2 . I was halfway across Indiana headed home to Kentucky when my car broke down. My phone was ______, too. I managed to get to a gas station, but it was Sunday in the early fall, and there was no ______ on duty. I was working my way through university then and had little money for ______ the car.

I sat alongside my car for several hours trying to ______ the heat when an older gentleman ______ to fuel his car.   He asked about my car, and I ______ my predicament (困境). To my ______, the gentleman told me that he had a daughter my age, and then he opened his trunk and ______ a tool set.

Right then and there, this total ______ examined my engine, explaining as he worked that my spark plugs (火花塞) hadn’t been charged for so long that they were ______ to function.   After about an hour, he ______ that my car was safe to finish the trip.

______ came at the hands of a stranger. ______ his clothes, working on a hot September afternoon, this man ______ a college student from disaster, just because she could have been his ______ .

4 . Summer Clayton may not have children in real life, but he’s “a proud dad” to 2.8 million people on the Internet.

Every week, he sits down to dinner and has a _______ chat with his “kids”. He looks into the camera and asks about their day. He _______ them how to shave, and reminds them it’s OK to be _______ when life hurts. To some, his one-way conversations may seem _______ . But his efforts have struck a chord (引起共鸣) among people who _______ a father figure — or just someone who listens to their_______in the daily life.

Clayton is a civilian fitness trainer in real life. He started _______on the Internet in late 2020 with inspirational and how-to videos, and_______ jokingly called him “dad”. His first video to go viral was a shaving how-to — a _______ to someone who sent him a message asking, “Hey Dad, can you teach me how to shave?” The video ________ , earning him tens of thousands of new fans within hours.

Clayton’s extended family comes in all ________ . Many of his “kids” are old enough to be his parents. Clayton’s ________ doesn’t seem to bother his fans. At 58, Sarah D’Imperio may not seem like Clayton’s target audience, but she believes that it’s a(n) ________ idea, especially for youngsters who may not have a paternal (父亲的) role model that listens or has ________ to listen. “It’s just heartwarming to see someone trying to________ a small part of that role for anyone,” she says.

5 . Borneo is home to some of the most extraordinary wildlife. Several years ago, I decided to go there for a visit. A local person offered to be my guide, which was a great bonus for me.

One day, my guide turned off the smooth road and took me across a ________ hillside instead. We picked our way carefully when ________, a Rafflesia (大王花) popped into my view among those stones. Oh, dear! More than ________, I bent down and put my nose practically inside the flower’s core.

________, to my surprise, it was only one of the ________ during the trip.

As I ________ the end of my trip, there was still something I had yet to see. We planned to ________ most feared creature there, the saltwater crocodile, which can grow to a ________ of 6 meters or more. When we shone a flashlight towards the muddy shore, little sounds ________ in the darkness as if something unseen underwater had broken the ________ Taking a second look, we spotted two greedy ________ just above the water line. As we drew near, it ________ and we saw clearly it was a crocodile. With great caution, we neared it and finally could ________ its true dimensions. It was a baby-no more than 0. 6 meter long. Aha, whatever, I could now report to the ________ back home, who had never been to Borneo, that I had ________ a hungry crocodile in the wild and lived to tell the tale.

The world out there is so fascinating. Don’t let work run your life. Why not step outdoors and enjoy the wonders nature offers to you?

7 . Students at an elementary school in California, with the help of their art teacher, created a telephone hotline that people can call to get _________ advice from kids during difficult times. In just days, the hotline began getting thousands of calls an hour.

Jessica Martin, who teaches art at West Side School in Healdsburg, California, _________ her students just might have the magic words needed to bring _________ to people in these difficult times. “To hear the pure _________ from kids is extremely comforting,” she says.

The project was called “PepToc”. Actually, they called it “Pep Talk” (鼓励话语) first.. But when Ms. Martin’s 6-year-old son drew an advertisement for the hotline and _________ it “PepToc”, they _________ they liked that even better.

