【推荐2】My father always told me: "All work is noble." He wasn't ________ , but he earned a reasonable living. Thanks to his ________ , I was able to go to Art College. I, however, wanted to do something ________ , something more interesting-I was special！

After graduation, I moved to New York in search of a graphic designer job. It was winter and, ever the optimist, I'd only brought enough money to ________ myself for about a month. I wasn't ________ -I was sure I'd find a fantastic job immediately.

Within a few weeks, though, I found myself wandering around the streets having been ________ by every design office in town. My hostel ________ was almost gone and I hadn't eaten in days. “How had I reached this point？""I wondered as I ________ in my thin jacket.

I was just about to ________ when my dad called. He suggested that I get a job in a ________ until something else came along. At first, pride made me _________. But I was cold, hungry, and unwilling to go home feeling ________ and defeated.

I entered an expensive-looking cafe near one of the design offices that had turned me away and asked the manager if they were ________. She said they were ________, and offered me a job right away.

________ , I found that I really enjoyed serving people. I started making big ________ right away. Later, the manager learned that I had a design ________ and asked me to design the cafe menus. That led to a part-time job at an advertising company.

Previously, I'd have never considered being a _________, but there I was. I ________ got my dream design job, but that winter I learned not to make ________ about work.

【推荐2】Once a gentleman was traveling by train. At dusk, he felt________and got down at a station________water. No sooner had he reached the water tap than the engine________and started. He ran back but________the train.

After spending the night at the station, he________about the next train, but was________to know that the next train was on the next day.

So, he decided to find an________for a day's stay. He went to the________inns to ask for a room but found________. At last, he reached a small cottage. He asked the owner of the hut whether he could stay in his________for a day and a night. The owner________agreed. That day the owner________him food and gave him a room to stay, but did not ask nor________anything in return.

At night when it did strike seven in the________, the gentleman heard a________at the door. The villager opened the door. The gentleman saw that a man dressed in gaudy (花哨的)and rich clothes________the cottage and demanded the owner to pay his________.

The gentleman came to know that the villager was in need of________. The next morning, he slipped a pocket in the room and left.

When the villager found the pocket, he saw that there was a note________to him, it read “You helped me but did not expect anything from me. Yesterday I heard the________between you and the stranger. This is what you need”.

【推荐3】Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a pianist’s concert on a summer holiday evening. After they found their _______, the mother saw two friends in the hall and walked to _______ them.

It was the boy’s _______ time to come to the hall. He thought it was a good _______ for him to explore the wonders of the concert hall. He _______ and walked around. He walked _______ a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE” (禁止入内).

When the hall lights dimmed (变暗), the _______ would begin. The mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was _______.   The mother was _______ worried at the moment that tears were in her ________.

The concert began and the ________ focused on (聚焦于) the wonderful piano on stage. The mother was ________ to see her little boy ________ at the keyboard, playing the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star ________ he did at home.

At that moment the great pianist came, quickly moved to the piano and ________ in the boy’s ear, “Don’t stop. Keep playing.” He leaned over (俯身) and began filling in a bass part (低音) with his left ________, then added a running obbligato (伴奏) with his right hand. They played the piano together ________. The old pianist and the young boy changed a frightening situation into a wonderful ________experience. The audience (观众) stood up and ________ them.

An artist’s achievements and charm depend on not only his perfect skills ________ his good qualities.