【推荐1】When I was 15 years old, I was a straight A student. I was always _______with a great group of friends, and I would hang out with them every weekend. Then I moved to a new place just before high school, and everything_______ overnight.

While trying to_______ my new surroundings, I also started tenth grade. Going to public school in a big city, however, was harder than before. I started _______ not well in class. Although I tried hard, my mind would go _______ the moment I took the exam. All my _______ didn’t pay off, and I failed. As a result, I became_______ and turned to video games.

My English teacher noticed I was_______. He suggested I should go to the after-school classes for the kids who needed help. _______to get a passing grade, I went. And that was where I met Oliver. ________, he became my best friend and I was back on ________. Little by little, my________improved. It seemed that reshaping ourselves in a new environment wasn’t that terrible as________.

As the year progressed, I made many friends and won many awards as well. ________, I saw that my depression slowly ________. Having a friend really helped, even more than video games.

【推荐3】At the start of my senior high school life, I began to dream of entering Columbia University. But what I didn’t realize was how _________ my dream was. I came from a middle-class family, and it seemed as though we had always _________ to make ends meet.

I wasn’t the smartest person in my class, not even close; but my _________ was in the right place, and I was determined. I applied for every _________ I could in my senior year. And then my teacher told me about the financial aid system. I applied, but I didn’t think I would _________ that either.

After the holidays, my friends started _________ their acceptance letters from colleges, and I _________ expected mine. Finally, a letter arrived from Columbia University. Feelings of fear and joy _________ me when I opened the envelope with trembling hands. I had done it! I cried for a while, feeling both extremely excited and _________. I had been doing a full-time job, but that wasn’t enough to __________ tuition (学费), and it was impossible for my parents to pay for my education.

Months went by before a letter from the __________ aid office came. I opened it anxiously, but it was only a letter requesting more information to process my __________. This happened over and over, and my __________ kept getting shot down. Eventually, an envelope arrived, the one that would __________ whether I could attend college. Not only was financial aid going to help me out with my expenses, but also I __________ two of the scholarships I had applied for! I had actually made my dream come true.

【推荐1】Of all the things my mother ever baked, my favorite was the birthday cake she made me every year. The cake was a beautiful creation with buttercream frosting (糖霜). This _________ continued until recently.

My mother died from colon cancer last year. The hours spent with my mother during her months of illness were a _______ I couldn’t have expected just a year or two earlier. In caring for her alongside my siblings (兄弟姐妹), I became, at 47, the daughter I had _______ longed to be.

During one of my last _______ to the hospital, as I stood outside her room, I heard Mom exclaim (大声说）to her nurse, “Oh, that’s Margot’s voice I hear in the hall! ” She sounded just the same as she always had.

Mom asked me what was going on in the world. We _______ an old photo album (相册), and she recounted (叙述) memories of weddings guests and university roommates.

Mom’s supper plate arrived and I _______ her bed to a seated position. I cut her food _________ tiny pieces and was _______ to see her eat some of the food.

Exhausted from my visit and the effort to eat supper, Mom quickly fell asleep. I considered waking her to say goodbye—I did, and don’t _______ it. “Okay dear, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. She lived a few days longer, but that evening was the last time she would recognise my voice, call me by name or claim me as her own. A few months after she ________, I took Mom’s well-used recipe album down from its new home on my bookcase. Looking through it would be __________, but in a good way, I hoped.

As I carefully handled the folded and worn ________, I noticed directions for mocha buttercream at the bottom of one card, ________ in my mother’s neat script (笔迹). I had found my special ________! Now, I’ll be able to recreate the ________ to treat myself and honor my mother’s legacy (遗赠).