【推荐1】Many years ago, Dad worked as a farmhand (农场工人). At that time, he had a horse. Every Saturday he _________ to the town after dinner and spent a few hours on social _________ with other farmhands, such as drinking, chatting, and playing cards in the cafe. On Saturday evenings, the cafe was _________ because many farmhands were there. Before midnight Dad returned home on his horse, quite satisfied with his _________. In his words, he _________ thought of changing his job.

At the age of 36, Dad married my mother. In the following spring I came _________ into the world. Life became hard, so my mother felt _________. She told Dad that they must make a _________.

My mother had _________ of how some famous persons fought against fate (命运) and achieved greatness and __________, just like Thomas Edison. And she __________ that I would some day become a great leader __________ men or cities and Dad should be a successful businessman. So she __________ Dad to give up his job as a farmhand, sell his horse and __________ a small business of his own. And I went to high school and college. She even sent me abroad for __________ education when I graduated from college. Under the drive (驱使) of my mother’s hope, Dad and I __________ what we have today. Dad runs a big international __________ and I am a successful lawyer __________ great fame in my country, __________ not a leader as my mother expected.

Dad said, without my mother, we wouldn’t be what we are today; at least, he would remain a farmhand. __________ he got a lesson of life — sometimes we really need drive from outside.

【推荐2】I’m now the chef and owner of a restaurant. Nothing in my early years led me to ______ my life would connect to food and cooking deeply. My family did eat together often; we had a ______ that my grandmother cooked the weekly big meal on weekends, but food was hardly the ______ of my family’s story. After I entered college, I was still ______ about what I wanted to do. Maybe I was supposed to ______ the crowd, getting a decent job, like in medicine or something similar.

When accepting the job assisting cooks after finishing college, I just ______ to pay my rent. That didn’t ______ any big life plans. However, as I worked longer, the food world showed me amazing ______ .

Too little salt, and a dish is ______ to be “tasteless‌”. A bit lemon juice helps prevent cut apples and peaches from turning brown and ______ their appealing colors. The lesson that small things matter reminds me to never ______ tiny stuff in all parts of life. Also, working with food teaches me to really taste, smell and touch. I learn to observe my ______, watching ways birds land, the growth of trees along roads... and ______ wonders in everyday life. ______ , I head down my own path, which is ______ from going to medical school as my parents did, but gives my life purpose and direction.

【推荐2】I love traveling and when I am tired with work, I will choose to travel to make myself relaxed. Three years ago, I was rather busy with my business and under a lot of ____ , so I went to Atlanta for a holiday. I just wanted to get away and _____ for a while.

One morning when I was walking around in Atlanta, a(n) _____ suddenly came to me. “Why don't I go to the Greek island of Santorini which I have long wished to pay a visit to?” Therefore, the idea of a two-week European ______ alone was born.

I was confident that I was brave enough to have driven _____ across the US before, but traveling to other _____ whose languages aren't the same as mine ____ me. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to ____ with people there.

But I soon _____ that if 1 wanted to follow my dreams, I had to _____ out of my comfort area. If I let _____ take control of me, I'd get nowhere.

Immediately, I began making plans for my vacation. As 1 ______ for more places to visit on my trip, I found Mykonos, another island in Greece, which I _____ just as much as I liked Santorini. When I arrived in _____ two days later, it was like I was in a dream. What I appreciated best was the bus ride to Venice. As I rode the bus and enjoyed every new thing I saw, I was completely _____ from the pressure of my work. How _____ it was to see people riding their bikes to the _____ they would like to go to!

It's such a wonderful experience that 1 won't forget it forever. Some people might say, "It's not a big _____ : it's just Venice. Thousands of people go there every day,“ But it was more than that to me. It was about having a _____ and when it was time for it to come true, don't be afraid to let it ______ .

【推荐3】For many years,drivers of electric trains in the UK were at risk from bird strikes.When they were travelling at high speeds,a____hitting the front of the train could____the windscreen of the driving cab.I once had a pigeon break the offside window into pieces at only 40 mi/h.The pigeon didn't____,but I did—I am alive!

