【推荐2】I had an experience with a stranger recently that really touched me. In February, I lost my mom and I flew to my _________to tackle a few things. After a few days with my family, it was time to head back. I _________ the plane to find a young man sitting in the window seat, next to me. Somehow that day I _________ wanted that seat — I could just put on my headphones and sleep.

I asked him shyly if we could _________ seats. Upon my request, he did it and I _________ him many times. After the plane began to taxi to the runway, the _________ began to hit. Leaving the place I grew up and knowing Mom was no longer there, I _________ . The ground grew more and more _________ outside the window and my eyes became _________ as tears welled up.

Then I felt a tap on my elbow as I ____________ them away. That same young man was ____________ on me. He asked me if I was OK and I told him I lost someone I loved. Without ____________, he said he was there if I needed to talk. ____________, we had a three hour flight sitting in the same row.

I told him I wasn't ____________to talk, adding that his words made me feel better. Honestly, I felt ____________

Actually, I felt like I wasn't ____________ on that plane. Although I never took him up on his ____________ , I was touched that a ____________ knew that I may need someone at that moment.

That moment has led me to seek ways to serve and help others. They may seem ____________, but they may be big to that person. ____________ can be displayed in a simple but grand way.

【推荐3】Dad is a busy mechanic. Every Saturday he puts on his apron and produces delicious bread. I think he bakes to_______.

I’ve been feeling stressed out myself as I found out I didn’t_______for the swim team. Now I’ll have to wait a whole year to try out again. I think Dad knew how I_______, so this Saturday he invited me to help him bake.

Dad first got out everything needed, and then told me to_______the ingredients (配料) with a spoon. After that he showed me how to knead the dough (揉面团). It took only ten minutes but a(n) _______amount of energy to complete.

Next came the_______ part -doing nothing. We waited for the dough to_______swell up (膨胀), then punched (捶打) it down and waited for it to rise again. Dad said the waiting is always the hardest part as you have to _______the thought of putting the dough_______ into the oven.

While we waited, we sat and talked.________ is like the dough that rises and fills a room with emptiness________you punch it down with words. It felt good to listen and share our ________. As the flour dust quietly________, time seemed to slow down. The dough would rise at its own________. We could do nothing to make it rise faster.

I learned how to bake, and I also learned to________ the slowly ticking rhythm of time, to relax and let the bread rise.

【推荐1】A few years ago, I was doing a part-time job at a local ice cream shop. While handing an ice cream to an older _______ at the window, I noticed that she had a box of what appeared to be purple tomatoes in her car. “What is that?” I _______.

As I gave her the ice cream, I said, “Those tomatoes look _______! What kind are they?” She opened her mouth, so I thought she was about to start _______, but instead she replied, “Here, have some!” Within seconds I had a handful of wonderful purple tomatoes. “Oh, no, you don’t need to give me any!” I said. Those _______ looked expensive. “Here, have more,” she insisted, and now I had six of the prettiest tomatoes I had ever _______ I tried to _______ to take the tomatoes, “Really, you didn’t have to give me any, but I _______ it.”

The woman _______ again and said, “I hope you enjoy them. And to answer your question, it’s a rare ________ that my mom used to plant. So they aren’t like the ones you get in the grocery store.” I said thank you again, and she ________. She was like an adult version of the tooth fairy: I gave her ice cream and she gave me tomatoes.

About two weeks later, my boss at the ice cream store sent me a ________“I want to let you know that your gardener dropped off a box of vegetables for you.”, “My gardener?” I replied. That night, my boss showed me the box. It was full of tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans. The tomato fairy was back! I was both happy and confused. Why did this woman act so ________?

I never saw her again, but to this day her random act of ________ inspires me to share my garden harvest with anyone who’ ll have it. All I expect is just a “Thank you” ________. Better yet, pay it forward and be someone else’s secret gardener.

【推荐3】Ariel decided to _________ herself in nature the day before she turned 30, so she rode her bike to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York on November 5 to take a hike. A mile into her walk, she _________ a gorgeous female mute (哑的) swan near the water’s edge. Ariel, 30, who _________ volunteered at the Wild Bird Fund rehab (康复) center in Manhattan for five years, knew that mute swans can be _________. But as she approached this one, it didn’t move.

She was certain that the bird needed medical attention. Ariel put her jacket over the bird’s head to keep it calm, carefully picked it up, and held it in her arms. And then a thought _________ her: What can I do now?

