【推荐1】It was just about this time last year that my wife announced that she was no longer going to cut our lawn (草坪); instead, she wanted to let it go wild.

In fact, I did not accept her announcement. First, I could cut the lawn myself, something I hadn’t done for years and was unwilling to do. Second, I could try to hire a ____to do it but the teenagers here didn’t seem exactly the type of people to be interested in_____lawns. Third, I could acquiesce(勉强同意) to her suggestion.

Putting aside my pride and kissing goodbye to any hope of winning the first place in the shortest cut lawn competition, I drained (抽干) the oil in our lawn mower, pushed it into a corner and_______it with a plastic cloth. I hope that once the lawn began to look too high, my wife would_______her decision.

By the end of the third week of her “not work”, things were not working out as planned. The grass of the lawn was almost a foot in______, and the neighbors were beginning to________. “ Hey Mike, what’s the matter? Is your lawn mower on strike?” one______ joked. I replied, “No, the lawn mower isn’t. My wife is stopping working.” After six weeks, the lawn had begun to _______ a wild look, the sort of look that an old house has. But like a_________haircut that turns out to be great once it grows, by the end of spring our lawn was beginning to show signs of real promise.

When in summer, people were stopping to look at the “jungle”. They stopped to admire the island of green. The once lifeless yard was filled with birds hunting for the bugs that now crawled on the moist ground. The_________ of the birds filled the air from dawn to dusk. Many a night we lay in bed listening with pleasure to the birds chattering about their day’s events.

【推荐3】After the quake hit northeast Japan on March 11, many moving stories that I saw with my own eyes happened around me.

I had to walk home since all the________had stopped after the earthquake. On my way home I________an old lady at a bakery who was giving out free bread, which made my heart ________ . A man was holding a sign that said, “Please use our________.” He was________his house for people to go to the restroom.

My friend wanted to________others. He stood in the cold with a sign “If you’re okay with a motorcycle, I will________you to your house.” And then I saw him take one gentleman home, all the way to a faraway place!

Then next day I drove to________my car with gas. There is a lack of________now and many gasoline stations are either closed or have very________lines. I got________, since I was behind 15 cars. Finally, when it was my________, the man smiled and said, “________this situation, we are only giving $30 worth gas per person. Is that all right?” “________. I’m just glad that we are all able to________,” I said. His smile gave me so much comfort.

I saw a man at the evacuation(疏散)center________when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food was brought to their center. However, after he wiped the tears, his next________surprised me. “I am very________that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven’t________any food at all. Please go to that center as well. ”And when hearing that, I realized there is a bright future on the other side of this________.

【推荐1】Earlier in the day, I had prepared for the unlikely event of a flood. It had been raining heavily that week, and authorities had issued a flood warning, though not for where I was. _________, I’d placed sandbags outside my garden door just in case.

As I was about to fall asleep in my basement bedroom, I suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. When I swung my legs off the bed, I was _________ by the sensation of cold water touching my knees and rising fast.

Shaking in the darkness, I grabbed my phone and turned on the _________. As I stepped out of my bedroom, water was shooting through the gaps of the garden door. The water must have gone over the sandbags. All around me, my things began to float (漂) and the water was now up to my waist. I began to _________ and started to walk to my only _________: the door that leads upstairs.

I struggled to the door and tried to pull it open, but the force of the _________ wouldn’t let me do so. I looked around and grabbed a broom (扫帚) floating behind me to open the door. I managed to make a gap of about a foot, just wide enough to _________ myself through.

Finally, I _________ outside. I came so close to death that day. But rather than trapped in that, I prefer to _________ what my mother told me afterward: “Don’t remember the day when you lost everything. Remember the day you __________.”

【推荐2】Growing up in the USA, I always wanted to experience another culture. The _________ came when I was 15. After a few months of planning and _________ , I was ready to spend the second semester of my first high school year _________ an exchange student in Australia.

_________ in Perth was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I realized then that there was no turning back. The family I would live with was waiting for me, and it would only be five days _________ the new school year. The school I attended was _________ my school back in the States. I was quite _________ at first, especially never having been to a new school -- even in the US. Everything went without _________, though. The teachers were welcoming and the students were friendly.

The most _______ time was travelling with other exchange students around Australia during our semester break. The few weeks we ________ together were full of amazing activities.

At the end of our __________ in Australia, we had three weeks to share our stories and help each other deal with leaving. It was only __________ that our last day together was filled with tears. We packed our camp, __________ e-mail addresses and gathered together for a final good-bye.

Upon coming home, an open mind was again important. Resettling home took time and __________, but at last I made it. All the while, I was thoughtful to letting my family and friends know how happy I was to be home and ________ I had missed them -- though the experience is still unforgettable with me. So, if you have the opportunity to study abroad you most certainly should.

【推荐3】This happened just a few minutes ago and I wanted to share. It was not a huge deal but put a smile on my face and made me feel very _______.

I headed to the local store, which was also _______ as a petrol station. As I entered, I noticed that all the pumps (油泵) didn’t work. I thought they had just run out of _______.

The local store was being _______ tonight, somewhat different from usual. I grabbed a few bits and pieces and headed to the checkout. After _______ chatting with the shop assistant, I _______ that earlier that day there was something wrong with the fuse (保险丝), which _______ the electric system in the entire store. Pumps and refrigeration out of action, no online payments.

I went to pay but the card reader didn’t even try. I tried again, same deal._______ I was holding up the line so I put aside the things I _______ and told the cashier (收银员) I was heading outside to their ATM.

I headed out, but the ATM was also out of ________. I went back in and while dealing with the next customer, the cashier ________ and spotted me. I told him the ATM was out and suggested running home to ________ some cash. At that moment, a man after me insisted on ________ the cost of my things. It wasn’t a large amount, ________ £5, but made a great ________. It was a lovely thing for him to help others in ________. He said it was nice to ________ someone out and it ________ me having to run back home and back to the shop and back home again.

________ many twists and turns exist in the world, there will always be gifts in your life. Enjoy the gifts, and ________ the gifts.