【推荐2】April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day is a western festival. No one _________ exactly when and how April Fool’s Day began. However, there are some stories about _________ it came into being. One story _________ like this: in the sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was on April first. It was celebrated _________ much the same way _________ it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.

Then in 1562, Pope(教皇)Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, _________, who hadn’t heard or didn’t believe the _________ in the date, so they _________ to celebrate New Year’s Day on April first. _________ played tricks on them and called them “April fools”. They tried to make them believe that something false was __________. In France today, April first is called “April Fish”. French children fool their friends by sticking a paper fish to their friends’ __________. When the “young fool” __________ this trick, the prankster(恶作剧者)shouts “April Fish!”

Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One __________ trick on April Fool’s Day is __________ down to a friends shoe and saying, “Your shoelace is untied.” School children might tell a classmate that school has been canceled(取消). __________ the trick is, if you fail for the joke the prankster shouts “April Fool!”

【推荐3】A Letter to Mom and Her Mince (肉末)Pies

When I was a little girl, on Christmas Eve, you and I would bake cakes. “Make enough mince pies, because Santa likes them, ” you would tell me.

On Christmas morning, I’d wake up and thrill at the________ before me. At the bottom of my bed would be loads of presents. I’d scream in delight, ________ tearing the wrapping paper. Running downstairs, I would________ that Santa hadn’t just stopped in the________. There were also lots of________ around the Christmas tree.

Many years later, the________ continued. One afternoon________ we were making extra mince pies, it________ hit me that the extra wasn’t for________. I said, “Those extra mince pies were never for Santa, were they? They were________ you!” You never said a word- a smile was your only________.

Christmas changed in 1986, when you suffered a________ brain disease. After________ throughout Christmas, you passed away on December 29.

Only now am I starting to enjoy Christmas again. And while I don’t do the________ any more, I do have mince pies in the house. I leave one out just for you, as if you were________ a part of my Christmas.

【推荐2】Praying for Your Enemies

Last year I was put into a lower-level _______ class. The reason I was in this class had   _______ to do with my math skills. I am blind. The school decided it was _______ it takes me longer to complete assignments(任务) that I would be supposed to learn at a lower level.

The only _______ with being in this class was that I was surrounded by "at-risk" students.

These were kids who did not do well in school. Their home lives were much _______ from mine, and they were constantly in _______ with the school and the law.

One day we had already _______ our lesson for the day, and the kids began to talk about what they had done the past weekend. I tried not to _______, but it was actually too_______. Even though the teacher was still in the room, that didn't __________ them from discussing the parties they had been to and how drunk they had been. I was tired of their stories of drugs and __________.

One Tuesday morning, I went to a Christian Student Union meeting before school. A guest speaker talked about praying for our __________. I prayed and asked God how I could pray for the __________ in my class.

At first, the __________ were mechanical(机械的). When I heard the kids’ voices in class, I would __________ silently to myself, "Dear God, please bless so-and-so…" But as I continued, I began to think of them more often. __________ time went on, my classmates became more than just annoying kids to me. There was something growing inside my __________ for them. They began to feel like family, and I was learning to __________ them in a way I never thought __________.

I now see that praying is such a powerful act. It is prayer that is the most powerful __________ a Christian has.

【推荐3】Luckily, working as a travel writer introduces me to extraordinary locations, experiences and people. However, my recent hot air balloon ________ over the breathtaking ancient temples of Bagan has proved the most wonderful. Without ________ it will stay with me forever, and years later I can still smile at the unforgettable ________.

There are over 2200 temples and pagodas (宝塔) on the plains of Bagan,________the 11th and 13th century. For me, Bagan is the place where travel dreams come true.

The sunrise hot air balloon rides are popular so it's best to book ________. My husband Ryan Wright and I were picked up at 5:10 am. After picking up some additional guests, we made our way to the launch field. The pilots(飞行员) introduced themselves and explained the basics of ballooning. They were war m, ________ and funny and set my nerves at ease.

Then, ________ I even realized what had happened, we were off the ground. The earth just seemed to drop away from the hot air balloon. ________, I felt nothing when the ropes were________and we started to fly into the sky. Graeme ________ some of the best sights and photo opportunities, starting with the sunrise.

Once the sun was up, the temples and pagodas were even more beautiful. Ranging from________groups of buildings to tiny structures, Graeme was keen to ________ some of his personal favorites, as well as those buildings experiencing restoration(修复) work. Who knew that bamboo scaffolding could be so beautiful against the sunrise?

With the end of our flight approaching, Graeme ________ us of safe landing procedures. I really ________that he was so considerate and focused on ________! We were soon back on solid land.

This hot air balloon journey was the most amazing travel experience of my life.