【推荐1】I’ve learned a lesson that accepting kindness is important, too. I’m a social worker and have been ______ more time recently with those unlucky people that some might say are less ______. I had a wonderful interaction (互动) this past week, when I had the ______ of being the receiver of kindness. I was speaking to a gentleman who has bad luck and is in ______. We were just talking for a while and getting to ______ each other.

Towards the end of our evening he said he wanted to ______ me a hamburger at the nearby fast food restaurant. In time before, I would have ______ that he let me buy him a meal, since he had a greater _______ than I. But my kindness experience has taught me the ______ of being a good receiver, too. So I told him if he ______ wanted to do that I would be ______ to share a meal with him.

It was great! He was so happy to be able to ______ something like that and he was ______ the entire time. I felt glad to ______ the wonderful feeling of someone’s giving. We ______ some great conversation and I could see it ______ so much to him.

As we parted ways, instead of me feeling bad that he probably spent his last few ______ on our meal, I smiled and felt with a wonderful ______ of connection and gratitude. It’s not only fun to be a receiver of kindness, _______ this also gives someone else the chance to be the ______. That is important, too.

【推荐2】The picture of a father sleeping on a hospital floor is causing a lively discussion about equal parenting.

The mother of the family, Sara Duncan ________ why she wanted to photograph the moment. The father, Joe Duncan works as a technician and had just ________ a 12-hour shift (轮班) that night on March 23. Sara told him she wanted to bring their daughter to hospital after ________ she was breathing with great ________ , Sara knew her husband was ________ , and had to return to a morning shift a few hours later. But he was a very ________ person. He didn't want his wife to ________ to their child on her own in the hospital. Sara said her child received small treatment and was ________ to go home after two hours. When she looked down on the ground, Sara ________ Joe had already fallen fast asleep. She looked at him thinking how ________ she was to him.

Sara's post was ________ more than 31,000 times. She wrote: “Wives and their husbands appreciate shared parenting roles and responsibilities, but the share isn’t always 50/50. Sometimes it's 60/40, 70/30, or ________ 80/20. The everyday housework heavily ________ women. And husbands have to be ________ to spare no efforts.”

It's important to discuss your expectations of roles and responsibilities if parents and all people are to be valued ________ and if we're going to keep moving forward in our culture.

【推荐3】I was studying chemistry at college because my family thought it was the key to success. One day, my professor took me aside and asked a very simple question, “Why are you in my class when it’s obvious that you have little or no _______ in chemistry?”

I came up with an explanation by _______ pressure from my dad, but he knew it was just a /an ________ excuse. He gave me the following advice.

“Success can only be measured by oneself, and each of us is _______. Your success will not be the same as mine, as your neighbor’s or your parents’. There is no secret formula(公式), no examination you have to _______, and no guarantee, but there is a secret ingredient—_______. To be successful in life in the broadest sense, you must pursue your passion. _______ it is fixing cars or exploring the world, you must be passionate about your _______ and set a path to achieve it. Only then will you find true _______.”

Since I was just nineteen years old, that was pretty profound advice to ________, but I knew instinctively (本能地) that he was ________. I made a conscious self-examination of my short life to ________ where my passion was hiding. It was so ________ that even my kid sister could have told me my true passion was music. It was in my genes. I could play the piano by ear, but had ________ considered music as a hobby.

Could I be a successful musician? Or a songwriter? Or a music critic? There was only one way to find out, so I took my professor’s ________ and switched to the university’s music school. I studied harmony and composition, learned how to play a clarinet(单簧管) and ________ the symphony orchestra. I felt as though I was on top of the world, and that ________ has never left me.

I’m now fifty-four years old, and a very happy and ________ man. As I look at the walls of my small office, I still get a thrill at seeing the records I ________, the photos of the famous musicians I was lucky enough to play with, and the praises from many of the finest instrumentalists in the world who I am honored to call my friends.

Life was a long journey, and not a/an ________ one, but I followed my passion and succeeded.

【推荐1】There was a time when I thought my dad didn’t know a thing about being a good father. I couldn’t _________ him ever saying the words “I _________ you.” It seems to me his only purpose in life was to say “No” to anywhere I wanted to go and anything I wanted to do, including getting a car. Some parents bought their kids cars when they got their driver’s licenses. Not my dad—he said that I’d have to get a job and buy my own.

