【推荐1】Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese _________ at my face, but I pushed them aside. My mom believed I would learn when I was _________ . But the time never came.

On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was to _________ at him, confused, scratching my head. “ Still can’t speak Chinese? ” He laughed at me, “ You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown. ” “ Hey, this is America, not China. I’ll get some right now with or without Chinese. ” I replied and turned to my mom for permission. “Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I _________ the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.

I found the fish stand surrounded in a sea of customers. “ I’d like to buy some fresh fish, ” I shouted to the _________ . But he ignored my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased with their impatience. With every _________ , the breath of the dragons (龙) on my back grew stronger — my blood boiling — forcing me to cry out. “Xian Sheng Yu, please. ” “ Very Xian Sheng, ” I repeated. The crowd burst into _________ . My face turned red and I ran back home _________ , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.

Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I should feel right at home. Instead, I was the joke, a disgrace (丢脸) to the language. Sometimes, I laugh at my fish _________ , but, in the end, the joke is on me. Every laugh is a culture __________ ; every laugh is my heritage (传统) fading away.

【推荐2】My Chinese speaking experience

It’s one thing to study and learn a language, but it’s quite another when you finally get to use it.

On the _______ from Venice to Paris, a group of girls my age sat around me. I had caught enough of the conversation to know that they were speaking Chinese, but at first I didn’t feel _______starting a conversation with the stranger next to me. If it didn’t _______ well, I’d be stuck next to them for the rest of the flight.

As the food cart began to make its way down the aisle (过道) _______ us, I finally found my chance. I _______ to the girl to my left and asked, “Will you be having lunch?” in Chinese. She nodded her head, then realizing the language I had _______, and asked me in English, “You speak Chinese?”

I was a bit surprised. I _______ again in Chinese. “A little bit but not very well.” She nodded again and then returned to her magazine, _______ my effort to communicate with her. Perhaps I should have lied and said that I spoke better...

Another time, at a dinner I sat next to a man who I knew spoke Chinese. I told him that I was learning Chinese, but _______ only speak a little and not very well. When ________ me use the language, he suddenly began to speak ________ in Chinese, but all I caught was that he told me that for Chinese people, the ability to speak a little bit is actually a lot. His behaviour was the complete opposite of my earlier ________. I felt somewhat overwhelmed (不知所措). I never quite     ________ the chance to continue or make any further efforts because the conversation returned to ________ as other people joined the table.

All in all, my experience has ________me that I still have a lot of work to do.

Footracing (竞走) is a popular activity in the United States. It is not only seen as a competitive sport, but also as a _________to exercise. Though _______runners may spend months training to compete, other runners and walkers _________ not train at all. _________not competing to win might run in an effort to beat their own time, or_______to enjoy the fun and exercise. People of all _______, from those less than one year old to those in their 80s, _______into this sport. The races are held on city streets, on college campuses,_______parks, and in suburban areas, and commonly 5 to 10 kilometers in _______.

The largest footrace in the world is the 12-kilometer Bay to Breakers ________that is held in San Francisco every spring. This race________on the east side of the city near San Francisco Bay and ends on the ________side at the Pacific Ocean. In 1993 there were 80,000 people ________in this race through the streets and hills of San Francisco. In the ________are the serious runners who compete to win, and ________might finish in as little as 34 minutes. Behind them ________the thousands who take several hours to finish. In the back of the race are those who wear various clothing just for ________. There was a group of firefighters who were all________in a long line and were carrying a fire-hose (消防水龙带). One year there was a wedding ________, in which the bride dressed in a long white gown and the groom wore a tuxedo (晚礼服). They __________flowers to by-standers, and were actually married at some point along the route.

【推荐2】There has, in recent years, been an outpouring of information about the impact of buildings on the natural environment. Information which explains and promotes green construction design strives to _________ others of its effectiveness and warns of the dangers of ignoring the issue. Seldom do these documents offer any advice to practitioners, such as those designing mechanical and electrical systems for a building, on how to use this knowledge on a _________ level.

Although there are a good many advocates of “green” construction in the architectural industry, able to list enough reasons why buildings should be designed in a (n) _________ way, that doesn’t translate into a booming green construction industry. Likewise, the fact that plenty of architectural firms have experience in green design is not enough to make green construction _________. The driving force behind whether a building is constructed with minimal environmental impact _________ the owner of the building; that is, the person financing the project. If the owner considers green design unimportant, or of secondary importance, then more than likely, it will not be _________ into the design.

The commissioning (委任) process plays a key role in _________ the owner gets the building he wants, in terms of design, costs and risk. Owners who _________ the commissioning process, or fail to take “green” issues into account when doing so, often run into trouble once their building is up and running. Materials and equipment are installed as planned, and, at first glance, appear to fulfil their purpose adequately. _________, in time, the owner realizes that operational and maintenance costs are higher than necessary, and that the occupants are dissatisfied with the results. These factors in turn lead to higher ownership costs as well as increased environmental impact.

In some cases, an owner may be __________ of the latest trends in green building design, which, however, does not necessarily lead to an interpretation that the client already has an idea of how green he intends the structure to be. Indeed, this initial interaction between owner and firm is the ideal time for a designer to outline and __________ the ways that green design can meet the client’s objectives. In this way, he may turn a project originally not   __________green design into a potential candidate.

Typically, when condiering whether or not to adopt a green __________, an owner will ask about additional costs or return for investment. In a typical project, landscape architects, mechanical and electrical engineers are not involved until a much later stage. However, in green design, they have a role to play from they outset, since green design demands__________between these disciplines, which requires additional cost. However, there are examples of green design which have demonstrated__________costs for long-term operation, ownership and even construnction.

【推荐3】My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition for Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had special ______ for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, develop my character, and support my community.

Firstly, my_______skills developed when I independently directed each swimmer where to line up at the platform and _______each competitor when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were ______ and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and ______ of each event’s time and location. I learnt each swimmer’s name, because many of them swam in more than one event.

Secondly, my ______ was greatly influenced. When I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was deeply moved. I was ______ that most swimmers could swim better than me. Their ______ attitudes astonished me, whether they won or lost. This also enlarged my view, offering me the opportunity to _______people I would normally not run into. I went out of my comfort zone and did whatever was needed to be done, even if it was sometimes difficult to me. It was especially ______ when I saw the glowing faces of the competitors.

Lastly, I was of_______to my community by lending a hand to this organisation. To be a part of it gave me a chance to improve my community and become ______ with the people living in this area.

As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” The importance of ______ should be stressed throughout your life. ______， through many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged to be involved in this exciting and important event in these competitors’ lives. I hope to be a(n) ______ again at this event in years to come.