【推荐2】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 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 (增长得容不进…… ) 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 give up the old ways, you may need to __________ you are bigger now.

【推荐3】He came from somewhere south of Italy. I didn’t know when or how he got to America, _______ maybe. But one evening I found him standing in the driveway, behind my garage, extremely _______, being all skins and bones.

“My name Tony Trivionno and I mow (WO) your lawn.” he said. It was hard to understand his _______ English. “I mow your lawn,” he said again and walked away. Yes, these depression days were difficult, but how could I _______ a person who had come to me for help?

When I got home the next evening, the lawn had been mowed, the driveway _______ and the garden weeded. _______, my wife assumed I had hired him. I told her of my _______ the night before. And we thought it strange that he had not asked for _______.

The next two days were busy, and I _______about him. But on Friday, I saw him, behind my ________again and busy around.

I managed to ________ some small weekly pay for him and each clay he cleaned up the yard and took care of any little ________. He was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to carry or things to fix in my factory.

“I want to be an apprentice(学徒),” he said one day. ________ we had a good Prentice school that trained laborers, I doubted whether he had the ability to ________ blueprints and micrometers (千分尺). Therefore, he took a ________ in pay to become an apprentice.

Many years later, I found him in our ________ meeting spot, much heavier than he used to be and taking on a look of ________. He was a millionaire now!

Tony came to America seeking the American Dream. But he did not find it—he ________ it himself. Tony didn’t begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the ________ Tony’s affairs were tiny, and all he had were 24 hours a day. He wasted none of them and ________ finally.

【推荐1】Exploring the peaks of the world’s highest mountains has become almost second nature for Poorna Malavath and Kavya Manyapu. It has taken Manyapu to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) where her research has included designing ________ suits, and Malavath to the top of Mount Everest when in 2014, she became the youngest ever woman to ________ the top of the world’s highest mountain at 13.

Now, these two women have channeled their ________ spirit into climbing some of the world’s most difficult mountains as part of their campaign, Project Shakthi, which ________ money to fund girls’ education. At the end of August, they climbed a 6,012m virgin peak in Ladakh, India — one previously unmapped and ________ by human expeditions.

Never climbed before, the mountain ________ difficult challenges for even an experienced mountaineer like Malavath, for there were neither trails to follow nor ________ from previous climbers to stick to. “We have to prepare ourselves ________ to accept everything,” Malavath said. “So it’s completely different and it’s given me so much knowledge to ________ others.”

Complex weather conditions that turned to snow at high ________ added to the complexities of climbing a virgin peak. The night when they were to set out it ________, which meant avalanche (雪崩) conditions off the mountain. They had to ________ come back as a team, make a safety call and then prepare for the next day. So it was very challenging.

And for a relatively ________ climber like Manyapu, though she had trained extensively, the challenges were even greater.

“When we were, in the ________, we would talk about: ‘What if, you know, we won’t be able to make it to the summit, you know, what if this? What if that?’” Manyapu says. “But then we would always like to go back and encourage each other and ________ each other that, you know, let’s just take it one step at a time.”

【推荐3】For the second year in a row, a 12-year-old boy has turned into secret Santa, buying Christmas presents for over a hundred children in foster (寄养) care who might not otherwise get to enjoy the holiday season.

Jonathan Werner said he was inspired to ________ his charity project after hearing about his father’s own childhood ________ in foster care. “Based upon stories that I have from him, it didn’t really sound like they had much of a Christmas,” Jonathan said.

This year, 138 children will receive basic ________ and personal favourite items Jonathan ________ for them. He chose the items on multiple shopping trips based on ________ that local social workers shared with him to help guide the process.

Jonathan said he bought about 600 presents overall, ________ approximately $11,300. To________ the gifts, he sold popcorn to local community members and this year, he made more than he was________. But throughout the journey, Jonathan said he’s simply happy to ________. “I have definitely ________ a lot throughout this________. I’ ve learned ________ management. It also makes me really ________ to help those kids,” Jonathan said.

His parents say they couldn’t be more ________. His father Steven Kolk said, “I’m ________ of what he chose to do and the number of people that he can ________ with this project.”

“It’s really special. I have seen it move not only me ________. But I’ ve also seen it inspire other children and friends of ours. It really brings ________ to your eyes and makes you feel like he’s really making a ________ to people,” Serena Kolk ________.

【推荐1】My children gifted me a stainless steel coffee plunger (咖啡壶). I couldn’t _________ to use it, looking forward to coffee making for a peaceful day.

As I poured my first cup of coffee the plunger spilled (洒出) all over the table. _________ no one was around to see my disappointed face! I kept trying, but each morning would see me _________ the coffee. Then I realized that if I poured very slowly there would be no spilling. This was at first a very _________ experience. My normal _________ was to rush through breakfast so that I could get on with my day.

But _________ I learned not only to pour slowly but to enjoy the _________ the smell, the taste, and the stillness of a new day. It helped me to _________ on whether there were other areas of my life I was rushing through. Most of life, it seemed.

I started to leave extra time to do even the most _________ tasks. When shop owners would __________ for keeping me waiting, I’d say, “Not a problem, I'm not in a hurry.” __________ hanging out wandering became pleasurable when listening to the birds singing in the trees became part of my __________. Besides, one of my favorite experiences was spending time with strangers. We sat on the steps, with a cup of coffee in hand, listening to each other’s stories. It was one of the __________ things about living in a busy city, as if the world slowed to a __________ we could both handle.

Stillness and quietness not only slow the pace of life, but also__________ the soul, helping us to enjoy the world's small pleasures.