1 . Bobby and I had been friends right when we were five. I had a natural talent and _________ for painting, but Bobby’s life was marked by sorrow. While he had lost his parents, we _________ through our youth together, playing, chatting, loving and studying, until we graduated from college.

I was fortunate enough to find a job that allowed me to _________ my passion for painting. Bobby, on the other hand, seemed to wander _________ in his search for employment. Having heard his situation _________ when he fell ill, I decided to put my career on hold to look after him. When I stepped into his house, _________, a single room that he lived in, I saw it was covered with a layer of dust. Bobby’s only _________ during his days at home was a tree outside his window, holding desperately on to a single leaf.

Bobby would often pour out to me, “If that last leaf falls, I probably won’t _________ either.” Determined to lift his spirits, one early morning, I drew a leaf and tied it to one of the branches. It was so _________ that it appeared as if it belonged to the tree. This leaf never fell; it became Bobby’s symbol of hope.

As time passed, under the silent encouragement of the leaf, Bobby’s health began to __________. Eventually, he was hired as a clerk in a bank close to his home and __________ his enthusiasm for life. It turned out that the leaf I had drawn was more than just an artistic creation — it was an unbreakable __________ of our friendship.

Our experience taught us that sometimes, a simple __________ can have far-reaching effects. Friendship proves to be the most __________ power along our path, even when faced with all challenges. This is the very __________ of life.

2 . Last year, John and I discovered that our plumbing (水管) had failed, flooding our home. We had to live in a hotel as we waited for the _________ to be dealt with.

Living in a small hotel room with three little kids was an extremely _________ period, but when a group of teenagers from FFA group moved in, things went from bad to worse.

The teens kept talking _________ in the hallways until late, and the noise _________ my kids. I was _________ and decided to talk to them to see if they could show _________ rather than become angry. The next day I knocked on the closest door and spoke to the young man who _________ .

“I know you’re here for the FFA conference and we want you to have _________, but you were a little loud last night and I hope you could be quieter tonight,” I _________. The young man said he was very sorry. Before going to bed, I __________ a note under our door. I opened the note to find __________. The teens __________ $40 in the note.

The next morning, my family __________ the teenagers and learned that at the FFA conference, the students had listened to a speech about __________ and paying it forward. That very night, the students found that __________ to be kind.

There is always an act of kindness to be done, just as long as you’re looking for one.

3 . American runner Isaiah Jewett took a deep breath. Entering the final stage of the men’s 800-meter semifinal race. Jewett _________ to finish in the top two and make it to the finals. And he was in the best possible position to achieve his aim.

“I was like ‘Okay, there’s a _________ to do this. Let’s do this,’” Jewett said.

That is when something unexpected _________. When Jewett got to the turn, Botswana runner Nijel Amos tripped (绊倒) him from behind.

“It was _________. I didn’t even believe it was me even though I was on the ground,” Jewett said. “I felt so _________.”

For Jewett though, showing good sportsmanship was more _________ than winning a medal. Growing up, he was exposed (使接触) to the world of anime (动画), which taught him valuable _________ such as never giving up and always finishing a race.

That is exactly what Jewett did with Amos.

“I just _________ that he was sad, and I shut off how I was feeling. I knew I couldn’t help him in any way but I _________ to do the best I could.” Jewett said.

After the __________, Jewett got up and helped Amos to his feet. Amos apologized for his __________, and Jewett put his arm around his competitor.

“Hey man, let’s __________ this race together; we’re not done yet,” Jewett told Amos. __________ , they crossed the finish line.

“It’s okay to compete but it’s also important to show that you’re a __________. That’s the way you show your heroism by __________ each other along the way and finishing the race together,” Jewett said.

7 . A video of a nurse’s attempt to raise one of her patients’ spirits through music has become extremely popular on the Internet.

Penn Pennington, 67, has been singing at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry for 23 years. _________,these days Penn is spending a lot of his time at the Cannon Cancer Center _________ treatments.

The treatment is not pleasant to go through, but a nurse, named Alex Collazo, _________not to keep the good singer _________, especially so close to Christmas. So she brought in her guitar and asked _________ they could sing together. The result turned out to be a _________ duet (二重唱)of the Christmas classic “O Holy Night” with harmony and joy. This bedside _________ provided Penn a much-needed distraction from the tiring treatment.

“He’s _________ something so terrifying, which is so _________ for him, and this was something I could do for just a moment in time to help him __________ he was in the hospital and what was going on,” Collazo said, just as Pennington told the publication, “This was a (an) __________ for a while.”

Not only has this performance __________ Penn’s spirits, but it has also __________ the hearts of everyone who has watched the video. It’s a powerful reminder of the healing power of music and the special __________ that can form between a patient and a nurse. Alex went beyond to provide care for her patient, taking her role as a caregiver to a __________ level.

8 . An 18-year-old pilot, Brock Peters, was flying his grandmother to Riverside. Everything was going _________ when he did his preflight check of his aircraft. About 15 minutes into the flight, he heard a loud sound from the _________. At that point, he had to do the emergency checklist to get the engine restarted but _________ happened. He was already below the mountain range so he couldn’t _________ the control tower.

Peters had trained for engine failure situations. He knew he had only one shot and he had to do it correctly. He could hear his grandmother _________ but then her emotions _________ on finding a spot to land. The fields near the plane looked rocky, and trees made the landing seem far from _________. Then he saw the old Route 66 and he _________ that chance to put it down.

Although the road was smooth, landing on the highway presented other _________. A car was coming toward the aircraft as it was __________ down. But he knew he had enough space to land in front of the car.

The second the __________ of the aircraft touched the ground, he knew everything was going to be OK. He __________ to the side of the road and called 911. “My passenger was shocked,” he said. “I think she just had a deep __________.”

The terrifying experience won’t stop the young pilot from __________ to fly. If anything, he’s more __________ about his abilities than ever before.

9 . Misty Copeland spends most days twisting, spinning and _______. She practices and _______ the graceful movements of her art. When she isn’t performing she is practicing. When she isn’t practicing, she is stretching. She takes classes almost every day. She takes care of her body so she doesn’t _______ it when she goes to work in a ballet theatre.

“I treat my body with the respect that any musician would to their _______.” says Misty. “I love my body,” she adds.

Was she _______ confident? Actually, she was a _______ girl and avoided the spotlight. But Misty loved music and movement. When she was thirteen, Misty’s teacher suggested she _______ a free ballet class at the Boys&Girls Club. For two weeks, Misty sat on the gym bench watching the class, afraid to _______. Finally, she gave it a _______. At first, she felt ________in the class. She didn’t know anything about ballet, and she was ________ than most of the students. Over time, ________, she began to enjoy the lessons. She discovered that her body — especially her long legs and flexible muscles — was just ________ for ballet. After the class season ended, Misty received a scholarship to a nearby dance studio. Most ballerinas (女舞者) start their training much younger than thirteen. But Misty’s natural abilities and hard work made her improve quickly.

Over the next five years, ballet was Misty’s ________. She practiced, performed, competed and attended ballet programs. “Performing was my favourite part because I felt ________ and open onstage,” she says. “For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged.”