【推荐1】When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He studied hard to get good ________ and tried to behave well. He was shy and shorter than the other boys. Besides, his father was ________ and had little time for him. Except for his ________ for housework after school, there was no communication. Marco felt very ________.

One day, his maths teacher called him that some young teenagers were ________ a public speaking contest. She thought he should give it a ________. She firmly believed he could perform on stage (舞台) like other kids. Feeling her strong trust, Marco agreed to ________ the contest.

All winter, he took a bus to ________ twice a week in another city, where the competition would take place. Marco was taken by a strong ________ he never felt before. Finally, the big day arrived. His father, and yes, his maths teacher, were present. When he stepped onto the stage and began to speak, he felt ________ at home. He was funny, and acted very naturally. He won! He noticed his father’s eyes were ________ — he was so proud. It was then that his father ________ he should pay more attention to the child.

As the winner, his name was ________ in the local papers. He knew this was the ________ of his new life. It all happened because of a phone call, from one who ________ him.

【推荐3】In one Nebraska teen running race before graduating from high school, Brandon Schutt’s personal best turned out not to be about marking the fastest time but displaying the biggest heart.

During the race, he knew he had the potential to ________ for the upcoming state meet, so he slowed to a comfortable ________ that would allow him to simply enjoy the moment and the day. Meanwhile, aiming to ________ his own personal record, after a fast start, Blake Cerveny continued to push himself ________. With less than 400 meters to go, Cerveny got a cramp (抽筋) in his legs and they ________ him. ________ to finish, Cerveny rose from the ground and continued on, only to ________ again after another 150 metere... and again. This time he’d ________ it only 25 meters more before going down. With tremendous effort, the young runner pulled himself up and with a(n) ________ pace, moved forward for one final push. It wasn’t enough. Less than 100 meters from the ________ line, he lay curled on the ground. His ________ had simply given out.

Brandon Schutt, who was at his side, ________ a helping hand. His first ________ to get Cerveny up failed, but like Cerveny, he too refused to ________. With a second tug (拖拽), Cerveny was on his ________. With Cerveny holding Schutt for ________ and Schutt helping Cerveny maintain balance, the two ________ the Final 75 meters. Schutt even made sure the injured runner crossed the finish line first, securing his ________ a faster time.

In today’s competitive world in which the emphasis in athletics is so often put on breaking records, it was ________ to see that for an athlete like Brandon Schutt, the value of true sportsmanship still had legs. And for others, like Blake Cerveny, knowing that finishing the race, no matter the odds or adversity, is the true ________ of a win.

【推荐1】Many western cultures measure their days with the solar calendar. Therefore, they _______ the coming of the New Year on January 1. Cultures in Asia and the Middle East use other calendars and celebrate the New Year at other times. Events and rituals _______ from country to country. But in each place, New Year celebrations are a big _______ .

Most world cultures have been celebrating the New Year for centuries. The earliest New Year celebrations took place during spring or _______ time. With _______weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people _______ felt like having a party! As the days became longer and as nature renewed itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. The New Year could bring better fortune, more opportunities and new challenges. Such_______ themes remain the same today.

Some cultures have _______ New Year traditions. Italians throw old things out of their windows at midnight, symbolizing the _______ of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to ward off ________. Danes jump off chairs exactly as the clock ________midnight, so they can “jump” into the New Year. Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day. They hope “Santa Claus” will come and fill the shoes with ________. In Vancouver, Canada, some people celebrate the New Year by jumping into the ocean. The weather is freezing cold! As you might expect, most people come to watch the swimmers ________ swim themselves.

London hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that ________ nearly a million spectators. The largest parade in Europe, it features bands, floats and enormous balloons. These balloons are so huge that they ________ over nearby buildings!

【推荐2】One of the strangest experiences of my life involved taking a memory test while lying inside a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. It was part of an experiment by University College London, to see whether the brains of memory champions like me were ________ anyone else’s.

When the test ________ were published, the findings were very ________. Expert memorizers didn’t have any physical differences between our ________. Instead, what set us apart was what we did when we were learning—especially the way we used pictures.

Any information can be ________ into pictures—switching on parts of the brain right away that create ________ and impressive memories.

________ it yourself. Here’s a list of words. But don’t just read the words. Picture them, as ________ as you can.

MOUNTAIN, RAINBOW, PEA, SOFA, SHEEP, SNOWMAN, WINDMILL, NEWSPAPER, PIANO, UMBRELLA.

________ your visual memory. Notice the relative sizes of the things on the list. Look out for any similarities or differences in ________ or colors. After a few minutes, cover the page and see how many words you ________. Then, start connecting images with ________ you want to remember: shopping lists, addresses, good ideas. By doing so, you’ll find that you soon become more observant, better with ________, and more confident about recalling the things that ________. So learn from the ________, and use pictures to help you to set some new “personal bests” for your own memory power!