【推荐1】When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance, the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not ________ Too often it is viewed as mere entertainment, but certainly not an _______ priority (最重要的事). This view is shortsighted._______ , music education is _______ and important to all students.

Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of human beings who _______ it, it reflects their thinking and values,_______ the social environment it came from. Rock music shows a _______ just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their _______ is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and _______ . It gives us identity as a society.

Music provides a kind of emotive perception (感知) that can ________ be shown in any other way. Science can just explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts,________ , explore emotive meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and ________ to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.

In exploration of the world, the arts are as ________ as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings “talk” to each other. They are the ________ of civilization through which we ________ our fears, our curiosity, our hunger, our discoveries and our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be ________ with others. When we do not give children access (机会) to an important way of expressing themselves such as music,________ , they miss an effective way to express themselves.

Science and technology do not tell us what it ________ to be human. The arts do. Through music, we express and ________ human suffering, celebration, the meaning and value of peace and love.

So music education is far more necessary than people to ________.

【推荐3】When I was a child, I began learning to play the piano, which was my favourite musical _____, but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school so that I could concentrate more on my studies.

It’s one of my biggest _____ to stop practising the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would _____. However, I didn’t keep my promise because I was occupied with my study. _____ I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been _____ that I never returned. I haven’t taken lessons since then but to be honest, I _____ to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn’t help recalling many memories — times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher _____ me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so _____ that I could hardly say anything. But her _____ helped ease my shame. These memories, ______, good or bad, never caused my courage for playing the piano again.

This thought then led me to think that ______ is like music, and that we all try to play different ______ in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch (音准) ______ when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tune. However, we all continue to create our own ______ style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is important that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn’t ______ that I’ve stopped making music.

【推荐1】The rangoli (印度传统地画艺术) was a giant good-luck charm. Grandma used to make one for the start of the new year. First, she would draw on the floor with chalk. Then, she would fill the drawing with uncooked _________ rice.

This year, Manju was old enough to help. He _________ paper into a cone (圆锥体) and filled it with rice. Side by side, he placed rice across the drawing together with Grandma. Sometimes his rice skittered (轻快地跑跳) outside the drawing; sometimes he used the   _________ color. And sometimes he rubbed away the _______, so Grandma had to redraw it. But _________, the bright swirls of rice were transformed into a beautiful peacock. When Manju admired the peacock, he _______ a small piece of tile(瓷砖) peeking through on Grandma’s side.

A _________? But Grandma was away to answer the telephone. Should he fix it?

“I’ll surprise Grandma!” He decided. He _________ across, trying to reach the gap. Almost. His left leg inched up. There! Suddenly, Manju began to _________. His proud smile vanished. “No!” He crashed down on to the rangoli, scattering rice ____________.

Manju rose to his feet and pushed the rice back. But the colors were __________.When Grandma came back, Manju   __________. He said, “I’m sorry. I should have waited for you.” Grandma shook her head. “You saw a __________ and tried to fix it. I’m proud of you.” They picked up the rice, __________ each grain by color.

Just before nightfall, they finished fixing the rangoli.

Grandma lit candles around the rangoli. In the flickering light, the peacock seemed __________ with mystical powers. Manju smiled. The new year felt full of good luck, thanks to Grandma and him.

【推荐2】The earliest memory I have of my father is one of me as a young boy holding his hand by his two last fingers as we walked together.

As I grew older I remember us listening over a radio to high school ball games together. I would_________how many points each player would score as the game went on. Too small to stay awake for the_______game, I always fell asleep_______the game ended. But the next morning I would find by my pillow the score sheet filled out with the _______score on; it was _______by my father.

In high school I became very interested in athletics. My father would_______all my games. Good _______ in my senior year entitled our football team to the state championship game. The night before, my father_______announced he had to _______ the bread to the stores and the site of the games was a three-hour drive from his route. Back then I wasn’t fully noticing his ________.

The next day as game time approached, I couldn’t help thinking about Dad. Suddenly, I saw a bread truck pulling into the stadium. ________completed, he made the long drive in time to at least see ________of my championship game.

