【推荐1】An old farmer had lived on the same farm all his life. It was really a good farm with fertile soil, but with the passing of the years, the farmer began to think that maybe there was something _________ for him. Every day he found a new _________ for criticizing some feature of his old farm. Finally, he decided to _________ it. He listed the farm with a broker (经纪人) who quickly _________ an advertisement emphasizing all the _________ of the farm.

When the broker read the ad. to the farmer for his _________ to place it in the local paper, the farmer listened _________. When the broker had finished, the farmer cried out, “Hold everything. I’ve changed my _________. I’ve been looking for such a place all my life!”

I think you’ll _________ that each of us, from time to time, __________ about things such as our home, our car, or our job. As human beings, it is __________ to want the best things in life.

The next time you find yourself __________ the relationship you have with your family, a neighbor or a friend, don’t worry. Human relationships have their ups and downs, so it is natural to __________ at times if you might get on well with someone else. If you ever find yourself in this mood, sit down in a __________ place and write an “obituary (讣告)” for that __________. Experience the powerful emotions that will surely overcome you when you __________ having to sum up a loved one’s life in a few paragraphs that could __________ a newspaper obituary. Notice how easy it is to come up with nice things to say about the person. Notice how much __________ there “was” in this person. Some day you may actually have to __________ this exercise “for real”, wipe the tears and then go and spend quality time with that person. __________ the moment and realize how lucky you are to have such a person.

【推荐3】Mitchell once had a very serious car accident. More than 65 percent of his_______was burnt. He was unable to_______a knife at dinner, or go to the bathroom without_______. But Mitchell never believed he was_______. “I am in charge of my own spaceship,” he said. “It’s my up or my down. I could_______to see this situation as a defeat_______a starting point.” Six months later Mitchell bought himself a plane and he was piloting it_______.

Later he_______with two friends and founded a food company that_______to be Vermont’s second largest food company. Then four years________the car accident, the plane Mitchell was piloting crashed. The accident made Mitchell unable to walk anymore. “I________what was happening to me. What did I do to get this?”

Mitchell worked________day and night to regain as much independence as possible. He was elected Mayor of Crested Butte, Colorado. He________the town from mineral mining that would________its beauty and environment.

Although he had________looks and physical difficulties, Mitchell________flying and speaking in public. “Before I________walk, there were 10,000 things I could do,” Mitchell says, “Now there are 9,000. I can________cry for the 1,000 I lost or focus on the 9,000 I have. I tell people that I have had two big bad lucks in my life.________you think you also have bad lucks, you can step back, take a________view and have a chance to say, ‘Maybe that isn’t such a big deal after all.’ It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do about it,”

【推荐1】Once a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she ______ a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the typical "glass half empty or glass half full" question. ______，with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I'm holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the ______ weight of this glass doesn't matter. It all depends on how long I ______ it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it's fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my ______ ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up(痉挛) and feel completely______ and paralyzed, forcing me to ______the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the ______ it feels to me.”

As the class ______ their heads in agreement, she continued, "Your ______ and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and ______ happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely paralyzed -______ of doing anything else until you put them down."

It's important to remember to ______ your stresses and worries. No matter what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your ______ down. Don't carry them through the night and into the next day with you. If you still ______ the weight of yesterday's stress, it's a strong sign that it's time to put the glass down.

【推荐2】When you give thanks for help, everyone benefits. And the _______ will last longer than you expect: researchers have found that writing thank­you notes raises people’s _______ levels for up to six months.

“If you express gratitude in a diary, it makes you happier, but if you _______ it with the person who helped you, it has the _______ to bring you two closer together,” says researcher Jeff Tsang.

Lawyer John Kralik experienced this personally. He’d been feeling depressed and _______ about his life: He’d been divorced and wasn’t _______ with his children. He felt tired from the _______ hours he devoted to work. At a/an _______ low point, he remembered his grandfather telling him about the importance of _______. He decided to write 365 thank­you notes over 365 days, hoping for a/an ________ change.

Immediately, he noticed his ________ begin to improve. “The first effects are that you realize that your life is much better than you thought and you become more positive,” Kralik says of his ________ acts of expressing thanks.

________ by Kralik’s experience, I decided to try the ________ myself. I chose someone from my past whom I’d ________ thanked before: my wonderful high­school English teacher. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to ________ him, but eventually I found where he lived.

In my letter, I thanked him for the ________ and support that he’d given me years earlier. I may never hear from him ________, but that isn’t the ________. The letter helped me ________ my life, and I’ve been happy now for months.

【推荐3】As I write, a gentle, much needed rain is falling this morning. It has been a dry _________ here in Vermont, so dry that the Spring Peepers (雨蛙) were late enough in coming that many thought that these little frogs would _________ to bless us with their song. But they came, and I can’t _________ them for being late. They are a _________ of spring, and of rebirth.

It is late June and the mountain snow has _________ the higher slopes of the mountains. Folks have planted their gardens, despite the _________ threat of frost. Even almost in July, the temperature can still drop _________ to minus in the evenings. My family _________ our garden during the last weekend of May, One neighbor in the village __________ not a killing frost. But others were not so fortunate. ________ most of his young plants this year.

Planting a garden in Vermont amounts to an act of faith. Will our sweat ____________, or will these efforts be in vain? My family was recently faced with a ____________ decision, shall we leave this place and the people or shall we stay and make a ____________? Well, we have decided that we will make our stand here. Along with our little garden, this year we have planted ourselves. Will my family be ____________ with an abundant harvest? We have no way of knowing this, but we do have ____________.

There is a saying among farmers here: “There is no better fertilizer than a farmer’s ____________.” To me this means what is planted must be revisited often. The garden must be taken care of with love, which ____________ our lives as well. Hopes and ____________ must be revisited often for fear that we lose sight of the things that matter. Commitments must be ____________ as carefully as any garden plot. But as with gardening, there are no ____________. But there is faith, and today is a beautiful day.