【推荐1】“Just sign here, sir,” the deliveryman said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.

The package consisted of a long, narrow box carefully wrapped in brown paper._______the box, Oscar saw an umbrella inside — a very old one with a beautifully carved wooden handle. Although he had not seen it in more than 20 years, he recognized it_______.

Oscar was 16 when he first saw the unusual umbrella. He had gone to a concert with his grandparents. As they were leaving, he noticed an umbrella on an empty seat, impressed by its_______, Oscar felt a strong desire to find its owner.

Oscar_______the manager to look in the record of advance ticket sales. Just as he thought, a name___________ the seat where Oscar had found the umbrella. The name was Mrs. Katie O’Brien.

Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs. O’Brien’s_______on their way home. He rang the bell, the door opened, and an elderly woman appeared. “May I help you?” she asked.

“I’d like to return it if it’s yours,” Oscar said, holding out the umbrella as if presenting a_______that had long been wished for.

“Why, yes! It’s mine,” replied Mrs. O’Brien with a wide smile and shining eyes. “It was given to me by my father years ago. Thank you so much for returning it. May I offer you a reward for your_______?”

“No, ma’am,” he said, “My grandmother says that a good deed is its own reward.”

“Well, that’s_______what my father used to say. What is your name, young man?”

Years later Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs. O’Brien. It was in perfect condition, considering how old it was. Why had it arrived here today?

As if in answer, a note fell from the paper. It reads: Mrs. O’Brien wanted to__________this umbrella as a present for a kind, unselfish gesture long ago.

【推荐2】Mr Wu is an English teacher. Last Monday at the beginning of class, he _______ asked his students how their weekends had been. One girl said that she had spent a _______ weekend-she had her wisdom teeth pulled out and they still hurt. “Why do you always seem to be so happy, Mr Wu?” she asked.

The girl's _______ reminded Mr Wu of something he had read somewhere before. “Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to get close to life that day,” Mr Wu said with a smile. “I _______ to be cheerful.”

“And today is my lucky day,”he added.

“_______? " The whole class were curious.

“This morning, I _______ to school as usual. I only had to go another kilometer down the road when my e-bike broke down...”

“Your e-bike broke down and it's your lucky day?” The students were _______. “What do you mean, Mr Wu?”

“My e-bike broke down a quarter before class, so I _______ it on the roadside, took my books, and walked down the road. It took me ten minutes to arrive at the _______. I live eight kilometers away. My e-bike could have broken down ________ along the way. But it didn't. __________, it broke down in the perfect place-off the main road, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class ________ I'll be able to get it repaired after class. If my e-bike must break down ________,it couldn't be arranged（安排）in a better way.”

The students’ eyes opened wide, and then they smiled. Mr Wu smiled back. Somehow, his story had ________ them. He was happy that they had a perfect chance to consider ________ in a new way.

【推荐3】One day, a well-known speaker was invited to give a lecture to an audience of 200. He started his lecture by ______ a $ 20 bill. He looked around the room, and asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” ______ started going up.

He said, “I am going to ______ this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He crumpled up (揉皱) the 20-dollar bill. He then asked, “who ______ wants it?” Still the hands were ______ in the air.

“Well”, he ______, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ______ and started to step on it with his shoes. He picked it up. Now it was crumpled and ______.“Now, who wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, we have all learned a very ______ lesson. No matter what I did to the _____ , you still want it because it doesn’t decrease in ____. It is still worth $20, with ______ we can buy what we need.

Many times in our lives, we are_____ , and trampled (踩) underfoot by the decision we _____and the troubles that come our way. We feel   _____   we were worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may happen to us, you will never   _____   your value. Dirty or clean, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives is determined not by   _____   we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are   _____ . Don’t ever forget it.”

If you _______ this lesson in mind, it will help you to stand up again when you fall. Each time it makes you grow much ______ .

【推荐1】From Disappointment to Purpose

I’m known for my determination. If I want something, I go for it. Over the years this _______ has worked well for me and helped me achieve my goals. When I wanted to be on the dance team at school, I learned all the dances and practiced until I could hardly _______.

But this year everything changed. I had set my sights on a summer _______ that I was determined to get at the Water Zone, because the employees there could go on the water rides after their work and get free food at the snack bar. It was the _______ job to have on hot summer vacations. So just as I had achieved every goal in the past, I set out to _______ the job. I was certain that nothing could keep me from my dream job.

