Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.I served in the Coast Guard during World War 11. On an especially lonely day to be at sea — Thanksgiving Day — I began to give serious thought to a holiday that has become, for many Americans, 【小题1】 day of overeating and watching endless games of football. I decided to celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving by writing three very special letters, to my father, my grammar school principal and my grandma.
The texts of my letters began something like, “Here, this Thanksgiving at sea, I find my thoughts upon how much you have done for me, 【小题2】 I have never stopped and said to you how much I feel the need to thank you — and briefly I recalled for each of them specific acts performed on my behalf.”
For instance, something uppermost about my father was how he had impressed upon me from boyhood the love of books and reading. In fact, this graduated into a family habit of after-dinner quizzes at the table about books read most recently and new words learned. My love of books never diminished and later led me toward writing books myself. So many times I have felt a sadness when 【小题3】 (expose) to modern children so immersed in the electronic media that they have little or no awareness of the marvelous world 【小题4】 (discover) in books.
I reminded the Reverend Nelson how each morning he would open our little country town's grammar school with a prayer over his assembled students. I told him that whatever positive things I had done since 【小题5】 (influence) at least in part by his morning school prayers.
In the letter to my grandmother, I reminded her of a dozen ways she used to teach me how to tell the truth, to share, and to be forgiving and considerate of others. I thanked her for the years of eating her good cooking, the equal of 【小题6】 had not been found since. Finally, I thanked her simply for having sprinkled my life with stardust.
One day, a mail ship brought me responses from Grandma, Dad, and the Reverend Nelson — and my reading of their letters left me not only astonished but more humbled than before. 【小题7】 saying they would forgive that I hadn't previously thanked them, they were thanking me — for 【小题8】 (remember) they had done anything so exceptional.
Much later, retired from the Coast Guard and trying to make a living as a writer, I never forgot 【小题9】 those three “thank you” letters gave me an insight into how most human beings go about longing in secret 【小题10】 more of their fellows to express appreciation for their efforts.
