1 . My dad loved everything about Northern Soul music. He _________ in England in the 1960s when the music was popular. He had a _________ childhood there. I believe this music _________ him through hard times in his life.

At the age of 57, he was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. When he was _________ from the cancer, he also turned to his music. The music made him _________ and he wanted to dance. One of the songs I knew he _________ was “Because Of You” by Jackie Wilson. He _________ told me why he liked it, but after listening to the _________ of the song, I believed it was for my mother, who _________ him. But my mom insisted they saved each other.

The song ________   me of the time when my dad and I were sitting in his living room after he was diagnosed with cancer and he told me this was his favorite song. I __________ it down in my note section of my phone because I knew it was __________ to remember it. We ended up __________ it at his memorial service. It also reminds me of how my mom and dad __________. My dad was only 23 and was trying to find his way in __________. My mom was 22 and was also trying to find her way. They helped each other over 40 years.

2 . In a busy city, there lived an old bookseller named Mr. Finch. His tiny shop, hidden amid towering skyscrapers, was a _________ destination for book lovers. Mr. Finch was known for his warm smile and the _________ he could tell from his cherished books.

One summer afternoon, a young girl named Lily _________ his shop. She had a worn notebook in hand, filled with _________ and ideas. With _________ in her eyes, she asked, “Can you help me write a story?”

Mr. Finch nodded and _________ her to sit. They began with a blank page, and as they _________, the world around them faded away. They _________ a tale of an enchanted (被施魔法的) forest, where trees whispered secrets and animals sang lullabies. Hours turned into minutes, and before Lily _________ it, the story had come to life. She thanked Mr. Finch, __________ to return.

Years passed, and one day, Lily; now a __________ author, returned to Mr. Finch’s __________. She handed him her latest book, dedicated to the old bookseller who had __________ her passion for storytelling. Mr. Finch’s eyes welled with tears as he read the dedication. He realized that in helping Lily find her voice, he had also __________ his own purpose. From that day forward, he wrote stories that filled his little shop with magic.

And so, in a hidden comer of the city, among the towering buildings, Mr. Finch and Lily __________ that the power of a story could change lives, inspire dreams, and make even the smallest of places feel extraordinary.

3 . My aunt Mantha loved Christmas. She always went out of her way to make it _________ and cosy for everyone around her. December 2022 was no _________. Mantha drove three hours to visit everyone two weeks before the 25th and to drop off _________ to her friends. We chatted about our plans, _________ and kissed goodbye when it was time to _________.

So when on December 18. Mantha's son called us sadly to tell us Mantha had passed away _________ at home, none of us could quite believe it. So close to Christmas, none of us felt like _________. That was until my sister-in-law, Vera told us about some _________ of hers in the office who were from China had just arrived in the UK.

We knew we couldn't leave them to spend the day by themselves, especially after we heard how _________ they were to experience a proper English Christmas. More importantly, we knew Mantha would have wanted us to throw open our doors and give them a Christmas to __________.

When the day finally came, we __________ them into the house with open arms and tried to __________ our pain so we could give them the full Christmas __________.

It didn't __________ the pain of Mantha's absence but connecting with strangers and __________ our culture helped us get through the day and turned out to be the very thing we all needed.

4 . Things were not going _______ for David McCartney on the evening of Jan.9, 2006. The father of two was running late for a meeting and was _______ for a speeding ticket (罚单). But, as fate would have it, the _______ put him right where he needed to be when Elizabeth Testerman’s car rushed off the road in front of his car. Thinking on his _______, McCartney called 911, kicked in Testerman’s windshield and pulled her from the car. “I got to save a life,” says McCartney. “So it _______ being a pretty good day.”

That _______ episode led to a yearslong friendship with Testerman and inspired McCartney to continue helping others. In 2019 McCartney, a longtime distance runner, _______ a kidney (肾脏)to a stranger; And since then, his _______ has been to run 50-plus-mile ultramarathons in every U. S. state to raise awareness and educate people about becoming living donors. “We’re trying to get people _______ in all 50 states. It is not a death sentence to donate a kidney.”

Although McCartney never got to meet the person who ________ his kidney, he says he finds ________ in knowing that he saved a life. And he knows he’s ________ others too. His son Elijah,18, now runs alongside his dad for kids with kidney disease. In recent years the pair have ________ nearly 100 races across 16 states and helped dozens of kids. “You’ve got to try to make a difference,” says McCartney. “It’s a big ________. When the sun is shining, we’re ________ the road.”

5 . Britni Ricard, the CEO of her own cosmetics company, became a landlord (房东) when she bought her first investment property. The apartment building has 10 units and many of the tenants (租房) are ________ women with children. That made her think of her own ________ growing up in public housing, and how difficult holidays could be for her mom.

“It was ________,” said Ricard. “My mom was a single woman ________ three children alone. ________ watching her struggle in my childhood, I just wanted to figure out, ‘How can I help?’”

Inspired by her own upbringing, Ricard decided to ________ to support her tenants. In November, Ricard ________ her tenants for a pre-holiday meeting and she delivered a ________ to her tenants: one month of free rent. Ricard also ________ to organize a seminar (研讨会) to help her tenants become homeowners.

Among the tenants touched by Ricard’s ________ was Kedesha Dunn, a single mother raising two boys. Dunn expressed her ________, emphasizing how Ricard’s gift would ________ financial stress and allow her family to ________ the holiday season.

Ricard’s act of compassion and ________ had a deep impact on the lives of her tenants, resonating far beyond the walls of the apartment building and inspiring communities to come together in times of ________.

