【推荐1】Sports Brings Us Together

Sports are more than competitions. To me, they mean growth under the care of others. I learned this the ______ way。

I used to be very shy and often felt lonely. Although I did well academically, I was afraid of ______ education and was often laughed at. “Look at that girl,” they said. “Her feet don’t leave the ground when she runs!” Their word ______ me. Moreover, whenever the teachers ______ some competitive games, no one in the class liked to have me as their ______ or team member. As a result, I often ______ looking at others enjoy their games.

Things would go on like that if not for a sports meet. By ______, my name was put on the ______ of the women’s 1500 meters’ race. By the time I found it, it was too late to change.

1500 meters! Running ______ the best runners from other classes! And in front of the students of the entire school! It would be the worst nightmare I’d ever have!

“You still have time to catch up because there is still one month,” said they all, ______ my teacher. My deskmate, a natural athlete, patted me on the shoulder, “Cool! You will run for our class! And we will do training together.” Yes, this is not just for myself, but for my class too. But ______, 1500 meters to me was like Mount Everest to a beginning ______. Fortunately, my classmates gave me a hand. Every afternoon, we ran together. When the ______ of being laughed at struck me, I saw others running right beside me. They gave me ______.

One month ______ couldn’t make me a good runner. But when I was standing behind the start line, I saw my classmates standing by the tracks waving at me as if about to run beside me. I no longer felt lonely or afraid.

As ______, I was almost the last to ______ the finish line. But instantly I was surrounded and felt a kind of ______ I had never felt before.

That sports meet was a(n) ______ experience, which gave me a lot of ______ both in my fellow students and in my own potential. Sports have brought me close to my classmates and helped us grow together.

【推荐2】Last Saturday, I went out to have breakfast with a friend. It was _______. But what wasn’t so lovely was the lady who took our _______. She spoke in a way that was _______, unhappy, certainly not friendly and sort of rude. Working in hospitality(服务行业) myself, I _______. When it was my _______ to approach her and order, I thought to myself, “What can I do here to cheer her up, to appreciate her, to make her _______?”

I had nothing.

Surely there must be _______ I could sincerely compliment her on. Then I _______ instantly. It was her _______. She had the most incredibly well-spoken and clear voice. It was SO good. And that was what I would ________ her for.

So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly attitude, I told her. I said: “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but you have the most ________ voice. It’s so clear, well-spoken and sounds so ________.” I told the lady her voice would be ________ for voice-overs(配音) and she could be a hostess for radio programs.

Her face ________, and she smiled — the first time I had seen her do so, and I noticed her whole attitude ________. The customer behind me received a totally different kind of ________, a better one. And it was all because of what I did. Something so ________!

There was a time when this sort of thing would have ________ me, or I’d have been too shy and awkward to say such a thing. Not now. Now I must.

Why? Because I have the ________. The power to completely change someone’s day by something as simple as a few kind ________. And you have this power too. We all do.

【推荐3】Our family enjoyed a beautiful house plant for over thirty years. It had stayed with us through _________ years and good times, pain and joy. I had never thought of _________ it.

However, two weeks ago, we _________ some changes in its leaves, which began to lose color. We watered and looked after it _________, but it just showed no sign of _________. We finally picked a few almost dead leaves and _________ replanting them in another small pot.

What _________ us was that these leaves planted in the new pot grew strong. In order to know the reason why the house plant died, we dug the dead plant out of the pot. Then, it became _________ to us—its roots（根）were in disorder, completely tangling up. Our once-beautiful plant died because it grew out of its environment—it became root-bound（根满盆的）.

People can become root-bound, too. Those who _________ personal growth or development often want to make __________ that can lead to greater achievements or much more happiness. However, they more often find they outgrow their environment and want to __________. Their view becomes larger and they need __________ environment to live in. They need people who will make __________ for their growth. If they cannot be __________, some problems are sure to appear.

So if your new-found growth causes you to abandon the old ways, you may need to __________ you are bigger now.