1 . During the winter of 1986 I was working at a construction site near Oakland, California. It is not ________ for construction workers’ hands to become very painful. My hands were no ________ that year. They were bleeding at the joints of the fingers and thumbs.

________ work because of hurting hands is simply not a good choice in the construction industry. You grit your teeth(咬紧牙关), keep working, and finish the job. One morning I left for work at 5 a.m. and arrived at a ________. As I got out of my truck, I saw a newspaper delivery car and the driver struggling with newspapers. I took a second look, ________ that the man had no forearms. I was ________ to see him doing a job that would require a(n) physically gifted person. Still, he was somewhat having ________ with the larger bundles(捆)because his arms weren’t long enough.

On my way to pay for the gas, I stopped and asked him if I could ________ him. He politely ________ my offer. A few minutes later while I was refueling, he said, “Hey buddy, would you mind tying(系)my ________ for me?” As I was tying his shoes, he went on to explain that tying his shoes was the only thing he couldn’t do for ________.

I stopped and looked back at him as he was getting into his car. I looked down at my ________. Suddenly it hit me: I had been complaining about my hurting hands for weeks. That experience made a difference to my hurting hands. Every ________ when my hands start cracking and bleeding, I think back to that ________ in 1986. And just like magic, my hands don’t ________.

2 . I was walking in a park on a cool autumn morning. The view was charming, and a pleasant breeze(微风) was kissing my face _______.

Then I saw a mother and her little baby. The mother wore _______ clothes that seemed to be found in a dustbin—How easy it is for fortunate people to _______ away things they don’t need, and they do this _______ thinking of the unfortunate! She was holding her baby, protecting her from the morning _______ and expecting some money from strangers so that she could _______ food for both of them. It was then that I realized how _______ I had been in my whole life for living a rich life.

Then a man _______ some money and food to the mother, and as she took them, her face was _______ as if she had been the happiest person in the world. And why not, she could now ________ her baby at least for the day.

Actually, happiness doesn’t ________ luck, your financial or your physical conditions, but only on yourself. It is just a ________ in your hands. If you choose to be happy, ________ can stop you from it.

How ________ it is that one observation(观察) can change your life! Life has a lot to offer if you observe very closely. One who observes can ________ real happiness.

4 . Two heroic teenage lifesavers were praised after rescuing(救援) a drowning man from Lake Mulwala.

Grace Creenaune, and Erica Montgomery, 18, were on duty _________ as lifeguards at the local water park on Tuesday, when two men bought tickets to go into the park.

Workers _________ the men had been drinking and they were _________ to leave. After getting their money back, the men left quietly crossing the road to Lake Mulwala where they _________ into the water. They were swimming out of sight of the workers when one of them got into _________. So his partner ran for _________, straight back to the park where they had been asked to leave.

Grace said that was when their training _________. “He was probably about 20 metres out, and when we got to him, he was completely underwater and we _________ to pulled him back onto shore (岸),” Grace said.

The pair had _________ been lifeguards for a short period of time. Erica said it was quite a(n) __________. “Looking back on it, now it’s a lot more __________ than it was at the time.”

The girls’ boss said she was extremely __________ of them, saying they had put themselves in danger. “There is no __________ that if they had no training or quick response (反应), the man would not have __________, she said. “I really appreciate their courage to take the __________.”

5 . My family moved into a newly constructed home in Calgary 10 years ago. That year was full of promise. We _______ at the stream of incoming families during their move-in days. Hands were shaken. Couches were pulled up steps. But we saw _______ of each other as winter approached. Names were forgotten.

As the snow _______, many of the neighborhood’s kids began to learn how to ride a bike. Their mothers would be nearby, chatting. Dad wanted a place for children to play, a quiet place for parents to sit and relax, but more importantly, a _______ for everyone to leave the house and join the community. He began _______ benches.

He started knocking on doors and _______ hands. He chatted with Eric, a builder and then met with a designer. _______ began with me and my father. Within minutes there was a flock of young neighbors _______, each claiming they could help. _______ of us knew each other well, but all hands were on deck (全员出动). After a few hours, three benches formed a semi-circle on the avenue.

