【推荐1】Once there was a very brilliant, creative and educated man. He gained much ____ while traveling throughout the world. Unfortunately he lost his legs and left arm in a tragic accident, leaving only a finger and thumb on his right hand. He became so ____that he was afraid he would spend his life ____and would no longer be able to use his life in a(n) ____way.

One day, he remembered how he had always loved getting ____. He realized that he still had partial ____of his right hand and could write with ____. Then, he had an idea. “Why not write to other people who need encouragement?”

He ____where he could find those who could be encouraged if they read his letters. He thought of people in ____. Many of them had hope of regaining their ____. Others would keep feeling depressed and remain put away for the rest of their lives. He decided that he must try to ____them. So he wrote to a prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied that writing to the prisoners would be ____. However, it would be against prison rules for the prisoners to write back.

____with the intention, the man began sending ____messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the ____. He poured his heart and soul into his words, ____his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.

It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of any ____. Frequently, he felt discouraged, wondering if anyone ____read his letters. However, this was his ____chance,so he determined to continue.

At last, he received a letter from the prison officer, which said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell (牢房) to cell until they almost fall to ____!”

We all have unique experiences, abilities and talents. We can discover ways to reach others in need of encouragement and strength.

【推荐2】About one year ago, the idea came to me of being grateful for the small good things that happen to us every day. So I decided to start _______ it, and started noticing things that I hadn’t before. And one day, something like this really _______.

I used to live in an area where the public transportation was not very _______. If you came back home after 7 pm, you would have to _______ in line for about an hour before you were able to get public transport of _______. Because the line would be _______, there were many non-official “taxis” that would _______ and offer to take people home without waiting so long. _______ for a bit higher price, a price high enough that not everyone could _______ every day. Personally, I would take them only when I was really __________ and I just wanted to be back home as soon as possible.

One day, I __________ a non-official “taxi” without waiting too long. I said to myself “Great. I’m lucky today” and felt __________. But that was just the beginning! When we arrived, the __________ said that he would not __________ anyone, and that he was just doing it as an act of __________, because his mother had done it before and he found it such a nice thing to do that he decided to __________ it himself.

I felt so __________. There were no words for me to __________ how grateful I was for having the __________ of being one of the people he took. He made my day and I felt so good during the following days because of that __________ ride home.

【推荐3】Food is everything to me. I believe in its ________ that brings people together, I’ve had a great ________ in cooking since I was a young boy. My family would sit around the dinner table, telling stories and ________ dishes with all the flavors (味道) of a ________ Puerto Rican meal. The idea of being together as a ________ around a table of traditional recipes ________ led me to where I am today as the chief chef and vice president of Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

I worked in various cooking positions before ________ my place within the company, though I ________ as a dishwasher, I had a dream to succeed in the exciting food industry. Later, as a(an) ________ hand in the team, I worked hard, and our team was given the name FILO (first in, last out) ________ we came in early and stayed late each day.

I came to ________ the true meaning of harmony when I worked with our founder, Ruth Fertel,who had a magic ________ for everything, not only for her famous ________ but also for relationships, ________ everyone like family. Being at Ruth’s Chris gave me a sense of ________ early on in my career. I wanted to be sure that the feeling ________ through in my role at Ruth’s Chris. And I do ________ no effort to take care of both my teammates and each unique guest who ________ me to continue cooking and bring ________ to their faces. I love serving cuisine that leaves a(an) ________ impression with them, just like my family meals did for me.

【推荐1】In 1971 a young man who grew up very poor was travelling across the country, trying to make a new start for himself. Along the way he had completely run out of ________ and was forced to spend the night in his car. This ________ until one morning, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked ________ into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast.

After eating his first good meal in ________, he found himself ________ to the waiter, telling him he had lost his ________. The waiter, who was also the owner, walked ________ the chair where the young man had been sitting. He bent down, ________ a $20 bill that looked ________ it had fallen on the floor and said, “Son, you must have ________ this,” the owner said. The young man couldn’t believe his ________! He quickly paid for the breakfast, left a tip, bought gas with the ________, and headed West.

On the way out of town, he began to understand ________ the fellow did. Maybe nobody dropped the money ________. “Maybe that fellow just knew I was ________ and he ________ me in a way that didn’t embarrass (使尴尬) me. So I just made a ________ to help others if I can.”

Later, he worked very hard and became a(an) ________ man. Now, he lives near Kansas City. Each year he ________ thousands of dollars. He is known as the “Secret Santa” because at ________ time each year, he personally hands money out to those on the streets and at restaurants. Last year, he gave more than $50,000 away in Kansas City.

【推荐2】My husband Adlai and I often went camping to celebrate special occasions. In fact, our anniversary (周年纪念日) was coming up. But this time I felt a sense of _________ . I couldn’t help thinking about my journal (日记本).

For birthdays and anniversaries, _________ giving each other cards that we were not interested in, Adlai and I wrote letters. For nine years, I’d written almost all of mine in a journal. For our eighteenth anniversary, we had gone camping. After a hike, we returned to _________ our letters. But the campsite was _________ by a bear. Our tent fell down. Worst of all, my journal was _________. We searched for hours, but it was _________.

I never _________ . I always wanted to have back those nine years of letters! One day, I came home to find a car in our driveway. Two _________ stood in the yard with Adlai. Adlai held up a weather-beaten book. My journal! The woman and her husband had _________ it weeks earlier in the underbrush. She was __________ when reading my love letters. “We only have your first names, so it is a bit __________ to find you. Luckily, we make it,” the woman said.

As a result of their their__________, I could hug my journal again. I just couldn’t thank them more. There are always people in the world who show__________ to others. What the couple did doesn’t __________ change our lives, but it can certainly change the way we __________ about life.