【推荐2】It was no wonder I was not looking forward to entering ninth grade. High school is well known for being a battleground, where everyone seems to be_________through physical changes, emotional mood swings, and low self-esteem. For me,_________was my punishment.

I had always felt insecure and out of_________as one of the_________members of my class, standing a head above the other girls and stooping（俯身，弯腰）at the_________of the line to avoid sticking_________.

I especially hate being around large groups of people, like during the social hour after services at my church._________the prayers were finished, I would leave as quickly as possible so I could_________other well-meaning congratulations, "Ruthie! Look how tall you're getting!"

My grandfather would watch me_________increasingly uncomfortable, but he did not__________at myself-consciousness or try to comfort me.__________he would remind me. "Stand straight and tall," he would say, as I unsuccessfully tried to shrink myself. Moreover, each time, I would sheepishly comply. Even at age 15, I understood that his advice was about__________than just feet and inches.

My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers__________his hometown. He wound up joining the Soviet army to__________his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand tall," meant something else back then.

__________the war, he boarded a boat for__________and on January 27, 1947, he stepped onto the dock in Manhattan. He was hungry and__________from seasickness. All alone in a new country, he was__________about his future. Still, he marched head -on into the streets of New York. Soon he met__________European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way. If they could do it, why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would remind himself. He felt his faith__________. When he walked into the church that first time, he walked in proudly.

【推荐3】When I was in seventh grade, I volunteered at a local hospital during the summer.

I spent most of the time there with Mr. Gillespie, _____ to him and helping with anything that needed to be done. He _____ had any visitors, and nobody seemed to care about his condition. He became a close friend of mine, even though he _____ with only an occasional press on my hand. Mr. Gillespie was in a coma (昏迷).

Then I left for a week to vacation with my parents, and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie was gone. I didn’t have the nerve to ask the nurses where he was, for _____ they might tell me he had died.

Several years later, I noticed a _______ face at the gas station. He was alive! I went over to ask him if it was Mr. Gillespie who was in a coma five years ago. With an uncertain look on his face, he replied yes. When I explained who I was, tears _______ in his eyes, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever received.

Mr. Gillespie began to tell me how, as he _______ there in a coma, he could sense my presence. He firmly believed that it was my _______ that had kept him alive. We both cried for a while, exchanged a hug, and went our separate ways.

Although I haven’t seen him since, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a _______ between his life and death. More importantly, he has also made an enormous influence in my life. I will never forget him. He ________ my help.

【推荐1】It’s 1:30 am in Kenya’s populated north, and 50 people are lying on their backs on the shore of a dried-up river, staring up at the night sky. These stargazers have travelled 250 miles to Samburu to _________ the Perseid meteor shower(英仙座流星雨). They are not _________: Every few minutes, arrows of light shoot _________ the sky like silent fireworks.

The Star Safari is organized by a Kenyan astronomer(天文学家), Susan Murabana, who has brought a 50 kg, 170 cm-long _________to allow the group to view Mars and deep-sky objects. But here in Samburu, where _________ pollution is minimal, the Perseid meteors — visible with the naked eye (裸眼) — _________ all the right boxes.

Every two months, Murabana and her husband put their equipment on to the _________ of their truck and _________ to rural communities, where they help up to 300 children to view the planets and learn about constellations(星座) and the _________ of astronomy. Her primary mission is to give __________ an opportunity that she wishes had been available to her.

“There is a common misconception in Kenya that astronomy in general is hard, boring, and only for boys,” she adds. “I’d like to __________ young ladies that it’s not right and that they, too, can become astronomers,” says Murabana.

“When I started this work, I was a lone ranger and I wanted to change that.” She says. __________by a similar outreach activity, which lighted her __________ for astronomy in her early 20s, Murabana set up her own outreach program after her online master’s degree in astronomy in 2011.

She __________ Dr Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, as a role model. “I hope that one day, those small actions can make a butterfly effect that __________ the first African woman in space.”

【推荐3】I was late for my flight. Sweating and out of breath, I quickly made my way to the _______. After boarding, I greeted my _______: a middle­aged woman sitting at the window, and a little girl sitting on the aisle (过道) seat. I took my place _______ them. I began a conversation with the little girl who was busy _______ her book. I found it _______ that such a young girl would be traveling alone, and I decided to _______ her to make sure she was okay.

Suddenly, the plane began extreme turbulence (颠簸). The pilot told everyone to remain calm, because we met _______ weather.

Several times the plane made sharp downs and turns. Some people began _______, many sitting restlessly (烦躁地) and praying. I was sweating with each increasingly _______ shake of the plane. Meanwhile, the little girl was sitting ________ beside me in her seat. Her coloring book and crayons were put away neatly, and her hands were calmly resting on her legs.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the turbulence ________ soon. The pilot came on a few minutes later to announce that we would be ________ soon. As the plane began its descent (下降), I said to the little girl, “Tell me, dear, how could you remain so calm while all of us adults were so ________?” Looking me in the eye, she said, “My father is the ________, and he’s taking me home.”

Yes. If we recognise the power of ________, we will fear nothing.