So that is what I did. I got a job at a very nice restaurant and _________ every penny I could and when I had enough to buy my car, I did! The day I brought that car home, my dad was the first one I wanted to show it off to. “Look, dad, a car of my own. If you ever want a ride, I’ll only _________ you five dollars.” I offered with a smile. “I see,” was all he said.

One day, there was something wrong with my father’s truck. So he needed a _________ to work. The sun wasn’t even up when we left the house, _________ it was already getting warm out. It was going to be a (n) _________ day. As I dropped my dad off, I watched him, dressed in his work clothes, getting his _________ from the truck(车尾箱)of my car. Watching his sun weathered face, and even from a distance I could tell there were _________ lines than I ever remembered being there before. I realized how hard my dad works for the family. My father is a cement finisher(水泥修整工).

In that instant, it __________ to me that he actually __________ on his hands and knees to sweat over hot concrete(混凝土)to make a living for his family. And he did this day in and day out, however hot it got. Never, not once, had I heard him __________ about it. To him we were “worth” it. And never once did he “charge” us for it.

When he closed the trunk, his tools set off to the side, he walked over to my window to __________ me five dollars. I rolled down the window and said “Good-bye, dad. Keep your five dollars. It’s my __________. Don’t work too hard. I love you.”

His __________ met mine, then glanced away in the direction of his waiting tools, he cleared his throat and said, “Oh, and... me, too.”

【推荐2】My mother is the sweetest person you would ever want to meet．She was always bright and selfless．She is also someone whose_______is being damaged and whose identity is being lost slowly because of Alzheimer's disease （阿尔茨海默症）．For me，it is a slow letting go and a_______process．Although she couldn't_______herself，she at least still knew her immediate family．I knew the day would come when that，too，would_______and finally，about two﹣and﹣a﹣half years ago，that day came．

My parents would visit us almost daily and we would have a pleasant time，but one day there was a_______missing．My mother no longer_______me as her daughter．She would tell my father "Oh， they are such nice people．" Telling her I was her daughter made no_______at all． When I would hug her good﹣bye， I would close my eyes and_______that this was my mother from years ago．I would_______every familiar feeling I have known for 36 years﹣her warm comforting body，and the soft，sweet smell that was hers alone．Every day，I prayed（祈祷）for her．

One late summer afternoon，my prayers were________and I was taken by surprise． My parents were outside in the garden when my mother suddenly jumped up________she had been hit by lightning．She ran into the kitchen，grabbed me gently from behind and________me around．With a sparkle（闪光）in her eyes，she________asked me if it was true， was I her baby？Tears welling up，I said，yes，it was true．We hugged and cried and neither of us wanted to________this magical moment． I knew it could disappear as quickly as it came． She said she always felt a________to me and that I was nice， but that it had come to her suddenly that I was her child．We felt________．I took this________from God and savored （享受）it，even if it were to last just for that moment．We had a special connection again．

________my mother's condition has continued to worsen， she remembers who I am and it has been a year since that________afternoon．A month ago when we had another visitor， she started stroking my hair and told them________，"Did you know that she was my baby？"

【推荐2】Every day on the way to work I drive down a street lined with pine trees.One tree in particular_______ my attention. It must have suffered some _______. Part of its trunk grew nearly parallel to the ground, and then in an effort to _______ its own course of life, the trunk took a 90 degree turn _______ to stand tall and stretch toward the sun.

This tree became a_______ for me. Each day as I drove by, I saw this bent but determined tree and I would be_______. It was a reminder to me that _______ I may not have had the best start in life, I could change _______ in the parts of my life at any time.

I was planning to stop one day to get a perfect_______ of my kindred-spirit (志趣相同的) tree. But that week I was ________. After that busy week, I still didn’t take any action. Every time I drove by the tree I would ________ myself, “Tomorrow, I’ll stop tomorrow to take one.” Then one day, as I ________by “my” tree, I glanced over, and much to my ________ found a sawed-off stump (树桩) where that symbolic tree had stood. Gone. I had ________ my plan until tomorrow and tomorrow proved to be too ________.

A picture of a tree gives me a lesson clearly that if you knew you would never have the opportunity to do it again? Why not do those things that you have been putting off until tomorrow?

【推荐3】In 2020, Koch was a first grade teacher in a virtual classroom in a school in America. One September afternoon, she received a(n) _________ from Cynthia Phillips, whose two granddaughters were Koch’s _________.

