【推荐1】One of my close friends named David, an expert rock climber, told me he wanted to do something special for my birthday. He ________ to take me up a famous rock climbing wall in Cathedral Peak in Yosemite Valley.

I had some rock climbing experiences in college and I was ready for a(n) ________. We drove to Tuolomne Meadows and hiked for two and a half hours. ________ we stood in front of a cliff. David pointed upward and said ________, "This is it. Get ready." I ________ and saw a steep white wall that was nearly vertical (垂直的), 2,000 feet from the base, where we were standing, to its ________. "Are you serious?" I asked, hoping he would tell me that he was just ________. When he began unpacking ropes, I knew his ________. Suddenly I had a sick feeling in the stomach.

I had to put on my climbing shoes and adjust my packs and my ________. David moved fast, like Spiderman. After fixing the rope, he secured himself and yelled down, "Okay! Climb!" Step by step, I made my way straight up. About 300 feet off the ground, I looked down. Then my legs began to     ________. I looked up and ________ I had 1,700 feet to go. I felt ________ in the mid-air. I called out, "David! I can't do this!" He yelled to me, "That belief isn't going to get you up here!" He was right! That ________ belief would never get me up to the top. I had to ________ my belief. What belief would ________ me in getting up this demanding wall? I ________ a new belief: This is within my capability. Then I ________ felt much better. I began to climb easily. I made it! I finally ________   David.

Looking at a good view of Yosemite Valley with David at the top, a narrow platform of 2,000 feet above the ground, I was absolutely ________ that I had made it. I really realized how ________     right beliefs are!

【推荐2】King Evan was so conscious about keeping his people happy and considered them as his own family. He took great care to _______ his people’s needs and they lived happily.

However, King Evan used to hear his court(宫廷) men say that people in his kingdom always _______ him for various reasons. One day, he secretly took a trip around his land to find out what made his countrymen feel _______. However, he could not see any unhappy people and this gave him great _______.

He decided to _______ a huge boulder(巨石) in the middle of the road to test the people who passed by. _______ his soldiers had placed a huge boulder in the road, they all hid in a nearby place to _______ what would happen next.

The boulder almost covered half of the road and many wealthy people simply walked around the boulder.

Nobody really seemed to care about the boulder _______ the movements of vehicles.

The king’s court men also saw the boulder but did _______ to move it away. Instead, they bad-mouthed the __________ for not maintaining the road properly. These were the people whom the king __________ to be loyal! The king was shocked to __________ their words.

A fruit seller walked along the road with his fruit. When he saw the huge boulder, he __________ and tried to move the stone. After some __________, the fruit seller removed the obstacle(障碍物) from the road __________.

He saw a huge bag placed under the boulder. He picked up and was extremely __________. The bag had a note on it, saying, “Here is a __________ for you! The bag has 1000 gold coins inside and they are for the one who __________ this obstacle!”

The fruit seller was so happy and he was also __________ by the king to a party where he was rewarded nicely. Every obstacle we face in our life is a(n) __________!

【推荐1】As my husband and I were watering some plants in the front yard an elderly man walking by stopped to talk with us. He asked us to______ his age and the best answer I could______ was 75 years. That was_______wrong because he was 93 years old and turning 94 on February lst!

He mentioned often to me about the   ______he is facing which is that he cannot find people to ______.   I welcomed him to sit on our bench and offered to be his friend. I asked him the ______ to his longevity and here’s what he replied.

His father was a very rich lawyer. ______, it seems he had no peace of mind. He then met someone who gave this advice. “If you want peace of mind, then be of______to others.”

This new friend of mine, Mr.V. had a high ______ with his former employer. He has given away all his pension money after retirement(退休) to______. He lives with his son and said he didn’t need the money. He enjoyed talking and______accepted my offer of some cookies. I also packed some for his son as he left.

Only a couple of hours later he came ______us and gave me a pure silk shawl( 披肩) as a gift. I am thankful for this chance of______ which reinforced(坚信) in me that if you want peace of mind then be of service to others. A very ______lesson to practice and experience ______and good health too!

【推荐2】This past summer was really special for Jaequan Faulkner, a 13-year-old boy living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He set up a hot dog _________ outside his home to make some extra money. The boy took care to make sure that all food was fresh and clean. People in the neighborhood _________ the boy’s spirit, but there was only one _________: he didn’t have a permit.

When the Department of Health received a _________, instead of shutting down Jaequan’s stand, they did something exceptional. They helped the _________ get a permit so that his business could _________.

Daniel Huff, director of the department, said they were _________ to help a young man with such a sense of business. The health inspectors (检查员) helped to pay for his first permit. _________, Huff took another step and helped connect Jaequan with the Economic Opportunity Network, which gave the young businessman tips on _________ a small business.

“I was kind of __________ and so grateful,” Jaequan said about all the __________. “Because usually I would have one person at a time helping me, but there __________ to be so many kind people at once.”

The food stand now operates with a __________ and is open four hours daily from 11 am to 3 pm. Jaequan handles 90 percent of the business, and he is also planning to __________ to organizations that assist teenagers in need. With such a __________, the boy surely is going to have a bright future.

