【推荐1】It was Christmas Eve of 1881. I was 15 years old and feeling like the world was ______ for me because there hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted that year.

Pa came back in and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt, “ Pa said. “Dress warmly. It’s cold outside. We’re going to Widow Jensen’s. They are ______ wood.” Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and ______ her with three children, the oldest being eight.

I ______went out with Pa and we ______the sled(雪橇) high with wood. ______we went to the store and Pa took down a big ham, some bacon, a sack of flour and some shoes, which were put into a smaller sack. We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen’s in ______. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. I knew we didn’t have much money and Widow Jensen had ______neighbors than us. It shouldn’t have been our ______.

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her ______. The children were wrapped in ______ and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that ____ gave off any heat at all. “We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it.

She ______ and took the shoes out one pair at a time. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from ______ and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t ______. “We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said. Then he turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring some in.”

I wasn’t the ______ person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I choked and as much as I hate to______it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept ______those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much ____in her heart that she couldn’t speak. Just then the rifle seemed very______. Pa had given me the best Christmas of my life.

【推荐2】Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All ______ that they were the best. The most useful. The favorite.

Green said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the ______ of life and of hope. I was chosen for ______, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die.” Blue interrupted: “You only think about the earth, _______ consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the ______ of life. The sky gives space and peace and serenity（宁静）. Without my peace, you would all be _______.” Yellow chuckled: “You are all so ______. I bring laughter, joy, and warmth into the world. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to ______. Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange, Red, Purple and Indigo（青色） all rose up to their full height and argue that they themselves are the most important and indispensable. And so the colors went on boasting, each ______ his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder.

Suddenly rain started to pour down pitilessly. The colors got down in ______, drawing close to one another for ______. In the midst of the chaos, rain began to speak: “You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to _______ the rest. You were each made for a special purpose, ______ and different. Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

The rain continued: “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch ______   the sky in a great bow of color as a(n) ______ that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.”

【推荐1】I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And unless otherwise ________ a seat by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this________ after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I ________ the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy ________ because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the ability to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “________ for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the half of it! When I first started ________the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much worse what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get ________and take a shot at the wrong direction, which made me feel really stupid. ________ I wasn’t the only one "new” at the game, so I decided to focus on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t ________ “just yet”.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the rules and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive________ in me was winning over my lack of   ________.

With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the process-friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much ________!

With my improved self-confidence comes more ________ from teachers and classmates. I have-gone from “________” in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand-even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent   _________ I had the rightanswer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

【推荐2】Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases couldn’t be treated _______with Western medicine, he decided to _______Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan Province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavors and effects, just like Shennong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a ________and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually understands his ________for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________comes from being out of touch,” said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which can serve as a ________between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.

【推荐3】Several weeks ago I got a call from a good friend whose husband had just been diagnosed with cancer. “Do we tell the kids?” she asked. “_________.” I answered. “The boys deserve to know the truth, however _________ it is,” I continued.

Adults always insist that children be honest, _________ how many of us are honest with our kids, particularly about the _________ stuff: death, disease, corruption or our own failings?

I believe in telling children the truth. I believe this is vital for their understanding of the world, their confidence, and the development of their morals and values. This doesn’t mean kids need to be unnecessarily frightened or told more than they can _________. Kids also have an unusual _________ when there’s something wrong. They know a fake smile when they see one. They realize when we’re uneasy, and they can _________ when we’re lying.

One night I was in the car with our two oldest daughters. It was dark and cozy — the _________ time for a heart-to-heart conversation. One of our girls asked, “Mom, have you ever smoked cigarettes?” I stalled (故意拖延) a little, but the girls _________. They had me and they knew it. __________, I told them the truth. What happened next was an honest and direct __________ about the lure and danger of cigarettes, worthwhile and impressive. I believe my honesty was much more __________ than warnings or platitudes (老生常谈).

Time marches on, and so do __________. __________ I’ve made mistakes as a parent, I do have clear and open relationships with each of our children. I believe my being truthful with our children has __________, because I’m pretty sure that now they are honest with me.

【推荐3】“I can’t decide!” Carter told his mom. He had a big ________ to make, and he was ________.

“You have to.” Mom took a sip of her coffee. “It’s not ________ for both boys to think you are coming to their parties. I think you should go to Tyler’s party. He invited you ________ and you told him that you were going. ________, it will be at the lake! You love to ________.”

“I know. But, Josh is having a go-kart (赛车) party! That would be ________!”

Four days later, Carter was riding a bike for Josh’s party. He ________ told Josh or Tyler that he would not be ________ their party. They were both ________ him to attend. He ________ to tell Tyler that he wasn’t coming, but he felt so ________ about it. Tyler was his best friend. But go-karts! How could he possibly ________ this golden chance? As he arrived, Josh’s sister, Kayla told him they had already left for the party.

Carter stood at the door, stunned. He ________ the party! It started one hour earlier than he thought. No go-karts! How could he have made that kind of ________? Maybe he could still ________ it to Tyler’s party. Sweat trickled down his sides as he pedaled home. His T-shirt clung to his back. He would have to ________ clothes before he left for Tyler’s house. When he pedaled home, the door was locked. “Mom!” he yelled outside. No ________.

Weary, he dragged his feet over to the porch (门廊) and plopped down. Right now, his friends were ________ racing around a go-kart track or swimming at the lake. He had to wait for his family to ________ home.