【推荐2】There was almost no reason for me to sing on my 51st birthday. Being recent “empty nesters”, my husband and I were doing our best to _______to the too quiet house. This was a day when I_______all to gather together. The plan, for my _______day, was to meet our daughters, Jaime and Katie at a fancy _______.

Our youngest, Katie called to say she might not be able to_______the celebration dinner. She had heavy_______earlier that day and, with the long ride ahead, she thought it_______to stay at her own house and have a good sleep.

After all, this was my baby. How could she move so far away from me in the first place? But the reality I had to_______was that she didn’t feel the need to_______me every day. It made me________my abilities as a mother. I felt tears falling as I________what she had just said to me. Maybe she felt the________in my voice because, on second________, she changed her mind.“But”, she warned, “I didn’t have time to________you a gift.”

We arrived with Katie already waiting for us to________. After dinner in it, Katie handed me a shopping bag. As I opened it, the________ warmth filled my heart again: a mommy sitting in a rocking chair, holding a________in her arms. The all explanations read: ________never leaves a mother’s arms.

I got the message loud and ________, my daughter still loves me though she lives far away from me, and________ much less than I’d like.

11.

A．analyzed

B．tasted

C．repeated

D．memorized

【推荐3】On a cool spring evening, I found myself leisurely seated by a refreshment stand near Beihai Lake, enjoying the sight of shining ripples. The subtle _________ of leaves in the breeze immersed me in the liveliness of life. Across from me, a woman and her young daughter shared a moment; the child, a charming little figure of about seven or eight with an upturned nose, was _________ her ice cream, her mother holding the girl’s _________, whispering sweet nothings.

A brisk wind caused the child to _________. Reacting swiftly, her mother wrapped her in the coat and started to _______ it up, unaware of the _________ matched buttons until she was midway through the task. Realizing the error, she quickly corrected her mistake. Yet, such a careless slip, did not _________ the girl. “Oh, mommy, your attention _________!” the child said, bursting into hearty laughter, which brought a _________ look on her mother’s face. As a __________, I expected a good dressing-down for the little girl. But there was only an embarrassing __________ of a few seconds. Then I heard the mother’s gentle voice. “Yes, it certainly did, for my heart went out to you!” said the mother, pointing a kind finger __________ the girl. The child blinked in confusion, hiding her blush in the chest of her mother, who hugged her __________ in her arms. A smile of gratification spread over the mother’s face.

Witnessing this tender display of __________ affection, I was profoundly touched. Yet, even more striking was the mother’s approach to treating her daughter’s misbehavior, for quite a few people seem to forget that the best way to educate a child is not indulging or blaming, nor even moral lecturing, but tender ________ with love.

【推荐2】I’m one of the tallest members of my class, always bending at the back of the line to avoid sticking out. I especially ________ to hear people say, “Ruthie! Look how tall you’re getting!” ________ my grandfather would always tell me, “Stand straight and tall,” Later I understood his advice was about more than just ________ .

My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers ________ his hometown, the beautiful city of Tarnow, Poland, he fought for his country’s ________. “Stand straight, stand tall,” meant something else back then.

After the ________ , he boarded a boat for America, arriving in Manhattan. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his ________. Still, he marched head-on into the ________ streets of New York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them ________ to find his or her own way. If they could do it, ________couldn’t he? “Stand straight, stand tall,” he would ________ himself.

Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather acquired a ________ store on Canal Street. He once told me how ________ he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough________business, but also a new language.

To his ________, the men in the community offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was ________diamonds and pearls as if he’d been doing it his whole life.

I ________my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And ________I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life. Listening to my grandfather’s remarkable experiences have______the way I view my own life. His advice tells me to be________of who I am.

“Stand straight, stand tall,” my grandfather told me. And I do.

【推荐3】The fast-paced modern life in the city can be too much for an introvert (内向的人) like myself. And I sometimes really need some time to ______ my shell. Fortunately, I had the perfect ______ to learn and love gardening.

Well, after my A-levels, I stayed at my uncle’s house. At that time the gardening ______ me a lot, because my uncle does gardening with ______ and he has a beautiful garden. When I was there every day, I ______ the beauty of his garden and the interest he showed in ______ it. After seeing that, I was ______ to start gardening in my home and started doing it. Therefore, I started my ______ Garden in my balconies (阳台) with only pots of different coloured roses. As I grew up, my interest in gardening also ______ to grow. It gives me the biggest ______ .

Whenever I go to my uncle’s home, I collect more plant saplings (幼苗) for my Garden. So now my garden is full of colorful flowers and ______ , I went deeper into debt each day buying seeds, plants, flowers, soil, and pots. I preferred to spend my free time in my garden, without getting ______ . It makes me come alive and I just love that ______ .

I enjoy watering my Garden. It gives me enough physical exercise and sends me back to my work with ______ passion. The everyday sun shines bright on the plants and beautiful butterflies fly above the flowers. I smile with ______ when I cast my flourishing garden.