【推荐2】It was dull and gray on a summer holiday. Matt was gazing at the dusty street, cicadas screaming somewhere in an ugly tree with twisting _______. It’s one o'clock! Matt’s stomach gave a funny jump. He had been seventeen years old, without realizing it, for a whole morning.

Yet how _______ Matt looked forward to his birthdays. He was adopted by his uncle, a drunk when his parents died in a car crash. Since then, he had never received a birthday card. Everyone ignored him at school — he had no reason to _______ anyone would remember his birthday.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. To his surprise, a delivery guy in a blue uniform was standing in the doorway with a large package in his hand. After _______ his name, he carried it to his bed. He ripped off the brown paper and discovered a present _______ in gold, and his first ever birthday card. Fingers _______ slightly, he opened the envelope. It’s from his best friend Jamie, a bookworm at school. Matt laughed as he put Jamie’s letter aside and picked up his present. It was very _______. Knowing Jamie, he was sure it would be a large _______ full of difficult words — but it wasn’t. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek (有光泽的) black leather case with silver _______ stamped across it: Wizard Chess Set.

“Wow, Jamie!” Matt whispered, tears ____________ up in his eyes.

【推荐1】Edmond was a school bus driver for 22 years. One morning, the rain pouring down, he and the bus monitor Valentine were called to _________ a student who missed the bus. What _________ them was that the student didn’t turn up when they reached the specified place.

Edmond and Valentine didn’t expect they had a larger _________ to achieve. Just around the corner, they found two children _________ in the rushing floodwaters. The boy and the girl were struggling to hold onto a _________ to avoid being swept away.

Edmond and Valentine couldn’t _________ to save them, but neither could swim. Jumping into action meant putting their own _________ on the line. Since the bus was for special needs children, it was _________ with removable seat belts. They got a(n) _________. Immediately they tied the seat belts together so as to __________ the children.

Close by neighbors additionally got here to __________, and the group made combined efforts to __________ the boy and the girl from the tree. They created a human chain and __________ the tied belts out until Edmond got a firm hold on the children and pulled them to safety.

The two children were __________ of Edmond, giving him a big hug. Surrounding them, everyone present was filled with happiness, though wet all over. This great rescue operation went viral on social media and drew praise for their __________ from all quarters.

【推荐2】My little girl, Jessica, always says hello to strangers. I wish she weren’t so _________, because I don’t want her to be laughed at. She was born with mental retardation (MR精神发育迟滞). But that’s also why I try to control my _________. Children with MR don’t communicate well with others, and I don’t want to stop her _________ .

Last year, we visited New York. I wasn’t surprised to hear her saying “Hello!” to everyone we _________. This would be a good _________ for her, I thought. People won’t respond—these are New Yorkers, after all. And maybe she would _________ not to talk to strangers.

One day, we were waiting at a red light, and Jessica greeted (打招呼) everyone _________. Then, a man asked: “Is she retarded?” It _________ me greatly. After all, he was a _________ stranger. I put my hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Yes,” I said. He showed a look of __________. “I work with such children,” he explained. “It’s a __________.” I felt something inside me __________: a wall that I never knew I had built. Because I expected people to be unfriendly, I never__________ kindness. Not like Jessica, who always does.

Then the __________ changed. “She has a good mom,” the man said and walked away. My tears __________ up and his words were like a ray of sunshine, lighting up my world.

【推荐3】Something went wrong with the lady when my wife and I were waiting at the boarding gate at the airport. The woman fell down on the seat and quickly lost _______ of her body. I went over and half knelt down before her to _______ if she was okay.

I introduced myself and _______ she was Jackie. I was not a medical doctor, but I _______ to help her in any way she needed. I took her hand in one of my hand and _______ her head in the other, carefully asking what was happening. _______, Jackie explained that when she was exposed to too much _______ and stress, her body went into overdrive. Anyway, she had had the condition for thirty years and would be “perfectly _______ soon”.

I asked her if she needed a wheelchair to board the plane and then my wife got one for her. _______, due to some miscommunication, the airline stuff would not ________ Jackie because she didn’t take her medical report with her. Jackie looked ________ again and turned to me.

I explained what had happened to Jackie. With my help, everything went on well. Fortunately, Jackie soon ________. I felt great, too.

Don’t be afraid to listen to ________ and help them out. Everyone has their own ________. Sometimes, we just need to ________.

【推荐1】I lost my mom last month and it’s been really tough. I _______ to my hometown to pay my respects and say my _______. After spending a few days with my _______ making arrangements, it was time to _______ . I boarded the plane to find a young man _______ in my seat. He apologized graciously(优雅地) when I _______ him to move.

When the plane took off, something about leaving the place where I grew up and realizing that my mom was no longer there _______ me down. As I watched the ground growing more and more _______ through the window, my eyes filled with tears. That same young man asked me if I was OK and said he was there if I needed to talk._______, we had a three-hour flight sitting in the same row.

His words made me feel better. Honestly, I felt I wasn’t __________ on that plane traveling hundreds of miles across the country. Although I never took him up on his offer, I was __________by a stranger who knew that I may need someone in that __________. I was grateful that the young guy was willing to __________ me all of his time on the plane.

That moment has made me actively seek ways to serve and __________ others. The things may be small, but they may be __________ to that person.

【推荐3】I prided myself on being a good neighbor.Each house I passed held a friendly _________. But except Kelly’s. It hadn’t always been this _________. We used to have a good relationship. I never went by her house without _________ if I saw her outside. But now, if Kelly was out in her yard when l passed by, I _________ not to see her. At first it felt satisfying to let Kelly know what I thought of her. Today the _________ of her house just made me sad.

How did things go wrong? It _________ with a homeless cat who appeared in my driveway. That wasn’t _________. I already had two homeless cats I’d adopted. But this cat was _________. He often drove my own cats away from their food bowls.

Imagine my _________ days later when Kelly announced she would take care of the __________. “I think he’s sweet,” she said. Living with Kelly didn't make the cat any __________. He constantly stole my cats’ food. “That cat is out of __________,”I said to Kelly angrily one day.

“He’s always perfectly sweet with us!” Kelly said, getting defensive. “I had no idea you __________ him so much.”

Things just got worse from there. Maybe I could have been more diplomatic about that cat, but Kelly should have been more sorry. If anyone was going to __________，it should be her! After that I never spoke to Kelly again. But months later,I now felt miserable（痛苦的）about it.

This time, as 1 walked by Kelly’s house, my feet slowed,almost __________.I gradually turned toward it. Just as I __________ so, I saw Kelly come out to her driveway. For a second, we just __________ each other. She looked as miserable as 1 felt, 1 thought.

I __________ hard and walked toward Kelly. Immediately we got close enough, Kelly and I found ourselves opening our arms and __________ each other tightly. Our friendship was __________!