Years later, I was awakened early one morning by a ring at 5:30 A.M. As I ________to answer the phone, I’ll never forget the sound of the sheriff’s voice — my dad had just been killed in an automobile accident on his way to work. It felt as if my heart had been torn away.

For long I tried to remain strong________it and pretended I didn’t care until one day in the playground a little boy walked up to me and grabbed my hand by my last two fingers. I completely lost it — I just let go and cried. And I felt a sense of________.Sometimes you just have to cry and there’s no need to hold back anymore.

【推荐3】Even though it was only October,my students were already talking about Christmas plans. With each passing day everyone became more _______   waiting for the final school bell. As soon as the bell _______ everyone would run for their coats and go home, everyone except David.

David was a small boy in ragged clothes. I had often _______ what kind of home life David had,and what kind of mother could send her son to school dressed so _______ for the cold winter months,without a coat, boots, or gloves. But something made David   _______ I can still remember he was always_______ a smile and willing to help. He always_______after school to straighten chairs and mop the floor. We never talked much. He   _______   just simply smile and ask what else he could do,then thank me for letting him stay and slowly   _______home.

Weeks passed and the________over the coming Christmas grew into restlessness until the last day of ________before the holiday break. I smiled in________as the last of them hurried out the door. Turning around I saw David   ________ standing by my desk.

“I have something for you,” he said and   ________   from behind his back a small box, ________   it to me, he said worriedly, “Open it.” I took the box from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped it. I lifted the lid and to my ________   saw nothing. I looked at David’s smiling face and back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s ________.”

“Oh no it isn’t, said David. “It’s full of love. My mum told me before she died that love is something you couldn’t see or touch unless you know it’s there.”

Tears filled my eyes________I looked at the proud dirty face that I had rarely given________ to. After that Christmas, David and I became good friends and I never forgot the meaning ________ the little empty box set on my desk.

【推荐1】"Nobody can get out of life alive.Therefore,when you have opportunities,be brave and be thankful."Those were _______words said by 18-year-old Jake Bailey,a cancer patient

Bailey was in the leading _______ of the Students' Union.The young man had planned to speak at his high school's end-of-year ceremony on schedule. _______ just the week before,he received shocking _______that he had a fast-growing form of cancer.Doctors said,without_______,he would only have weeks to live,so they didn't _______ him to take part in the event. But Bailey put on his school uniform along with his _______ face and left his hospital bed to give the inspiring speech to his _______.Without doubt,his appearance _______everyone at the ceremony.Sitting in the wheelchair,he began to ________ his ideas.He expressed that a strong-willed person would not easily ________,no matter how hard life was.

At the speech,Bailey encouraged his schoolmates to ________ their time."The future is truly in our hands.________ about having impractical long-term dreams.Let's be ________to short-term goals."He ________,"We don't know where we might end up,or when we will end up,so work with pride on what is ________ us."

When the senior ________ his speech with the school's ________,"Altiora Peto,"which means"I fight for higher things",the entire room burst into cheers.________ Bailey's message was heard loud and clear. Bailey then closed his eyes and________ the words“Thank you”.

【推荐3】When my sister Diane began playing the violin, she was seven. How did she sound? Terrible. But she didn’t ______ . At twelve, she asked our parents if she could ______ a full-time music school. They said no. Actually, everyone agreed that my sister ______ talent.

I was better at my ______ . My teacher had told my parents that I had great ______ . So my parents found the best piano teacher in the area to ______ me. But the only time he was ______ was Saturday afternoons at 3 p. m. Back then, I was ______ about the British TV show The Avengers, which was ______ every Saturday at 3 p. m. I let nothing take up my The Avengers hour. So I ______ this amazing opportunity. Today, I don’t even have a ______ in my house.

My sister became an engineer, but she ______ stopped making music. When she was in her 40s, she switched ______ . She went back to college, got a(n) ______ in music education, and became a music teacher. She starts kids off on their first instrument and gives them all the encouragement and support she never ______ .

Recently, she and a pianist pal put on a recital. A big crowd of friends and families ______ for her. As she played, I looked around at the ______ . Everyone was ______ enjoying the music. It occurred to me that I was the only person who remembered that 7-year-old kid making those ______ sounds and knew how far she had come, despite everything.

Talent is important. But ______ is even more important.