Before summer vacation, I made a long list of things I wished to do. And I could hardly wait to begin a new journey. _______ when my mom told me that I had to live with my Grandpa for six weeks, I complained. A voice inside me said that it would be terrible to live with Grandpa, which meant no afternoon _______ games with my friends!

The first week with Grandpa seemed to be _______. We just went out for dinner and watched TV together. One day, Grandpa was sitting on the sofa and reading the newspaper. I flipped (快速翻动) through my baseball card collection. “Wish I had a Hank Aaron card,” I said to myself. When Grandpa heard me, he said _______, “I didn’t know you liked baseball, Susan!” I explained that it was my favorite sport and I _______ played it all summer with my friends. Grandpa stood up shakily and walked to the door. “Let’s go,” he said _______. “I want to show you something!”

We drove for quite a while, and when Grandpa finally stopped the car, we were in front of some old _______. A sign said “Land Will Be Sold. Call for Details.” I noticed that Grandpa had a faraway look in his eyes. “I haven’t been here for a long time, probably twenty or thirty _______.” He said, “That’s the field where I _______ play baseball every summer.” Then I ________ where we were: This was the house where Grandpa grew up! We looked inside a window and saw a big ________ — No one had lived here for a long time!

On the ride home, Grandpa was very ________. I thought about how he must ________ his old home and friends. He would feel very happy and less lonely ________ he could just go back in time for a few minutes. Then I realized that six weeks away from home would be ________, especially with Grandpa around.

【推荐2】It was 10 o’clock in the evening. After watching a concert earlier that evening, four visitors were in a Paris hotel. They went out for the whole day, so they were __________ tired.

They lived on the 49th floor. But the hotel manager told them the lift was __________ and they had to use the stairs. The four people were very sad when they heard the bad news, but there was __________ they could do. Then they came up with an idea. They decided to tell each other some funny stories on the way up the stairs. __________, it would be not difficult for them to make it to their rooms.

The first man began to tell a story. It was very long and very funny. When he finished his story, they __________ to get to the 13th floor. The second man told another funny story that made them laugh all the way. Then the ___________ man also told his story and they got to the 39th floor after that. Now it was the fourth man’s __________. However, he stopped. “Why? Can’t you think of a story?” asked his three friends.

“Oh, yes,” he answered, “I can! However, __________ I tell you my story, you won’t like it.” “Any story will be OK,” said the other friends.

Looking worried, the fourth man said, “All right, then I’ll tell you that it is not as funny as your stories. It might be the __________ one you’ve ever heard tonight because I’ve __________ the keys of our rooms downstairs on the manager’s desk.”

【推荐3】One night, when I was eight, my mother gently asked me a question I would never forget. “Sweetie, my company wants to promote(升职) me; _____ , it needs me to work in Brazil. This is like your teacher telling that you’ve done well and allowing you to skip a grade(跳级), but you’ll have to_____ your friends. Would you say yes to your teacher?” She gave me a hug and asked me to think about it. I was puzzled. The question kept me_______ for the rest of the night. I had said “yes” but for the first time, I realized the difficult decisions adults had to make.

For almost four years, my mother would call us from Brazil every day.

Every evening I’d anxiously wait for the phone to ring and then tell her every detail of my day. A phone call, however, could never replace her_______ and it was difficult not to feel lonely at times.

During my fourth-grade Christmas break, we flew to Rio to visit her.

Looking at her large_______ apartment, I realized how lonely my mother must have been in Brazil herself. It was then that I started to appreciate the tough choices she had to make on balancing family and work._____ difficult decisions, she used to tell me, you wouldn’t know whether you make the right choice, but you could always make the best out of the situation, with passion and a positive attitude.

Back home, I reminded myself that what my mother could do, I could, too. If she______ to live in Rio all by herself, I, too, could learn to be______ . I learn how to take care of myself and set high but achievable goals.

My mother is now back with us. But I will never forget what the_____ has really taught me. Sacrifices(牺牲)pay off in the end. The separation between us has proved to be a______ for me.