【推荐2】When she was 86, Mom moved to our city. My husband, Kevin, and I found a lovely apartment for her. I was happy to help take care of her ________ she arrived.

The day after she moved in, she called me to ________ about the food at the facility. “The pizza was like rubber. I couldn’t ________ it.” “Mom, you’re complaining to me. Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell someone who can ________the problem?” We hung up. This was only her second day here! And week after week, Mom found more to complain about.

When with my friend Beth, I spent 20 minutes sharing how Mom’s attitude

________ me. “She seems ________. After everything Kevin and I do for her, all we hear is what she doesn’t like.” As the words spilled from my lips, I realized that I’d developed the same ________ of complaining that annoyed me so much in Mom.

I decided to keep a better watch on my ________. Things went fine for a few weeks. But soon I felt powerless to ________ by myself and couldn’t help complaining to Beth about Mom’s ________ again.

A few days later, I received a journal from my friend Torry. On the first page, he had written, “Jeanette, I use such a journal every day to ________ things I’m thankful for.” I wrote three things I was grateful for. ________ filled my heart. Maybe this was it. It was a joyous ________ that helped me overcome the complaining—Gratitude.

Over the next few months, as I continued, I noticed little things I’d ________. Life was handing out gift after gift, including Mom, complaints and all. I couldn’t change her; I could only________ her.

【推荐2】Everyone in the office knew Paula or Nancy was going to get the job as Bill’s secretary. In fact, Bill wanted to ________ the matter before leaving town.

The two girls could see him from their desks outside his office. If he ________ the left button, Paula’s pulse would begin to beat faster.

“Did you ________ for the tickets?” he asked.

“I got the tickets all right,” Nancy answered, “but…but there just aren’t any staterooms left.” She ________ as hard-boiled as a white kitten.

The boss was certainly ________. “Suppose I try it?” Paula suggested quickly and called the ticket agent. “Listen,” she said, “I don’t care whose reservations you have to ________...”

A month ago, they were both in line for a(an) ________. The job as Bill’s secretary was worth ________. There was the salary; there were the ________... perfume, flowers, business, an appealing boss.

Smart Paula didn’t need any lessons when it came to office ________. She was always busy when someone of little importance wanted his material ________. “Sorry. Why not ask Nancy?”

Nancy just didn’t seem to know any ________ which made Paula more popular with the ________. Paula was never too busy for Bill’s work, ________.

When the light at Paula’s desk went on, she quickly ________ up her notebook and an envelope on her desk and got inside Bill’s office. She handed him the envelope containing ________ sets of tickets in a businesslike way. “Don’t forget the time, 8:15,” she said. Bill smiled and put the envelope ________ in his inside pocket.

Then Paula was told she was going to have a new job. He ________ the salary, too. He didn’t neglect to refer to the salary. How ________ she felt for Nancy.

But Nancy didn’t look sorry, and neither did Bill. He told Paula that Nancy wasn’t made for the job ________, and that he and Nancy were leaving on their honeymoon tonight. Tonight at 8:15.

【推荐3】While visiting India, Mrs. Packletide made up her mind to kill a tiger. Loona Bimberton, a woman Mrs. Packletide ________, had recently gone on a tiger hunt in Africa. Loona was boasting (自夸) about it to everyone, even though she came home ________. Loona received much ________ because of the hunt. Mrs. Packletide was very jealous (嫉妒的). She wanted to do better than Loona and be the first to kill a ________.

Mrs. Packletide ________ 1,000 rupees (卢比) to anyone who could help her kill a tiger. Soon enough, the residents of a small village ________. They managed to trap a very old tiger within the neighboring forest.

Mrs. Packletide and her assistant, Miss Mebbin, waited for the tiger to come. One villager even tied a sheep to a tree as bait (诱饵). Finally, the tiger ________. It moved slowly but ________ came close enough to the sheep. Bam! Mrs. Packletide ________ her gun, and the tiger ________.

The villagers, Mrs. Packletide, and Miss Mebbin all went to ________ the tiger’s body. That’s when Miss Mebbin noticed something ________. It was actually the sheep that was shot. The tiger seemed to have been scared by the loud gunshot and died from a ________! But they all agreed to pretend that Mrs. Packletide had shot the tiger.

Everyone back home in England was ________ with Mrs. Packletide and her dead tiger. Her name was mentioned everywhere. The tiger hunt was an absolute ________! And best of all, Loona was very jealous.

【推荐1】When I was born, one of my shoulders was higher than the other. _________ I was disabled.

The bullying(欺凌) started in the first grade. Everyone _________ it’s funny that my neck was so small. The days in school were _________ for me. Children laughed at me for “ not having a _________ ” almost every day. The emotional pain was _________ . I would come home from school and cry myself to _________ most nights. Later, my parents put me in karate(空手道) to build my confidence and to be able to _________ myself. They also inspired me to write to release the _________ I was under.

These gave me the _________ I needed to partially feel at peace. I started writing poetry to express my __________ and took part in poetry contests. When I was in the eighth grade, bullying __________ . Everyone began to admire me.

All the hardship and pain I’ve experienced would __________ a regular person, but I feel like my purpose on earth is to __________ every barrier in my life. I’ve been through __________ but with the help of family and friends, I __________ it.

My story is yet to end but I think it’s important to __________ my experiences because there may be kids out there who are __________ the same problems. I want to tell them things will be better one day if you __________ it. I want to tell them love yourself no matter what other people say, because if you don’t, then they’ll be __________ .

I hope my story can __________ them.

【推荐2】I’m sitting impatiently in our dusty car looking out. My travel buddy, Lucas, having taken in enough of the ________ , has gone to speak with someone from one of the nearby tourist souvenir huts. After ages, he walks towards me, ________some sausages, hot water, a new cowboy hat, and a big grin on his face. “We’re giving a man a ________ ,” he tells me.

The idea seems ________but somehow safe, given that there are two of us and Lucas is a ________   to the country. How exciting to create an opportunity to meet people that you wouldn’t have met ________ .

Now,as I look at Lucas’ new friend, I see a different kettle of fish. Michael is big. I mean really BIG. I watch in the side mirror as Michael ________towards the car. In his right boot is a big knife, pushed far enough in that only the handle and the base of the blade poke out. A knife!

I would normally be alert to this ________ stranger now sitting in the back of my vehicle. However, with Lucas now eagerly ________ with him in a language I barely understand, I’m trying to let myself ________ . Then Lucas loosely translates the conversation they’re having as Michael proudly ________ his knife, explaining that he uses it for everything: opening bottles, picking his teeth, castrating his cows.

Gradually, my___ towards our new stranger grows as he persistently tries to communicate with me, ________the mood of the car. Twenty minutes down winding mountain roads and we reach Michael’s house, where we are invited to have a meal with his ________ . Later that day, we leave the house without taking any contact details from Michael. There is an unspoken understanding that this________friendship is enough.