【推荐2】“If mum finds out that I’m going to the beach, I’ll be in great ______ .” I said to myself softly.

I crept slowly down the stairs and tried to walk _____ into the kitchen. As I was Walking towards the back door, mum asked, “Where are you going? I answered, “I’m going to the garden to play.” After I got out of the kitchen, I breathed a sigh of ______. I climbed over the fence, jumped onto the muddy field and started ______ towards the bus-stop at top speed.

After half an hour, I was at the beach scanning the crowd ______ my friends, Jimmy and Bobby. After a while, I ______ them near a coconut tree and we began to play volleyball happily.

Suddenly, Bobby ______ the ball too hard and the ball fell into the sea. The ______ came in and carried the ball further and further away from the shore. I wanted to ______ my swimming skills so I decided to get the ball for them. I ______ the water and started swimming. Ten minutes later, I became tired but when I saw that the ball was only a few feet away from me, I put in an extra burst of speed. ______, just as I was going to grab the ball, a very strong current swept the ball further away from me. At that moment, a string of ______ tangled up with my feet and I could not swim properly. I struggled to keep ______ but it was no use. “If I had listened to mum and dad, this would never have happened, ” I thought silently. Finally, after struggling for a minute or two, I had ______ energy and got pulled underwater. I pulled the weed hard which finally ______. I swam back to the surface, gasping for breath. I was exhausted but I shouted for help. By the time, a lifeguard who was holding a life buoy reached me, I had already felt ______.

When I woke up, I was in an empty room lying on a bed. It was not until a doctor came into the room ______ I realized I was in a   _____. After a few minutes, my parents with half angry and half worried faces walked in. My parents ______ me for creeping out of the house but were also glad that I was not seriously injured.

I will never forget that terrifying experience. ______ will I ever want to show off again.

【推荐1】Although an eager baker, I’m terrified of working with dough. It is particularly _________— a heavy hand or a gentle press can result in catastrophic failure. Having gained some _________ while cooking regularly during this lockdown, I decided to bake a pie all by myself. Usually my mother would send over the shortcrust pastry (简易酥皮) to fill and bake, but it was time to _________ her of the burden.

When my pie_________, it didn’t look very nice, but its taste _________ decades-old memories of opening the fridge secretly to break off pieces of buttery crust (黄油酥皮), remaining pieces dropping on the floor and a frameless pie_________ my attempt to look innocent the next morning. It made me realize that the value of cooking goes beyond mere _________ during these troubled times caused by Covid-19.

During social distancing and self-isolation, cooking _________ us with the community at large. The community came to the rescue of many of us who weren’t_________ in cooking as we burnt or misshaped things. A message from a friend, with whom I shared a banana ice cream __________, lead to much laughter: “How do I get the skins off these bananas? My hands are freezing and the banana skins are __________!” I stated that they had to be __________ before going into the fridge, a lesson I had learnt the hard way a week earlier.

It’s simple to heat food in the microwave or order takeout with a __________ of a button. But if you are willing to cook food by yourself, you will buy the __________, store them, cut, chop, and stir — each part of the process is an exercise in patience and creativity. __________, in anxious and unstable times, cooking reminds us of when things weren’t so uncertain.

【推荐3】Gulnara Tolmacheva is from Russia, who has always wanted to be a tutor. She has ________ and realized her dream in Karamay, a Chinese city in Xinjiang far away from her home in Novosribirsk. Now, she lives in Xinjiang and ________ Russian in a local university.

________ having interest in the Chinese culture during her childhood, Tolmacheva didn’t ________ China until 2009. “In Urumqi, I saw different ethnic groups and busy night markets,” she said. She was especially surprised at the way people of different ethnic groups were getting along in Xinjiang. ________ by the energetic and culturally ________ city, she chose to study Chinese in Urumqi in 2013. Tolmacheva and her family ________ to Karamay in 2019 after getting a job offer there. Little did she know about the city ________. but now she considers Karamay as her second ________.“The friendship and ________ of my students and colleagues made me feel at home,” she ________. She added that her work was going well, and her son was healthy and happy.

Tolmacheva was ________ by the kindness and warmth of those around her, and she decided to work even harder to motivate her students. “The ________ environment is very important. So I tried my best to teach them Russian songs and organize short plays during courses,” she said. Having realized her dream of learning Chinese in Xinjiang, Tolmacheva is now ________ about finishing her doctoral degree and is planning to write some Russian textbooks. She does have a great ________ for her job.

【推荐1】The True Story of Treasure Island

It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination. _________, recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.

Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived _________ for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a holiday. With him were his American wife Fanny and his son, Lloyd.

Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long _________ over the hills. They had been _________ this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain, Lloyd felt the days _________. To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some _________.

One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island. Robert _________ that the boy had drawn a large cross in middle of the island. “What’s that?” he asked. “That’s the buried treasure,” said the boy. Robert suddenly _________ something of an adventure story in the boy’s _________. While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the __________ a twelve-year-old boy, just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate(海盗)?

Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the __________ of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to __________ such a man in a story. __________ Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was __________.

So, thanks to a rainy September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest __________ stories in the English language.

【推荐2】The novel, Of Human Bondage, is considered a masterpiece of the 20th century. It is also a semi-autobiographical (半自传的) story of author W. Somerset Maugham.

At first sight, the book seems to ______ the unusual moral values of courage and kindness. ______, readers will see that the author was exploring the same kind of values. The only difference is that he delivered his ______ through a story with more ______.

The main character, Philip Carey, leads a ______ life. Besides having to live with a clubfoot (畸形足), his peers ______   him for it. Though he is ______ a scholarship from Oxford, he turns it down. He would rather study "things that matter" in Germany. He ______ helps a woman with whom he is fascinated, but this causes him to ______ medical school-he gives her all his money. ______, he becomes a hunger-stricken vagabond (流浪汉), takes a low-paid job for ______, finally gets back to medical training and settles down.

Philip's altruism (利他主义) is often regarded as a(an)______ by other characters, but does this lead to his downfall? Quite the ______. Philip's goodwill to a patient, Mr. Athelny，______ his marrying the eldest Athelny girl, who ______ him with all her heart.

Moreover, even in his unsuccessful early days, Philip's courage in ______ circumstances helps him form friendships and a support network that ______ him through tough times. This is   ______ he finds his most valued long-term empathy (共情).

As French writer Romain Rolland ______ it, "There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it." Of Human Bondage ______ that.

【推荐3】Have you ever had problems in your life and don’t know how to be happy? If so, you will find “Being a Happy Teenager” by Australian writer Andrew Matthews ________.

In his book, Matthews ________ us how to have a happy life and answers the ________ of teenagers.

Matthews writes about many ________ in the book, such as parents and friends, and the book says we should stop being angry and learn to forgive. The book tells us of useful skills ________ how to put what you have learned into pictures of your mind to make your memory better.

Many teenagers think ________ happiness comes from a good exam result, or praise from other people. But you can ________ be happy even when there are no such “good” things. Success comes from a(n) ________ attitude. If you ________ from problems, you will have success in the future.

Some school students have ________ of being too tall or too short. But Matthews tells us that ________ comes from thinking about things in a positive ________. If you are ________, people notice you and you can get a better view at the movie; if you are short, your clothes and shoes ________ less room in your bedroom! This is Matthews’ most important ________: you choose to be happy!