【推荐1】“A good book is easy to find.” That is the _______ on a sign at Hernando Guanlao’s home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Guanlao has _______ his home into a free public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free. Guanlao says he hopes his library will inspire people to read, _______ the young. The 72-year-old said that his library _______ books that all students can enjoy — from young children in kindergarten to _______ students in grade 12. He calls his library Reading Club 2000, which includes many different kinds of books.

He _______ his library more than 20 years ago when he set 50 books beside the walkway in front of his home. Guanlao’s _______ have grown greatly over the years — thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors.

Speaking of donors, he said, “They just _______ boxes of books outside my house.” He has also begun _______ books himself by sending reading materials to public schools in faraway communities.

Guanlao's ________ make a difference at a time when reading ability among students in the Philippines remains ________ . Some students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays（延迟）in math and science. He hopes to help more students ________ these problems.

Guanlao is ________ to stick to his goals. “My mission（使命） is to ________ used and donated books to others at no cost,” he said, “and to promote ________ through literature.”

【推荐2】I would like to suggest that for sixty to ninety minutes each evening all smart phones in the family be put away.

Let us take a ______, reasonable look at what the results might be if such a(n) ______ were accepted: Families might use the time for a real family hour. Without the distraction of phones, they might ______ around together after dinner and actually talk to one another. In fact , it is well-known that many of our ______ in every aspect of our life, from the generation gap to the high divorce and ______ some forms of mental illness are caused at least ______ by failure to communicate. By using the quiet family hour to ______ our problems, we might get to know each other better, and to like each other better.

On evenings when such a talk is ______, families could discover other active pastimes (消遣). Freed from smart phones, forced to find their own ______, they might take a ride together to watch the sunset ______ they might take a walk together. With free time and no smart phones, children and adults might discover reading. They might find there is more ______ in a good book than in an electronic game. According to educators, the generation ______ with smart phones can hardly write an English sentence, ______ at the college level. Actually, ______ is often improved through adequate reading. So with more time on books, a more literate (有文化的) new generation could be a (n) ______ of the quiet hour.

A different ______ of reading might also be done as it was in the past: reading aloud. The quiet hour could become the story hour. When the quiet hour ______, we may find it hard to ______ from our newly-discovered activities and expect the next story time.

At first glance, this idea seems radical (极端的). How will we spend the time then? The fact is that it has been only ten years ______ smart phones came to control our time. Those of us twenty-five and older can remember childhood without smart phones. It wasn’t so ______ as we think.

【推荐1】Once, on a cold day in September, when I was very little, my big sister _________ me to a beach not far from our house.

Near the beach there was a tidal(受潮汐影响)island, which _________ that when the tide goes out, you can walk to it, _________ when the tide comes in again, you can't get to it. Mum and Dad _________ let us go there.

When we _________ the beach, the tide was out. My sister _________ going to the island.

"But Mum and Dad said we couldn't. It's _________!" I said.

"Don't worry," said my sister. "I'll _________ you. Trust me."

I was a bit _________, but the island looked very nice in the autumn sunshine. We walked over the sand to the island and started to __________. We just found an old ruined building.

Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sun and it got windy. I said, "I'm __________ and I want to go home."

We walked back over the island to the __________. But we couldn't find it! It wasn't there anymore! The tide had come in and __________ the beach.

"Quick!" shouted my sister. "We have to run before it's too __________!"

The water was too deep and cold for me, and I started to __________. I was very frightened. But my sister was calm. She asked me to climb on her back. "Hold on!" she said.

The __________ was up to her middle, but my sister was very strong and ran through the waves with me on her back. She got very wet, but we got back to the mainland __________.

When we finally got home, Mum asked my sister why she was so __________.

We told her what had happened and __________ apologized to her. We both __________ not listening to their warning and learned our lesson---think twice before you leap.

【推荐2】Ever since I was a boy, I have been an avid (热衷的) reader. I have read and been _________ by so many books from so many authors. I think it may be one of the reasons I started _________ myself. I even enjoy hearing _________ about other authors, because they can _________ me a lot as well.

I heard one such story the other day that really made me stop and _________. The two famous authors, Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were invited to a(n) _________ given by a billionaire at his home. As the host _________ his luxury house to his guests and bragged about the rare works of art he had collected, Vonnegut _________ to his friend Heller that their host had probably made more _________ in a single day than Heller had earned from his most popular novel, Catch-22 over its entire history. Heller smiled back and said, “Yes, he probably has __________ I have something he will never have—ENOUGH.”

What is enough? Our society tells us that __________ is ever enough. The messages and advertisements bombard (轰炸) us every day, attempting to __________ us to spend all the money we have and all the money we don’t have to __________ more and more stuff. However, what is really enough for us? If our bellies are full, then we have enough. If we have clothes to keep us __________, then we have enough. If we have a roof over our heads to __________ us from the cold, wind and rain, then we have enough. If we have people we love and people who love us, then we have enough.