【推荐3】One summer day, the bushes in our backyard began making all sorts of noise. Or rather, our dog, Bella, was in the bushes and made noise. Our 11-year-old daughter ________ Bella’s pawing (刨) at a branch, where there were several caterpillars (蝴蝶幼虫).

My husband and I ________ that our backyard-frequent hangout of birds-wasn’t the safest ________ for caterpillars. So we got a butterfly house where the caterpillars could ________ metamorphose (蜕变).

Each day, when we took the butterfly house to the ________, Bella followed. Each night, when we brought it back inside, Bella followed, and slept under the table on which it rested. We don’t know why Bella was so ________, but she was there for every step of the budding (萌芽的) butterfies’ ________.

Finally, the caterpillars ________ beautiful butterflies. It came as a ________ that Bella didn’t seem worried when our daughter ________ them. In fact, Bella seemed to understand that this was part of the life ________. It wasn’t until one last butterfly wouldn’t fly away that Bella expressed ________. She gently rested her head near the ________ butterfly, which flied onto her nose. Bella lifted her head,pointed her nose, and ________ one of those breathy dog sighs. With the sigh of Bella,the last butterfly flew off. It seemed a little ________ from a parent to begin one’s own migration (迁移;移居;迁徙;).

【推荐1】My first job was at a local restaurant, where I worked for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow________.

Helen was in her 30s and had extraordinary self-confidence, something I was really________. I looked up to Helen________she was doing what she loved—________ people better. She always made everyone, customers and co-workers, ________and feel good.

Being a waitress changed my life. One of my________customers was Fred Hasbrook. He always ate an omelet, and when I saw him________, I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down.

Thanks to the newfound confidence I________ from Helen, I dreamed of having my own________. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”

The next day, Fred saw me and asked, “What’s________? You’re not smiling today.” I________my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody________just have faith in me.”

Before long he handed me checks________$50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（抵押品）on this loan is my trust in your________as a person. Good people with a dream should have________to make that dream come true.”

I took the checks to Merrill Lynch, where the money was provided for me. I ________working at the restaurant, making ________for the restaurant I would open. My plans soured, though, and I lost the________.

Later I decided to apply for a job at Merill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was ________and ended up becoming a pretty good agent. ________， I paid back Fred the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.

【推荐2】A beautiful mistake made six years ago has turned into a family’s holiday tradition. A grandmother mistakenly ______ a stranger to attend the family's Thanksgiving dinner and ended up making a ______ . Now the two people have ______ the holiday together every year since. This year is no exception.

In 2018, Wanda Dench tried to text her grandson about the family’s Thanksgiving dinner plans, but she added a stranger to the message ______ . Jamal Hinton received the holiday text and jokingly accepted her ______ .

“You’re not my grandma,” Hinton wrote back, including a selfie (自拍照) to ______ he was not her grandson. “Can I still get a plate though?”

Dench, the ever ______ grandmother, answered, “Of course you can. That’s what Grandmas always do— ______ everyone.” Hinton posted about the funny mix-up and it went viral (疯传) . And on Thanksgiving day, he ______ drove from New York to Washington to ______ the Dench family for the holiday. And every year since, Hinton and Dench have got together for the holiday.

In 2022, he informed followers of some sad news that Dench’s husband, Lonnie, had died from COVID-19. So last Thanksgiving, ______ . Lonnie, the family had a small ______ the day after the holiday. They were keeping the ______ alive .

This year, Hinton tweeted, “We are all set for year six!” ______ a screenshot (截图) of their text exchange as usual. Dench’s name is saved in his phone as “Grandma Wanda”. The story of ______ went viral again—spreading some holiday cheer on social media.

【推荐3】The rosebushes were finally in full bloom on that spring morning.

The sight of roses always brings to________Wanda’s childhood memories. Then the family had no _____to buy extra things, so even a tired rose was something to ________ .

Currently, to have a backyard full of different roses is pure ________. And her husband, Dale, devotedly ________the roses. ________that she loves the very first blooms, he picked some on this particular morning.

But as Dale returned, he came across a neighbor who had________ for a quick visit. As the woman turned to go, Dale generously gave the ________ to her. And even though their visitor ______ she didn’t want to take them, she was_______ assured (确信) that the flowers were hers to keep.

Seeing her precious first blooms go out the door________Wanda with regret, and a bit of ________. She knew it was “better to give than to receive.” ________, she wished she could have kept the roses for herself.

Later that day, the couple headed to the post office, where Wanda waited outside in the car.

Then, without_______, an older woman suddenly appeared at the open window, and gave her a bunch of fresh roses!“These are for you. They’re my first blooms this spring.”

Completely ________,Wanda thanked the woman and_______ for a moment to breathe in the rich fragrance. When she looked back, the mysterious visitor was gone.

That special______changed Wanda. It made her understand the true meaning of_________gifts. Now, she always_______her first blooms to others , as a(n)________that someone is thinking of them.