【推荐1】I sat down at my desk and started writing an emotional letter of thankfulness, but when it came to actually placing the letter into the mailbox.... I _________. I couldn’t do it. I suddenly felt a sense of _________and insecurity.

The letter was to an old teacher with whom I kept in _________via Facebook comments. For weeks, her Facebook page had _________me to live my life differently. Her volunteer efforts weren’t huge. _________, she was doing small, local good deeds. Gradually, she made me _________my outlook on the world and for some reason, I felt I should let her know how her example _________influenced my life.

I could have easily sent her an email, but that seemed not enough for such an important thank-you. That’s why I ended up _________the letter. But now here I was, standing before the mailbox, unable to place the envelope inside. What was stopping me?

It suddenly _________me that I was afraid of being too nice. I guess I felt strange __________it wasn’t like she was my best friend or a relative. Maybe my __________was too heartfelt. Thinking this over, I put the envelope in the mailbox __________.

Weeks later received a message from her. It turned out she was __________a tough time and my note __________the world to her. She said she had no idea she was making such a __________to others. Not only did this letter make her happier but her __________to it brightened my world and increased my level of happiness as well. I was so __________that it had such a great influence on her that I decided to write a(n) __________letter to someone each month. I’m more likely to __________the goodness in others and am subsequently more thankful for this __________life I’m living.

【推荐2】Just Being There

Mark and Ivan ran from the school bus to Mark's house. They had both tried out for the school soccer team, and the _________ were supposed to be online by now. Dropping their backpacks in the front hall， the boys raced to the _________.Mark logged(登录) into the school website. The list was up! Finding his _________， Mark was overjoyed. “Our suffering is over.”he said.

Ivan didn't_________, though. Mark turned to look at him. Ivan had a(n)_________ expression on his face. Mark turned back to the computer and read every name on the list,_________ for Ivan's name.

Mark felt as if he had been hit in the stomach. “This isn't _________，”he shouted. Ivan just sighed(叹气) .

“Let's talk to the coaches. Maybe they'll give you another _________,”Mark insisted.

Ivan just _________ his head. “If I didn’t make it,I didn’t make it” Then he was silent,staring at the computer screen.

“Oh,no,” Mark thought. “Was Ivan about to__________?”

“At least you can sleep in on Saturdays,” he __________ Ivan. “Right?”

No answer. Mark sighed. He wished he could __________people up the way Ivan could.

Even back in kindergarten（幼儿园）,Ivan had known how to do it. On the first day of kindergarten, Mark had been homesick and began to cry during the break. The other kids __________ around him. “Want to hear a funny joke?” “Try to __________!” After a while, they walked away. Only Ivan __________. He said, “I’ll just keep you company while you’re sad.” Minutes later, the two boys were playing happily.

__________ it now, Mark felt calmer. For a few minutes, he kept quiet. Then he said, “This must be really hard.”

Ivan finally __________his eyes from the screen. He looked at Mark and nodded. “Yeah. It is.” The friends sat in __________ for a while. Then Ivan took a deep breath, wiped his eyes and stood up. “Maybe we could shoot some hoops（投篮）,” he suggested. “I’ll probably feel __________ when I beat you.” He smile a little.

Mark stood up, too. “You mean when I beat you,” he said. Ivan laughed, and they headed outside. “Thanks,” said Ivan, nodding at mark. “__________. Thanks, Mark.”

【推荐2】It was a vacation when I was 16. I was on a one-week-long trip with some students to ______ a Seminary (神学院) college in Iowa. On the way our ______ had stopped in Chicago for a few days. We were ______ in a building owned by the church on the south side of the city. In the evening I ______ to go out for a short walk. I was going down a street when I ______ other people making a wide berth (安全距离) around someone sitting on the sidewalk. His clothes were ______, worn and torn. His skin was dirty and I could ______ him from several feet away. I stopped in my ______. I had never seen a homeless person before. Then my mind ______ back and I realized I had seen a homeless person once before: Me.

It was a summer night in my 11th year when the home I grew up in ______ fire in the middle of the night. I can still ______ all of us standing outside while the fire destroyed everything we owned. My dad was busying. My grandma and mom were ______. And my brothers and I were standing in ______, scare and silence. ______, friends took us in that ______. Our small town community gathered around us. They fed us, brought us clothes, and within a few days helped our dad to rent a ______. I could remember feeling ______ and blessed even after losing so much.

The homeless man sitting there, however, couldn’t depend on anyone. I could see the ______ and despair (绝望) in his eyes. I only had a few dollars left in my wallet but I didn’t hesitate. I ______ and handed it to the man, talked with him, comforted him.

I have often ______ what happened to him over the years. Did he make it off the streets? Did he die there? I don’t know. I do know that I was no better than he was, only more fortunate.

【推荐3】My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at _______. As for me, I _______ both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together is really _______. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and _______ Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the calm lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything _______ well with the tiller (舵柄) in his hands.

When we were in the middle of the lake, a _______ wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit _______. Dad was always at his best in any danger, but at this moment he _______.

“John! Help!” he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his hands.

In my memory he could fix any _______.He was the one I always ________ for strength and security. Before I could respond, a ________ of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller but it was too late. Another huge wave of water ________ the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad quickly and assisted him in climbing onto the hull (船壳) of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of ________. “It’s all right, Dad. We are safe now,” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start ________ my father.