【推荐1】My father was a self-taught mandolin player. He was one of the best string instrument players in our town. Dad loved to play the mandolin for his families, who enjoyed listening to his play and_______theTennessee Waltz,Hatbor nights,Silver Bells, and so on. Dad was always there,_______his time and efforts to see that his family had_______in their life. If he could give pleasure to others, he_______, especially his families. I had to mature into a man and have children of my own_______I realized how much he had sacrificed.

I_______the United States Air Force in January of 1962. Whenever I come home on_______, I would ask Dad to play the mandolin. He could touch your soul with the_______that came out of that old instrument. He seemed to_______when he was playing you could see his pride in his ability to play so well for his family.

While working at Todd Steel, Dad was__________in an accident. He got the third index finger of his left hand________between two pieces of steel. The doctor who operated________the finger could not save it, and Dad ended up having the tip of the finger________. He didn’t lose enough of the finger,________it wouldn’t stop him picking up anything, but it did________his ability to play the mandolin.

After the accident, Dad would make________for why he couldn’t play. We wore him down and________he said “Okay, but remember, I can’t hold down on the strings________I used to”.________, for the family it didn’t make any__________that Dad couldn’t play as well.

【推荐2】We get out of this world what we put into it. Usually, the rewards are indirect and sometimes hard to ________ but usually what you ________ comes back to you there and then!

Several days ago my stepson, Josh, was preparing for an event. Children like him were going for their first trial (演练) day at secondary school, so that they could ________ what they would meet after the summer holidays.

I was busy when I noticed him   ________ in a pot where we kept pens and pencils. In primary school they use pencils，________ secondary kids get to write with pens. And Josh was looking for a pen. He came out with a(n) ________ pen that was missing a piece off the end. His important day deserved a pen better than that. So I ________   what I was doing and went to the drawer where my favorite pen lived. I would ________ that pen, but this was a special occasion.

“Josh,” I said in a deep, serious voice.“I ________ my pen I like best to you. ________ it well and cherish it.” He smiled and said thanks. Coincidentally, that day was ________ my birthday, but we were just back from a weekend getaway and I wasn’t expecting any more ________. Moments after the pen ceremony, Josh walked to me with a ________ on his face and gave me a pretty packed box. ________ I opened it and it was even more surprised! Inside the box was a beautiful new pen!

Almost like someone had planned it!It is so ________. Give and you will receive!

【推荐3】Work ethic(道德) is important. but I didn’t realize this until I grew up although my dad told me a lot about this. In my memory, the biggest ______ he taught me was about how a person should have a strong work ethic.

When my brother and I were growing up, we mowed (修剪) yards during the summer to ______ our pocket money. Dad seemed to be our ______. He told our neighbors about our service and offered a price they could not ____. My brother and I got $10 per yard. I later found out that our friends were charging $20 for the same ______ of work.

Every time we headed out to mow grass, Dad was there to ______. He stood supervising (监督) our work ______ when he could have been inside ______with air conditioning and an icy drink.

One day we were cutting our next-door neighbor’s yard. She always waited ______ the grass was knee-high to call us over. ______, we had an old grass mower. This particular afternoon, I was finishing up and was ______ and sweaty.

I was just about to cut off the grass mower ______ I saw Dad pointing to one piece of grass. He shouted: “You ______ a piece.”

I frowned, hoping he would let it ______ and let me go home. He kept pointing. So, tired and disappointed, I went back to ______ that piece of grass. I thought to myself: “That one piece isn’t hurting ______. Why does he insist?”

But when I reached adulthood, I understood his ______: When you’re running a business, the work you do ______ a great deal about you. If you want to be seen as an entrepreneur (企业家) with ______, you must deliver a quality product. That single piece of ______ meant the job was not done.

【推荐1】I live on Canada’s west coast and my son lives on its east coast. He has visited his mother and me a number of times and we have visited him there with some ______. We also talk online each week. However, because of Covid-19 travel restrictions and the long ______ between us, we hadn’t seen him ______ for more than two years. His mother is ill so we had talked about a possible future visit with him coming to us but nothing had been decided yet.

Then, one day, there was a knock at the door and when I opened it, in walked my son carrying a pot of flowers. He hadn’t told us he was coming and seeing him was a wonderful ______ and I was in tears.

