【推荐1】As I walked into the primary school, I looked down at my new black Mary Jane shoes—I wanted to be anywhere in the world but Fountain Inn Elementary School. I stood at Mrs. Blackstone's door. Before I tried the _______, the wooden door suddenly opened. "We've been waiting for you!" Mrs. Blackstone, my new fifth grade teacher said at an unusually_______voice. With a smile my mom walked away and I was left_______in front of a group of students.

Over the next few days, Mrs. Blackstone made it her_______to find me a new best friend and help me join a choir（合唱队）. During history_______, when I sat down at my desk_______I didn't want to speak in front of the class, she would not only call on me but have me stand up to _______my classmates. She laughed at my nervousness when I wouldn't get in line to sharpen my pencil _______being embarrassed. Her silliness made me smile and finally feel_______in the new environment.

One spring afternoon, Mrs. Blackstone ________me to stay after class. "I'd like to speak with you, Amanda." My mind ________. Had I made a bad grade? Had I hurt someone's feelings? "Are you enjoying your new school?" she sat comfortably behind her desk, "I want to tell you ________, between you and me, not to be shared with anyone else." "Okay." My throat ________felt very dry. With her________raised, she said, "I see something ________in you. I've been a teacher for over twenty-five years; I can________it. But you________believe in yourself. That's very important. Remember that and you'll go________."

Her voice was________to my ears that day. I walked out of her class, ________staring at my Mary Jane shoes. My teacher saw something special in me!

【推荐2】In1973, I was teaching elementary school. Each day, 27 kids ________ “The Thinking Laboratory.” That was the name students voted for after deciding that “Room 104” was too ________.

Freddy was an average ________ , but not an average person .He had the rare balance of fun and kindness. He would ________ the loudest over fun and be the saddest over anyone’s ________.

Before the school year ended, I gave the kids a special _________, T-shirts with the words “Verbs Are Your _________” on them. I had advised the kids that while verbs may seem dull, most of the ________ things they do throughout their lives will be verbs.

Through the years, I’d run into former students who would provide ________ on old classmates. I learned that Freddy did several jobs after his________ from high school and remained the same ________ person I met many years before. Once, while working overnight at a store, he let a homeless man sleep in his truck. Another time, he ________ a friend money to buy a house.

Just last year, I was conducting a workshop when someone knocked at the classroom door. A woman ________ the interruption and handed me an envelope. I stopped teaching and opened it up. Inside were the “Verbs” shirt and a ________ from Freddy’s mother. “Freddy passed away on Thanksgiving. He wanted you to have this.”

I told the story to the class. As sad as it was, I couldn’t help smiling. Although Freddy was taken from us, we all ________ something from Freddy.

【推荐1】Finally, the farm where I’d grown up with my parents came into my sight. I picked up my _______ and almost ran. There was a feel of “home”, a _______ I really needed right then.

Suddenly a (n) _______ sweet smell of lilacs (丁香) in bloom made me slow down. I _______ pulled a bunch to my face and enjoyed the sweetness, as I had always done in my childhood. Warm memories _______ my mind until I got home. There, Mum and Dad _______ me with a tight hug.

I _______ pronounced, “It’s spring! The lilacs are in bloom!”

“Lilacs in blossom or not, it isn’t spring until winter is gone,” Dad _______, “We’ll still get a bit of cold weather.”

But I still _______ that pleasure the lilacs had brought to me. Immediately, I recalled the card from Mum—one that had __________ me through my dark days. Printed on the card were a flower coming from the crack of rock and the __________ words, “In the middle of winter, I found in heart an everlasting __________.” At the bottom of the card, Mum added, “Spring is your favorite time of year. As always, it’s __________.”

These are words Mum, who always sees the __________ side of our life, lives by. Even during winter, she finds spring. I love her sense of joy and her willingness to __________ it.

【推荐2】My life as an exchange student finally began! It was only a short 20-minute drive from the airport to Queensland University of Technology (QUT), but I _________ it a lot because my driver was very _________ and told me a lot about Australian culture along the way.

Before leaving home, I had a fair idea of what my _________ would be like. When O-Week (迎新周) at QUT finally happened, I felt that my life here really lived up to my first _________. The week-long event not only _________ me to take part in different clubs and societies, but also gave me a chance to _________ QUT’s campus. I loved the _________ of O-Week. It was really lively. Interacting with different cultures in person was really a(n) _________. I felt this was exactly what I _________ life in Australia would be like. I was really excited!

After __________ my new home, I found that living in Brisbane was quite different. I had the __________ to do a lot more and had no limits on __________ I could do them. For example, have you ever wanted pancakes even at 6 am? Besides, it is convenient to live there—one of my favorite restaurants was only a 2-minute walk away from my __________.

Besides, I found it quite interesting to meet and work with the locals. I loved Australia so much that I felt very __________ when my experience came to a(n) __________. I made so many friends there and I hope to see them all again on my next world tour!

One day, I was walking with my daughter, and we saw a man picking bottles out of garbage cans(垃圾箱). He did not ask us for spare _______, like others had before him. My 10-year-old daughter asked _______ he was doing that, as he appeared to be unclean and possibly _______. I told her he had his dignity(尊严), and was doing what he could to help _______ . My daughter had a 2-dollar _______ I had given her, and she told me she _______to give her money to this man_______ she thought he needed it more than she _______. I agreed. We are on welfare(福利救济), _______we have a place to live, and food to eat. So we followed the man ________ the local store, where he sold his bottles and cans. My daughter walked up to him and gave him the coin. He ________ us loudly as we left the store, and asked God to bless us.

The kindness was repaid to my daughter. When she got to the ________ a couple of months later, she realized she had left her ________ at home and it happened that I had not taken my purse along, either. Then a lady noticed us and saw how ________ my daughter was. The lady gave her the money to go swimming. Surprisingly, it was two dollars, which was the ________ amount as that she had given to the man on the street.

【推荐2】During a recent holiday I visited Dusseldorf a city in the west of Germany. The nine-day trip left a deep impression _________ me. I arrived at Dusseldorf airport at 7 pm. It was already _________ outside. The first thing I needed to do was to find a place to _________. I decided to telephone the Youth Hotel. But to use the phone I needed some _________; I asked a lady for help. To my _________ she gave me three coins to use. But all the phones in the _________ needed phone cards. And phone cards could only be bought at post offices during the _________. I was _________ I would not be able to call the hotel. When I was about to give up, an old gentleman came to me. He couldn’t speak English _________ understand that I needed to __________ a phone call. He showed me where the phone was and inserted __________ phone card. I called the Youth Hotel and found a place to stay that night.

The __________ of the German people made me feel that I was not __________ my hometown. My first day in Germany wasn’t as __________ as I expected. When I got lost in the city, I asked people for __________. It surprised me that __________ every young German could speak English fluent. Older Germans couldn’t __________ English very well, but they would try to help me whenever they could. One middle-aged man I asked for directions even __________ me to the place I was looking for.

My __________ in Germany totally changed my impression of Germans. Now I think the people couldn’t be more __________.