Last year my daughter, Lynn, left for university in another country. Our once lively house became ________ and lonely. I missed her so much that I started sending her ________ on the phone, mainly to say hello or to give her a word of ________.

One of my messages says, “So you told me you lost your credit card(信用卡). If you don’t try hard to be careful, one day you’ll wake up and find your brain missing.”

I did get Lynn’s messages, ________ most of them were about money. Recently, however, she began to send me all kinds of articles(文章): some funny, some touching and some worth thinking.

She said they would help me understand the ________ better and keep up with the times. I read the articles ________, like a careful student, with mixed feelings as well. My kid, who followed me around not long ago, has now become my ________.

So I wrote back. “I’ve read all those articles. I’ll take them as a loving daughter’s expectations towards her mother. She must be thinking that her mother is still young enough to ________ new things. What we parents lack(缺少) most is the ability to learn and change, in both body and mind. What you do makes me feel proud. ________, my daughter.”

In this way we share ideas and encourage each other, with a gentle and beautiful language we seldom used before. Every time I read those messages, I feel my heart filled with ________.

When I was a junior high school student, life gave me a gift—happiness.

One weekend, on my way home a car ran over me and cut off my ________ because of its high speed. Several days later, when I ________ in the hospital, I realized I had to spend the rest of my life without arms. I felt ________ at that time. I was full of fears (害怕) , but ________ I knew that I had to face the fact and get over it. I couldn’t get my arms back even if I ________ every day.

However, it’s easier said than done. It took me nearly half a year to get out of the sadness. I got so much from my past story. From then on, I could treat my life with a ________ mind. But in my daily life, I often see my classmates ________ little things: they get a bad grade on a test; their bus comes late; they don’t have a mobile phone but others have, and so on. But I only enjoy life. I was lucky to realize a truth from the ________. It is a waste of our life to center on what we have ________. We should always think of what we have. So why are so many people unhappy? Someone may say, “My whole life will ________ if I have a new car.” But when you get the car and what happens? For a whole week you are walking on air (欢天喜地) . Then you go right back to being unhappy.

Happiness depends on what we have! It’s in our heart. It’s a state of mind. Happiness comes from learning the art of appreciating and taking pleasure in what you really have.

【推荐3】Learning experiences happen to us throughout our lives. Not long ago, I had one that I would like to _______.

I was going to Marblehead with my sailboat team. The team was racing down the highway at 85 mph _______ we realized we were hungry. Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead. I had a brand-new $20 bill. I was so excited because I had never had that kind of cash before. But spending it on food seemed like throwing it away. We all rushed into the pizza line. _______ I got a pizza and a drink, and walked to my table. About halfway through the meal, I ______ I had not actually handed any money to the cashier. I had just walked out, and nobody had noticed. I felt terrible.

My conscience (良心) opened its mouth and swallowed me in one big bite. I couldn’t get over it. I just couldn’t go back to the cashier and _______ for my stolen pizza. I was so upset that I _______ to give myself the pleasure of an ice cream in ______ that someone would say, “Hey, Jeff, why not you use the change from the pizza instead of that nice, new $20 bill?” I was not so proud of my cash now.

For the next two years, whenever I was _______ of the “pizza incident”, I would say to myself, “Don’t think about it.”

I have learned two things from this _______. Maybe I was a fool for giving in to my conscience, and being too stupid to appreciate a _______ pizza. But the real lesson is that even if you get away from what you have done, your conscience will ________ up with you.

This reflects the saying, “Coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies one.” I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a “________” and gone back to pay for the pizza, I would have felt a little uncomfortable about it only one, or maybe twice.

【推荐1】Richard is the unluckiest boy in the world. He is a good student, but when he takes a test, his pen breaks. He _________ falls ill, but if he falls ill, it is on the weekend. His bird sings very well, but when he asks his friends to listen to it, the bird stays there _________.

But Richard thinks he is also the _________ boy in the world. He has wonderful parents and a lovely sister. He has a singing bird. His classmates are friendly. Richard is always happy and he is _________.

One day his mother gave him some money to buy an ice-cream. When he _________at the ice-cream shop, he saw an old man outside it. He had old clothes, terrible _________, and he looked hungry. Richard thought he was poor. He decided not to buy the ice-cream and gave the money to the man.

“Thank you. You are a kind boy. But I’m not poor. Keep your money. I’m the richest man in town and I sometimes wear old clothes to see _________ people do,” the man said and _________.

The man took Richard to the biggest shop in town and said, “ Choose anything you like. I can buy you the most expensive one.” Richard asked, “Can I choose _________” “Of course,” answered the man.

Richard chose the newest radio because when his bird keeps silent, he can ________ listen to it with his friends. He then chose a new pair of glasses for the man.

Mr. Green is sitting in a coffee shop and looking at the street. There is a ________ on the other side of the street. The boy takes some bread out of his bag and begins eating. Then, a very thin(瘦的) dog comes. The boy says to it, “Come here, good dog. I’ll give you some ________” The dog is ________ and goes to the boy, but he doesn’t give it ________ bread. He kicks(踢) the dog. The dog runs away sadly. The boy laughs. Then Mr. Green comes out of the shop and ________ to the boy, “I’ll give you a dollar(美元).” The boy is very ________ and says, “Yes.” “Come here,” Mr. Green says. The boy goes to him, ________ Mr. Green doesn’t give him a dollar. He hits(打) him ________ a stick(棍子). The boy cries and says, “________ do you hit me? I don’t ask you for any money.” “Think about it,” Mr. Green says, “and the dog does not ________ you for any bread, but you kick it.”

【推荐3】We all know dogs are our good friends. They can_________us watch houses well._________only a few people know they are grateful (感恩的) animals. They will_________people in their ways if people help them.

A few months ago, Bill_________a dog named Dobeman out of a fire (火). He put the dog in a place far away from the fire. And then, he_________to put out (扑灭) the fire. After three hours, the fire was put out. Bill was too_________to walk to his house, so he_________and had a rest (休息) on the ground. At this time, Dobeman walked_________him. Bill looked at Dobeman and had no_________what it would do. Some minutes later, Dobeman came up to him, kissed his face and sat near him. Bill felt_________and kissed Dobeman, too.