After my _______, the manager of the Water Zone told me that he could hire only those with experience in water safety. I felt like a failure.

On the last weekend before school ended, my teacher, Mrs. Keller, asked me whether I would be interested in the kids’ summer day camp. I decided that I had nothing to _______, so I called the manager. She was _______ by my babysitting experience and employed me. In less than a week, I had completely forgotten about wanting work at the water park. Each time I comforted a little boy who missed his mother or a little girl who needed to help tying her shoes, I felt I was doing something _______. I realized that I had discovered my life’s purpose: to work with children. I now have a new goal.

Sometimes in life we don’t get exactly what we want. It’s natural to feel __________. But, occasionally, when we don’t get what we want, something even better is waiting for us around the corner!

【推荐3】I was an avid (热衷的) list maker. I thought the lists would help me finish things more ________ so that I would have my own ________ each day. Instead, I felt tired all the time, and it was hard to fall asleep as I ________ my to-do list for the next day in my mind. I was ________ and painful.

My real turning ________ came about a few years ago. I was having the inside of our house painted. ________, I had to move all things out of the painters’ way. After the painting, I decided to think about what I would put back. I ________ many decorations because they made the rooms small and ________. And the house felt so much more open, peaceful and beautiful. When I started to hang our calendar back up, I noticed how ________ each day was. Every square was filled in. I decided to continue my ________ of the calendar.

It was near the end of July, so I ________ “clearing” August and September. I kept doctors’ appointments (预约) and family events. But I ________ extra tasks I had taken on that left me very little time to relax, read or spend time with my family. I felt a great sense of ________ after that.

I still make ________ to keep myself organized, but I am down to one page. I schedule time for myself each day — to do what I ________. The tidy beauty of our home and schedule gives me great peace and joy.

【推荐1】Table Talk

As we got out of the car, our son announced, “Phones stay in the car.”

“Why do you always have to tell us that?” complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.

Our son’s wife winked at us and then explained, “We have a family _______ that no one may bring anything electronic to the table.”

We _______ our phones in the car. Even though the restaurant was filled with families, there was little noise. All I heard were a few quiet conversations and the ding of forks on plates. The _______ unnerved me. I looked around. Everyone, even the young kids, was _______ at some kind of screen.

The silence was broken when the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat.

An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and wondered if our constant chatter was annoying them.

After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder — it was _______ . “You forgot the check,” he told her.

“There isn’t one. Someone else _______ your bill — and the tip too.” she said with a giggle (咯咯笑).

“Why?” asked our son, his wife and myself at once.

“They loved it that no one was connected.” she continued. “They loved watching you guys _______ . The old lady went on and on about how nice it was to see a family eating and talking instead of looking at ‘electric games’.”

For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for _______ . Then we all started talking at once. My son's voice rose above the others. “Where are they? We want to thank them.”

“They left after you ordered dessert,” the waitress replied.

We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a _______ . Next time we see a family eating at a restaurant ________ looking at anything electronic, we'll pay it forward, just like what happened to us.

【推荐2】It was the first night of a tiring seven-day 250km race across the Gobi Desert a year ago. Mr. Leonard___________a little dog going around his camp trying to ___________herself.

“Cute, but I’m not giving you any,” Leonard thought. Like all ___________, he had packed just enough for the whole ___________. He’d been running competitively for three years, and he had a___________ to win.

The next day, at the starting line, the dog ___________ him again. He waved her away, worried that she might be stepped on by the runners. ___________, the dog followed him all the way until the day’s race ___________. That night the dog snuggled (偎依) up to Leonard and even___________ to get a little food from him. By then, he was determined to name her Gobi.

The pair went on to finish the seven-day race, with Gobi____________ a distance of 125km on her own, and winning Leonard over, enough for him to make a____________ — he would take her home to Edinburgh. “Seeing Gobi on the race ____________my attitude to things. It made me think more about stopping and helping her, rather than just focusing on winning, ” said Leonard, who finished second. “It also made my running more enjoyable , giving me a lot of pleasure.”

As Leonard was preparing to get Gobi home, she was missing. With a group of 20 local volunteers coming to his ____________ , he finally found her. After that, Leonard never let Gobi out of his____________. Now Gobi’s favorite activity is still running, and she__________ does at least 8km a day with Leonard up the hills.