【推荐1】The fourth-graders walk up to a mirror — one after another — at a school in southwest Atlanta.

“I’m a good person!” a boy _______ a face mask adds.

Another boy follows, “I’m strong and _______,” before hurriedly walking away. In the background, their teacher, Acker, holds up the mirror in front of the kids and _______ them on. “Yes! Louder! Love it!” she calls out.

Acker teaches science at Gideons Elementary School, and she’s on a _______ to boost her students’ confidence and _______. The kids returned to school this month after a year of virtual learning, and said their _______ words every morning before class starts.

Acker _______ this with her 5-year-old daughter since she developed verbal language skills, and loved how they both felt _______. “The best part about doing the affirmations is the feeling after I say them,” Acker says. “And the feeling I see my students feel or that they _______ after they do it. Their attitude is better, their self-confidence is ________ and we have a better day.”

Mental health issues are ________ among children nationwide as they struggle with ________, uncertainty and pandemic. Many adults report that the pandemic has been hard on their mental health. For kids, some experts say, it has become a(n) ________.

And more so this year, kids “need all of the kindness and compassion we can ________,” says Dr. Marcuetta, a psychologist.

Children develop their ________ based on how grown-ups speak to them, making teachers a key influence and positive affirmation a crucial first step, she adds.

【推荐3】Blissdom, a blogging conference, was held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. I went to the hotel three years in a row. On my first visit, I remember entering my hotel room and being _________ by a lovely piece of music playing. The sounds were so _________ that I nearly fell asleep while relaxing on my bed.

Before I _________ , I asked the hotel if I could buy such a clock radio. They told me they didn’t sell them and that they might be _________ in any store. To my _________ , I couldn’t find one anywhere.

The next year, the clock radio in my _________ was a newer model, but it still played the gentle music. I again asked where I could find one, but got no answer. I tried to search for one in stores, in _________ once again.

So this year, I was _________ to find the machine in my room at Gaylord Opryland. I asked the _________ on Twitter, “Where can I buy this Shaper Image clock radio?”

They replied, “Sorry. It isn’t available to customers.”

“I’ve been __________ one for three years,” I said.

I received no __________ after that, and I attended the Blissdom closing night party. When I came back, I found a second clock radio on the dresser (梳妆台), and a __________ beside it with my name on it, which __________: “Christina, the clock radio is for you. We hope you enjoy these nice sounds at home. Sincerely, Opryland.”

That would be the point where my excited screaming __________. Thank you, Gaylord Opryland, for giving me such a(n) __________ gift!

【推荐3】In China, having a portrait of the deceased at the funeral holds great signifcance. Wu Muliang, a 24-year-old from East Chinas Fujian province, took on the responsibility of _________funeral portraits for his fellow villagers.

_________, taking funeral portraits for the elders was not part of Wu’s plan when he first decided to return to the village. He embarked on this task _________. With a background in the new media industry, Wu was originally looking to make videos centered around agriculture and rural areas — topics that were _________ both on social media and at the state level.

_________ by his grandparents until the third grade of primary school, Wu saw them only once or twice a year thereafter. Wu’s grandfather passed away nine years ago. At that time, the family couldn’t find a _________ funeral portrait for him, and it has always been a(n) _________for the whole family. The elderly, especially those in rural areas,_________have their pictures taken and most of them have to use the one from their ID card. When Wu’s grandma asked him to take a funeral portrait for her, he was a little _________. However, when he saw her getting excited while __________ the dress for the photo shoot, he changed his mind.

In his small philanthropic (慈善的) photo booth, Wu took funeral portraits not just for his grandmother, but also for more than a dozen other elderly villagers. While taking these portraits, Wu also __________ some behind-the-scenes moments. He made these moments into videos and posted them online, which have now exceeded 4 million __________on the video-sharing platform Bilibili. Many people left comments, saying that the videos reminded them of their own __________.

Wu was glad that he could help others and make __________ impacts. “I hope to do more to help __________ the memories of the elders in the village.” He said.