【推荐2】When I look back, I can’t help feeling grateful and blessed. Twelve years ago, I arrived alone in Central Florida from Puerto Rico. I had heard of a job opportunity and decided to ________ it. But it never became a ________.

Once my limited ________ ran out, I became homeless and spent a year and a half living on the streets of Orlando. For the first time, I, who had lived a ________ life in a middle class family, understood the ________ someone feels when they don’t get enough to eat. I clearly remembered ________ a distance on many occasions just to make it to a local feeding program before they ________ at 7 pm.

________, local programs like the Coalition for the Homeless, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Wayne Densch Center helped me ________ my painful experience.

With the ________ of these programs, I was accepted by a college scholarship program through the Coalition and ________ two degrees from Valencia.

My experience ________ me to the fact that help meant everything to people in need and inspired me to be ________ helping others. Today, I am employed as Childhood Hunger Programs Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank and oversee the summer ________ programs. I am so proud to be able to ________ food resources to those in need and help hundreds more like me.

【推荐3】Not long ago as I stood in the security line at Los Angeles International Airport, I couldn’t help but notice the family in front of me.

Obviously, the mother got her hands full, _________ with her 8-year-old son, as well as a baby daughter in a stroller (婴儿车). _________, she was pulling a car seat and two backpacks. As they waited their _________, I noticed the boy kept trying to go _________ the rope barrier. This mother _________ instructed him to stop several times, never losing her _________.

When she was ready to get the baby out of the stroller to _________ the security scanner, the boy pushed past the rope barrier and into the _________ area, causing a security guard to come over and loudly _________ him.

The mother stepped between her son and the security guard and promised it ________ happen again. It became obvious that this young boy had some __________ needs. After the security guard encounter(遭遇), he covered his ears and dropped to the floor in a small ball. Without __________, this mother knelt down and spoke __________ but firmly to her son, __________ that he would get in very big __________ with the security guard if he crossed the line again. Then she __________ and kissed him on the forehead before standing up to once again undo her baby from the stroller.

I wanted to step in and __________, and just as I was about to offer my assistance, that mother was motioned (提醒) forward to go through the security scanner. I think everyone in line breathed a sigh of __________ as she made it through security on the very first try.

That amazing mother looked after both of her children, dealing with the __________ situation with grace, dignity and love. If they had medals for motherhood, she surely __________ one in just those 15 minutes that I observed her.

【推荐1】As a businesswoman, I care deeply about my customers. But like anyone for whom you feel affection, _________ can also drive you mad. They’ll come rushing in, _________ their handbag’s been stolen. They’ll _________ that they left it in the changing room, create chaos (混乱) and then _________ it has been in their car all the time. I do know how upset the shop staff can get, but I try to persuade them to keep _________.

I remember the first really _________ customer we had at Covent Garden. She was _________ absolutely everything, nothing was right and I was rather surprised that she became a “regular”. After a while, she _________ for the way she behaved at the beginning. She had split up with her husband the week before, was living in a flat by herself, and since she’d found it too much to cope with(应对), she’d taken it out on other people.

That taught me a valuable _______ and I pass it on to the people who ________ in the market. Don’t take it ________. If a customer is rude or difficult, just think “Maybe she’s had a row with her husband. Maybe her child’s not ________.” Always water it down and don’t let your ego (自我) get ________. If you do, you won’t be able to ________ it and the whole thing develops into an unpleasant scene and that ________everyone’s day.

【推荐3】I’d just gotten out of hospital myself. Five days after my mother passed away, a tire of my car blew. I was going 50mph when I completely lost ______: my car crashed head-on into a concrete barrier. I should have been ______ but fortunately I survived. Physically I healed quickly, but the ______ injuries and fear of my own death stayed on. Soon even ______ activities, like driving a car or visiting my doctor, filled me with great fear. Eventually I fell into a state of ______ and stopped seeing friends. I even didn’t want to go anywhere and feel anything.

Then, last February, I was invited by my friends to go ______ in Colorado. My first response was to ______. I didn’t want to get on a plane, fasten sticks on my feet or slide down a mountain. The mere thought of meeting new people ______ me. But I had a sense that this journey might be the brilliant sunlight I ______ needed. I finally agreed.

The first day, I was ______ with Peter, an experienced coach. He sensed my fear, patiently removing it with a smile and jokes. I was absolutely terrified of ______ myself, but his gentle encouragement kept me going. Then he said something that made me nod in recognition, “Jill, fear ______ everything.” Peter was talking about skiing, about how your muscles ______ when you are afraid, often causing you to fall. And it’s particularly true in life as well. When you permit fear to prevent you from doing what you love, life stops. With Peter’s words in mind, I kept practicing.

By the end of the day, I’d improved enough to fly down hills that had scared me, a bright smile on my face and tears in my eyes. Tears were not from the cold but from ______. I’d faced my fears on the mountain, and I knew ______ the rest wouldn’t be far behind.

【推荐3】Geraniums of Love

As the fifth of seven children, I went to the same public school as my three elder sisters and brother. Every year, my mother went to the same ceremony and had parent-child interviews with the same teachers. The only thing different was the child. And every child _______ an old school traditional activity---the annual plant sale held in early May, just in time for _______Day.

Third grade was the first time that I was allowed to take part in the plant sale. I wanted to surprise my mother. _______, I didn’t have any money. I went to my eldest sister and _______ the secret, and she gave me some money. When I arrived at the plant sale, I carefully made my _______. I agonized(苦苦思索) over that decision, _______ each plant to ensure that I had indeed found the best geranium. The moment I had smuggled it home, with the help of my sister, I _______ it on the upstairs neighbor’s porch. I was very afraid my mother would find it before Mother’s Day, but my sister assured me that she wouldn't, and _______ she did not.

When Mother’s Day arrived, I was bursting with pride when I gave her that geranium. I remember how bright her eyes were, and how delighted she was with my _______.

The year I ________ fifteen, my younger sister reached third grade. In early May, she came to me full of wonder and secrecy and told me that there was going to be a plant sale at school and she wanted to ________ our mother. As my eldest sister did for me, I gave her some money and ________ went my sister. She arrived at home full of ________ excitement, the geranium hidden in a paper bag ________ her sweater. “I looked at every plant,” she explained, “and I know I got the best one!”

I helped my little sister hide that geranium on the upstairs neighbor’s porch, assuring that our mother wouldn’t find it before Mother’s Day. I was there when she gave my mother the geranium and I saw them both bursting with pride and ________. It was like being in a dream I had already dreamed. My mother noticed me ________, and she gave me a soft secret smile. Shocked and puzzled, I ________ back. I had been wondering how my mother could ________ to be surprised at this gift from her sixth child. But as I watched her eyes ________ with delight as she was ________ with that most precious gift, I knew she was not pretending.