2 . I was angry with my sixteen-year-old son Anthony, and stormed out of the house. Standing on the front porch (门廊), I _________ deeply. I saw my elderly neighbor, Clara, working in her garden. Seeking _________, I walked across the street.

“Anthony again?” Clara asked. “It’s his hair again,” I replied. “Have you seen him? All that mass of messy curls _________ over his shoulders! But just mention a haircut, and he gets that same _________ look in his eyes I’ve seen a million times before.”

Clara smiled, “It’s only hair, Liz.” She spoke slowly, _________ each word, “It’s… only… hair!” Then her smile disappeared, and her expression became _________. “I learned years ago when my husband died, leaving me three young kids. I had to put everything in perspective (客观对待) if I want to _________. I learned how to say, ‘But it’s only…’ But it’s only a bad day. Tomorrow will be better.” She nodded her head firmly. “You _________ it, don’t you, honey? Everybody has lots of _________ in their lives without wasting __________ on the ‘it’s only’ things that come their way.”

After returning to my house, I baked some cookies, and carried them to Anthony’s room. “Can I come in, honey?” “Not if you’re going to __________ about my hair again.” I pushed the door open and held out the cookies. “Not one word. I __________.” He stared at the plate of cookies greedily, but there was still a glint of __________ in his eyes. “Not one word about my hair?” He looked at me challengingly.

“It’s only hair,” I said. “It’s your hair. Not mine.” Anthony smiled broadly, saying, “Thanks for __________ understanding me, Mom. And thanks for the cookies.” Now I’ve learned to let go of the “it’s only” __________, and Anthony is more willing to listen to me.

3 . Over 20 years ago, Hankerson was trying to call her sister who lived in Maryland. She had _______ to share her sad stories in life with her sister. But _______ dialing the area code 410, she pressed 401. The mistake ended up _______ her to Diana from Rhode Island.

“When she realized that she had called a wrong number, she made a sincere _______. She was well-mannered and very sweet. Then she _______ quickly,” recalled Diana, who told Hankerson to call back if she needed any help.

After that, Hankerson called again a few more times over the next few weeks. Through their conversation, Diana learned that Hankerson, who lives in Delray, Florida, had been attempting to _______ her sister.

Hankerson said Diana came at a _______ time in her life when she and her husband got divorced. However she said Diana always _______ her spirits. And she was so _______ because she could feel the great kindness and encouragement from a(n)________ stranger. Over the next few years, the two ________ a good relationship by phone, chatting about their children — Hankerson is the mother of two, and Diana, a mother of three.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the pair finally met when Diana was on a trip to Florida with her husband and children. “Oh, it was a truly ________ day. It was really the happiest Thanksgiving for me,” Hankerson said. “It was full of warmth and sunshine. That really ________ my day.”

After their meeting, Diana posted the photo of her and Hankerson on Facebook. She also wrote, “The ________ between people in this world is just a wrong number phone call away. It is really ________.”

4 . Today I am working with Sim on for starting a mobile repairing shop. His ________ made me think of the day he joined us as a participant under Naya Savera, a skill-building program for different backgrounds.

My memory stretches back very ________. When I first looked at him during selection interview we ________ for taking on the participants, I wondered how I was going to help this person who could not even ________.

Simon has a ________ problem in both his legs. And to reach from one place to another he has to ________ a wheelchair. I didn’t take him seriously at first, but something changed when we ________ talking with him.

He made us ________ with all his funny stories. And made us cry by sharing his ________ to live normally. It is a pity that people underestimate him and look down on his ________ to become a successful person. By the time interview was over, we were all looking at him with awe and wondered who ________ whom, as most of the time he was the one posing questions.

Needless to say, he was selected for the training program and also ________ the program with ease. He was one of the ________ who never missed even a single day of training. He was one of the highest scorers in exams ________ on the last day of the training program. He touched everyone with his positivity and ________.

5 . Orion Jean, a young boy from Texas, initiated an extraordinary mission of kindness and inspired others. His journey ________ when he participated in the National Kindness Speech Contest. Giving a speech about the ________ of kindness to transform a nation, Orion won a $500 cash prize. Instead of spending it on himself, he chose to use it to give those in need a ________.

So the little boy, who said his parents always taught him that “kindness is a virtue that should be ________ above all others,” came up with the idea of the Race to Kindness campaign. It ________ doing good deeds in his community.

Orion set out to help children requiring medial treatment. He thought there was no better way to ________ a kid than a toy. So he used the _______ to buy as many toys as possible and ________ a toy fair to get over 600 fun toys donated to the Children’s Health Hospital in Dallas.

After the toy fair, he launched a/an ________ “Race to 100,000 meals” to help food-insecure people in his community. ________ with a local nonprofit organization, he helped feed people who might not have had a meal for Thanksgiving.