I think that, as parents we tend to think of our children as being young and being in need of ______ even when they have reached adulthood. ______, though, the ______ appearance of my son and his month-long visit let me see him in a whole new light. My wife needs a lot of ______ these days and our son stepped up to help. There were some repairs and he helped to make them happen. He is a homeowner and is therefore skilled at fixing and ______ the things. He helped to prepare food, to help his mother get ______ when she had to move around, to make some repairs that I had been ______ and, in general, he took from me a(n) ______ I was carrying. I found I was working under his direction because of his outstanding skill. Through it all I could work shoulder to shoulder with this ______, confident man that I loved and admired. It was a wonderful and surprising experience.

My son left recently for his home and again I was in tears but it was ______ somehow. When he arrived I was crying because I was so happy to see him and so ______ to have someone help me take care of his mother. When he left, I shed tears of pride that such a wonderful person is my son and he honors me by calling me “dad”.

【推荐2】Two years ago, Dubuque, Iowa, started its first annual “Back to School Bash” programme. It offered needy families an opportunity to learn about free _____ in the community. Holmes decided to _____ by providing help to kids. He was _____ two jobs at the time, one of which was working as a barber. Saturday was his _____ day, but he chose to _____ his time and gave free haircuts to lower­class kids on condition that the kids should _____ their free haircut by having to read a book to him.

The idea was so _____ that he continued it for the next two years. Many kids would _____ a favourite book, settle into the barber chair, and read aloud _____ Holmes was doing their hair. After the haircut, they'd review the book, from the ______ and vocabulary to the themes—just like in school, only more fun.

Holmes, who is married ______ two sons, recognizes that not every parent has the time to ______ with their kids. So he hopes to offer some ______ in this way. And he admits he, ______， benefits from doing that.

There was a seven­-year-­old kid who ______ stuttered(结巴) over words while reading. He had the boy take the book home and ______. When the child came back a few days later, he read it with no problems. That ______ Holmes to do more.

Holmes and his family have recently moved to a Chicago suburb. When they get ______， he plans to restart his ______ as the Storybook Barber. “Today's world is full of guns and violence，” he says, “The barbershop is a ______   place for the kids to come and read books.”

【推荐3】I recently gave up driving. I_________my test last year, but I stopped_________when I turned 90. I thought that it was finally the_________time.

Needless to say, my family was _________ —they didn't have to have "that talk" with me. My doctor was glad too. Like diagnosing（诊断）an incurable illness,   _________away a senior's driving license is probably one of the_________things he must try hard to do. _________my wife passed away years ago, I made this decision alone. I knew I couldn't _________ as well as I used to. My_________ was getting worse, and I couldn't see clearly. It hurt to turn my head when driving backward, and I was __________after very long shopping trips.

As I__________the keys of the car to my son, I thought of all the cars my wife and I had owned over the years. A car is freedom, __________and an extension of your personality. Without one, you feel like__________of a person.

I have a son who lives close by and we shop together at least once a week. My neighbors also__________me ride, but the idea of being dependent on other people after a __________ of independence is hard to get used to.

I've learned to__________. With my own __________, I once could go anywhere. But now, my physical condition gets worse and I __________plan ahead for everything. No more driving out quickly for milk or bread or last-minute afternoon drives.

Giving up driving is hard, and some of us never __________the loss. For me, however, it was __________ the end result of a long and lucky life.

【推荐1】Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. They don’t _________ in the romantic ways that I read in books or see on TV, and “I love you" is too _________ for them to say.

One day, my mother was _________ a quilt. I silently sat beside her and said, “Mom, I have _________.”

“What?" she replied, still doing her work. "Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low_________My mother stopped her work and raised her head with_________ in her eyes. She didn’t answer immediately. I was in a great_________ and worried that I had hurt her.

But_________ my mother said, “Susan, look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of the time it_________ in the quilt.   It makes the quilt strong and durable （耐用的）. If life is a quilt, love should be a____________. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there. ”

I couldn’t understand her ____________ until the next spring. Suddenly, my father got sick ____________. My mother had to ____________ with him in the hospital for a month.

After they were back, every day my mother helped my father____________ slowly on the country road. It seemed they were the most harmonious____________.

The doctor had said my father would ____________ in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. ____________ him, I asked him one day, “Dad, how are you feeling now?” “Susan, don’t worry about me, ” he said gently. “I just like walking with your mom. ” ____________his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.

Once I thought love meant flowers, ____________and sweet kisses. But now, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is____________ , strong and warm.