【推荐1】There are two problems in the world: Garbage and poverty. Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a _______ for them. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. She is asking a _______ of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your _______ chip bags into the trash, donate them, so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the _______.

Chip eaters drop off their empty bags at two locations in Detroit, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers _______ them. After they wash the chip bags, they cut them open, lay them _______, and iron them together. They use padding and liners from old coats to line the insides.

It takes about four hours to _______ a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, _______ whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and easy to _______.” Oleita said.

Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800. 000 chip bags and created 110 sleeping bags. Sure, it would be __________ to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita — whose family __________ to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life-and her fellow__________. “We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but __________,” she says.

And, of course, there’s the symbolism of saving bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful __________ that environmental injustice and __________ often go hand in hand. As Oleita said, “I think it’s time to show connection between all of these issues.”

【推荐2】Two old beggars (乞丐) were sitting on a busy street corner of a big city. They watched ________ as a lot of people walked by without looking at them. Sometimes, a kind-hearted woman or a small child would ________ a few coins (硬币) in the hats in front of them. Today was not a bad day for________. The men were able to ________ enough for a big meal. As it was getting dark, they started to________ their things.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, they________ a man walking toward them. He was a________ man they could tell that from his fine clothes. The first beggar said to the second with________,“He’s coming our way!” The man stopped , ________ into his pocket (口袋) and took something out. What looked like a piece of hard________, wrapped (包裹) in white paper, hit each of their waiting hats. The rich man turned and________ his way.

“He could have easily left us a few________ or a bill, but he laughed at us with a piece of rock candy,” said the first beggar. He looked at the offering （施舍物）________.“There’s no way we can________ this — we have no teeth.” With these words, he picked up the thing and threw it away. Then he collected his things and________.

The second beggar also wanted to throw it away, ________ a second thought made him change his________ .“I haven’t had anything like this for ages (几年),” he thought. “How ________ of that man to offer me something so sweet!” With that, he opened the white paper. To his ________, there was no hard rock candy inside. ________, a shiny white pearl (珍珠) worth thousands of dollars fell into his hand.

【推荐3】When I woke upon Aug 4, 2016, there was only one thing on my mind: what to wear. A billion thoughts ______ through my brain in the closet (衣橱). Because it was my first day of school in a new state, the first ______ are everything.

This was my third time being the new kid. But this time was ______ because my dad ______ that I would start and ______ high school in the same place. This time mattered, and that made me ______.

Finally, I proudly came out ______ a dress from Target. This outfit was the one. But as I entered class, my jaw ______ to the floor.

Sitting at her desk was Mrs. Hutfilz, my English ______, wearing exactly the same dress as me. I went to my seat quietly with my head ______. I made it through my short introduction speech until Mrs. Hutfilz stood up, jokingly adding that she liked my style. ______ this was the moment I had been ______ of from the moment I walked in, all my anxiety surprisingly disappeared, and the students paid attention as I ______ my story. My ______ grew as I laughed with the students. After class, I stayed behind and talked to Mrs. Hutfilz, relaxed.

Looking back four years later, the ten minutes I spent afraid of giving my speech were really not worth it. My first period of high school certainly made the day ______ in the best way.

【推荐1】Todd and Donna woke up early one day to take pictures of the sunrise. While walking along the shoreline and enjoying the sights, Todd suddenly ________ down. Donna thought her husband was ________ . However, she quickly realized this was no laughing matter. Todd’s heart stopped beating and he turned ________ . Immediately she screamed for help.

Tyler Volpe, a ________ , was in the water when Todd came down. Volpe is also a physician assistant. He heard Donna’s cries for help. “I knew it wasn’t a ________ scream,” he said. “I came flying out of the water.”

Volpe started chest compression (按压) while Roy, another surfer, breathed into Todd’s mouth. Then, they switched ________ with each other. “I really thought he was ________ ,” Donna said. As Roy and Volpe continued CPR, Todd breathed ________ a few times.

The tide was starting to come in. Other surfers used their boards to form a ________ between the rescue effort and the water. “They kept him ________ until the ambulance got there,” Donna said. “It could have been two minutes or 10 days. I was watching my life ________ with his.”

Doctors used a defibrillator (除颤器) to shock his heart and ________ his heartbeat. On the second shock, he regained his feel.

Todd and Donna planned to drive back home to New Jersey that morning, but decided to first take a walk on the beach. “It is lucky we didn’t ________ because it would have happened while we were driving home,” Donna said.

Donna ________ a message asking if anyone knew the surfers who helped her husband — they wanted to ________ them.

【推荐2】Last night my husband and I were walking in a nearby parking lot, when we saw a man bent over on the ground, crushing (碾碎) something with a rock. He was so focused on his _________ that he didn’t look up at anyone _________. We kept noticing him and _________ what he could be doing. I _________ he was crushing stones to make sand, but why would he do that?

_________, we decided to go up and ask him. He was crushing pieces of leftover bread that he had _________ to prepare food for the birds that come there early morning. The large pieces of bread would be difficult for the birds to eat _________ he crushed them into powder. Every _________, after coming home from his job as a tailor, he goes around the villa (乡间别墅), collecting leftover bread from all his housemates. He then eats a quick meal and comes here, and spends the next 1 — 2 hours _________ crushing each piece for the birds. He has been doing this for the last 3 — 4 years. What ____________ us more was that he was ____________ that we were even taking an interest in this, since for him it wasn’t a big ____________.

When we asked him what encouraged him to do this act of ____________, he said, “It’s just something small I do, so that the birds get food.” We shared his story with the hope that it would ____________ us to be aware of leftovers too and that it might ____________ someone to start something similar in their own area.

【推荐3】When 48-year-old Lamont Thomas became an empty-nester(空巢者), it was the end of aparenting legend temporarily. Back in 2001, this divorced dad of two ______ a foster(代养的)kid named Michael Perez.

“He was a good young man and I just hated to   ______him in the welfare system,” Lamont said. He ______ adopted Michael, who now works as a doctor.

“I don’t believe that I would be the person that I am today without the ______ that he instilled(灌输)in me,” Michael said.

It turned out that Michael was just the ______. Over the next 15 years, Lamont fosteredmore than 30 kids in Buffalo, New York, and adopted five of them. He did this all on his own and with all of his ______.

“Every child I have had, it was my ______ to make a difference in their lives,” said Lamont.

At one time he retired from raising children to spend time fishing and travelling, but that didn’t last for long.

“It really was a shock. I didn’t ______him to restart and to do it all over again. It’s just ______,” Michael said.

Today, Lamont is ______ in the game(行当), in a big way. Not long ago, he promised to be ______ five siblings(兄弟姐妹), all under the age of six. Lamont, who works as a truckdriver, said he did have other ______ for these years. But those plans have now been ______. Lamont decided to foster all five—Zendaya, Jamel, Nakia, Major and Macaela—after he found that they were going to be split up. To guarantee they would stay as a(n) ______, lastmonth he adopted them.

“I had to help them. They deserved to be ______ together,” Lamont said.

______, he has a great ______ system with churches and friends. He is not opposed to ______ a wife to the mix if he is able to find such a good ______. But if not, he is also fine to be ______ for as long as it takes to make a difference.