6 . Eighteen-year-old Terry Fox never saw himself as remarkable. Granted, he displayed an unusual determination to achieve his goals but his ______ was local-family, school, sports and friends. But his cancer diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma (成骨肉瘤) ______ all that. Terry lost his leg, underwent 16 months of ______ and found he could not ignore the suffering he ______ in the wards. He did not let his illness ______ him. Instead, he went on a cross-country run to raise cancer ______ and funds for cancer research. Terry ran ______ to 26 miles a day. He ran through snow, rain, wind, ______ and humidity. He stopped in more than 400 towns to talk about why he was running. Most days he was ______ on the road, and no money was raised. But Terry never gave up hope that Canadians would ______ to his story, to his effort…and he was right. When Terry entered Ontario, the whole country was cheering him on and donating. ______, cancer returned in his lungs and he had to ______ from the journey after having run 5,373kilometers. Before his death, Terry had achieved his once ______ goal of $1 from every Canadian. More importantly, he had ______ the framework for an event, The Terry Fox Run, that would ignite cancer research, raising over $850 million since 1980, and bring ______ and health to millions of Canadians.

7 . Hard luck makes one stronger and India’s youngest para-badminton player, Palak Kohli, agrees entirely. Her left arm has not completely grown—a(n) ______ since birth. This put her in a very awkward position. ______ questions and sympathy were a part of Palak Kohli’s daily routine. However, it never ______ her but instead inspired her to do more.

A chance meeting with a national ______ when visiting a mall sowed the seed of para-sports (残疾人体育) in her mind. Although her teacher insisted she should ______ studies, it only made her more ______ to prove herself. Her intensive research on para-sports ______ her to Gaurav Khanna—India’s national para-badminton coach, the ______ man who had met her before. Palak Kohli visited Gaurav Khanna’s para-badminton academy and soon knew her ______ and destination. In 2019, three years after she was ______ to the academy, she played in the nationals and did extremely well, winning three gold medals. Things seemed to be ______ until she was diagnosed with a bone marrow (骨髓) issue in her ______ and was advised bed rest for three months. Palak Kohli was undisturbed as she was used to ______ hard luck. She was quick to focus on solutions to ______ her body and slowly getting back on her feet again.

For Kohli, para-badminton is her world now. She ______ Khanna for his contribution and support in her career.

8 . Monique Marshall knew she had to do something for her mother after her stepfather passed away. Monique’s mother, Karin, who is 84 years old, was living in her apartment in New York City ________, about 2,500 miles away from Monique in Los Angeles.

Monique ________ she had to do something for her mother. ________, Monique’s husband, Demille, was all on board, willing to do anything to ________ Karin in her advanced age. That’s when Monique and Demille brainstormed with their friends and neighbors, Pierre and Carmen, who happened to be ________.

After much thought and planning, they ________ a solution of a “glam garage (豪华车库)”. Monique and Demille decided to turn their old and drafty ________ into an apartment space for Karin. But as is always the case with any construction project, they encountered ________. However, it was nothing too big that kept them from completing the ________. And the results are ________!

Karin is in love with her new living space and new city. When Karin first ________ into her glam garage apartment in Los Angeles, she couldn’t ________ her eyes.

“It was overwhelming,” said Karin. “I was so ________. Monique had done all the furniture. I didn’t have to do anything.”

What a wonderful and ________ solution that came about because of love, care and ________.

9 . On the final day of my second year of high school, I was hit in the face with a baseball bat. Shocked and _______ I was unaware of how _______ I had been injured (受伤).

When I finally woke up, I discovered that I had lost my ability to_______ like a player. And I became painfully aware of how far I had to go when I returned to the baseball field one year _______ . Baseball had always been a _______ part of my life and I had a dream of playing professionally. After months of recovery, what I wanted more than anything was to get back on the _______.

But my _______ to baseball was not smooth. When the season rolled around, I was the only junior to be cut from the university baseball team. I had been _______ since age four, and for someone who had spent so much time and _______ on the sport, getting cut made me feel ________ .

The turning point came two years after my injury when I began ________ at Denisoa University. I knew that if things were going to ________ I was the one responsible for making it happen. Therefore, while my classmates ________ out with friends or played video games, Ｉconcentrated on ________ training day in and day out. The everyday improvements were small, but they gave me a sense of control over my life.

Finally, I managed to become a college athlete. Now, despite my hard high school years, I have started to rebuild my ________ again.

10 . With more free time after completing her examinations, Rachel, a 16-year-old student of the School of Science and Technology, Singapore, decided to bake for friends and family. She was surprised when they came back with a lot of positive ________.

Then she read some ________ stories of people who stepped forward to help others with whatever talents they had. And that ________ her to use her baking skill to help the less fortunate.

Last year, she started making and selling the Bear Cookie and gave most of the ________ to Global Village for Hope, which is a local non-profit organization that has set up more than 100 community ________ in villages in Thailand. These projects help to ________ the less fortunate with money for food, better education and drinkable water.

So far, Rachel has ________ almost $6,000 from her bake sales.

“It can be really ________ at times but I find it all really worth it when my ________ tell me that they really enjoy my cookies. To my surprise, many customers ________ extra money on top of what they paid for the ________. This was really heart-warming as I never knew that I could use my cookies to ________ someone’s heart and inspire them to donate too,” Rachel said. “Growing up here, many young Singaporeans can ________ a good education, something—that not every person can get. I ________ believe that every child deserves a proper education. I feel that at 16, I should also do my best to give back to ________. If I have the ability to help others, why not?”