I had arrived at the airport about 30 minutes before the check­in. It had been very ___1____ three days for me with lots of meetings. So I was glad to have the ____2___ time to make a note of what I ___3____to do the following day. But then came the ___4__ that my flight had to be ___5___ because there was a problem with the plane.

As I sat waiting for my ___6____ to be called, I reflected on my last meeting of the day. It was not a business meeting but rather a very enjoyable __7___ with an old business friend I had not seen for over 12 years. Our lunch was spent recalling time gone by ___8____ filling each other in what had happened in our lives over the last 12 years. We both laughed and smiled as we recalled the good times and the great experiences we had ___9___ together. At the end of our time together, we both said how much we had ___10___ it and that we must do it again.

It was great to have this additional time to replay in my __11__ all that we had talked about. I realized how important it was to have regular___12__ of the good times in our life. I was lucky enough to have had the chance to take a short ___13___ and reflect on the good things that had happened in my life over the last 12 years.

It was somewhat like looking at an old photo album ___14___ in a cupboard in your house. There before your eyes were lots of wonderful ____15___ that take you back to times and places, and most importantly to those people who were in the __16____.

My flight home was finally __17__ three hours later. I smiled as I __18___ the plane and realized that I was not at all ___19___ about the delay in the flight, as I had been able to spend the time __20__ on the good times from days gone by.

【推荐2】One day when I was 15 years old, I had some friends over to hang out. While we were making food in the ________, my brother came in. He ________ his beef next to my thick one and said, “Courtney, your beef is bigger than mine. You don’t need to eat; you’re already fat enough.” Then he walked out, laughing.

_____ comments on my physical appearance were nothing new. Something inside me ________ to his idea that my legs were unacceptable, and that became the last day that I ever willingly wore ________ until I was 30 years old. For the next 15 years, I spent summer after summer roasting in long pants.

But then I ________ Ragen Chastain, and she changed everything. I couldn’t believe that this woman who, like myself, almost ________ 300 pounds was so ________ and happy in her own skin. I listened ________ she shared her own journey to recovery and self-love. She talked about how amazing our bodies are, just by ________ of the things they do every day-like ________,pumping blood to every ceil, blinking and walking..

Walking! I was suddenly aware of how foolish I’d been for so long. There’re people who are born ________ legs, or who lack properly working legs, or who ________ their legs, and I’d been ________ my perfectly strong, healthy, beautiful legs in ________ because I had allowed someone to ________ me that they weren’t good enough. The next day, I bought three pairs of shorts and a sundress and spent the entire summer letting my legs see the sun and feel the ________.

The next time anyone comments on your body in a ________ way, look them straight in the eye, smile and say, “If what you see       ________ you so much, feel free to practice the ancient art of looking somewhere else.” That’s Ragen’s original, but I don’t think she’ll mind ________ you use it.

【推荐3】On such a rainy day, I had no intention to drive up the winding hilly road to my daughter Betty’s house. But she had _______ me to see something at the top. So here I was, _______ making the two-hour journey through the thick fog.

I _______ along the dangerous highway. Turning down a narrow track, we _______ and got out. When we turned a corner, we stopped and I gasped (喘息). To my _______, from the top of the mountain to several acres down across the valleys, were rivers of daffodils (水仙花) in blossom. A variety of _______—from the pale milky to the deep lemon, shone like a carpet before us.

A flow of _______ filled my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How? _______ we approached the home that stood in the center of the possessions, we saw a sign _______: “Answers to the Questions. I Know You Are ________.The first was: “One woman—Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain.” The second: “One at a Time.” The third: “________ in 1992.”

She began more than thirty years ago, probably just at the ________ of a novel idea, but she kept at it. “Imagine,” I said, “if I’d had a (n) ________ and worked at it, just a little bit every day, what might I have ________?” Betty looked at me sideways, smiling. “Start tomorrow,” she said. “________, start today.”

【推荐2】“Mom, I don’t like you,” my two-year-old son said.

“Okay…is that because you love me?” I asked.

“No, you’re not lovely.”

That night, as I washed my face, I _______ a little longer in the mirror—not because I was hurt by his _______, but because I noticed there was no light in my eyes.

I took out a pen and started writing a list—a list to _______ myself; a list to put sparkles(闪烁的光、亮点)back into my eyes. I once made many lists but seldom accomplished(完成)anything. This time would be _______!