The hotline is _________ in English and Spanish. It offers the happy voices of _________ of different ages sharing positive messages. For example, by pressing 3, you can _________ a group of kindergartners saying together, “You can do it! Keep trying! Don’t give up!” Pressing 4 __________ the sounds of children giggling and laughing—a sound certain to bring a __________ to anyone’s face. Pressing 1 __________ ideas for people who are “feeling mad, frustrated, or __________ ” Helpful suggestions include “punch your pillow”, or “go get a cookie”. Pressing2 results in “words of __________ and life advice”. This includes messages like “The __________ is a better place with you in it.”

8 . Anytime I travel on my bicycle across the country, I’m always amazed by how kind people can be to strangers.

One night, my friends and I were camping in a town in Missouri. There was a severe storm and we were getting ______ . A complete stranger came by to ______ us that there were tornadoes(龙卷风)heading our way. The stranger invited us to his home. We were surprised by his ______ for our safety. Later we learned that there had been a lightening strike near the place where we had camped and several cattle had been ______

Fortunately, we spent the night in a nice dry home. We were ______ given the opportunity to take a shower. The next morning we had breakfast with the family and ______ contact information. In a way we felt like the family had become a part of our journey. This was one of the most heartwarming ______ of my life because this family had nothing to ______ by being so kind to us. We were ______ not the type they would usually ______ but they treated us with respect and kindness.

The kindness of a stranger always ______ my faith in humanity. Whatever the person ______ always comes with no strings attached and that’s the most _____ part.

That family _____ us so much that during the rest of the trip, we _____ others out every chance we got. We even bought food with our busking(街头卖艺) tips for the homeless. It’s always heartwarming when giving feels as good as receiving.

9 . My 5-year-old daughter Kai walked around a bus stop, picking up candy wrappers and plastic bottles and throwing them in the waste bin. We were a visiting family here, but she was cleaning the sidewalk, which didn’t shock me, nor was I _________ when strangers looked at us.

Our cleanup project began when we drove past an empty field one day and Kai _________ the field was covered by _________ balloons. We had read about how animals could _________ balloons for food. “Stop,” Kai said, and I _________. Surprisingly, we found the field was full of much trash _________ the balloons. “Can we come back and clean it?” Kai asked. Then each Friday, we returned to have a(n) _________ cleaning.

However, it seems we can never _________ the trash completely. I feel something close to _________! Why are we making kids clean up our __________? It has everything to do with the planet we adults are leaving for kids. Plastic pollution is globally distributed and microplastics have even been discovered in human blood. It is not a __________ story that we have created trash but our next generation cleans up them.

Now Kai hopes to become a marine biologist to protect sharks one day. She still has many years to __________, if adults get serious about solving plastic pollution. We shouldn’t leave our next generation a __________ planet and expect them to save it.

The last time our family was at the beach, we still picked up plastic bottles. Most __________, though, we saw an octopus (章鱼) playing around our feet, a __________ of a harmonious habitat worth protecting.

10 . About three years ago, a tornado attacked our town. My father and I _________ to visit my grandparents to make sure they were okay. Upon arrival, I took my regular seat and _________ with Grandma about what was on our mind to pass the time. _________, the power was out and it got dark in what seemed like a matter of minutes.

Then, Grandma turned to me and asked with _________ eyes that stared right past me, “Now you’re graduating this year, aren’t you?” As a freshman, I was _________, about this strange question. Actually, Grandma could exactly _________ you when every one of her grandchildren was born. _________, I assured her that I was not yet a(n) _________, and still had a few years until graduation.

Soon, my father asked if I was ready to go home. I silently _________ my head—yes. Into the car, I __________ and couldn’t stop weeping. My father asked me what was wrong. “Is Grandma going to __________ my graduation?” I asked.

It took him a long time to respond, “Yes. She may not know where she is, but she will be there, no matter what.” The rest of the car ride home was __________. When we eventually arrived home, I rushed to my room and cried for hours. That night, I could picture that Grandma’s __________ would be changed from the care giver to care receiver.

Ever since that talk with my Grandma, I have matured and __________. Her Alzheimer (阿尔茨海默症) has progressed to about stage 3 now. At my graduation, I was sitting on the stage seeing Grandma there sitting with the rest of my family. “She may not know where she is, but she will be there”. My father’s words __________ in my ears.