【推荐1】Once there was a circle that was missing a piece. A large triangular wedge(三角形楔子) had been________. The circle wanted to be whole with nothing missing, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But because it was________, it could roll only very slowly. As it rolled slowly, it________the flowers along the way. It________with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of different pieces, but________of them could fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching. Then one day the circle found a________that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be________, with nothing missing. It took the missing piece into itself and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice the flowers or talk to the worms.

To some________, we are more whole when we are missing something. The man who has everything is in some ways a(n)________man. He will never know________it feels like to hope with the dream of something better. There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with(接纳) his________, who has been brave enough to let go his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and then________, who can lose someone and________feel like a complete person.

When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and________it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only long for. We can achieve a fulfillment that any other living creature will________know.

【推荐2】At my daughter's recent graduation，a speaker kept repeating，“You can do anything with a degree in philosophy.” To that, I thought you can do anything with the right _________.

I didn't have a _________ job until I was 27. When I was hired, I was basically _________ . My car had broken down. I was living with two other people and sleeping on a couch. My family and friends thought I was going _________ .

I didn't feel that way though. I wasn't doing well _________ . Sure，friends of mine got married and bought houses. But neither of those choices _________ me. Taking the road _________ traveled is part of being an entrepreneur（创业者）. I wanted to _________ my dream, which was to work with my hands and be creative. I wanted to be my own boss.

At the time, I was _________ toy animals and selling them at street fairs. It wasn't easy, but I stayed true to myself. I was __________ and hard-working. I know those were the qualities that led me to get __________ at my first job. So don't give up hope.

One Sunday, I read an article about a toy company called Worlds of Wonder. I knew I could make a better teddy bear than the one they were __________ , although I had designed just a few cuddly toys for another company. The next day, I visited the company's offices in person and told them they needed me. To my surprise, they __________ to interview me. Because they could tell I was enthusiastic.

Many of us don't __________ new things because we're sure we don't have the skills. But from my experience, it's far more __________ to have the right attitude. Almost everything can be taught. Are you a ready and willing student?

【推荐3】When I was growing up, I had an old neighbour named Dr Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never _________ at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.

When Dr Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a _________.

The good doctor had some _________ theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional (传统的) wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants _________ them so that each following tree generation would grow _________. So you have to make things _________ for them and weed out (淘汰) the weaker trees early on.

He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots _________ water. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be _________.

Dr Gibbs _________ a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re extremely tall, big since they have deep __________ now. However, the trees in my garden __________ in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.

It seemed that difficulties benefited these trees in ways __________ never could. I stood there deep __________.

Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the __________ and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think it’s time to change my prayer because now I know my children are going to encounter __________.

【推荐2】A few years ago I was working part time at a local ice cream shop. While _______ an elderly woman a hot fudge sundae (圣代冰淇淋) at the drive-through window, I couldn’t help _______ her car, because I was just inches from her face. I _______ that she had a basket of what appeared to be purple tomatoes.

As I gave her the sundae, I said, “Those tomatoes look delicious! What _______ are they?” She smiled so _______that I thought she was about to laugh, but instead she replied. “Here, have some!” Within seconds I had a _______ of purple tomatoes.

“Oh, no, you _______ give me any!” I said. Those tomatoes looked expensive. “Here, have more,” she _______, and I had six of the prettiest tomatoes I had _______ seen. I weakly tried to say, “Really, you didn’t have to give me any,________ I appreciate it.

The woman smiled again and ________, “They belong to a rare type. So they aren’t like the one, you get in the grocery store. I hope you enjoy them.” I said “Thank you” again, and she ________ off.

About two weeks later, my ________ at the ice cream store sent me a message: “I want to let you know that your gardener dropped off a box of ________ for you. Please come and get them.”________, I texted, “My gardener?” That night my boss showed me the ________. I opened it and inside were tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans. I was ________, feeling greatly surprised. Why was this woman being so ________?

I never saw her again, but to this day her act of kindness inspires me to ________ my garden plants with anyone who likes or needs them.________, all I expect is just a “Thank you”. Better yet, pay it forward and be someone else’s secret gardener.

【推荐3】My 85-year-old mother came to live with me a year ago last November. She was very ill and I had to put my life on hold to _______ her.

Each morning, I got her up and _______ her and made her breakfast, and sat with her. I rushed for a bowl when she felt sick, and lit fires to keep her warm. I cooked and _______ her to take a few bites.

