【推荐1】It Runs in the Family

My childhood had its ups and downs, but with my mom, who was so supportive, I was destined to succeed in life.

She never _________any of my school events. When I graduated from college, I was selected to give the commencement address(毕业演讲). Just like old time, my mother listened to my_________ over and over again. That reminded me of a time when I used to be_______by my mother. She always laughed just too loud. I respected my mother, but just wanted her to be more like normal mothers and less_________.During my speech in a statewide speech contest, she moved her lips as if she was coaching me. I worried other people would think she was talking to herself.

By the time I made it to the finals, I had given my mother strict conditions. I instructed her not to mouth the words to my speech. And I___________ under no circumstances should she Jump up and down and make whooping noises if I won. This was the final speech contest, and we had to look the part.

When I took to the stage and delivered my presentation, one of the most flawless performances of my 16 years on earth, I realized my mother was sitting with her face turned toward the door rather than the stage-obeying my orders. I realized that she knew all the words to my speech--just to show her_________for me. Suddenly, I knew then that I had no desire to win without my mother seeing it and_________in whatever way she wanted to.

Near the end of my speech, I walked onto the main floor. I wanted Momma's_________. My mother never moved, desperately trying to do what I had asked her to do: Be someone else. While the rest of the crowd rose to their feet in a standing ovation, Momma was_________. When they handed me the scholarship money, Momma allowed herself to simply smile.

Without our traditional crazy celebration, my__________felt empty. At that moment, I realized you can't enjoy where you are going if you deny where you are from. I let Momma know from that moment on she could whoop and holler and be herself.

【推荐3】In 1963, at age 65, my grandfather decided to build a new house on his farm. In order to save money, he hired a bulldozer (推土机) to________the old house far out to the________and it sits there to this very day.

We moved in the farm two years after my father passed away. When my wife took one look at the ________house, she________tearing it down. I agreed, but thought it________to check it out first, in case something of value had been________.

I walked into the woods where the old house sat. Most of the windows were________, and the siding was falling off. I entered through an open window. Suddenly, a(n)________on the floor caught my eye. I opened it. It was dated September 1944, when my father was serving in the navy abroad, at the age of 18. It wasn’t hard to read between the________. Here was a(n)________ young man, a kid really, who left his home and fought battles somewhere in the South Pacific. At the________of the page, in underlined print, my father had passed on one last message. Tears________my eyes as I read those words he had so________stressed：“All is well here. Please don’t worry. I am doing fine.”

As I left the old house that day, I took one last________back at it over my shoulder. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I________∶That old house gets to stay there until it rots (腐烂) into the earth.

【推荐1】Two months ago we were in the city of Hyderabad for a holiday. One day, along with my________,I went to the Cake Castle. I took out my________from my bag to pay for what I bought and then we________our hotel.

While we were________back to the hotel, I got a call from a________number. It was my hotel manager who_________me that someone called them. saying that I’d left my purse in the Cake Castle. He________the number of that person, Only after that call did 1 know that my purse was________, so I immediately called that person. He said voluntarily he could send my purse back to the hotel. How________I was! After some words to express my________, I said. “Let’s________in the hotel hall.” I went there along with my friend. I was________because I didn't know that person and it was a new city for me. And the purse was of great importance for me________my gold earrings which cost around $800 and my ATM cards were all in it.

In the hall, I met that person who handed me my purse and asked me to________my belongings, which were totally_________After giving back my purse, he left_________even before I knew his name. Later I came to know that he was________a customer of the Cake Castle. After seeing that purse, he________it and found the bill of my hotel. from which he knew my hotel phone number.________my earrings is a big event, so he went to my hotel at once. That day I________that kind humanity(人性) real exists everywhere.

【推荐2】A major earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. Shortly after that, my wife and I decided to ________ a struggling orphanage (孤儿院) in Port-au-Prince. The children there became like ________ to us, especially one little girl named Chika. But at the age of five, Chika was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. Though we never ________ adopted Chika, we decided to bring her home with us to Detroit to make sure she got the ________ medical care---just as any parent would.

Occasionally, our friends would say，“It’s ________ what you’re doing for a child that’s not yours.” It ________ me to think there would be any difference in our efforts if ________ Chika had our DNA.

The paperwork at the orphanage was ________ by me. It obligated (使负责任) us to feed, educate，and ________ the children—all things parents are supposed to do. But ________, it is a document of ________, not parenthood.

We ________ with the “Yours or not yours” question for many times until Chika once asked, “How did you find me?” From then on，I ________ myself she would never feel ________ again.

We did not bring any of these little souls into the world. That ________ can never be overstated. But I have witnessed the ________ connection between an adoptive mother and her child, and I have also witnessed helpless babies ________ by those who birthed them. The opposite also happens. Now, I’ve ________ the truth: Love determines our ________. It always comes down to that. We were---we are---a place of love and ________ for Haitian children.