【推荐1】The Fish I Didn’t Catch

fishing pole                  hook

I still remember my first fishing trip as if it were yesterday. It was a sweet day of early summer. I received the first fishing pole from my uncle’s hand, and walked with him towards the ________ .

My uncle, who knew where the best place of fish was, kindly placed me at the most favorable point. I threw out my line as I had so often seen others, and ________ eagerly for a bite. Nothing came of it. “Try again,” said my uncle. Suddenly the bait (鱼饵) went down out of ________ . “Now for it,” I thought, “Here is a fish at last.”

I made a strong pull, and brought up a tangle of weeds (一团海草). Again and again I cast out my line and drew it back ________ . I looked at my uncle appealingly (可怜巴巴地) . “Try once more,” he said, “We fishermen must have ________ . It took me a whole day until I got my first fish.”

Suddenly something pulled hard at my line, and swept off with it into deep water. Jerking it up, I saw a big fish wriggling (扭来扭去) in the sun. “Uncle!” I cried, looking back in ________ , “I’ve got a fish!” “Not yet,” said my uncle. As he spoke, there was a plash (泼溅) in the water, my hook hung empty from the line. I had lost my ________ . My patience was used up.

I sat down on the nearest stone and ________ to be comforted. Even my uncle promised that there were more fish in the river. He refitted my bait, put the pole again in my hands, and told me to try my luck once more.

“But remember, boy,” he said, “Never ________ catching a fish until he is on dry ground.”

Though years have now passed, I have always been reminded of the fish that I did not catch. When I hear people talk excitedly about something yet undone, I call to mind that scene by the river, and the wise warning of my uncle, “It’s no use to talk too ______ about anything until it’s done.”

【推荐2】Long time ago, some people lived in a kingdom (王国), under the rule of a king. They were very _________ as they were rich and had no problems.

One day, the king decided to travel and visit faraway places of great historical importance. He chose to travel on foot, _________ he could talk to his people. People from these areas were very happy to have a _________ with their king.

After several weeks, he _________ to the palace. He was quite happy to have visited many places and seen his people. However, he felt a lot of pain in his _________ because it was his first long-distance trip on foot. He told his ministers (大臣) that the roads were covered with stones and weren’t _________. He said he was very _________ about the people who walked along them.

He made an order to _________ the roads of the whole country with _________ in order that people would feel happier and more comfortable. His ministers were very __________ to hear his order as thousands of cows would have to be __________ for leather and it would also cost a lot of money.

A wise man from the ministry came to the king and said he had another __________. The minister asked the king: “Why do you want to kill so many cows to cover the road with leather? Why not cut a piece of leather in the right __________ to cover your feet?”

The king was __________ by this idea and praised the minister. He ordered that a pair of leather shoes were to be made for himself and for each of his countrymen.

Many of us criticize (批评) our surroundings and never understand that we can make a change ourselves. Changes are unavoidable, and they should come from us. We cannot or should not __________ others to make them.

【推荐1】When I was little, I thought I had the meanest (最刻薄的) mother in the world. While other kids were ______ candy for breakfast, I had to have porridge, eggs and toast. When others had hamburgers and cake for lunch, I had to eat ______ just like carrots and tomatoes. But at least, I wasn’t ______ when I was sad, because my sister and two brothers had the same feelings as I did.

My mother seemed to know everything about us all the time. She knew ______ everything belongs to, and she also knew who our friends were and where we were going. She knew what we need best. We had to wash clothes and take a bath every day, ______ other kids could wear the same clothes for a few days.

The worse was to follow. We had to go to bed ______ nine every night and we had to get up at six in the morning. She made us work even though we were kids. We had to do the dishes, make beds, learn to cook and do other things at home. I believed she kept ______ new things for us to do at home.

But my mother was successful as a mother. All of ______ kids were well educated. She made us grow into ______ educated and hard-working adults. I am trying to teach my three kids in the same way. I am filled with ______ when my kids think I’m mean. I had the meanest mother in the world, but she gave me a successful life.

It’s the first time I write to you, my children. I used to send you many messages. But you always overlooked (忽视) them. So I decide to write you a ______.

First, let me tell you more about our ______. Dear humans, besides you, I have many other ______ . Some of them fly in the sky; some of them ______ in water; some live in ice-covered places; some run in the grasslands.