It’s a hard job looking after a sick or dying parent, whoever you are. But it was _______ hard for me, a doctor myself. I couldn’t help treating her in two different ways. The medical professional in me led me to examine her in _______ as if she were my patient. As a _______ , I saw the woman who had given birth to me, wiped my nose, sent me to college and had been _______ presence in my life for over half a century.

Also, my mother didn’t _______ my hard work or understand that other people’s help could have _______ the burden.

None of the treatments her doctors gave her ________ , and finally her life became about comfort. When finally she accepted the painkillers, she accepted the fact that she would ________ .

Illness and need took us across personal boundary I’d never before considered. We used to argue a lot, ________ during this time we shared stories and memories and we became ________ .

When the ________ came, we accepted the fact that we looked at the world in different ways, but what ________ was that we loved each other.

【推荐1】Very often, it seems that the athletes we watch on TV effortlessly win the game. However, it’s _______to remember that things don’t always go their way. At one time or another, everyone has a bad game or becomes _______. Here two top athletes tell us about a time when they had to _______back and what they _______from the experience.

Maya Moore was a member of the U.S. women’s basketball team that won gold at the Olympics in 2012.” My team was playing at the national championships when I was 13. I could not hit a _______during the whole game. We _______and I felt like I let my team down. I was extremely _______. My mom helped me see that my _______does not define who I am. She helped me realize that it is how I respond to difficult times that _______. I learned to bounce back from ________times in life.”

Swimmer Natalie Coughlin has ever won 12 Olympic gold medals.” By the time I was 16, I had already ________for years to qualify(具有资格)for the Olympic team. ________, I tore a muscle in my shoulder, which meant I had to temporarily ________my goal. It made me hardly wish to ________because swimming was my whole world.The injury ________me to seek things outside of swimming, like friendships and hobbies. It helped me realize that swimming was not life and death.”

【推荐2】Sandy Freel has a disease of the eyes. “The doctor says I will be_______ within five years,” said Sandy. Recently, she also_______ her husband. She started a little free library _______ her husband, as they both loved to read.

One day, while walking in her neighborhood, Sandy_______an old bench (长凳) that she thought would make a nice addition to her _______. When she asked the gentleman who_______the bench if it was for sale, the man_______and told her that his wife who had passed away used to sit on it, drinking coffee and reading books.

Sandy_______ understood why he was unwilling to give it up and told him her story, saying if he ever changed his _______, she would love to buy it so that people would sit on it while reading in her library.

__________by Sandy’s story, the gentleman told her that he would __________it that Sunday so that he could also stop at her library to sit when he walked his dog. They both had__________in their eyes. “Now we both have a place to sit and__________our loved ones,” said Sandy.

After her husband’s death, Sandy had lived a__________life and she kept to herself most of the time. However, after starting her library, she had a new __________again.

“I don’t worry about whether any of the books will be __________ or not,” said Sandy, “because they are gifts to people who may feel__________and need a lift that day.” Even the local trash man__________from the library, often leaving behind candies to show his __________.

“I would__________anyone to stop by and experience the joy of books,” Sandy said.

【推荐3】Bobby, a poor guy was famous for his tries to climb the big snowy mountain. He had tried at least 30 times, but had always ____. Every time, he began the climbing at a good pace. But as he went on, he would look down at his painful ____ more often. Finally when the clouds had gathered round him, he understood that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the view from the top.

Last month, he went up the ____ with Peeper, who gave him a pair of special sunglasses. “If it starts clouding over, put these ____ on, or if your feet start hurting, put them on too. These are special glasses; they will help you.” Bobby ____ the gift without thinking much, but when his feet started ____ again, he remembered what Peeper had said and he put on the glasses. The pain was pretty bad, but with those new sunglasses he could still manage to continue. This time the ____ were so light that he could still see the top through them. And so Bobby kept climbing, leaving the clouds behind, forgetting his ____, and finally arriving at the top. It was certainly worth it.

Peeper had drawn a light ____ on the lenses (镜片), in the form of the snow-covered mountain top. It was made in such a way that you could only ____ it if you looked upwards. Peeper had understood that whenever Bobby lost sight of his ____, he would similarly lose sight of his dream, and his ____ to continue would weaken.

Bobby realized that the only difficulty of reaching the top had been his own ____. When he could no longer see the top of the mountain, the problems ____. He thanked Peeper for using that little ____ to help him see that his aims were not impossible, and that they were still there, where they had always been.