【推荐1】My mother is the sweetest person you would ever want to meet. She was always bright and selfless. She is also someone whose_________is being damaged and whose identity is being lost slowly because of Alzheimer’s disease (阿尔茨海默症/老年痴呆症). For me, it is a slow letting go and a_________process. Although she couldn’t_________herself，she at least still knew her immediate family. I knew the day would come when that would change and finally, about two﹣and﹣a﹣half years ago, that day came.

My parents would visit us almost daily and we would have a pleasant time, but one day there was a connection missing. My mother no longer_________me as her daughter. She would tell my father “Oh, they are such nice people.” Telling her I was her daughter made no_________at all. When I would hug her good﹣bye, I would close my eyes and_________that this was my mother from years ago. I would drink in (陶醉于) every familiar (熟悉的) feeling I have known for 36 years﹣her warm comforting body, and the soft, sweet smell that was hers alone. Every day, I prayed (祈祷) for her.

One late summer afternoon, my prayers were_________and I was taken by surprise. My parents were outside in the garden when my mother suddenly jumped up_________she had been hit by lightning. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed me gently from behind and_________me around. With a sparkle (闪光) in her eyes, she__________asked me if it was true, was I her baby? Tears welling up, I said, “yes, it was true”. We hugged and cried and neither of us wanted to let go of this magical moment. I knew it could disappear as quickly as it came. She said she always felt a__________to me and that I was nice, but that it had come to her suddenly that I was her child. We felt__________.I took this reward from God and savored (享受) it, even if it were to last just for that moment. We had a special connection again.

__________my mother’s condition has continued to worsen, she remembers who I am and it has been a year since that__________afternoon. A month ago when we had another visitor, she started stroking my hair and told them__________, “Did you know that she was my baby?”

【推荐2】When I was ten, my father brought home a sailboat, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at_______. As   for me,   I   learned both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together is really _______ . It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and invited Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon   on the_______ lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything_______well with the tiller (舵柄)in his hands.

When we were in the middle of the lake, a strong wind came all of a sudden .The boat was hit_______ Dad was always at his best in any danger, but at this moment he _______ .

“John!_______!” he shouted in a trembling voice ,with the tiller still in his hands. In my memory he could fix any problem. He was the one I always_______for strength and security. Before I could respond, a_______of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ________ it was too late. Another huge wall of water________ the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly .At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad________ and assisted him in climbing onto the hull(船壳) of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of________. “It’s all right ,   Dad,   we   are safe now.” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start________ for my father.

【推荐3】I felt my childhood was left on the plane to the United States when my baby cousins returned home. It was a really _________moment for me.

During their stay in China, they had not only brought back the happy days of my childhood, but also helped me _________from an at-times selfish teenager into a reliable grown-up.

Three years ago, my aunt and uncle moved here from Boston with their 1-year-old daughter Yasmeen and _________an apartment close to our house. We were overjoyed to have our family, especially a baby girl, so close to us. Yasmeen had close friendships with each of my sisters, but I knew the one that _________ between us was the strongest. As she began to walk on her own and talk in full sentences, I realized my great _________on her, I noticed that she’d _________some of my unpleasant actions, arguing with her mother as I had done the same. Yasmeen made me realize what a good _________should be.

When Maya was born, Yasmeen had a hard time _________her younger sister. She was jealous(忌妒) of the attention we all paid to the little baby, so I did my best to keep her company when she felt _________. Once Yasmeen got over her jealousy, she was able to enjoy Maya’s presence, like we all did. I tried my best to change my __________in order to spend more time with my little cousins.

My __________with Yasmeen and Maya has taught me the importance of being a good example. __________I helped my little cousins in a way, they have taught me how to be a good sister; and most __________ , a better person—a more patient person, who would not be upset by their endless questions; a(n) __________person, who would be able to have fun and share with others; a role model, who __________the babies ideas about right and wrong.

【推荐2】This first day of school can be stressful for both parents and children．But for Connor Crites, an 8-year-old Kansas boy living with autism（自闭症）, it was _________ terrible, until another child _________ in．Connor Crites was beginning his second grade at Minneha Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas．But instead of mixing with other children and exploring the playground, Connor _________ himself from others and stood in a corner _________．

Now, unfamiliar social _________ can be challenging for autistic children to_________．But luckily for Connor, the 8-year-old Bob, who was also starting second grade, noticed him _________ and weeping by himself．Without _________, Bob walked over to Connor and took his hand．Still _________ upset, Connor held on to Bob's hand as they walked together into school．

Bob's mother, Courtney Moore, witnessed the __________ and took a quick photo of the boys．She said, "He grabs his hand and walks him to the front door．We waited until the bell rang and he walked him inside of the school．The past is history．They have a firm bond．" Moore ____________ the photo on Facebook and wrote: This lesson is a beautiful example of how friendship can come at the most __________ moments．When Connor's mother, Crites, saw the photo, she was __________ to tears．

"__________ saved my son．It doesn't matter the disability, and it doesn't matter anything, just be kind, and open your heart．It's what we need in this cold world, which __________ us," Crites said．

【推荐3】In early 2007 I had bought tickets to a Christian concert for myself and two other family members, but later I decided to_______my 4-year-old son along.

I couldn't find another ticket in the area we were sitting in, so I started_______online for four tickets so we could all_______Imagine my surprise when the four_______tickets I needed happened to be on the front row! Thinking it was a_______, I tried again several times and each time the same tickets came up. I knew it had to be God, so after getting_______the initial(最初的) shock I decided to_______the front row tickets, which still left me_______the three original tickets. Not knowing what to_______with them, I asked around but did not have any________Then my hus­band said two of his customers wanted to go to the same________but couldn't afford it.

We went to their house and they said they had a friend they wanted to take with them.________it turned out, this couple does a prison ministry and had been________this concert for quite a while, but even after offering to pay me I________and told them to continue working in the prisons teaching those men and women to become________people. This couple lost a________several years ago and listening to this music could________them in their healing process. The________of this particular concert was “Give It Away”, and I thank God for the________to give this to them.

It turned out to be one of the best nights for all of us, and it was all________my 4-year-old boy wanted to hear the music as well.

【推荐3】This time last year I had a bit of a crisis. I left the company where I’d worked for 23 years. My child applied for university and the ________ of an empty nest unfolded before my eyes.

A friend asked how I was. I tried to say “fine”, ________ the word stuck in my throat. I felt like I’d been ________ a roof and was in free fall. The scaffolding (脚手架) of my life had gone：the status of my job, my role as a ________, my youth. I felt sad. “________ is difficult,” she said. That ________ me in the heart. It allowed me to ________ to myself I was in trouble.

I sat down at my computer, searching for a site that might give me ________: a story of someone who had walked this path and found a way ________. Some advice or a community that might help me work out what my next ________ might look like. There was nothing. I shouldn’t have been ________. During my years as an editor, I’d had trouble getting stories about women in midlife, or older, into the magazine.

Women are fed a fixed ________ of their lives: get educated, get a job, find a ________ and have some kids and that’s where the story stops. The ________ parts of women’s lives are unmapped, undiscussed.

So I’ve set up an online ________ for women in midlife. It’s called Noon and it helps women ________ their next act. We tell stories of transformation — a woman who became a comedian at 60 and a housewife who became a doctor at 50. We offer ________ advice to get women through tough times.

So why shouldn’t younger women look forward to their Noontime, a period of ________ and purpose?When having broken through the________ society sets up for us, we can finally ________ our own dreams. We are here and we have power as well as the knowledge that there is so much more to come.