1 . I grew up in northern Arizona, where it has the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Until I was invited to _______Guizhou province by the China Storyteller Partnerships Tour, I realized how _______ Guizhou can be in poetic (有诗意的) detail. There is _______better than seeing things with one’s own eyes. I will attempt to do so here.

My father used to ask my brothers and me on yearly fishing trips around Arizona. We would _______ to catch the largest fish, and those who succeeded would be rewarded. I remembered sitting in a small boat in the middle of the lake, mostly _______ my bored tongue, while my father tried to _______ me the whispers of the wind, or a fish dancing on the surface of the lake. He vividly described to me everything that he _______in nature. On my trip to Guizhou I had the _______ to kayak(皮划艇) on Wanfeng lake. At one point I rested, _______ floating at the center of the lake, listening to the spaces between silence and ________the surrounding karst (喀斯特) mountains. I thought about my childhood, and ________ I had listened more closely to my father’s ________ feelings.

I’ve ________ Arizona for 10 long years, creating my own destiny in China. I’ve managed to build myself a family, a career, and join in ________ activities. I feel as if I have everything I need. For a moment, in Guizhou, I felt ________.

3 . Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus during the rush hour. The bus was full of cold, tired people_______with one another. Two men_________at each other for being too crowded. An old woman got on, and nobody offered her a _______. Anger was in the air, no_______could be found here.

As the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver’s words came from the speaker. “Folks,” he said, “I know you’ve had a(n) _________day and that you are not feeling well, but I will_________. When each of you walks by before getting off, drop your___________into my palm(手掌), My route goes right by the Hudson River, into which I’ll_________them.”

Everyone burst out laughing, their faces shining with_______. The passengers who had been ignoring(忽视) each other’s________suddenly grinned (咧嘴笑) at each other.

At the next stop, just as________, the driver held out his hand, a palm up, and waited. All the________passengers performed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. The driver__________the same action at every stop that followed.

Occasionally we may sink into a grey world, but someone can________it like a ray of light, showing us hope. What if we are the light?________, anyone has the power to shine on others’ dark days.

6 . In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The _________ is that countries around the world have growing mountains of rubbish because people are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.

How did we _________ a throwaway society? First of all, it is now easier to _________ an object than to spend time and money to repair it._________ modern manufacturing (制造业) and technology, companies are able to products quickly and inexpensively.

Another cause is our love of disposable (一次性的) products. As _________ people, we are always looking for _________ to save time and make our lives easier. Companies _________ thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.

Our appetite for new products also _________ to the problem. We are _________ buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that __________ is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we __________ useful possessions to make room for new ones.

All around the world, we can see the __________ of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To __________ the amount of rubbish and to protect the environment, more governments are requiring people to recycle materials.__________, this is not enough to solve (解决) our problem.

Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions __________ throwing them away. We also need to change our spending habits to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.

7 . I was travelling on an overnight bus from Kolhapur to Aurangabad in Maharashtra for my high school graduation travel. The bus --- an ordinary, non-air-conditioned one --- was more than _______; all 55 seats were _______ and there were some 20 people standing in the aisle (过道). The hot day added to the _______ of the 10-hour journey.

The bus started its journey a little later than scheduled. After around two very long hours, I was beyond tired. I kept trying to _______ myself, shifting from my body weight from one leg to the other to manage the discomfort. Suddenly, I _______ a soft hand tapping my elbow, asking for _______. Turning around, I found a middle-aged man with a kind smile _______ me. He suddenly stood up and said I could take his seat for some time. I was pleasantly surprised and _______ his offer. A man, who was sitting by the window on the other side of the bus, had _______ our exchange.

Just then, something ________ happened. Our observer spontangeously (自发地) ________ and offered his seat to another standing man. Instantly, we had ________ a chain reaction: This game of seat-sharing ________ through the bus like wildfire and, before long, almost all the standees got a chance to be seated. People even started chatting with each other while exchanging positions. Needless to say, the rest of the journey was quite enjoyable.

This extraodinary experience has stayed with me even after all these years. It revealed to me an important fact – that we can all ________ what we have, including our burdens, and help our co-passengers in his ________ called life.

9 . Ten years ago, Nixon, 59, started each day from a bench of the St. Petersburg, Florida, waterfront . Watching a sun rise makes him feel   ________.

“Seeing you ________ here, I know everything will be OK.” A woman’s words changed his perspective. Nixon ________. “That’s when I knew: I needed to pay attention to the people ________. I needed to ensure them we ________ to each other.”

________ watching sunrise, Nixon started smiling at people and ________ conversations. People began joining him on the bench, asking for advice.

“I wanted them to walk away ________ they didn’t have to feel alone.” said Nixon. “People feel their purpose hasn’t been ________ in their 50s. At this stage in life, this is definitely my purpose.”

Weather permitting, Nixon will sit on the bench before sunrise every morning. His presence and ________ to listen have led some people to ________ him the Sunshine Mayor. No matter what problem a person wants to ________, Nixon lends an ear.

Once a couple talked about problems in their relationship. “The husband was ________ working, rarely home,” Nixon said. “It was ________ their marriage. I told him: ‘My friend, if your wife’s words didn’t scare you, then maybe the possibility of losing her will.” Finally, the man agreed to slow down.

No topic is off limits, but some ________ want to sit next to someone and share the silence.

10 . One snowy night, a pair of beagles (比格犬) was struggling on a rural highway. The father-to-be looked around anxiously, trying to seek _______ for his dear companion. Frequently he would look at her _______, feeling guilty she labored along, her way made heavier by the new life growing inside her. They _______ for a warm, dry place. When her _______ came, it must not be out here along the roadway.

As _______ would have it, Gus Kiebel, a county wildlife officer, who was driving home from work, spotted the pair. He _______ to the shoulder of the road immediately.

The beagles made no effort to_______when Gus bent down and stretched out his hands to them. Gus _______ their tags(狗牌) by his truck’s headlights and tried to ring, but the falling snow _______the screen. He placed the dogs in his truck, ________his phone and called again.

A man answered and instantly grew ________ when Gus told him why he was calling.

“I already gave them away,” the man responded coldly.

Obviously, these beagles were ________. Meeting their large begging eyes, Gus felt his heart________. “Putting them back in the snow is out of the ________,” Gus thought to himself. “I must bring them home.”

It’s a simple story, but it speaks to the best of our nature: Kindness and love can keep ________ and cold at bay.