【推荐1】Planning to take your passion for music to a higher level means you will devote much lime and energy. So the first step you will need to ____ is to mentally prepare yourself to achieve your goals. You will most likely need to narrow your ___ down to one instrument, and you will need to____that instrument extremely well. Consider the levels of your musical ___ and try to determine how to improve those skills.

You may consider ___ private lessons to become a classical musician, of course which ___ a big expense. This field can be quite ___, so you will need to hone (磨炼) your skills as much as possible. A higher education degree can help you ___ above the rest, and it can give you the skills and practice ___ for jobs in the classical music field.

____ your instrument every day is one step to become a classical musician, but you will also need to take other steps to get ____ in the classical music scene in your area. Volunteer at the local orchestra, if one ____, and make as many connections as possible. ____ performances and meet people who are running the ____. If a tryout (选拔) is posted, attend the tryout to show your skills and the skills other candidates are ____. This will help you ____ the skills you need by taking part in these activities.

____ you are in high school, play in the high school band to get the practice you need. Joining such a band will also help you develop your skills. Playing With other musicians will help you develop a ____ of time, and you may even be afforded the ____ to write and perform your own music ____ the guidance of a band teacher.

【推荐3】A friend of mine met with an accident when driving in darkness. His legs were so _______ that he couldn’t move. What was the worst was that he found himself unable to ask for help — his mobile phone didn’t work as a result of an exhausted (用光的) battery. Nothing could be done but _______ in the cold wilderness. It was eight hours later that day broke, and then the rescue team_______. 

It was almost _______ that he could stand the horror in the darkness for so long. Even more surprising was his explanation, “First of all I checked my _______ conditions and found myself not in deadly danger.As there was no _______ to call for help, I leaned back in my seat, trying my best to keep the wound from bleeding. I fell asleep in this way.” 

His story put an end to my regret for the failure of an exploration adventure that happened last year. A group of young men _______ to explore a mountain cave and got lost. _______ to find a way out in the dark cave, they were frightened and ran anxiously without a _______ of direction. Finally, they fell dead in fear and exhaustion. According to the ________ people that found them, the place where they got lost was only about 10 meters away from the ________ of the cave. If they stayed on the spot when they lost their way and tried to ________ themselves, they would probably sense a faint light flashing not far away. 

Don’t you think that you can compare it with ________ itself? When you meet with difficulties in life, you are lost in darkness. Keep in mind that the situation is unclear yet and you needn’t act ________. It seems to be a negative attitude, ________ a person who can do so must have foresight(先见之明)as well as great courage in the first place.

【推荐1】I once received an invitation to attend a presentation at the Kentucky School. On that very evening I found ________ had amazing power to change our attitude and our life.

The young musician Mr. Patrick was ________ onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His fingers ________ across the keys as if he made beautiful music himself. He then began to sing as he played, and it was wonderful. But what shocked me ________ was his magic smile．

Mr. Patrick was born with no eyes and an illness in the ________, which left him lame for life. However, as a child, he was________ with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he _________ the piano. When his mom hit any note on the piano, and within one or two ________, he’d get it. By his second birthday, he was playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. His father was overjoyed. “We _________ not play baseball, but we can play music together.”

When Patrick was at the University of Louisville, his father ________ classes with him. He was also a part of the 214-member marching band! He was a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father did it together. His father ________ the night shift in order to accompany his daytime band practice. Patrick says, “Dad is my ________.”

But even more than his ________ musical talent, it was Patrick’s “attitude of gratitude” that ________ my soul. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how ________ he was with a great father. When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and ________ for over five minutes.

We all face misfortune in our lives. ________, it’s not the hardship but how we ________ to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During ________ times, do we spend too much time feeling ________ for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain?

【推荐2】Yesterday, after arriving in Madrid, I knocked on a stranger’s door. “I searched on the website. Will you give me ______?” I asked. This was the reason I’d come to Spain, because I once believed I ______ be a female flamenco (弗拉门戈) guitarist and I have a mission now.

Forty-five years ago, when I was two, my father also came to Madrid and knocked on strangers’ doors. As a well-known classical guitarist, he admired flamenco a lot, and in Spain he learned from anyone willing to teach him. He ______ performers in bars, made friends with street ______ and managed to study with Paco de Lucia, the greatest flamenco guitarist of our time.

I started playing classical guitar when I was five. My father s hands ______ across the strings like fireworks. I practiced while he ______ and criticized. I played till I had ______ pain in my fingertips. By age seven, I was called a child genius.

Then, at 11, I quit. Heartbroken, my father ______ himself. Guiltily, I followed suit. Soon we spoke only when necessary. Our relationship didn’t ______ until, in my early 20s, I found myself pulled back to guitar.

When I was in my early 30s, he died. I couldn’t bear to play his guitar. He’d spent so much time with his arms around that instrument, and it seemed a(n) ______ of his own body. Holding it gave my grief an unbearable tangibility (有形性)。So for 13 years it sat mostly untouched, coming out only when my son Ellis begged to see it. He was ______ his grandfather’s instrument in a way that made me want to pass it down to him- both the guitar and the music. Problem was, I couldn’t really play anymore.

Now, Antonia is sitting with me in her living room, teaching me ______. I have been here for only two days, and already my fingers ______. It’s a sharp pain, like when a fallen-asleep limb (肢体) returns to ______. The feeling ______ me. It means I’m doing something right.

【推荐1】I live near an abandoned(废弃的) house in New Orleans. I always thought about how I could make it a nicer space for my neighborhood.

In 2009, I _________ someone I loved very much. Her death was sudden and unexpected. And I thought about _________ a lot, which really made me _________ for the time I’ve had, and brought clarity (清晰)to the things that are meaningful to my _________ now. But I _________ to maintain this perspective(视角) in my daily life. I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, and forget what really _________ to me as we grow and change.

With help from old and new friends, I _________ the side of this abandoned house into a giant _________ with a fill-in-the-blank sentence: “Before I die, I want to . . . ” Anyone walking by can pick up a piece of chalk, _________ their life, and share their personal __________ in public space.

I didn’t know what to expect from this experiment, but by the next day, the __________ was entirely filled out, and it kept growing. This abandoned space became a __________ one, and people’s hopes and dreams made me __________ out loud, tear up, and they comforted me during my tough times. Later, I started receiving hundreds of __________ from passionate people who wanted to make a wall with their community. So my friends and I helped make walls in countries around the world.

__________, we’ve shown how powerful our public spaces can be if we’re given the opportunity to have a voice and share more with one another.