They might be very close to you, or even ______ in your house. But there are others that you may ______ have chance to meet.

You bring them home to be your ______, friends and helpers. You put them in zoos. You kill them ______ their meat and fur. They bring you money and ______. But they also bring you disease (疾病) and death.

I hope you can remember that wild animals are not your ______ or clothes. They are not killers, either. They are, in fact, your brothers and sisters. You are equal (平等的). You should ______ together.

Humans, you are ______ and hardworking. You created colorful cultures and advanced technologies (先进的科技). You can decide ______ you go, as well as where I go.

But you don’t respect me. You change my climate (气候), my lands, my forests, my rivers ... You ask so much from me, more than what I can ______ you. I’m worried that one day you will be lonely.

So, grow up, humans. Grow up to be more responsible (负责任的). I hope you and all the wildlife can live ______ in my arms.

Yours,

Mother Earth

【推荐1】The students in Sabrina’s school ate breakfast and lunch at school. The teachers wanted students to have _______ meals. They had an idea: students could _______ food in the school’s greenhouse for themselves or the neighborhood.

In Sabrina’s hometown, people started to grow _______ and fish together hundreds of years ago. The fish poop (粪便) in the water help grow the plants and plants help clean the water _______.

Sabrina and her classmates _______ to use this way to help grow food. They _______ a team. With the help of teachers, the team workers did a lot. Sam tested how much fish ate in water at different temperatures. Santiago and Amanda helped raise chickens for _______.

Sabrina and the other two students helped keep everything in the greenhouse work well.

When the students have raised _______ food, it’s time for Market Day. Vegetables are provided for the neighbors for free. Eggs and fish are sold to raise _______ for seeds (种子), fish food and chicken food.

“We put the market on the playground,” John says ________. “Each of us wears a team suit with our school’s name on it.” “We can plant food and have fun while we’re doing something important,” says Blanka.

A group of men, highly successful in their jobs, went to visit their old teacher. He was _________ at teaching Chinese.

They talked a lot with their teacher happily. But soon they began to talked about the stress（压力）in work and life.

The old teacher then went to the kitchen and returned with a pot of coffee and different _________ of cups: glass, paper; nice-looking ones, ugly ones; some _________, some cheap. He told them to help _________ to the coffee.

When all the students were holding a cup of coffee, the teacher said, “I found that you took all the nice-looking and expensive cups and left behind the ugly and cheap _________. Although it is _________ for you to take only the best for yourselves, your _________ and stress come along, too.

You know that the cup itself can’t change the quality of the coffee. What you really wanted was the coffee, not the cup, but you still went for the _________ cup.

Now think about this: life is the coffee. The jobs and money are the cups. They are just outlooks of our lives. And the kind of cup does not change（改变）the quality of life. Sometimes, we care so much about the cups that we can’t _________ the coffee that life offers（提供）us. Life hands us the coffee, not the cups. Please enjoy your coffee!

The happiest person doesn’t have the best of __________. He just makes the best of everything.

So please speak kindly, live simply, and love deeply.

【推荐3】A boy was one day sitting on the steps of a door. He had a broom (扫帚) in one hand, and in the _______ a large piece of bread which somebody gave him. While he was eating it, and happily singing a song, he saw a poor little dog quietly sleeping not far from him.

He _______ out to the dog, “Come here, poor fellow!”

The dog, hearing kind words to him, _______ his ears and moved his tail excitedly. Seeing the boy eating, he came near the boy. The boy held out to him a piece of bread. As the dog stretched out (伸出) his head to _______ it, the boy quickly drew back his hand and hit the dog a hard _______ on the nose. The poor dog ran away at once, barking and _______ painfully, while the bad boy sat laughing at the poor dog.

A man, who was looking from a window on the other side of the street, saw _______ the bad boy had done. Opening the street door, he called him to cross over, at the same time holding up one dollar in his hand.

Just at the moment that he stretched out his hand, the boy got a hard knock across his _______ from the man’s cane (手杖). He cried out __________!

“What did you do that __________?” said the boy angrily. He made a __________ face and rubbed (揉) his hand. “I neither hurt you, __________ ask you for money.” the boy shouted.

“What did you hurt that poor dog for earlier?” said the man. “He neither hurt you, nor ask you for your bread. As you have treated __________, I have treated you. Now, remember dogs can feel as well as boys. Learn to behave kindly __________ animals in the future, boy.”