【推荐2】College sets the stage for students to explore new sides of life. I myself went through this searching process and found something that has changed my _________ at college for the better：I discovered ASL—American Sign Language(美式手语).

The _________ began during my first week at college. I watched as the ASL Club _________ their translation of a song. Both the hand movements and the very _________ of communicating without speaking attracted me. What I saw was completely unlike anything I had experienced in the _________ . This newness just left me _________ more.

After that, feeling the need to _________ further, I decided to drop in on one of ASL Club’s meetings. I only learned how to _________ the alphabet(字母表)that day. Yet instead of being disappointed by my _________ progress, I was excited. I then made it a point to ____________ those meetings and learn all I could.

The following term, I ____________   an ASL class. The professor was deaf and any talking was not   ____________ . I soon realised that the silence was not unpleasant. ____________,if there had been any talking, it would have ____________ us to learn less. Now, I appreciate the silence and the ____________ way of communication it opens.

【推荐3】When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was ______to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual(只用一种语言的) dictionary. ______it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, ______of my classmates had one, to and be honest, I found it extremely ______ to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and ______not fully understand the meaning. I was used to the ______bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are ______both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt ______to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I ______that monolingual dictionaries are ______ in learning a foreign language.

As I found out, there is, ______often no perfect equivalence（对应）between two ______in two language. My aunt even goes so far as to ______that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the ______meaning of a word in English! ______she insisted that I read the definition（定义）of a world in a monolingual dictionary when I wanted to get a better ______of its meaning. ______, I have come to see what she meant.

Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses a(n) ______number of words, around 2, 000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am ______exposed to（接触）the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas. ______this, I can express myself more easily in English.

【推荐1】An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her _______ mother with desperation (绝望), “Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now.” The little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She _______ all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she _______ her way six blocks to the local drugstore (药店).

“And what do you want?” asked the chemist.

“It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew and he has something _______ growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him.”

“We don’t _______ miracles here, child. I’m sorry.” the chemist said, smiling _______ at the little girl. In the shop was a _______ customer. He stooped (弯腰) down and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother _______?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “He’s really sick and daddy says he needs a (n) an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my _______.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man.

“One dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get some more.” she answered quietly.

“Well, what a coincidence (巧合),” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents—the ________ price of a miracle for your little brother. ________ me to where you live. I want to see your brother and ________ your parents.”

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon. The operation in the hospital was completed without ________ and it wasn’t long before Andrew was ________ again and doing well.

The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost—one dollar and eleven cents plus the ________ of a little child.

【推荐2】David sat on the hard ground, scratching(乱划) his name with a stick. As he finished the last letter “d”, he noticed a rosy old ______ shone in the dirt.

“David!” his mother called. David looked ______, glared at the yellow farmhouse that was now supposed to be his home, put the key in his ______ and walked down the hill.

Grandpa had ______ away last year, leaving the house and farm to David’s mother. She had chosen to ______ her job and move to the farm. David had been very unhappy about leaving his friends.

In the city, dinnertime had always been an opportunity for ______ between David and his mother. Here, ______, he had nothing to say. He knew his silence ______ his mother, but surely it was better than the angry stream of ______ that lay in wait behind it. After swallowing up a plateful of spaghetti(面条), he ______ said, “Thanks,” and went to his room.

Later, he went out to look for something to read. In the deep silence, he saw his mother sat alone. On her lap lay a ______ album. Looking up, she smiled ______, “See what I found, David? Here’s your great-grandfather. He’s about your age in this picture. Do you think you look like him?”

David stuck his hands into his pockets and shrugged(耸肩). He ______ the old key.

“Here it’s his wedding day. Next to him is his bride.” his mother continued David moved ______ and glanced down at the photograph. Then something else caught his ______. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to a painted wooden box in front of her.

“It’s a ______ music box,” she put down the album and took the box gently with both hands. “Years ago, my brother dropped the key out there ______. We searched and searched but never ______ it.”

David opened his hand. His mother’s eyes sparkled(闪烁). “That’s it! How did you…?”

With trembling hands, she fit the key into the hole and ______ up the music box. As its sweet music played, mother and son listened together.

“It has been silent for a long, long time,” the mother said.

“It’s so clear!” said David. “It sounds as good as new.” The ______ had been broken.

【推荐3】There he was, turning the corner of Hawley and Main Street like clockwork. His red hair seemed to catch the sunlight, giving his head a soft candle-flame glow. He caught my eye, and up went his arm in his usual wave. As usual, I _______back and gave him a warm smile. I didn’t know his name, but he was very _______to everybody. No matter the weather, I saw him walking out there almost every day.

Having moved from a larger city, I wasn’t used to waves from _______. Actually, wherever we were, people hardly_______each other. We simply passed by each other, heads down, minding our own_______.

Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed these daily waves. It felt great to be _______and receive that message of “Hello!”. On days when we didn’t _______ to pass each other, I missed him and wondered if he was all right. The next day, I’d find myself driving with one eye on the _______. It was a happy reunion when I spotted him, and I’d wave first in my _________.

One night I was walking in the street, my thoughts traveled to “The Waver”, wondering if I could be________enough to wave at people I didn’t know. Just at the point.

I heard a car ________. I made eye contact with the person in the car, smiled and waved at her. The woman’s face____________, and she waved back. I was a little surprised. I reminded myself, “It’s okay. It’s actually kind of ________!” I waved to everyone I saw the rest of the way home.

Everyone at some point in their lives wonders if they’ve made any ________on the world. I can tell you that you don’t have to change the world ________. It’s enough to help sweeten it a little, even simply by a heart-warming wave.