【推荐2】On a clear afternoon in late October a few years ago, I stood underneath a giant overhanging cliff near my hometown, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The scenery that day was particularly _____, with deer chewing on the brown grasses by the river below, and hawks _____ the wind.

I was tied in, ready to climb. I was attempting to do a tough route for the first time. “Onsight” (首次攀登), as we call it.

Just as I was about to climb, _____ in my body, which I hadn’t felt yet, woke up and said hello to me. That was a terrible sign for any athlete. Desperate as I felt, I painted a coat of _____ on my inner walls of doubt to ease my tension. I _____ myself at the top, celebrating. “You can do this,” I firmly told myself. “If you believe, success is for sure.”

It didn’t work. _____, I fell near the top. Defeated, I lowered myself to the ground and realized immediately that the too strong desire to climb the route had _____ me from doing it.

My self-worth was closely _____ at that unnatural moment with my success or failure, which _____ a chain of reaction: unnatural desire, pressure, performance anxiety.

I told myself that on my next _____, success or failure didn’t matter. “Just make one move at a time.” I gave myself a pass for whatever would happen. Case closed, it _____. I floated to the top with grace, clarity and contentment.

That moment got me thinking, and then researching. At some point, I concluded this experience _____ simple arithmetic (算术): When I _____ (determination, self-confidence, desire), I failed; when I took away (the desire for success); my body moved with greater _____ and I made it. As an athlete of 30 years, I discovered the _____ of subtraction (减法) for the very first time.

【推荐1】Everyone should go to his or her 50th high school reunion. There was a time I thought I’d never go even if the opportunity _________. But now I feel _________ for people who don’t go.

I went to the _________ of my high school on a Saturday evening, and I am glad I did. It was a gift to recognize some _________ classmates right away — and to be recognized. _________, we had name tags and our _________ photos on our clothing to help identify us. I recognized one woman immediately!

The most memorable and moving experience of the night was _________ by a schoolmate and neighbor to whom I was once close. Unfortunately, we had a falling out in the high school. I never saw her after _________, but this time, I saw her name on a place setting. At first, I feared that I would _________ her. But my better self won over, and I __________ her out. I kept looking until I got a __________ on my shoulder. There she was __________. We hugged as if nothing had ever __________ and exchanged affectionate words. When the party __________, my old-new friend walked towards me, __________ me again and wished me well. I returned her good wishes. All the bad __________ melted into thin air.

I am grateful I had this __________ to reunite with old classmates. After all, we are almost __________ the final lap of our lifelong journeys. Some classmates had already left this __________, and their names were deleted from the list. Sometimes we have to walk back into the past because time does heal old wounds. We’re not the __________ people. We are better people.

【推荐2】John graduated from a key university and he was very good at his major. He wished to find a good job. One day, he went to a company to _________for a job. He got the news in a newspaper. He did some research on this company. When he was _________ , everything went well. The manager asked him some questions and he answered them fluently. John was very satisfied with his performances and was very _________ that he could get the job. But at that moment, the manager’s phone _________. He picked up the phone, listened and nodded. And then he turned around and said to John, “Sorry, I want to get some important _________ now. Please give me the book with the red _________on that desk.” John looked around and found 3 books on the desk, so John went to the desk, took one book and handed it to him politely.

Holding the book, the manager _________ the phone and said, “Sorry, we cannot give the job to you.” John was _________ and wondered why. The manager said, “ There are three _________. First, when you came into the office room, I found that the third button on your shirt had been missing. Second, there are three books with red covers on that desk, but you didn’t ask me which one I needed and you took one randomly (随机地). Third, I was answering the call. You should __________ to the desk to save time. These __________ showed you are not a careful person.” __________ John didn’t get the job.

We can learn a(n) __________ from John’s experience. Some people don’t mind the details in our life. But it is the details that count. Not only should we value what we learn but also we should pay more attention to the details. Sometimes they can even __________ our success or failure. We should form the habit of being careful and learn to keep the __________of quantity and quality. We should keep it in mind that quality comes first, without which quantity is of no significance.

【推荐3】While waiting for a friend in a hotel hall in America and wanting to be both seen easily and alone, I had seated myself in a separate chair.In such a(n) ______most Americans follow a rule ： as soon as a person stops or is seated in a public place，there balloons around him a   small environment of ______which is considered   inviolate(不受侵犯).Anyone who______this zone and stays there is______.

As I ______in the deserted hall，a stranger walked up to where I was______and stood close enough so that not only could I easily______him but I could even hear him breathing.If the hall had been crowded with people, I would have understood his______，but in a(n)______hall his   presence made me very uncomfortable.Feeling ____by this interruption，I______my body in such a______as to communicate annoyance.______ , my actions seemed to______him,because he moved even, closer.

Fortunately, the stranger immediately joined a group of people on their______.Their mannerisms (习性）______his behavior, for I knew from both______ and gestures that they were Arabs.I had not been able to make this decisive identification (身份）by looking at him   when he was______because lie was______American clothes.

For the Arab, there is no interruption in public.Public means public.If A is standing on a street corner and B wants his______, B is within his rights if lie does what he can to make A uncomfortable enough to move.

【推荐1】On cold- nights, blankets can keep you warm. However, Tori makes blankets to _________ people going through hard times. She wants her blankets to feel like a big, warm _________.The girl talked about her _________ and how kids can get _________ in helping others.

Tori knows firsthand the _________ of being separated from a parent. When she was 6 years old, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and had to be in hospital for six months. Tori had to _________ her stuff and move in with her aunt. “I missed my blanket and, of course, I missed my mom,” she said. To help her feel close to her mom, Tori's aunt advised her to look at the stars which would _________ Tori to her mom.

Inspired by her own experience, Tori started to make _________ of blankets for family members kept apart by unfortunate circumstances. The parents receive one blanket _________ the kid gets a matching one. One side of the blankets always has a star pattern, which __________ her aunt's words and the project's slogan — “Even if you're separated by highways, you're connected through __________.” She has __________ more than fifty blankets to a children's hospital.

Tori said her project has been so successful because the idea sprang from a personal experience. For kids interested in __________ she recommends they go ahead-without overthinking it. “Don't wait until you __________ out everything,” she said. “Even when you feel like it might not be making that big of a __________, serving others always matters.”