【推荐2】When I was nine my greatest desire in life was to own a pogo stick（弹簧单高跷）. I thought that if I ______ the pogo stick surely the circus would want to ______ me for my incredible skills, so I could help my parents make our life   ______.

When Christmas season ______ around I told my mother that the only thing I wanted was a pogo stick. My mother ______ it was too expensive and that we simply couldn’ t ______ one. On a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks before Christmas, my mom and dad said to me we needed to go to the bank to pay for our ______ bill. After my mother and I were at the ______ paying the bill, my dad came walking out from a tool store with a long thin ______. I remembered wondering at that very moment ______ it was a pogo stick in that box.

The Christmas morning was great and disappointing. After all the wrapping paper was ______, I got some nice gifts but didn’ t get the one that I really wanted. Inside the box was a ______ old broom! Suddenly, my dad said he needed to tend to something in the kitchen. When he came back in, he was ______ my beautiful pogo stick. I couldn’ t believe it, how they were able to ______ the money for it and why they ______ me with the broom. I was so ______ that I couldn’ t let the pogo stick out of my ______.

That was many years ago and I still cherished（珍藏）those Christmas ______. Although we didn’ t have much ______, my parents gave me the most important gift of all, full of ______.

【推荐3】Most brides are angry when they are outshone at their own wedding. For Brenna Klemen, however, she would not have it any other way.

When Brenna married Brock Kendall back in April, she knew she _________ her 83-year-old grandmother to play a _________ role in the wedding. “Grandma was very _________,” Brenna said. “She was almost in tears because she wanted to make sure she did OK on my special day.”

On the actual wedding day, Grandma did more than just OK, as she _________ stole the show! All _________ was on her as she walked down the aisle (过道), and the _________ moment was captured (拍摄) by wedding _________ Thomas Felts in images that have since _________ rapidly.

“Every time she threw more petals (花瓣) in the air, our family cheered loudly and happily,” Brenna said, adding that all of her wedding guests _________. This was a wedding that __________ nobody in attendance will ever __________!

While everyone loved the moment, nobody was __________ than Brenna’s grandfather, who told the photographer, “That’s my flower girl.”

“I have __________ that life is too short for us to think about the negatives. As my grandmother would say __________ is a choice,” Brenna said. “She is my inspiration, and I hope that she can inspire you too.”

We’re so glad to see that Brenna got the wedding of her dreams, with a little __________ from her grandma!

【推荐1】Last month we bought tickets in Wonderful Tour to Luang Prabang. So the _______ was waiting for us at 8: 40 in the morning in front of our guest-house. The minibus was not very _______, but we got to Luang Prabang rather quickly, with only one _______ for the restroom.

We _______ a room in A Tee Guesthouse but when we came, the owner wanted to give us the room on the first floor, The room on the first floor was dark and _______ bad. We asked for another room on the second floor, but he said that all other rooms _______ not $ 16 but $ 20.The owner spoke almost no English, _______ I didn't like him as well as the room he wanted to give us, so we _______ and left the guesthouse.

It was afternoon and we didn't know what to do. We didn't like to _______ for the hotels on the spot, but ________ we found a very nice B&.B guest-house, not far away from A Tee Guesthouse, for the same _______ but much better.

The room was very ________ with a best hot shower in Laos, free coffee and tea. It is ________ 15 minutes from the night market and city centre. We were the only ________ in this guesthouse for the first two nights, but then new guests checked in and it turned out that the room was not soundproof(隔音的), but it is ________ a very good place to stay! First we planned to stay there for one night, but then we made up our minds to stay there for all nights.

【推荐2】Last summer,I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—a-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I_________all the necessary stuff—_________the guidebook.

To be honest, I find the guidebook_________ a journey—like a bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do._________she doesn’t always know what’s best. Experience has taught me that there is a clear distinction between a tourist and a traveler.

While waiting in a queue to see Michelangelo’s Statue of David in Florence, I met a man who showed me his_________of “Top 20 Things to do in Italy” and told us_________that he’d “seen” everything Italy has to offer in just four days.

The problem 1 had with this man’s way of travelling was that he was too focused on_________ the boxes provided by his guidebook. He was_________in the so-called “must-sees” and blind to all that was happening somewhere else.

