【推荐1】Bryant Collins may not consider himself to be a hero, but we think he fits the definition perfectly. This Georgian mechanic was having an ordinary day, ______ down Highway 72, when something ______ caught his eye：It appeared to be a baby making her way toward the road and they were getting very ______ .

Despite what he saw, it was very hard for him to ______ a baby was out here in the middle of nowhere. But while he was thinking that, his foot was stepping on the ______. After getting off the car and checking the baby to make sure she was okay, he called 911. It took the police two hours to ______ the girl’s parents but, during that time, Bryant stayed around to ______ her.

Once the parents were ______, the police learned that their 2­year­old baby girl had ______ out of their front door when they ______ left the room. Their baby went on a 300­yard journey into the highway. Fortunately, she was ______. After such a terrifying trip, there’s no doubt that Bryant was a source of ______ for the lost baby.

There was a point in Bryant’s life where he never would have ______ to be called a hero. Years ago, he was put in prison for 10 years due to manufacturing cocaine. But after a lot of ______ and hard work, Bryant can now proudly say that he’s been ______ for five years. As he said, “Just as well as you can do bad, you can do good.”

【推荐1】Mary was always dreaming of graduating from college successfully and finding a good job. Since Mary came from a poor family, her dream seemed _________. Her family didn’t have enough money to send her to college _________ no member of her family had ever gone to college. But Mary never _________ that thought. In secondary school, she studied hard and spoke _________ of her dream to teachers and friends. When her _________ day at school came, the head teacher called her into his office. “I have a _________ for you,” he said. It was a scholarship (奖学金) to a nearby college. The power of a thought had _________ its reward.

Mary’s _________ came true when she graduated from college. She took a major in teaching and _________ herself to a local school for a job, but she was __________. She applied again. The answer was no. She kept going back until the school leader __________ her.

Many years later Mary and her colleagues (同事) __________ at a special party to honour her as an outstanding teacher. At the __________, she explained the secret of her __________. “With dream and faith you can become what you wish. Not that your life will be without problems, but along the way problems will be __________.”

【推荐2】Jason Box, 85, started learning Welsh, his native language, at the age of 70. He grew up in South Wales, where he was ______ and educated in English and since the age of 23, he has lived and worked in Birmingham. After retiring, he decided that he wanted to reconnect with his roots. “I’m a Welshman and everybody should be able to speak their ______ language.”

With ______ time on his hands, he started looking on the Internet for ways to learn Welsh, but the exercises he ______ didn’t help him with pronunciation. Then last year he started ______ with SpeakWelsh, which offers a series of podcasts (播客) and runs twice-monthly classes with a teacher, where he meets and practices with other ______ learners.

Jason is one of older adults who are learning languages in ______ life. While younger people are ______ thought to be quick language learners, there is no evidence to suggest that senior learners are ______ in terms of absorbing new information according to Meg, head of languages at a university in London. Instead, he ______ , the key element to being a successful language learner is motivation.

“I was excited at the prospect of learning a language,” says Jason. “I ______ not doing it in my younger days. When you’re ______ a family and working, you’re committed to those things. Learning a language and meeting people is exciting. It’s ______ to go out and I look forward to it.”

Learning a language could potentially help to ______ the growing concern around loneliness among older people in the UK. “Loneliness is a terrible thing. Going to a class is socializing. If you get out, you are with other people and that’s a(n) ______ for sure.” says Jason.

【推荐3】Have you ever been caught in difficulties? Remember that self-confidence is _________ than a knife. You can use it to fight a challenge. Read the short story below to _________ the power of self-confidence.

A man was _________ to find his way through a dark cave with a light of hope from a lantern   (灯笼). Finally, he could see some sunlight in the cave, which made him _________ . But as he drew closer, he was _________ to see a big rock standing before him.

He pushed the rock, but it stood there firmly without _________ even a little. He tried again, but it prevented him from _________ the place. The man felt as if being swallowed by a whale that was waiting to enjoy his supper. He sat _________ the big rock in the mouth of the dark cave looking back on his adventure. He had overcome many difficulties and _________ he would overcome this one, too.

So he said to himself with confidence, “I will __________ here. ”He encouraged himself and it added to his power and gave him more __________ in pushing the huge rock.

The rock moved a little, which encouraged him to work harder. Thanks to all his efforts, __________ the rock made way for him. He walked along the bright and evergreen path before him-with __________ .

We all may meet difficulties in our life. Some people don’t believe they can overcome them and choose to __________ , but some choose to face them with confidence. Those who give up will __________ succeed. Only those who face difficulties with confidence will find their ways and succeed in life in the end.