【推荐1】When the weather starts to warm up, we love heading to the beach for a few days. During one such trip, after a few days of being _________ on the beach and spending too much time walking the boardwalk, we decided to go for a _________.

We _________ a car for the day and drove to Key West. Our _________ was to enjoy a scenic drive on Highway 1 and maybe try some pie and head back, but the day _________ to be more memorable than that.

It was a breathtaking drive and we kept our eyes glued to the window. The scenery was _________ and felt like we were driving over water. When we were closer to Key West, _________ my husband-stopped the car, grabbed his camera, and ran out looking up at the sky—_________ me looking at him confused (困惑的).

After a few minutes of looking and pointing at a shiny object in the sky, he was pretty _________ to announce he’d spotted a UFO. I should __________ here that he loves sci-fi movies and UFO shows and strongly __________ we are not alone.

We eventually got back in the __________, stopped at a nearby store, and asked someone in the parking lot, “Do you see that shiny thing in the sky?” The man looked up and __________, “Do you mean that weather blimp (气象飞艇)?” The shiny object in the sky was not an unidentified flying object or alien craft but a weather blimp.

It is one of the short funny travel __________ that always come up when we talk about our __________. It starts with one of the kids saying “Remember the time when Dad thought he saw a UFO...?” and always makes us laugh.

【推荐2】I knew I was not supposed to be quite so excited．I was too ________ for that. At age eleven, the oldest and my mom’s “grown up” girl, I had to keep my calm. I was in middle school after all. But every chance I got, when I was ________, I checked each present under the tree. I read every tag (标签) and ________ every package, guessing at the contents within. I had examined each gift so often that I could tell which present went to which person ________ looking at the tags.

It had been a(n) ________ year for my family. Whenever my mom looked over at the tree and scattered presents, she would sigh and tell us, “There won’t be as much for Christmas this year. Try not to be disappointed.” Christmas had ________ a been a time for my parents to spoil (宠爱) us. In years past, the presents would occupy the living room. I had heard the phrase “giving is better than receiving”, but getting presents was the whole ________! It was the reason I couldn’t go to sleep on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning, we eagerly waited in the hallway until Dad told us everything was ready. We rushed into the living room and had to wait and ________ while other family members opened their presents, but as the time passed we lost our ________.

“Here’s another one for you,” said Mom as she handed me a package. I looked at it, ________. Having spent so much time examining the presents before Christmas, I ________ this one. It was for my mom!

It was a blow dryer. ________ this may seem only a simple gift, to me it was so much more. But, in my world, where receiving was more important than giving, my mom’s act of selflessness was difficult to ________. I thought in disbelief about how much my mom must love me to do that.

I have always remembered that Christmas with affection. As an adult with children, I can now see my mom was finding an even greater ________ in her Christmas because giving truly is better than receiving. To me, My mom’s simple act ________ the world.

【推荐3】Papaji, my grandfather, was a strict man. A glance from him was enough to ________ me in line. Yet every summer I looked forward to seeing Papaji.

It was a family ________ to visit his farm every summer. We enjoyed feeding and washing the animals. One morning on my way to the animal sheds, I heard clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clack, ping.   It stopped me in my________. I hid behind and peered (费力地看) at the source of the ________: Papaji in his study, typing a letter. As I leaned (探身) farther to see better, I ________ through the door. Papaji’s eyes glanced. I hoped the ________ would be short. He called me over and I________ him slowly, saying I’d been ________ by the sound of the typewriter. I’d only wanted to get a better look; I wasn’t going to touch anything, I ________. He didn’t say anything else. Not sure what to do, I stood beside him watching him type. I longed to touch the ________ yellow keys.   The keys hit the ribbon (色带), and letters appeared on the paper as if by________.

The rest of the summer I’d hear the sounds of typewriter keys and ________ toward them, fearfully at first but more ________ when I realized Papaji didn’t seem to mind. I stood silently, ________ the wonder of the words forming on the page and thinking of ways to________ Papaji to let me use the typewriter. After all, I planned to be a writer, and________ used typewriters.

But the next summer, my dream________. I hoped he would offer me a chance to try it, but he ________ did.

On returning home that year, I received a ________. In it was the typewriter! My strict grandfather wasn’t such a ________ fish after all.

【推荐3】Our cities are full of statues. You might even have found yourself staring at a lifelike figure and _________, “Did they just blink or breathe?” Izabela Radcliffe is a living proof!

Izabela has now been a living _________ for over 20 years, developing a whole cast of characters. She has her own company now and she has performed many _________ including Queen Victoria, Marilyn Monroe and Marie Curie. But it’s never as simple as just showing up and _________ in the street.

“Before I leave for a job, I must _________ everything and that can take up to two hours,” Izabela explains. It’s not just about the _________; she also needs to make sure that she has all the make-up she needs, too. Some characters take a longer _________ time than others.

Izabela’s unique art is often in demand. “I stay _________ for quite a long time during my work, but standing still is not the goal,” she explains. “Sometimes I’m in a set position and other times I _________ with the audience. Standing still is super entertaining,” she admits. People love to see that, because staying still is very unnatural for humans.

Being a living statue also requires being in good __________ condition. “Exercising __________ is something that is really important for my job. I personally find yoga __________, because it helps you develop good body awareness. Without that, you can __________ your body,” she says.

Izabela finds it to be a very __________ job. “Bringing charm and happiness to others brings those things into your own life, too. It’s like a(n) __________ of energy. There is a constant interaction between you and your audience—it’s beautiful,” she says.