1 . In a heartwarming rescue operation off the coast of Houston-Galveston, a U.S. CoastGuard team discovered an unexpected passenger during a routine inspection of shipping containers. The team, led by Petty Officer 2nd Class McMahon, were astonished when they heard barking and scratching coming from one of the containers.

As they cautiously opened the container, they were greeted by the sight of a small, furry face — a dog trapped inside the dark space. The dog seemed remarkably calm and happy to be liberated from her limited quarters.

“As soon as we opened it, we could see the little dog’s face poking out,” McMahon said. “She just seemed happy more than anything, to be out of that dark space and in the arms of people that were going to take care of her.”

Further investigation by Coast Guard officials revealed that Connie had been trapped in the container for at least eight days, deprived of food and water. The container, filled with deserted vehicles intended for overseas sales, had likely originated from a junkyard.

“So based on that, they think that the dog most likely was in a junkyard, in a car. And that how she accidentally got put in the container,” Chief Petty Officer Corinne Zilnicki said.

Grateful for being in the right place at the right time, McMahon expressed the urgency of the situation. “It would take at least another week to get to where she was going and two weeks without food or water. I don’t think she would have made it,” he said.

Forever Changed Animal Rescue has taken her in, diligently working to nurse her back to health and prepare her for adoption.

2 . 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 ________.

At one table by the window, a lady just finished up her lunch. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a sandwich and some salad, with a cup of tea to wash it all down. She seemed to be in her own little world, staring out the window every now and then, like she was waiting for something. After a bit, she got up, paid for her meal at the counter and left.

Her table was still a mess, with bits of her meal left behind. It wasn’t a big deal—this happens all the time. But today, something different was going to happen. A young boy, who looked like he’d had a pretty rough time, had been watching her from the table around the corner.

This boy was in rough shape. His clothes were too big and looked like they’d seen better days. His hair was all over the place, and his face had streaks (条痕) of dirt on it. He had that look of someone who hadn’t had a good meal too long. When the lady left, the boy saw his chance, He quickly sat down and started wolfing down the leftovers (吃剩的食物) like it was the best meal he’d ever had.

But then, the waiter walked over. He was an older guy who’d probably seen everything. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched the boy for a second. The boy got scared, stopped eating, and tears started to fill his eyes. He thought the waiter would kick him out for sure. Instead, the waiter took away the half-eaten plate, and the boy’s heart sank.

The boy got up to leave, but before he could get far, the waiter came back and asked the boy to wait for a moment. The waiter gave him a full and fresh meal.

The whole cafe went quiet when they saw what was happening.

The boy, with a full stomach and a happy heart, looked as if he couldn’t thank the waiter enough.

I’ll call him Pete because I didn’t take the time to ask his name. A nameless hero who found his way into my heart.

I had taken Robert, my eight-year-old son, to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday. Lil’ Bob, we called Robert, wore his brand-new cowboy boots into the hall, his face shining with pride and joy. This was Lil’ Bob’s special day.

We approached the counter, where Pete greeted us with a clear warmth. His brown eyes twinkled with kindness.

“Welcome,” he said with a smile. “Wow, you look happy, little fellow.” Pete brought his face close to Lil’ Bob’s level.

“I got cowboy boots,” Lil’ Bob boasted. “I picked them out myself.” Lil’ Bob lifted his right foot in the air so Pete could see the hand-stitched leather.

“Those boots look amazing, like fresh leather,” Pete said. He opened his eyes and looked directly into Lil’ Bob’s eyes. “Thank you for sharing your treasure with me.”

Lil’ Bob laughed happily at Pete’s reaction. Then, Pete returned to the register.

“What does the birthday boy want to drink? It’s on me,” Pete offered.

Lil’ Bob shuffled back and forth in excitement since soda was a rare treat in our home. Now, he could order any soda he wanted. Lil’ Bob considered the many possibilities, taking more time than a fast-food customer should. Eventually, he settled on root beer.

“Excellent choice, my friend. It’s what I would have picked myself.”

Pete’s confirmation brought a massive smile to Lil’ Bob’s face. We ordered our meals and watched as Pete assembled the drinks and food on the tray (托盘) before us. When everything was on it, I reached for the tray, but Pete said, “Let me carry it out for you.” Pete followed us to the hall as the birthday boy took a considerable amount of time picking the perfect table. Pete patiently held our tray until we were seated.

“Wow, he is nice,” Lil’ Bob observed after Pete had walked away.

Toward the end of our stay, Pete came to our table.

7 . Roman McCormick is just a 15-year-old teenager, but he’s already been through more _______ than some people ever experience. He was born with a rare _______, which causes kidney (肾) failure over time.

Faced with dialysis (透析), Roman and his parents anxiously _______ their community to get tested to see if they were a match for Roman on TV. But they were not positive about anyone_______ to help. They had no idea that someone who _______ knows Roman happened to be watching the _______ that night.

Eddie McCarthy taught Roman maths last school year. He _______ the teen right away, and as a parent himself, Eddie couldn’t help but take pity on him. So he took the _______ and got his blood tested. When the result came out five months later, he _______ he was a perfect match. All that was left to do was tell the McCormick family that their nightmare (噩梦) was about to ________. “When he called me, I was just too ________,” Roman’s mother, Jamie said.

Both Eddie and Roman’s parents were ________ that a new kidney would give Roman a fresh chance at life. Roman’s been ________ so much from his illness over the years. Jamie hoped the surgery would give her son “his teenage years back”.

On July 19, Roman and Eddie ________ the surgery. It was a success, and both are ________ now. Let’s wish them the best of health.

8 . Every dog should have a loving home, and thanks to a 13-year-old boy named Thiago, many are now closer to finding one.

Thiago is a self-described animal lover hoping to help the homeless dogs in his home city of Antônio Prado. So, he came up with an idea. Maybe if he could make the dogs on the street look more attractive, they’d have more chances to be adopted (收养). So he began giving baths to dogs in his spare time. This great idea is what led Thiago to create a project called “Sou de rua mas to limpinho” at the end of 2020.

With the help of his father, he began looking for dogs who needed a helping hand. “At the end of last year, I decided that I needed to somehow do something for the animals,” Thiago said. “While talking to my father, I told him about my idea of bathing street dogs so they can stay clean and smell good and people may look at them differently.”

Before the effort truly took off, Thiago and his dad had to work out how to win the dogs over. “Catching dogs on the street is difficult, since they are always frightened and many have suffered from ill treatment,” Thiago explained. “So we spent some time without baths until my father spoke to the public service organization and we started to bathe their newly saved dogs.” In addition to bathing them, Thiago started adding little accessories (配饰) to the dogs, such as little hair pins, to really increase their chances of adoption. The boy’s dad also took pictures of the dogs and posted them online, pointing any possible adopters to the nearby shelters (收容所). “I want people to be not afraid to adopt,” Thiago said. “It’s the best thing in the world.”