Her best bet was the rehab center, but that was across the East River and clear on the other side of town. How was she going to _________ a 17-pound swan on her bike all that way? _________, some puzzled strangers driving by offered her, her bike, and the swan a _________ to a nearby subway station.

On the subway, no one seemed particularly annoyed by the _________ passenger. Ariel says: “One guy was sitting right in front of me on his phone. I don’t know if he __________ there was a swan in front of him”.

Ariel called the rehab center on the way, and Tristan Higgin, a (n) __________ manager, picked her up at the subway station and drove the bird, bike, and __________ to the facility. There, staff members determined that the swan might have lead poisoning, caused by swallowing __________ used on fishing lines.

While recovering, she made a boyfriend at the center—another injured swan. Sadly, even with all that tender loving care, the swan was __________ with a bacterial infection. Two months after Ariel came to her rescue, she __________. It’s a disappointing ending, but the real story is just how far some people are willing to go to save a swan in the big city. In all, Ariel traveled two hours by foot, car, and subway (while dragging her bike). “That’s the perfect summary of who she is.” says Higginbotham.

【推荐1】Many years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness.He was unable to work at _________ job. He would be fine for quite a while, but would then fall suddenly_________ and have to be admitted to the hospital.

He wanted to do something to keep himself _________, so he decided to volunteer at the local children hospital. My dad loved kids. He would talk to them and play with them. Sometimes, he would _________ one of his kids. In certain instances, he would give comfort to the sad parents of these children.

One of his kids was a girl who had been admitted with a_________ disease that paralyzed (使……瘫痪) her from the neck down. I don’t know the _________ of the disease, but I do know that it was very sad for a little girl. My dad decided to try to help her. He started _________ her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up _________ a backing, put the paintbrush in his mouth and began to paint. He didn’t use his hands at all. Only his head would move. He would visit her _________ he could and paint for her. All the while he would tell her, ―see, you can do __________ you set your mind to.

Eventually, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was discharged (允许出院). My dad also __________ the children hospital for a little while because he became ill. Sometime later after my dad had recovered and __________ to work, he was at the volunteer counter one day and __________ the front door open. In came the little girl who had been paralyzed, but this time she was walking.She ran straight to my dad and hugged him really tight. She gave my dad a picture she had done using her __________. At the bottom it read, －thank you for helping me walk.

Sometimes love is more__________ than doctors, and my dad who died just a few months after the little girl gave him the pictureloved every single child in that hospital.

【推荐1】One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet _________ of the splendid artwork.

A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me _________ nonstop between themselves.

I watched them a moment and found the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man’s _________ for putting up with her constant stream of words. _________ by their noise, I moved on.

I met them several times as I moved _________ the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away _________.

I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a _________ when the couple approached the exit. Before they left, the man _________ into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He lengthened it into a long stick and then _________ his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket. “He’s a __________ man,” the clerk at the counter said.   “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise that his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in __________ there is a new art show.”

“But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can’t see. “

“Can’t see! You’re wrong. He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife __________ each painting so he can see it in his head.”

I learned something about patience, __________ and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without __________ and the courage of a husband who would not __________ blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined（交缠）.

【推荐3】I was walking home from school one day. It happened to be a particularly ________ day and I forgot to take my hat and gloves with me in the morning. So my cheeks were ________ and my hands were as cold as they could be.

All of a sudden, a young man ________ up beside me and asked if I would like a ________ . His ________ smile made me forget my parents’ advice that I should never talk to ________ when I was alone! In the car, we had a very nice chat. It turned out that he was such a（n） ________ man. I asked for his ________ and telephone number before he dropped me off in front of my home.

I didn’t see him or talk to him for about a month and one night as I ________ his kindness, I decided to return the favor. So, I made a lot of ________ and walked down to his house. At first, I was a bit ________ that he wouldn’t remember me or think that I was a bad girl with poisoned cookies. But luckily, I was ________ wrong. He was so happy that he hugged me. He seemed so ________ that I would do something like that!

When I got home he ________ me on the phone that he ________ the cookies very much. He added he had never ________ such delicious cookies in his life! His comment was a real ________ since it was the first time that I had ever cooked! At the very moment, I also realized that my ________ were not always right, at least not with this ________ man. If all of us can step out our way to give others a hand, life will be much ________ !