【推荐1】It was a clear night. Finally came the big game and the boys were ________ and excited. My son Andy’s baseball team, less experienced than other teams, ________ made it to this championship game. The final drew wide attention and the atmosphere was ________. The other team’s slugger (强击手), a big kid, was like a snake, dangerous and ready to ________.

Our team had a perfect start, and the scoring moment was repeatedly shown on a huge screen. However, looking out Andy’s way, I was shocked to see Andy looking straight up at the ________! Obviously he wasn’t ________ on the game. I was horrified that he wouldn’t even know the ball was coming.

“Come on, Andy. ________ out there, ” I said to myself.

Thank goodness, the big kid in the other team made a mistake. Our team had been ________, and we still led by one run.

Andy ran up to me at the ________. I was about to ________ him when he said loudly, “Did you see that shooting star?”

Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with ________ I paused.

“Yes, ” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”

“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his ________.

I suddenly realized it was nice that my son would take time out to appreciate the ________ and beauty in life. You might be surprised by the beauty you can find at the least ________ moment.

Andy hit a triple (三垒打) in that last inning. But I still wish I had ________ that shooting star, too.

【推荐2】I can still remember the afternoon when we climbed the mountain as if it were yesterday. It was a sunny day. ________ to spend some time outdoors, I went up the mountain with Uncle Jimmy. The mountain was not easy to climb and had tough rocks and streams on it. In the end, ________ and hot, I couldn’t go any further. ________, we went back down the mountain in the end. On the way back down, Uncle Jimmy asked me a question, which ________ me speechless for a second: “What’s your dream, young lady?” “I have no idea,” I answered after thinking for a while. Then he smiled and told me about his ________. He didn’t ________ well at school when he was a student. Although ________ thought he could succeed, he knew ________ what his dream was — to be a ________. “I knew I wasn’t ________ when it came to studying, so I tried to buy snacks from a nearby market and sell them after class,” he told me. After he left school, he started selling different items to ________ which one was most attractive to customers. Of course, he often had no money in his pocket, but ________ difficult life was, he never gave up.

“There is no ________ that a person who puts in a great deal of ________ to reach his or her goal will have good luck at some point. The meaning of life is to chase your dream,” he said gently.

That night I could not fall asleep. With my eyes wide open, I lay in bed tossing and turning, asking myself, “What’s my motivation?” I wanted to be a top student, but the hard work ________ meant putting everything into following my ________. If I find myself ________ willpower, what should I do? Leaving home early the next morning, I climbed the mountain again all by myself. It made me think: If we don’t ________ the climb, how can we get to enjoy the scenery on the top of the mountain? At last, I reached the top and was ________ by the warm breeze and sunshine. Nothing could be more ________ than that.

【推荐3】Once there was a little boy who enjoyed reading books, especially comic-strips (连环漫画). His uncle called him “Sparky”, after a comic-strip horse named Spark Plug. But it was _________ for Sparky to feel happy at school because he failed every subject in the eighth grade. Though he did manage to enter the school’s golf team and tried very hard, he still _________ the only important match of the season.

Throughout his youth, Sparky was shy and felt _________ with strangers. It wasn’t that the other students disliked him. It’s just that no one really _________ all that much. In fact, Sparky was _________ if a classmate said hello to him after class. Sparky was a loser. His classmates knew it, so he learned to _________ it.

But Sparky was fond of drawing. He was proud of his artwork. No one else appreciated it. But that didn’t seem to _________ to him. In his high school, he sent some cartoons to the yearbook. The editors _________ his ideas. Despite that. Sparky was _________ of his ability. He even decided to become an artist.

So, after completing high school, Sparky wrote to Walt Disney Studios. Despite __________ preparation, it wasn’t accepted, which __________ that he was a loser again.

But Sparky still didn’t give up,he decided to tell his own life in cartoons. The main character was a little boy who always lost and failed. Because Sparky’s cartoon character went on to become a kind of cultural phenomenon, people __________ identified with (认同) this “lovable loser”. He reminded people of the painful and __________ moments to walk from their own past of their pain and their shared humanity. The character soon became famous worldwide. And Sparky, the boy whose many __________ never kept him from trying, whose work was not accepted again and again, is the highly successful cartoonist Charles Schultz. His cartoon strip Peanuts continues to __________ us, even the losers, to find a way in our life.

【推荐1】We went for a walk in the fields, my mother, my wife, my son and I.

Mother had been _________ to come out with us, for she was in poor health, and even a(n) _________distance would make her feel tired. But I insisted that, just for this reason, _________ was necessary. Nodding her agreement, she went to_________ her overcoat.

My mother and I walked in front, followed by my wife and son. Later, _________ occurred between us: my mother wanted to take the main road, for it was wide and _________, while my son preferred the little path, where there might be more interesting things. It was up to me to make the final decision. My mother had get accustomed to listening to her strong son, and my son was in the habit of _________ his father, a big figure in his mind. I suddenly felt the _________ of a responsibility. I tried to _________ a win-win choice, but failed. Finally, I decided __________my son, because there would be long years __________ in which I could be with him.

But my mother changed her __________, and said, “We’d better take the little path. You’ll have to carry me on your back in places I can’t walk across.”

With differences __________, we picked our way along the little path. When we came to a certain spot, I let my mother get on my back. My wife followed my __________ and carried our son. __________ as my mother was, she was quite thin, and not heavy at all. My son was fat, but a child could only be so heavy. Despite this, both my wife and I walked as steadily as possible, as if we bore the whole world on our backs.

【推荐2】Never criticize someone until you have walked in a mile in their shoes. During the past 25 years, I’ve often found that the saying has helped me see _________ from a different view.

Once I was on my way to a party with several _________ . As we were leaving the office, we met another one, Wendy, who had _________ planned to attend the event. We asked her to go together, but she _________ our invitation rudely. The others were quite annoyed and clearly _________ with Wendy’s behavior.

_________ how tired Wendy appeared, I commented that perhaps we should pardon her. She was obviously having a _________ day, and it wasn’t worth holding a grudge (恶意) against her if we weren’t _________ of what led to her unusual behavior. A week later, I _________ that Wendy had a serious illness. Wendy wasn’t being rude to us __________ .

Whether it’s a family member who let me __________ , a friend who doesn’t keep his __________ , or a difficult workmate, the saying __________ me. Although it’s not always easy to __________ , I’ve been able to get rid of a lot of __________ over the years by focusing on it.

【推荐3】I had run out of printer ink, so I drove to the only store to buy some. It was the worst possible _______ to shop. The store was _______ with people and the wait at the checkout counter was long. I could see the _______ and frustration on the faces of the people around me. It was no _______ in the parking lot and I found myself in the middle of a long line of cars _______ to pull out.

As my car was inching forward I saw a young, thin woman in a _______ coat, holding up a cardboard sign that _______: “Homeless. Please Help!” I watched as car after car drove past her, the drivers _______. Coming closer I grabbed my wallet and pulled out the little cash I had left. I stopped next to her, _______ down my window, and put it in her dirty hand, half covered with her ragged sleeve. She looked at me with a small ________ and whispered “Thank you” before the honking (鸣笛) car behind me forced me to ________ on.

I drove away hoping that I had helped her even little. Did my small act of kindness make a ________ to her? I don’t know. Did it change the ________of the driver behind me? Probably not. In life we all want to make great changes and do great things, ________ sometimes a small kindness is enough.

The best way to help the helpless is to get up and do something. Love and kindness are never ________. They always make a difference. So fill your days with small kindnesses and love.