of changing their children’s ___. On the contrary, those who let teenagers experience the ____of their actions can do better. For example, when teenagers who don’t help their parents with the shopping don’t find their favorite drink in the refrigerator, they are forced to ____their actions.

Psychologists say that ____is the most important thing in parent-child relationships. Parents should ____to their children but at the same time they should lend an ear to what they have to say. Parents may ____their children when they are untidy but they should also understand that their room is their own private space. Communication is a two-way process. It is only by listening to and ____each other that problems between parents and children can be settled.