【推荐2】I’d just gotten out of hospital myself. Five days before my mother passed away, a tire of my car blew. I was going 50mph when I completely lost_______; my car crashed head-on into a concrete barrier. I should have been _______   but fortunately I survived. Physically I healed quickly, but the_______ injuries and fear of my own death stayed on. Soon even _______ activities, like driving a car or visiting my doctor, filled me with great fear. Eventually I fell into a state of_______ and stopped seeing friends. I even didn’t want to go anywhere and feel anything.

Then, last February, I was_______ invited by my friends to go skiing in Colorado. My first response was to_______. I didn’t want to get on a plane, fasten sticks on my feet or slide down a mountain. The mere thought of meeting new people _______   me. But I had a sense that this journey might be the brilliant sunlight I_______ needed. I finally agreed.

The first day, I was_______ with Peter, an experienced coach. He sensed my fear, patiently removing it with a smile and jokes. I was absolutely terrified of_______ myself, but his gentle encouragement kept me going. Then he said something that made me nod in recognition, “Jill, fear _______   everything.” Peter was talking about skiing, about how your muscles _______ when you are afraid, often causing you to fall. And it’s particularly true in life as well. When you permit fear to prevent you from doing what you love, life stops. With Peter’s words in mind, I kept practicing.

By the end of the day, I’d improved enough to fly down hills that had scared me, a bright smile on my face and tears in my eyes. Tears were not from the cold but from _______. I’d faced my fears on the mountain, and I knew_______ the rest wouldn’t be far behind.

【推荐3】Shortly before Dad died, I got a call from Betty. She was a ________ of our family who lived right across the street. She asked me if I’d noticed that Mom was getting ________ and was starting to tell stories and ask questions time and again. My thoughts ________ my phone calls to Mom. I agreed with Betty. I had noticed some things, but I ________ wasn’t too concerned. After all, Mom was in her 70s. Don’t all people in their 70s ________ things?

I got another call from Betty. She told me about the card game they had ________ one week ago. And it was Mom and Dad’s turn to have it at their house. Everyone ________ but Mom just forgot that and ran around trying to find the cards. That never happened before.

Betty phoned again, telling me one day when Mom drove, she ________ in front of oncoming cars to make a left turn. Mom, in Betty’s opinion, was becoming a very unsafe ________. At this point, I had no idea what to do about that.

Looking back, Dad had been ________ for Mom. And the rest of us were ________ these things as part of her growing old. For months after Dad passed away, we all blamed her forgetfulness on ________.

Alzheimer (阿尔茨海默症) is a very ________ process and most people experience symptoms for nearly three years before being confirmed by doctors.

I am ________ that our friend Betty was right across the street for all the time I couldn’t be there. It’s still ________ to me to think what could have happened without Betty in those days.

【推荐2】Zhang Yuan, living in a small mountain village, is a hardworking fellow. He is always eager to learn and _______ the nature of the universe.

One day, while meditating (冥想) in the garden, Zhang heard a slight sound, he opened his eyes and saw a butterfly _______ around the flowers. He watched in awe (敬畏) as the butterfly moved_______ from one flower to another. He   _______ that the butterfly was completely at peace with the world around it and that it didn’t seem to _______ to achieve anything, simply enjoying the beauty of the moment. Zhang understood that the butterfly’s stillness (宁静) was what   _______ it to obey the universe. From that moment on, Zhang made it his _______ to develop stillness in his own mind. Every day he spent hours meditating and _______ all his anxieties. Soon, Zhang found the journey towards stillness was a long and _______ one. But he made up his mind to ________ on this path. He believed that with patience and ________ he could also experience the beauty of obeying the universe just like the butterfly did. As he continued to ________, he came to understand life is too short to worry about things beyond ________ and that everyone should ________ what they already have. With this newfound understanding, he was ________ to find peace and satisfaction in every moment.

【推荐3】Recently I’d decided to get some guinea pigs (天竺鼠) as a way of getting rid of the wild grass in my little farm. My friend Sharon had heard I was on the ______ and gave me one. “His name is Tim Tam,” Sharon said, but I thought this name didn’t seem to suit him, so I ______ it to Basil.

Guinea pigs are ______ pets who need company, so Sharon bought me another, who I named Squirtle after the Pokemon character. Before long, ______ more guinea pigs were given to me. The five ______ so well and had plenty of room to explore the farm together.

“What happened to them getting rid of the wild grass?” Sharon ______ .

Truth was, these pets had won me over so ______ with their attractiveness and gentle nature that I’d forgotten about the ______ of having them. Growing up, I’d had different ______ in my childhood, but guinea pigs were special. Curious by nature, they were both ______ and relaxed. Each time I ______ them, I was greeted by their whistles of excitement. I felt very lucky for their ______ .

As time went by, I’d been ______ more I eventually ended up with 37 guinea pigs! Realizing they needed extra ______ , I set about building small house with white fences (栅栏), clothes lines, and used metal cans for them to play with. I made everything on my own except for the deckchairs. ______ I knew it, I had an entire town for them!

Putting up a ______ which read Guinea Vale, home of the Guineas, I felt ______ of my work. Sharon was amused. “When you do something, you really go at it at full speed, don’t you?” she ______ .

Honestly speaking, welcoming these pets into my life has made me a lot ______, and it’s very meaningful to know that people around the world can ______ the joy, too.