1 . In Tennessee, you will find a “small society” of 9 women who call themselves “The 9 Nanas.” The task of this group is _______ —to spread happiness to those in need. The work that 9 women do has been a _______ for over 30 years. Even their husbands had no idea what the ladies were busy with!

The 9 women _______ themselves sisters, and have been together since childhood. Several of them were raise by MaMaw and PaPaw, a couple that were always doing good for the _______.

One day when the ladies got together for a card game, they started missing about the “old days” with Malaw and PaPaw. They remembered how MaMaw made and sent cakes to families who _______ lost someone. She didn’t have to know them. If Malaw read about a death in the newspaper, she would at once go to the kitchen.

So the sisters _______ that they should start doing good for their community too. They knew they needed money. And that’s when they planned to wash their own clothes instead of paying for that in order to save the money for the good things.

“So among the nine of us, we saved about $400 a month and our husbands didn’t _______ anything unusual. Their shirts looked just fine,” said one of the sisters.

And so, the “small society” of the 9 Nanas was born. _______ they heard of someone in need, they’d try their best to help paying a bill for a woman who lost her husband or buying new clothes for the children of a _______ mom. A package (包裹) would be sent, and would include one of MaMaw’s cakes and a note that _______ “Somebody loves you.” These 9 women prove that a small plan can make a big difference.

Volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, and even feel happier and healthier. Volunteering offers help to people in need, but the benefits (益处) can be even greater for you.

Volunteering allows you to connect to others. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference     1     the lives of people, animals and organizations in need. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially     2     you are a new comer. While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have difficulty in     3     new people. Volunteering gives you the chance to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering makes you happy. Nothing reduces stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals can improve mood and reduce stress. Studies have found that older volunteers find     5     easier to do with everyday tasks. They are less likely to develop high blood pressure and have better thinking skills. Volunteering can     6     help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Volunteering is a f    7     and easy way to explore your interests. Doing meaningful and interesting volunteer work can be a relaxing escape from your daily life. Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work as well. For example, if you have a desk job and hope to     8     time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help plant a garden, walk dogs for old people or help out at a children’s camp.

4 . “Dana, how are you feeling today?” I ask, noticing her dirty uniform, and the _________ circles under her eyes.

“OK,” Dana mumbles (嘟嚷).

“Have you eaten today?”

She nods. Another _________.

“Can I get you anything?” But what could I _________ get her? A bedroom of her own? A family with love?

“No, thanks.”

Repeated absence from school recently. She has worn out teachers’ _________. But I don’t want to send her back to class. What _________ is it knowing all the square numbers and all the grammatical rules when she has to work out how to wash, cook and decide between feeding herself or her younger sister?

“A biscuit?” I offer. It _________ and Dana takes the biscuits I hand her.

I remember the first time I met Dana, the day after she _________ herself in the house when her mom left the family. I remember thinking how _________ she was to have built such a high wall around herself and how on earth I could break through. As a social worker, it is my _________ to knock down such walls no matter how.

I know it would __________ more than a biscuit to move away one of her bricks. But I will try.

“How are you feeling?” I push slightly, __________ the biscuit might have softened her.

“OK,” she shrugs. I’m about to change __________ when her eyes rest on my arm.

“How does that feel, Mia?” Dana stares at me. The sleeve (袖子) of my blouse has rolled up, evidence of how deep I had put it into the biscuit can. A scar along my __________ is obvious against my fair skin.

I roll my sleeve back down, “It’s from a fire. It __________. But everything will be OK when you think it’s OK.”

Dana pauses and __________ another biscuit. At that moment, I know something has changed in the room and we might actually be OK.

5 . Lindsay Byrne and her twin sister, Nicole Kelly, were flying from Boston to their parents’ house in Florida when the flight crew announced that help was needed due to a _________ emergency.

Byrne, a Wayland firefighter and paramedic (护理人员), and Kelly, a nurse at Beth Clinic, immediately jumped into action. They _________ a woman passed out in one of the plane’s bathrooms. “She was _________ unconscious when I pulled her out of the bathroom. I never even got her name.”

The woman had grayish-blue skin, a faint pulse and was having difficulty _________. Then they noticed an insulin pump (胰岛素泵) was nearby and the woman had a continuous blood sugar monitoring device on her.

“Soon we _________ she was having a severe diabetic emergency. We poured some sugar packets into her mouth and when she woke up, we gave her orange juice and did the best we could to keep her _________,” said Byrne.

Once the plane landed, local paramedics transported the woman to a local hospital to be _________.

Wayland Fire Chief said he’s proud of Byrne and Kelly and how their training instantly kicked in to save the woman’s life. “Incidents like these are what first responders and medical professionals _________ for,” he said. “Seeing this training and professionalism kick into action beyond our small community and in an environment with limited _________ is a proud moment for the department that made a difference in someone’s life. I praise Lindsay and Nicole for working together and using both of their unique skill sets to take this swift, __________ action while flying aboard an aircraft.”

My friend Erica and I went out for lunch and on our way home we came across a paper bag near the subway station. When we _____ it up, we found there were a bunch of checks _____ a woman named Stacey, and a wallet with her ID card in it. The checks _____ about $3,000! Besides, there were three $100 bills. Eric suddenly thought up a _____ idea that we would simply deposit the _____ for the woman without saying anything. I also thought it an interesting and good idea, but I _____ that we ask her to do something good _____. So we decided to go to the _____ where Stacey had deposited her money after some _____. When we reached the teller (出纳), Erica said, “Hey, Madam, at some point during the day a woman named Stacey with a(n) ______ expression on her face is going to come here asking about her lost checks and some cash. ______ her that her checks were found and the person who found them wanted her to read this ______.”

“Stacey, I found your checks and brought them to the bank,” the note ______, “I don’t know whether you take the subway in the morning ______ live nearby, but there is a ______ man that sits outside the ______ every morning. If you would like to pass along the good ______, he would love a coffee and some bread tomorrow morning. Have a great day!”

I am ______ to say that the next morning when we came out of the subway station, the homeless man was there with a big cup of coffee and some bread. He also ______ some the following mornings. I guess Stacey was really ______ about having those checks placed into her account.

Lilly Bice is an eight-year-old American girl. When she heard many     1     in Texas lost everything because of Hurricane (飓风) Harvey, she made a decision.

Her parents     2     a hurricane twelve years ago, so they knew people in Texas had     3     rebuilding (重建) their homes after Hurricane Harvey. They had a     4     about how to help the people and Lilly heard it. She wanted to play a part in     5     those people. She decided to give away some toys to a child. “If the child has toys to play with, she will     6     feel less lonely,” Lilly thought.

Then she started putting her toys in a bag. Lilly wrote something on a piece of paper and put it into the bag.

“Dear little girl, are you     7     getting these toys? I hope they can be     8     close friends. Have fun with them and take good care of them.”

Lilly’s mom, Melissa Bice, was very proud (自豪的) of her daughter. She said Lilly could feel what the people in Texas were experiencing     9     the little girl didn’t experience a hurricane. “She     10     more than an eight-year-old child really does,” said the mom. “She’s always a kind child. She likes making things for people to make them happy,” she added.