So, guidebook-less as we were, my companion and I traveled to Estonia. Arriving for no good reason, we had no option but to_________some friendly faces for advice. We chatted happily, which resulted in an invitation to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where we enjoyed a wonderful sauna(桑拿), locally picked forest-mushrooms and the good__________of our five new-found Estonian friends, we sure were glad we had left our bossy aunt a home.

【推荐3】A year ago I went through one of the most difficult times in my life. I had ______ all my business within a month. I chose a less crowded area for tourists to see if I could gain my ________ in life again. I booked a day trip to see the ________. I sat in a little motor boat with 5 other people to see the whales.

We __________ saw a couple of water spouts（水柱）, which our guide said were whales. To my amazement, all of a sudden, one __________ right in front of my face. Everyone __________ to take pictures of her under the water __________ she swam away. She looked me right in the eye. I __________out to touch her. She stayed out of the water long enough for me to __________ her. It was an amazing feeling. Then she swam away. A little later, the guide _________ that two whales were coming close to the boat. It was my new friend with her baby. It was __________ to see how she pushed her baby towards our boat. She was bringing her baby to __________ me!

On the trip back everyone was ________ talking about the experience. The guide told us that only once before had he witnessed a whale allowing __________ to touch it. Why did this happen? I have no ________ for why she chose me for the special advantage. Maybe the mother whale __________ my sadness. She helped me to see the light, __________ I was in a very dark place.

That __________ meeting paved the way for me to put life back into perspective(远景). That huge beautiful creature made me __________ that despite the obstacles(障碍) life puts in your way, there is always an opportunity for a new __________.

You must never give up.

【推荐2】The 70-year-old man was pushing a cart (手推车) around a Chicago neighborhood. But now, thanks to some ________ customers and the kindness that spread widely, he may finally have the opportunity to enjoy ________.

Rosario Del Real had been working as a carpenter (木匠) from home. ________ an injury forced him to take a break from his ________. He started to sell paletas (冰棍) to neighbors.

Rosario ________ his traditional suit and cowboy hat whenever he sells his ________ treats.

It may have been a ________ for dads across America, but for Rosario, it was “another day at work”, ________ his paleta cart around the neighborhood. Since Oscar Gonzalez and his friend Victor Dominguez were ________ a Father’s Day barbecue party for their families, they ________the paleta salesman to join them.

They formed friendships with each other quickly, and ________, they decided to buy all of the paletas in Rosario’s cart so that he could go home and rest.

One of their friends ________ a video of the heartwarming sale and ________ it on the social sharing app TikTok. The video drew attention from the ________, and then the family set up a fundraiser to help Rosario retire.

The original goal was to ________ $10,000 for their new friend, but ________ people from all over the world ended up ________ more than $62,000. ________ learning that his new friend had ________ a huge sum of money for his retirement, Rosario said he was moved to tears by their kindness — although he was ________ to have the opportunity to work.

【推荐3】When our girls are brave, they are free to explore in their learning and in life. That exploration leads to the _________ of their talents, passions and weaknesses. On Saturday night we saw one of our students act so bravely that it took my _________ away.

One of the lead characters of our show, Blue Stockings, was played by a science teacher, Ben Walker._________, Ben broke his nose very badly playing football on Saturday and consequently couldn’t perform. Ella Jones, an eleventh-grade student and part of the cast, who _________ to rest on Saturday, was _________ to play Ben’s role.

Think about that. She had three hours’ notice, playing a role of a _________ she had never played before, in front of a paying audience, and if she couldn’t _________, she would reduce the impact of the whole play. Not the end of the world, but it would be _________ for all concerned.

I would have _________, but Ella rose to the __________.She said, “I was astonished;__________, I figured the show must go on and I wanted to __________. I wasn’t scared until I arrived at the theatre and realised how much there was to __________. It wasn’t just about lines, but it was the stagecraft（舞台表演技巧）.”

Asked how the show __________, Ella said, ‘‘It was amazing, and the audience seemed to love the male character I played for the first time.” She added, “Just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you can’t be __________. Anyway, I made it.”