I was five when you were born. Looking at pictures from that time, I look so happy with you. I am holding you, I am smiling, I look _______. But I do not remember that feeling.

I was a daddy’s girl, _______ you were the happy one, the joker, the one who _______ the rewards of all my battles won or lost. So I must have decided that we were enemies, competitors for the love and attention of our parents, and this feeling is in the center of all my early memories. All I remember is _______ you.

So, as long as I could, I made your life a _______. I teased you, tricked you and abused you. You tell me it’s not as bad as I remember, but I _______ a couple of times when you were left in tears. Our little sister was born when I was 11, and very soon you two bonded strongly and pushed me aside.

___________, you quickly grew tall and strong, and soon you were able to overcome me _______. By the time I was at university, you were a teenager and we competed for higher _______: money, the family car, parental pride.

It all came to a ________ stop when I moved abroad as an exchange student. Almost 20 years has passed, and the hate ________ me some long time ago, while I wasn’t watching. And at the same time,________ must have crept in (悄悄地进入), sneaking somewhere through the back of my mind.

Despite all the abuse during those years, you have turned into a happy, friendly, passionate, generous human being. You have implied that you’ve forgiven me, or even that there is ________ to forgive. But I preferto remember the hurt - I will always hurt in ________ when I look back. I aim to be now what I always should have been.

I am so proud of you, my heart ________ with love for you and your sister. I will be forever glad that I have the chance to love you both.

Your sister

【推荐2】Mother’s Day, 2017 was the last time that all my three kids would be kids at home. I was _________ a Mother’s Day to remember.

That morning, I got up early and left for _________ . The boys and I were going _________ , not unusual, so I expected the time I’d have with the three of them surrounding me during break. I entered the office after my class, _______ the crowd for their faces. I didn’t find the boys, but wasn’t too worried _______ their classes often ran late. I found a row with plenty of room for all the four of us, _________ spots for my handsome young men.

The longer I sat there, the more _________ and angry I got. How could they _________ their mother on this of all days? I couldn’t _________ my work, only on how I’d been wronged. ______________ the time the last morning class ended, I could hardly wait to get home and give them a piece of my mind.

Arriving home, I noticed a pile of roses on the ground. I looked closer and saw they were the ______________ of a track made from fresh flowers, which led to our room. As I ______________ the flowers, the door got opened and three ______________ faces greeted me. They let me see what they’d been working on all ______________ .

______________ the entire floor were the words, Happy Mother’s Day, We Love You. They were spelled out with ______________ . The space was ______________ with the sweetness of roses and other flowers. They’d asked for a leave and worked all morning, gathering the fresh flowers and ______________ them into a surprising message.

I immediately realized I’d been hurrying in my ______________ of the situation. While I had been feeling unloved, they had spent their time writing a ______________ to show how much they really cared.

【推荐3】As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their calluses (老茧) and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a ___________, including all his struggles.

One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾) hit Ontario, turning it into a ___________ desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last _________ from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which _________ took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t _________ quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we _________ needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and _________. Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves!” Dad _______, “Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we’re ___________.” Such is Dad — whatever problem he ____________, he never gives up.

____________, the disastrous effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone,____________ Dad remained optimistic. He ____________to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to ____________ Dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.

Dad is also a living example of real ____________. From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to ____________ our family. He always puts our happiness ____________ his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games __________ his exhaustion after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic (有同情心的) and ______________, putting others first.

Dad, the life ____________ I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.

【推荐1】It was just a harmless Valentine’s Day joke. Old Lady Hayes _______ it. She used to scream at us for “borrowing” a few of her precious raspberries(木莓), like we were _______ gold.

George practiced _______ the box out of reach by the string. I couldn’t wait to see it fly away when she tried to pick it up.

I was first to _______ my dad in the doorway. I froze. Within seconds, my _______ was shared by all. Dad walked slowly to the empty candy box. He picked it up, and watched it swing back and forth. Then he looked into the eyes of the _______ boys.

“It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was playing Valentine’s Day _______,” he said, “One year my cousins and I decided to try one on our Grandma Walker _______ we loved her. We just wanted to have some _______. We sneaked up to her ____________ and drew a gift there with red paint. Then we kicked the door and ____________ behind the bushes. When Grandma ____________ appeared, she looked down. Even from 15 feet away we could see the ____________ in her eyes. Grandma ____________ for the fresh paint. Slowly, she ____________ our joke. She tried to smile, absently wiping red paint on her clean and white apron(围裙).” Dad ____________ and for the first time I noticed that his eyes were ____________. “Grandma died later that year. I never had another ____________ to give her a real valentine.”

Later that night a red, heart-shaped box was ____________ on Mrs. Hayes’ front doorstep. We hid behind the bushes to see how she would ____________ to receiving a full box of candy.

【推荐2】At around 10 p.m., Jane got off the train at Bell port, New York. She jumped into her Honda Odyssey and began the 20-minute _________ home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove _________ all the way. Jane had just crossed the railroad tracks when out of nowhere a truck hit her car, _________ her backward some 100 feet onto the tracks. She was _________ the car, injured but mostly shocked by the _________.

As it happened, Peter, a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, was getting ready for _________. At the _________ noise of clanging metals and breaking glass coming from not far outside his bedroom window, he, still dressed in his pajamas (睡衣), ran out of the door.

He first came upon a(n) _________ truck lying 2,000 feet from his front yard. After _________ its driver was OK, Peter looked around and spotted Jane’s car lying __________ the tracks. And then he heard the bells __________ an oncoming train.

Peter rushed to Jane’s car and __________ the driver’s side window. Jane just looked up at him, her eyes __________. “I have no __________ of where I am,” she said.

“You are on the railroad tracks,” Peter yelled. “I have to get you off right now!” He __________ the handle, but the door was jammed. The train was __________. Without a moment of hesitation, Peter ran to the passenger side and __________ open the door. He __________ pulled her across the passenger seat and dragged her to safety behind a signal box a few feet away. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the __________.

Jane recalled the __________ moment. “I can never repay him for this,” she said, “last night the hero arrived in pajamas, not in a fire truck.”