In an effort to provide a better degree of____and reduce delays,of course,research was done to find a ___toughened glass windscreen for____.As part of this research,____was sought from airline suppliers,who said that a good test for ant new glass type was to fire a chicken at high speed____the window material.The____was soon set up and a number of dead chickens obtained.

Even though it was of a standard used by____,the test with the first chicken showed that the glass was not____enough.A second test____broke the glass.Another test damaged the third windscreen!Repeated____showed that no glass could____the chicken being fired at it.More advice was sought from the airline people,who could not understand____the glass they offered could withstand（禁得住）airborne bird strikes but____failing the railway tests. They decided to come to____test.

The railway research team set up a____test and sent someone to obtain more chickens.____the chickens arrived,it was then that the airline experts realized what was wrong.They told the railway research team."You know,you do____to defrost（解冻）the chickens first."

【推荐1】I like food, especially if someone else cooks it. That is what my husband is ______ as I write this. The man loves to cook. He recently started a ______ that he has been thinking about for years, ______ family recipes — his own, his mom’s, his sister’s, even mine — plus a few______from his grandmothers’ generation.

More than just ______, he collects photos and stories, the kinds of anecdotes and ____ that add meaning and flavor to any family meal.

I, for instance, can provide a recipe for kids’ ______ vote for “Mom’s home cooking”: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (卡夫奶酪通心饼).

Over time, I’ve ______ my recipe file, something for which my husband is grateful. Reading all those recipes ______ my husband to think he might be able to cook them too. For dinner tonight, he ______ that he would make lemon Coriander Chicken (柠檬香菜鸡) according to my recipe. After lunch, he started talking about the steps it involved and the ingredients ______.

“Do we have black mustard seeds?” he asked ______.

“Um, we might have pepper,” I said.

Minutes later, he ______ with a list and was gone for two hours.

He came home with five bags of groceries and a shiny new blender（搅拌机） he needed to make the sauce.

The recipe is ______. What it means to me is not. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve made the ______ for family and friends, all the stories behind it, all the memories it brings back and how______ it makes me to take it out of the oven and watch people ______ it.

Food can fill the mouth and ______. But family food — good, bad or even out of a box, seasoned with ______, fragrant with memories is the product of the labor of love to ______ the most homesick of hearts.

【推荐3】Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Turning our weaknesses into strengths makes us ________ . A 12-year-old boy, Kim overcame his weakness by unknowingly making it his______ .

Poor Kim _____ his left arm in a terrible accident and was _____. To cheer him up, his father made him join a Judo（柔道）club. As the boy always wanted to learn Judo, his father thought this would make him _____ .

Everyone wondered how a single-armed boy could learn Judo._____ , the master happily accepted him. Kim practiced nothing but a single stroke（击）.He trained for all 8 months in mastering a single stroke. The boy was ____ and sometimes annoyed as his master taught him only one stroke.

Yet, he said nothing. The boy mastered the stroke and grew in confidence as ____ could do that particular stroke better. The boy was _____ by the master to compete in a Judo championship tournament

Everyone _____ Kim and his master. Even the boy was not sure about why his master had chosen him.

To everyone's surprise, Kim easily ____ six competitors with his single stroke. He struggled a bit in the semi-finals but managed to win the match. Then the final match began. The opponent（对手）was very strong and the referee（裁判） ____ with Kim's master about stopping the match as he feared the opponent could ____ Kim. However, his master __ and told Kim to continue the match. With a huge effort, Kim ____ the match.

Kim thought it was __ and asked his master how he had become champion. His master told him “My dear boy, you learned the most ____ stroke in Judo that very few can master to perfection. If your opponent wants to beat you and ____ you from using the stroke, they should hold your left arm. This was the_____ behind your victory!'*

If the boy turned his weakness, the loss of his left arm, into such a great _____ . why can't we?