【推荐1】It was Christmastime, but I was not looking forward to it. The previous spring, my mother and my stepfather had moved our family to California. My elegant mother ________ California like a swan to a royal lake. I, ______, was a fat, awkward child with a heavy southern ________. Depressed and helpless, I went to place a ________ to Granny, my biggest support. But I didn’t get through. I ________ her desperately.

Granny was everything good about Christmas. Her table always ________ under the weight of the food. She sewed new trousers for her grandchildren. She was magical. I was longing for my southern Christmas when Granny’s call came in. Granny said she’d ________ a Christmas package.

Eventually, the package arrived, large enough to hold a small refrigerator, ________ inside the weight restrictions. We eagerly tore it open. The ________ of Granny’s house breezed into the air: a combination of fried meat, sausages and chocolate cakes. Neatly folded in brown paper was a new set of ________ for each of us, plus five packs of underwear in the appropriate sizes. The package was as ________ as a magical box. Here was our   _______ Christmas.

Over the years, many treasures arrived in the box. Granny was able to package and ship magic and love, ________what would have been hard in our lives. She had endured a difficult ________ and understood the importance of a child having support when a parent ________.

【推荐3】There are lots of children across the US who are living in residential treatment facilities (疗养中心). Many of these young people have _________ serious trauma (心理创伤) in their lives.

“People seldom know that they’re there,” said Mike Ball, whose nonprofit, Lost Voices, works with these teens. Bal first _________ this population of youth in 2005 after he was _________ to speak about his writing career at a college.

As a writer and music lover, Ball knew songwriting could have a _________ effect on these young people. He had other local musicians _________ for the project, and Lost Voices was born in 2007. The organization _________ weeklong programs where musicians go into residential treatment facilities to help children to write songs and find their voice.

“I’m often _________ by the songs they write,” Ball said. “Sometimes they’re silly, but heartbreakingly real.” Ball has been writing and playing music since he was a child. He made a career out of his _________. He’s known the power and freedom that comes from _________ personal stories. “Expressing yourself is really essential,” Ball said.

A key __________ of the Lost Voices program is the trauma-informed care approach, which Ball and his team are specifically __________ to carry out. They create a nonjudgmental space where kids from all walks of life can __________ express their thoughts and work through difficult __________.

The program has __________ more than 2,500 kids. For Ball and his team, working with these populations can be demanding at times, but he said it’s __________ to do it.

【推荐3】A high school senior from Buffalo, NY was disappointed to see the damage caused by protests in his hometown. He didn't even ______ a minute in worrying, though, and instead began ______ it up-starting at 2 am and continuing for 10 ______ hours.

Now, his community is handsomely ______ him for his good deed.

Antonio Gwynn Jr. didn't give ______ to his positive actions too much. He just wanted to make sure that people would have no ______ getting to work the next morning. After seeing the damage on the news, he simply ______ to get out there and help without any thought.

When an organized cleanup crew arrived the next morning to begin clearing away the damage, they were ______ surprised to see that Antonio had already done most of the work.

Word of what Antonio did ______ fast, with a news report airing on WKBW-TV. When a local insurance agent saw the report, he promised to ______ the cost of Antonio's insurance for a year.

Before this week, Antonio had intended to begin attending trade school in the fall, with the goal of ______ up enough money for college. Now, he has been offered a full ______ to Madaille College. He was ______ when he heard the news.

"I literally stopped, pulled over, and started crying." he said. His great aunt and cousin started crying, too.

Antonio, who is ______ in many community projects at church and with Kappa Phi, said that-although he is ______ for the gifts of help-above all, he hopes that his actions have made his late mother proud.