That afternoon marked the first of many weekend Neighbor Days. Kids ________ each other around while parents brought out food. ________ would carry on into the night. We often ________ there the following afternoon, as well as ________ afternoons and evenings in the years since.

I moved out for university four years ago, having learned to ________ value community. But I’ve never lived somewhere as social as my family neighborhood since.

There’s a saying: you must be a good neighbor to have good neighbors. My dad wasn’t thinking much about building those benches. He just wanted a place to sit on a Saturday afternoon. A place to bring the ________ together.

6 . Yesterday, a salesman called me to sell his phone plans. I was at work and while I usually don’t like spending time on those things, I _________ myself that I couldn’t talk yet and _________that he call me back at 6 pm.

That’s what he did. So we talked about 20 minutes. He _________ to me his different phone plans. While listening to him, sometimes I was _________in my thoughts. I gave several “hmm hmm”, as a sign of agreement and to _________that I was still there. Sometimes, I felt a bit_________. But I stayed calm and _________ until the end of the discussion.

Finally, he said the following to me: “Thank you, Olivier. You are the first person in a long time with whom I had an enjoyable conversation. _________, people shout at us and slam down the phone. Today, since 10 am, I hadn’t had a phone _________ without an offense (触怒). I know you had a long day at work and you could have __________ in front of your TV. But you listened so carefully to me. I am __________ and I sincerely thank you.”

It set me thinking. He had been the __________ of verbal violence (语言暴力) all through his working day. Physical __________ do not exist in this situation but dehumanization (非人性) seems to happen. __________, he was only doing his job. I felt a sense of __________ that I hadn’t treated him so rudely.

8 . It was a bitter winter morning in Kennewick, Washington. John Lunceford saw a crying child along his bus ________ to school. Tears rolled down the young boy’s cheeks as his bare hands and ears were ________ red because of the bitter cold. Lunceford took his ________ off, which he gave to the child, and said, “It’ll be OK.” “I’m a grandfather. No one wants a kid to ________ like that,” Lunceford said. His heart ________ because of the poor child, knowing the ________ winter was still lying ahead.

After ________ the kids off at school, the three-year bus driver and former U.S. Army soldier went to the ________ to buy ten sets of gloves and hats. He returned to the ________ and determined to find the boy. A school worker ________ Lunceford to the library, where the boy was studying with his class. There Lunceford ________ the boy with a new pair of gloves and a hat.

But the little boy was just the ________. Many other students would receive the ________ of their familiar bus driver. He announced to the students in the library that any child found without a hat or gloves along his bus route would be given a set.

One little girl ________ said she didn’t have a hat. As Lunceford ________ her a comfortable hat, he smiled and said, “I’ll take care of you, sweetie.”

9 . A man went to buy fruits and asked the shopkeeper about the _________ of the fruits. The shopkeeper replied that banana was $2 and apple was $4 per kilo. At the same time, a woman came into the shop and _______ the same question. Without a second _________, the shopkeeper answered, “Banana is $1 and apple is $3 per kilo.” Hearing this, the man stared at shopkeeper in _________. The shopkeeper noticed this immediately and signaled him to wait for a while. The woman took the fruits, paid for them and left _________.

After the woman left with a smile, the shopkeeper looked toward the customer and said, “I didn’t mean to _________ you.” He continued after a brief ___________, “The woman lives in my neighborhood. She is a poor mother of four. I have tried many times to help her but she is not _________ to take any help from anyone in our _________· Then I thought of this way to help her. Whenever she comes, I sell her fruits at the ______________ price. This way, she won’t feel that she is being helped and ______________ on others. This is the only way I can extend my help. And whenever this lady comes, my sales ______________.”

After he learned the story, tears ______________ in the customers eyes. He hugged the shopkeeper and bought fruits without complaining or ______________. More importantly, he left with a lesson learned that if you want to ______________, you will always find a way and your own bless will come along.