The first goal on my list I wanted to achieve was joining a Polar Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics. On that day, when I _______ into my 1980s workout clothes, Jack smiled, “Mom, you look pretty.” Maybe, just maybe some light _______ my eyes.

When coming out of the cold lake, I felt happy and proud. I kept screaming, “I made it!” But one of the most exciting parts of the day was when I stood in front of my _______, which was taped on the refrigerator door. I ticked item number one. With that, I began to take back my life.

Everyone taking part in the Polar Plunge received a shirt. Whenever I wore it, Jack asked, “Is that your Polar Plunge clothing?” I answered proudly, “Yes!” “I want to do that too.” I was happy he remembered I jumped into a       ____ lake, and that he wanted to do activities with me.

With each _______ crossed off the list, piece of myself is _______. Not only am I showing my family it’s important to dream, but I’m showing myself that I’m worth it.

【推荐3】My family is keen on baseball. Grandpa successfully_________his team to two national competitions. Father played for three different universities and was even invited to_________ for the New York Yankees, one of the top teams in the US. Minutes before I was born, my_________ were watching a live baseball match on TV. You could say I was_________to play baseball, but frankly, all through elementary school, I hated it.

I spent most days of my summer at the baseball park in my neighborhood. I really should have been_________at baseball, for I practiced almost every day, but I was not. I wouldn't hit the ball hard or throw it_________. When my dad or grandpa asked me if I wanted to_________, my answer was always no. Finally, they stopped giving me a _________just making me play whether I liked it or not.

This same old_________ continued for years. My dad and grandpa would make me practice and I would put no__________in. Until around Grade 10, I was older and__________than my 12-year-old self. I finally __________their true purpose: it wasn't because they wanted me to improve, but because they wanted to__________time with me. They were just trying to share a__________ part of their life with me and__________me in something that had been in the family forever. __________I got this, I stopped treating it as work and __________it as a bonding experience.

Now, I often__________to play baseball with my dad or grandpa. The__________practices and tough love I got from my family taught me a useful life lesson: find out why someone does something before jumping to__________.

【推荐1】During my school days, I was a shy kid who would just sit in a corner for an entire day. For me, my books were my only world. Even during breaks, I used to just sit in a corner of the _______ and see others play games. It was not as if I wasn’t interested in _______ others or making new friends, but I always felt lacking in _______ when compared with my peers. I always had an opinion that my advances towards new friendships would be limited.

And I just didn’t want to_______a rejection (拒绝).

Once during my English class, my teacher shared a(n) _______ with us. It was about King Bruce and a spider. It focused on a lost battle and talked about how King Bruce, despite losing the battle, won in the end. He was _______ by a little spider. The little movements of the spider and the way it was taking rejections _______ me a lot. I was so surprised that I myself started _______ the movements of spiders at home. Once, a spider took around an hour to reach the top of a wall and I cruelly _______ it down. To my ________, within seconds it started making its ________up again.

For me, this event was a game changer. I ________ that rejections are never a failure. The world may mistreat (虐待) me, but I can ________ and start working again. There would be time when people would like and accept me. At present, I ________ communicating with people, learning new things and making new friends. I think, there are just no such things as rejections or

【推荐3】Ciudad Perdida, Colombia’s “Lost City” is older than Machu Picchu. There are no trains or buses allowing of ________ travels to reach its ruins. The remote place is only ________ on foot: a tiring multi-day hike.

Despite this, I couldn’t ________ the opportunity to visit Ciudad Perdida. Twelve other hikers and I went there in ________ with a licensed guide. The dirt path, which wandered through towering palms and hanging vines, proved ________ right from the start. It’s recommended that hikers have good general fitness, ________ the journey is tough. Along the way we also met the ________. They have been cut off from the outside world for centuries and there’s a deep ________ between them and the land.

The next morning, we were off early to ________ the heat, but high temperatures and muscle pain had already ________ by the time we reached the final stage—1,200 stone steps to ________. After finally lifting my painful body up the long flight of stairs, my eyes rested on the scenery that had prompted the backbreaking journey: Ciudad Perdida.

Sitting on one of the highest terraces (露台), I looked down and was ________ at the beautiful site below. It felt as though we were some of the rare few that got to ________ this ancient masterpiece. While the return trip included overcoming the mental barrier of having already achieved our goal, the experience is the one I would do ________. It is the difficulty that makes the journey a more ________ one. Earned views are always better.