【推荐1】I’ve reached the turn-around point of the day’s kayaking (皮划艇) trip. Sweat runs down my cheek as I ______ my fingers through the cool water. I look around. It’s just me, a couple of seagulls, and shining freshwater to the horizon. This, I whisper to myself, is ______.

Solo outings had never ______ my mind before because I always had loyal friends willing to tag along. But three years ago, I moved to Cleveland. Meeting close friends in a new city is ______. And a world wide health crisis made ______ impossible.

In October 2022, I decided to ______ a whole day on a solo hiking trip. I went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) to ______ the autumn leaves. Five miles in, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so alive. I was more ______ of my surroundings than I’d ever been while hiking that day. I studied the markings of trees, focused my ears on each forest sound and did something I had almost never spared ______ for: I listened to my own thoughts. Every word in my mind pointed to a newfound ______—solo hiking is my happy place. From then on, I have adjusted myself to any solo activity.

Pride ______ through my body when I first launched my kayak. My chest, ______ tightened by nerves, was bursting with happiness as I finally reached the middle of the river that I’d long ______ standing on shore before.

Adventuring alone has become like medicine for me! It’s also pushed me to go ______ my comfort zone and to meet new people. Through meetups and social media, my adventure friend circle has ______. But at least once per month, I schedule time to hit nature with my favorite trail buddy: me.

【推荐3】As a traveler with a disability, I have always avoided cruises. This expedition-style small-ship cruise changed my mind.

When our expedition leader ________ we would make a Zodiac (卓迪船) ________ at Jan Mayen, a tiny island in the Arctic Ocean, I stepped out onto my balcony aboard our ship, ________ to find clear skies and calm seas. ________, I was met with a gust of wet wind and a view of mist-covered mountains in the distance. Jan Mayen wasn’t on our itinerary (行程), and due to its ________ location and often unpredictable weather, very few people ever ________ the island. I knew the ________ weren’t ideal, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

In fact, the possibility of ________ adventures was one of the reasons I chose this small-ship cruise. So I ________ joined my shipmates in the mud room, where we put on waterproof clothes and life jackets before hopping in the Zodiacs for a bumpy ________ to a black-sand beach. Even the fierce wind and rain couldn’t ________ our excitement as we ________ our way to the beach and hiked to a viewpoint, pausing to photograph little purple flowers ________ the volcanic rocks.

Our visit there wasn’t about what we could do or see. It was an opportunity to just be—to exist in a brief ________ on a tiny, often inaccessible, volcanic rock in the Arctic. And that’s something I never thought I’d ________ in my lifetime.

【推荐1】A serious car crash leads one woman to rediscover her faith in human kindness.

In March last year, the car I was driving was_______in a serious crash with another car on a country road.   I soon _______ myself at the centre of a disorder of activity, surrounded by doctors, police, rescuers and members of the local community. An huge can opener was used to _______ me out of my broken car and _______ an ambulance.

Over the next eight hours, I was transported to hospital, dragged up, X-rayed and diagnosed with a broken neck. Knowing that I’d _______ death by a fraction of a second sustained me throughout the long wait in the emergency ward and _______ me to deal with the visible distress of my hospital visitors.

Only after I’d convinced the last friend to _______ could I direct my energies inwards. Flitting (掠过) in and out of my line of vision during my hospital stay was the Red Cross lady, a _______ presence in white who, from time to time, placed her head in to _______ cups of tea. After the visitors had gone, she ventured further into my room to ________ that I was all right.

I found myself telling her everything: about the shock of the ________, my fears for my family as a result of my injuries and about my whole life. While I waited for an ambulance to transport me to another hospital, she stood by my trolley and held my hand as I off-loaded all the emotion I’d stoically withheld (强忍着地) from my family. She ________, quiet and non-judgmental.

Even now, the ________ that I have her contact details provides me with great comfort. I look forward to a day in the not-too-distant future when my guardian angel and I can meet again, in ________ circumstances.

In times of crisis, faith can sustain us: for me, my faith in human nature, reawakened by the ________ of a stranger, has helped ease my journey back to recovery.

【推荐2】We are often told that we should not give up, and that all the most successful people have persistence. Usually, people who do not ________ persistence are called lazy. But laziness is not the ________ problem. More often, it is doubt and fear that make you ________ and keep you from trying. These gradually ________ your sense of self-worth, which can lead to depression. That is why it is so ________ to push ahead. Failure is a(n) ________ for us to discover what goes wrong. After all, no one ________ their goal easily. For example, it’s constant ________ that makes Stephen Curry one of the greatest basketball players.

Persistence doesn’t mean you should stay in a terrible situation. It’s about ________. Adversity (逆境) is unavoidable, but it doesn’t mean you should give up. You just need to ________ how you reach it. Alter your plans, choose another method, or find a different ________.

If you’re ________, persistence comes naturally. I underwent an amazing amount of ________ when I first started writing. My father opposed it. I received hundreds of rejection letters from publishers. ________, I stuck to it. Eventually, my persistence paid off. My articles were ________ by an editor, who hired me to write articles. I endured over 10 years before seeing any success. Why? It was my love for writing that motivated me after repeated rejection and failure.

【推荐3】At 13, I climbed my first mountain. I was out of breath when I reached the top. But I _______ the challenge of winning something _______than myself. Soon I’d climbed nearly 100 peaks.

It’s safer to start winter climbs at night when there’s less _______ of the sun melting the snowpack. That day, my friend Mel and I started at 3 a.m. It was about 14℃, and we wore layers (层) we could easily _______, knowing mounting would make us _______.

Later, we reached a plateau. Strong wind made me feel as though my skin were burning. The other climbers decided to _______, but Mel and I went ahead. We had tools like ice axes. We were _______ the climb.

The path we followed grew narrower. Afterwards, we reached an ice step. I _______ to go first. Confident I was _______. I put my full weight on it. Suddenly I heard a ________ and a whole thick piece of ice broke off the step, right under my foot.

Instantly, I fell backward, ________ down the mountain. I reached out my arms and legs, ________ at anything. That stopped my falling but I was still ________. Luckily, I came to a stop on a ________ place after falling 600 feet. My helmet was broken, and my face was bloodied from cuts.

I ________ my body to see where I was injured. Then I ________ for help, attracting the other climbers. I’d been lying on the ice, shivering, for four hours ________ the rescuers reached me.

The fall has made me more careful but also helped me ________. There was much media attention following the accident; strangers ________ on the videos, saying I’d put others in danger. Dealing with all at such a young age, I felt as if I’d become an adult.

Since the accident, I’ve climbed another 60 mountains. I’m not going to let one ________ keep me from doing my favorite thing in the world.