Koch immediately knew _________ was wrong with Phillips. The two women had _________ numerous times before, but Koch had never heard the grandmother sound quite like this. Her words were so _________ that Koch could hardly understand her, though she was able to _________, from what she heard, that Phillips had _________ four times that day. Koch called her principal, Charlie, who immediately called and checked on Phillips himself.

Just like Koch, Charlie could hardly understand Phillips. He_________ she might be having a stroke (中风). Charlie was able to recognize the _________, for he witnessed his own father suffering one. He immediately became ____________ that Phillips’ two grandchildren, aged six and eight, were probably home alone with her and ____________, having no idea of what to do. Charlie asked his office manager to send an ambulance to the grandmother’s home. Then Charlie called two teachers in the school, both of whom ____________ everything they were doing and drove to the family’s home.

When they ____________ up less than ten minutes later, the doctors were ____________ Phillips while the two girls were outside with a ____________, looking obviously shaken. The quick ____________ from Koch and Charlie saved Phillips’ life. She arrived at the hospital ____________ to get treatment.

“If it were not for them, I wouldn’t be here.” said Phillips from her hospital bed about a month after her stroke when ____________ online. Thanks to an extended stay in the hospital, she has regained most of the ____________ throughout her body except for a part of her mouth, which affects her speech.

“People I work with are awesome that they responded so quickly and that it did make a difference for Mrs. Phillips, ”says Koch. “I am so pleased to be part of such a ____________ community.”

【推荐1】The tale of a heroic pet

Luke has always been my closest companion these past five years. In fact he is very obedient to me _______ when I take care of other furry friends in our shelter.

As you already know there have been a lot of forest fires during the _______ season. Many forests are badly _______ by fire each year. Not far from our shelter a forest caught fire during this hot summer and a heat wave has been going on for three days.

Luke rushed towards the forest where flames gave out a fierce heat. There's no longer any _______ at the moment to wait for Luke to come back to the shelter. _______， I was waiting for the fireman to _______ me his death in the forest. Suddenly a fireman burst into my office and _______ me that my dog Luke succeeded in saving four kittens that were _______ by the flames. According to the fireman Luke seized the kittens one by one moving them to a(n) _______ place.

I ________ accompanied the firemen to the forest to pick up the rescued kittens. Once on the ________ of the incident Luke was not there. Then we heard the sound of a dog came from the forest barking furiously. I ________ the sound of my dog Luke. The firemen followed the tracks of the dog ________ they found him barking loudly by the side of a(n) ________ fireman who was lying on the ground and desperately waiting for ________.

Thanks to Luke four kittens and a fireman were saved. That day I was very proud of Luke for his heroic ________. Luke showed much compassion for both animals like him and for a man trying to put out the fire with his ________. Honestly my happiness is great and immeasurable.

I visited the fireman in his house accompanied with Luke. What a ________ scene when the fireman hugged Luke ________ to his chest! “One thousand thanks Luke for saving my life，” the fireman said.

This true story of love and compassion shows us that pets are loving and caring. We should love and protect them for little animals can make enormous things for ________.

【推荐2】This year has been a busy year of travel for me，and the end of the year is no exception. I __ an early morning flight that had me up at 4：30am to get to the airport．The thought of such an early flight made me ____ , but then I started to think about the chain of people who would make that early journey ____ for me; my Lift driver, check-in agent, security staff, gate agents, flight crew,etc. They all do their jobs at an early hour ____ I can get to my destination safely.

When the trip ____ , I realized I had a(n) ____ ; I could be annoyed about having to take an early flight and hold this ____ with me.Or, I could choose to be ____ for this modern machine of safe air travel and the people who made it possible．Just thinking about the   ___ choice got my mind working about ____ I could show my gratitude：what if I got a little gift for every ____ I encountered on my journey?

Then I started to think about what kind of gift would be ____. Because it was a trip，they had to be ____ enough to fit in my luggage.____ , I decided a Starbucks gift card would be portable and a universally appreciated item that would ____ them to get a coffee, tea or snack．

For the first time in years I actually ____ getting up at 4：30am! I ended up giving gift cards to my Lift driver，airport security agent，two gate agents, and four flight attendants, ___   of whom said thank you and smiled while ____ their duties．And,   ___ arriving fired and upset, after only four hours of sleep and a long ____，I was energetic and happy to share my story.