【推荐1】Growing up, I always hid my thumbs in my fists because of their unusual shape. _________ they do look more like a big toe（脚趾）_________ a thumb. And from an early age, my thumbs _________ another name “toe thumbs” .

In high school, I served as a cashier in a grocery store. One day, I was _________ a sweet little old lady and as I _________ her change back to her, she suddenly took my hands and said in a thick Polish _________, “You are Polish! Look at those _________ Polish thumbs! They match mine!” She raised her hands and _________ her thumbs to me that _________ weathered and wrinkled, looked exactly like mine! She __________ my hands again and said, “Be __________ of those thumbs!”

I’ll never forget that 30-second __________ with a stranger that forever __________ my view of a part of me I once was __________ by and now accept. As I was eating dinner with my Samuel tonight, he looked down at my hand __________ on the table next to his and said, “Mommy! Our thumbs __________!” I smiled and answered, “Yes, they do, buddy! Those are strong Polish __________ you have! Take pride in them! Maybe someday you’ll have a little boy or girl who will have the same thumbs!” I __________ my son never hides his thumbs like I did. I hope he’ll be proud of their “unusualness” and the __________ behind them. He carries on a(n) __________ part of me and that for me will always be beautiful!

【推荐2】I guess I was spoiled at first.I was an only child,_________ by all relatives.Up until I was eight years old,life was _________.Then along came Grant and everything _________. 

Grant is my little brother.He was born a month earlier,so he needed a lot of extra _________.My parents still _________ me,but I was no longer the centre of the universe.I was angry about the change.And at first,I was also _________ with Grant. 

Fortunately,Grant didn’t cause any real _________ in his growth.Gradually,he developed the habit of _________ himself to me.My parents want me to be _________ to him,but I found him totally annoying.By the time I became a teenager,he was,at five,my shadow,__________ me around,copying my every move,and asking endless questions. 

Still,in spite of my unhappiness towards him,I began to __________ the time we spent together. 

As time went on,we developed connections and partnership,becoming more __________.Grant stopped asking to go along on dates with me,and I set aside time to go fishing with him.He cheered me on at my soccer games,and I __________ to coach his T-ball team.He became less __________ and more of a buddy.I became more patient,more able to __________ and more likely to accept the unconditional love he __________. 

Today I am happy to say that Grant and I are a __________.We have already __________ how he will come to visit me when I am in college.It will be hard to be __________,but I know that we will always be close,if not in age or distance,we will be close in the long journey shared by __________.

【推荐2】Survival in the Andes

On October 13,1972, a small plane crashed into a mountain in the Andes. How some of the passengers_______ to live is one of the greatest survival stories ever told.

The survivors_______ inside the remains (残骸) of the plane, and waited for a _______ that never came. It was urgent to find a way to _______. Three of the passengers — Canessa, Parrado and Vizintin — volunteered to _______ through the mountains to search for help. The three men _______ that they would survive and bring back help.

For part of the first day, they were glad to make some _______. But as the land and weather changed, climbing became _______. After several days, they reached what they thought was the top. They had _______ this moment for days. On the other side of the top, they hoped, would be a ________ leading down and out of the mountains. However, they saw the same snow-covered tops. All hope wasn’t lost. Parrado ________two low tops far away that didn’t have snow.________ they could get there, they would be out of the Andes.

Within the following days they walked toward the two low tops. “This is the valley,” Canessa said. “This is the way ________.”   By December 21, the extremely ________ men made it to the town of Los Maitenes, and a rescue team was sent to ________ for the survivors.

Finally all of the remaining survivors were saved.

【推荐3】The ambulance driver, Mr. Goodman, turned on his siren and flashing light, and started speeding towards the nearest hospital, fighting ______ time. Inside were the ______ parents, Mr. and Mrs. Black, the mother holding their baby daughter, Marley. The little girl had some food ______ in her throat and could hardly breathe. The ______ ahead of him pulled out of the way ______ Mr. Goodman drove through the busy traffic. From the back of the ambulance the parents were shouting at him to hurry, since Marley had almost stopped breathing. In front of him, he saw some traffic lights, with the red “STOP” light shining. Mr. Goodman knew that he had no time to ______, so he drove straight past the traffic lights.

Coming towards him from his right was a taxi. The driver had the windows ______, since the car was air-conditioned, and he was playing his radio. He did not hear the ambulance. The lights were green, so he drove straight on into the part of the ambulance.

Mr. Goodman tried to stop his ambulance but it was too ______. It hit the taxi. ______ was shaken but no one was hurt. Mr. Goodman looked to see how little Mariey was. He was astonished to see relief instead of ______ on the faces of the parents.

“Look!” cried Mrs. Black. “She is ______ again.

“It ______ have been the crash,” said her husband. “It ______ the food out of her throat.”

The baby’s color was turning to ______, and she was crying in loud but healthy voice. They were all joyful, and quite ______ about the accident, the taxi and the lines of cars all around them.

【推荐3】When I was in elementary school, I entered an Easter card design contest. The_______ was supposed to get 200 dollars as a reward and his or her design would be made into an actual Easter_______. I was so _______ that I didn't even realize I never got the dollars _______to me by the game organizer or _______ my card in stores. It was _______ but I was just happy to have won such a contest, my first one in effect. _______, I really enjoyed making the card, so_______ weren't that important. I realize that playing to win will always leave me feeling empty. Life is a lot more_______ if we play games for fun rather than victory.

Later on, I entered another contest. All I had to do was color a picture. This was what I loved to do: display my __________ in something others could enjoy. Luck __________ me, and I managed to win once more. When I saw the prize, a pair of paper glasses, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. __________, if I were to find those same glasses now, I would think they counted for nothing.

Then, I started to enter contests with no prize, such as the lottery. I no longer minded__________ because the event itself was meaningful. The key to happiness is to put less thought into the__________ but more focus on making the journey unforgettable.

       In most of my experiences, the results didn't__________ my expectations because I idealized them. I just need to remember what my earliest contests have__________ me. Now my goal is to enter college, but I am not striving for good grades so that I can gain __________. Education is about learning, not just a necessary __________ to the next stage in my life. I'm studying hard __________ I' m eager to learn, and the__________ follow. I'll do my best to make college worth the struggle it requires.