In May 2022, to provide books to children who lacked ________ to them, Orion launched the “Race to 500, 000 Books”. It centered on poverty-stricken areas, ________ those known as “book deserts”. The result? Many people ________ the chance to show their love to strangers. So the goal of “500, 000” was exceeded (超越).

Orion’s story is an example of how a wave of positive change is ________ by one individual’s kindness. “The Race to Kindness” is grateful to everyone who comes together to be a ________ system in time of need.

6 . When I was a teenager, I was invited to a formal dance party. I was _________, but also nervous about what to wear. Mom suggested I wear high heels (高跟鞋).

“Mom, I don’t know if I can wear these,” I said, feeling _________. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Just take small _________ and keep your weight centered,” she suggested.

As I arrived at the party, I tried to be _________ and act like everything was fine. But _________ struck when I stepped onto the dance floor. I _________ my own feet, falling to the ground in front of everyone.

I quickly got up and laughed it off, pretending like it was _________. But deep down, I felt like a tomato, wanting to _________.

My friend Lilly helped me _________ that incident and managed me another high heels as a support so that nobody would understand my hesitation. But a little bit __________ continued in my mind.

When I returned home, I told Mom I felt like a complete __________ at the party. “It’s okay. You tried something new, and it didn’t go as __________. But that’s how we learn and grow. Don’t be too __________ on yourself and wear what you feel __________ in,” Mom said, giving me a hug.

From that day forward, I stuck to flat shoes. I learned to __________ my true self and not worry about what others thought.

7 . Recently my wife and I were faced with a difficult situation while traveling by car in the mountains with our hired driver. It was going to be a long ride and we were ________. Just as we began to doze (打盹), the engine made a strange, loud noise and then stopped working.

The sun was just setting and the air was getting ________. We tried communicating with the driver but with little success. He told us he was going to get help and then left.

In a(n) ________ location with no houses in sight, we started to hear the cries of wild animals. We also didn’t have much food it was getting colder and darker. I began to ________ confidence. Should we leave the car and seek shelter? Would our driver ever ________? Was he a trustworthy man? We were very ________.

A couple of hours passed. ________, the headlights from another car could be seen in the ________. An unfamiliar man got out of the car. He looked ________ at first until his mouth opened with a big friendly smile. He asked us to get into the car with him. He had such a kind face, so we knew we could ________ him. We climbed into the car.

Before we left, he put a note on the windshield (挡风玻璃) of our car with his phone number on it. Then he drove us to a nearby village, and we ________  his family. They offered us tea and local foods, and everyone asked us questions and were thrilled to have ________ guests.

Later that evening, the phone rang. It was our ________. He had kept his word and ________ the car. We prepared to leave and thanked our new friends.

I will never forget the ________ and hospitality (好客) we received on that day because we relied on a stranger for help.

8 . A Story on an Island

A ship was lost at sea and the only survivor was washed up on a small, inhabited(无人居住的) island. He prayed _________ for God to rescue him and for hours he just _________ at the horizon(地平线), waiting for a heaven-sent _________ but it never came.

Then he decided to do something. _________ tired and upset, he _________ some branches and dry grass. Hours of hard work paid off and a little shelter was built. The “Robinson Crusoe” began his life on the island. Believe it or not, a couple of days going by, he _________ and it seemed not that hard.

But then one day, after _________ for food, he arrived home to find his little shelter in flames and the _________ rolling up to the sky.

The _________ had happened: everything was lost.

“God, how could you do this to me!” he cried with __________ and anger.

Early the next day, __________, he was awakened by the __________ of a ship that was coming near to the island. It had come to rescue him!

“__________ did you know that I was here?” he asked one of his rescuers.

“We saw your smoke __________,” they replied.

It is easy to get __________, when things are going bad. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even when we are in pains and sufferings.

Remember, next time your little shelter is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that calls for the grace of God. For all the negative(消极的) things we have to say to ourselves, God has a/an positive answer for it.

10 . Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it _________. She and her husband have spent the last two years traveling the world, stopping everywhere from Paris to Singapore. It might sound like one long, expensive _________, but the couple has an unusual way to make their travel _________.

They’re part of a new form of the _________ economy (经济): an online group of house sitters.

Throughout their no-cost stays in _________ homes, they feed pets and water plants in the homeowner’s _________.

It’s not all sightseeing. The two travellers carefully _________ their trips, scheduling their days around the pets that are sometimes difficult to _________. But house sitting also offers a level of _________ they can’t find in a hotel. “It’s like __________ at a friend’s house,” Jessica says.

The couple has a high __________ rate in getting accepted as house sitters and they always go beyond the homeowner’s __________. For Jessica, that means __________ plenty of pictures of happy pets, keeping the house __________ and leaving a nice small gift before heading to the next house. “You want to make the homeowner feel that they made the right, __________” she says.