【推荐1】Last week I went to a grocery store, just to check it out. The person in front of me at the checkout was pregnant(怀孕) and________a couple of containers of milk. No big_________, so I thought she would finish it quickly and I could be on my way. Her method of__________was a VIC card and it kept telling her that it wasn’t working. A manager__________and told her to come to a __________register; maybe there was a problem with the machine. After I checked out, I noticed she was still there, trying to get her card to_________.

It was obvious that the young woman was getting_________about the purchase so I offered to_________her purchase. She was shocked that I had even offered but finally_________my help. She thanked me and I went on my way with a smile from her.

Everyone needs a_________hand sometimes and you never know when it will be your _________. Today I found that it was indeed my turn.

I went boating north of the city. I t was a very hot, sunny day,_________I bought a large container of soft drink, thinking it would be plenty to drink. I didn’t realize the________that would have on me. Before I got back to shore, I________that I finished the bottles.

When I got back to shore and managed to drag my boat to the car, I was very hot and_________. Seeing a drinking fountain(饮水器), I________my problem was solved... but it wasn’t working at all. Though I was embarrassed, I had no choice but to_________a family who were having a picnic nearby if they had an extra bottle of water, which they________gave me. The bottle of water wasn’t a big deal to them, but it made all the__________to me.

The little things that can be done for others don’t usually________important to the people doing them, but it can be huge to the receivers.

I was driving home in a rainstorm on a cold March morning in the mountains of my home. Part of me was _______ the rain thinking that it would clean the mud, salt, and dirt that covered my_______ from weeks of winter driving and _______ me a trip to the car wash. Another _______ of me was keeping a watchful eye on the streams and rivers hoping that the_______ snow and freshly falling rain wouldn’t lead to any flooding.

A deeper part of me, however, was quietly dreaming of the _______ weather and strengthening sunshine to come in the weeks _______. I knew that they would stop with this nourishing (滋润的) rain to turn the yellow grass _______, to bring new buds and leaves to the trees, and to cause the million flowers _______ underground to push their heads ________ the soil and start the Spring. It would be that glorious time when the whole world comes back to ________ again and it was all starting with this steady, March ________.

The rains in our own lives can bring ________ blessings. Storms of problems and troubles can ________ us with stress and pain. They can make our days seem ________ and boring. They can make our hearts feel heavy and sad. ________, these same storms can also________our spirits.

They can help our souls to ________. They can lead us to learning and ________. They can cause our hearts to________to God and to each other.

【推荐2】At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoe（赛艇）racing was added to the list of international competitions. The favorite team in the four-man canoe _______ was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man named Bill Havens.

As the _______ for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill’s wife would give _______   to their first child at about the same time, so Bill   _______ himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris or should he stay at home with his family and _______ about the Olympics? After all, competing in the Olympics was one of his lifelong   _______ .

Bill, after a great deal of thinking, decided to withdraw from the competition.

_______it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal in Paris, and Bill’s wife was   _______ in giving birth to their child. She was _______   late, in fact, that Bill could have ________ in the event and returned home in time.

It was a shame, but Bill said that he had no   ________ . Bill knew what was most important to him and he ________ what he believed was best. Not everybody has the ________ of character to say no to something that he or she ________   wants in order to say yes to something that truly   ________ .

There was a（n）________ end to Bill’s story. The child   ________ born to Bill and his wife was a boy whom they ________Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill   ________ a telegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The telegram ________: “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you lost the chance to win while waiting for me to be born.”

【推荐3】Standing in front of the bike shop, Dave stared at the shiny red bicycle in the window. He could _______ himself riding the bike in Saturday’s race and winning the first-place medal and prize money. “With that bike, I could even beat Adam,” Dave thought.

He rode on and stopped at Peck’s clothing store. The coat he planned to buy his mother for her birthday was still on sale. Dave knew she would _______ buy it for herself. She worked hard just to make _______ meet. But the prize money would be enough for him to buy that coat and surprise her.

Dave looked at his old bike. Two years ago, he found some old bicycles at the _______ and used the parts to make one bike. He called it his recycled bike. “I’ll never _______ the race on this old bike,” Dave sighed.

As Dave passed the junkyard, he noticed a newer-looking bike tire. He started _______ the huge junk pile. Finally, he found what he was looking for. “These two tires and the handgrips (手把) are just _______ for my bike.”

Arriving home, Dave put the used tires and the handgrips on his _______ bike, and oiled the chained. He stood back and admired the _______ he had made. “I might win that race after all,” he said to himself.

The next morning, when Dave and his mom got to the park, about thirty kids had already __________. Dave headed for the start line __________ Mom found a seat at the finish line.

Bang! The riders rushed off. Dave __________ Adam, who was in the lead. He __________ to pass one rider after another and was approaching Adam. Leaning forward, Dave pedaled harder and faster. __________ he sped by Adam and crossed the finish line.

As the announcer awarded Dave the medal and the check for fifty dollars, he asked, “What are you going to do with the prize money, Dave?”

“It’s a __________ ,” Dave said and waved to his mom.

【推荐1】Ten cats and six dogs in W-Underdogs are safe thanks to the quick thinking of Keith Walker, a homeless man in Atlanta. Seeing a home burning, he called the fire department, and then _______ to save the dogs and cats.

Founded about six years ago, W-Underdogs is a community group _______ dogs and cats. Volunteers in the group _______ dog food to people who can’t always afford to buy it, _______ pets without owners, and provide _______ at times. Walker, 53, has been homeless for 40 years. He helps the group with odd (零散的) jobs, but since news of his brave _______ has surfaced, the group has received large quantities of _______ about how they can help. Go Fund Me _______ have been set up to financially (资金上) support Walker and W-Underdogs, which lost so much in the fire.

“Fortunately, they’re all safe now and lots of volunteers are walking them and loving them,” says dog trainer Victoria. “It’s a small but _______ job. We do the work in communities that is very ________. But people have been so unbelievably generous with their time and ________ blankets and helping us with W-Underdogs.”

Dozens of people left ________ online, but one summed everything up so well:

“I read about Keith’s heroism and it was possibly the best story for me. We all have problems, troubles and difficulties fitting in. But the pure ________ of this man is undeniable (不可否认的). ________ and people need someone like him to simply exist because his love matters. Thank you for ________ the light in the world.”

【推荐3】After getting married, I moved to an absolutely new town. _________as I was to be in a new city, with various new things to explore, I was still lonely. I was desperate to make friends and establish _________.

This could explain my enthusiastic “Count me in!” when _________to join in a half marathon. Reflecting on my usual 3 miles, I must have been _________— a half marathon, 13 miles seemed a(n) _________task.

After the initial shock wore off, I found comfort in burying myself in _________. I took it slow, one mile, and then two, three, four and five miles. Seven straight miles felt like to climb Everest in my eyes, and soon I became _________that high.

Mile after mile, I managed to step beside my running partners. We talked about our favorite music and _________ funny stories about our children. At about mile 10, the conversations _________. We shared our past and hopes for our future, our fears and disappointments. By the time we were running 12-mile legs, I know that I’d made _________friends.

_________, the day of the race arrived. At the start line, armed with my friends, I already felt like a champion. My time training had _________. I managed to hold a steady pace and kept up with my _________. Legs shaking and knees buckling, we crossed the finish line together.

I have participated in multiple races since. Although running started as a _________of building social ties, it not only provided me with friendships, but with a skill that would benefit me the rest of my life. Though the first pair of shoes is long forgotten, running will never be _________.