【推荐3】My grandparents actively practiced simplicity. They both grew up in very large families and _________ the Great Depression(大萧条). Saving for a rainy day was their life philosophy. They chose to spend really _________ life together with their family rather than seeking _________ through material items.

Over the years my grandparents have noticed _________ changes in their community. Every year more farmland was _________ to build larger and larger homes. As real estate(地产) prices rose, many of their neighbors _________ their little homes and land. Soon theirs was _________ little house surrounded by the sea of mansions. Lots of family members _________ my grandparents to expand their little old house. But they didn’t want a bigger one. They loved their little house and were _________ with what they had.

My grandparents ____________ a consumptive lifestyle by painting and repairing the house themselves. They lived in a little home, but had a huge ____________. They loved and enjoyed planting ____________ it greatly improved their health, ____________ their grocery bill, and gave them a(n) ____________ to be outside. They also ____________ everything. For instance, they had driven the same car for over 15 years and didn’t buy a new one until the old Chevrolet was ____________.

Through their example, I learned an important ____________: it is possible to live a simple life. My grandparents taught me that living a simple life isn’t about self-deprivation(自我牺牲). ____________, it’s about giving yourself the time, freedom and money to pursue your dreams. Becoming debt free, living in a ____________ building, and going out on foot are good ways to ____________ your life and start pursuing your dreams.

【推荐1】No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own ________.

I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head ________ job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program.

It was a tradition for the school’s old team to play against the ________ team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no coach, and they didn’t even practice to prepare for the game. Being the coach of the new team, I was excited because I knew we were going to win, but to my disappointment we were defeated. I couldn’t believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I came to ________ that my team might not be the number one team in Georgia, but they were depending on me. I had to change my attitude about their ability and potential.

I started doing anything I could to help them build a little ________. Most important, I began to treat them like winners. That summer, when the other teams enjoyed their vacations, we met every day and ________ passing and kicking the football.

Six months after suffering our defeat on the spring practice field, we won our first game and our second, and continued to improve. Finally, we faced the number one team in the state. I felt that it would be a ________ for us even if we lost the game. But that wasn’t what happened. My boys beat the best team in Georgia, giving me one of the greatest ________ of my life!

From the experience I learnt a lot about how the attitude of the leader can ________ the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and encouraged them. I helped them to see themselves ________, and they built themselves into winners.

Winners are made, not born.

【推荐2】Now he is 22 years old and has become an example of young people because of his story of ________.

Michael was born in a very ________ family. His parents worked in Vietnam before they ________ to Britain in 1980. They couldn’t find jobs in Britain because they ________ little English.

The whole family had to live on ________ and they lived in a small house in Hackney, a poor area in East London. Growing up is not easy for Michael, but he never ________.

At the age of ten, he made up his mind to go to Cambridge University. It was not easy, ________. Michael studied at a school, which used to be ________ “the worst school in Britain”.   However, young Michael made up his mind to try his best, no matter what kind of school he was studying at. The smart boy studied very hard and did ______ in every subject at school. Once he made a bet (打赌) with his friend to learn further ________. As a result, after just spending four months ________ himself from a textbook, he got an A in further maths.

Now Michael is the ________ medical student in St John’s College, Cambridge and has just won a(n) ________ for his excellent grades. He ________ he will be an example for other ________ people from poor families.

【推荐3】I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m rubbish at saying “NO”. For example, last Sunday I was sitting at my desk alone, totally ___________ in my own business, when a colleague of mine phoned and asked me to get ___________ in shopping with her. I found myself totally attracted by her ___________ and did not want to ___________ her. So I said “Sure, why not?” and before the call ended, I found myself agreeing, without giving any thought whether it was worth doing.

We were both window-shoppers and ___________ a whole day in the street. ___________, I hardly have any time to spare because I am very busy. ___________ my normal job, I’ve also got a book to write, a business to ___________ and a family to look after. And then there are my other projects to consider—my voluntary work and a couple of other interesting investments that I want to ___________.

I’m going to have to be more ____________ and not just agree to everything people ask me to do. In other words, I’m going to have to get better at saying “NO”. Usually I hate saying “NO”, because having to disappoint someone usually ____________ me. Now I realize because I haven’t learned to say “NO”, I’ve been feeling very ____________.

We had better do what we think is right and what we are ____________ to do. Sometimes it does not seem that bad to refuse others. If I focus on the things I really want to do, I’ll reach a much higher standard and do them quite well. I’ll be enthusiastic and ____________ and do something that is good for everyone and everyone will be merry. It’ll be a win-win ____________. What’s not good about that? So sometimes, we have to say “No”.