2 . My little girl, Jessica, always says hello to strangers. I wish she weren’t so _________, because I don’t want her to be laughed at. She was born with mental retardation (MR精神发育迟滞). But that’s also why I try to control my _________. Children with MR don’t communicate well with others, and I don’t want to stop her _________ .

Last year, we visited New York. I wasn’t surprised to hear her saying “Hello!” to everyone we _________. This would be a good _________ for her, I thought. People won’t respond—these are New Yorkers, after all. And maybe she would _________ not to talk to strangers.

One day, we were waiting at a red light, and Jessica greeted (打招呼) everyone _________. Then, a man asked: “Is she retarded?” It _________ me greatly. After all, he was a _________ stranger. I put my hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Yes,” I said. He showed a look of __________. “I work with such children,” he explained. “It’s a __________.” I felt something inside me __________: a wall that I never knew I had built. Because I expected people to be unfriendly, I never__________ kindness. Not like Jessica, who always does.

Then the __________ changed. “She has a good mom,” the man said and walked away. My tears __________ up and his words were like a ray of sunshine, lighting up my world.

For years I     1     (ask) why I volunteer, and my answer remains the same. I volunteer because it makes     2     difference.

Growing up in Hawaii, I saw Dad taking my family downtown to pass out cheeseburgers to the     3     (home), and my passion grew from there. Over the years, I placed my focus     4     food insecurity and that led me to found the first food pantry (食物分发处) on the campus of Indiana University. I will never forget the day when I opened the pantry. A student walked in the door and he said, “I was in class with you     5     (early). Thank you for doing this because I was trying to figure out what I was going to eat this week.” The food pantry     6     (actual) helped many a student on the campus,     7    , for some reason, had difficulty     8     (get) everyday meals. Those who got food from there came back to support our food pantry, making it a place to pass on kindness.

That was two and a half years ago, but     9     (moment) like those stick with me to this very day. Since graduating, I now volunteer with different homeless shelters in Indianapolis, and I will continue to make     10     (me) available as long as there is someone in need.

A lot of people look forward to retirement after decades of working. But on the other hand, there are others who are still so passionate about their field——it’s difficult for them to hang up their hats.

Depending on the career, it could be possible to continue working if one really wants to. That is unless health issues arise and leave the person no choice but to walk away.

Sadly, this is what happened to a man named Harold. Unfortunately, he found himself no longer able to work as a crane (起重机) operator because of his health. He felt lonely because his children didn’t visit him much.

Thanks to the kindness of a stranger, Harold was able to relive his days of working on the job site.

It all started when crane operator Shawn Beveridge of Ohio kept noticing a man in a wheelchair sitting outside of a nursing home. Day after day, the man would sit there watching the job site and the cranes move about for hours.

Shawn was confused why the elderly gentleman showed up every day, and finally became curious enough to introduce himself.

“Since day one when I arrived on this job site, I’ve noticed him sitting there every morning from 7 am, he takes lunch when we do and doesn’t leave until I shut the crane down and head out.” Shawn wrote in his blog. “I originally had thought to myself, ‘He’s just a curious old man and wanting to enjoy his days outside VS being cooped up in his room.’Well after a couple of days. I myself got curious, so I walked over and introduced myself to him.”

Shawn learned that the man’s name was Harold and the two ended up conversing for about two and a half hours.

Another thing he found out was that Harold was previously a crane operator, but had to quit due to his health.

So, he decided that he would make a deal with Harold.

8 . The Twenty-three-year-old Mumbai girl Vidhi Bubna is offering India’s first and only diving grant to explore the marine ecosystem.

Vidhi’s first diving experience turned out to be a heartbreaking one. While she expected a lot of colors underwater as she had seen on TV, Vidhi came across all white corals (珊瑚), which means they are almost dead from being bleached (褪色).

“It was very sad and I just started crying after coming out of the water,” she says.

Vidhi, an economics graduate from Ashoka University, did not enjoy working with numbers and turned to writing about social issues, including women’s rights and minority issues.

As an adventure lover, Vidhi went diving to explore the underwater beauty last year. Her disappointment at seeing dying corals led to the start of Coral Warriors, anon-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of marine protection and climate change.

“Nobody knows about climate change till they see it,” Vidhi says. The Mumbai-based organisation offers India’s first and only diving grant. The grant sponsors level-one scuba diving education in any location of their choice in India. While there is no specific standard, Vidhi says the selection process is strict, choosing candidates who are passionate about climate change and seeing that they do something of their choice. Four candidates have been awarded the grant so far and the organisation hopes to find at least five people every year.

“After the candidates return, we expect them to work on a climate change project of their choice, create communities, and work to create awareness and drive action-centric projects,” she explains.

Prior to starting coral warriors, Vidhi was hosting free online workshops to spread awareness of marine biodiversity and climate change, and has reached about 5, 000 people through them.

As a next step, Vidhi is planning to work on documentaries with high-quality underwater images and videos, considering not many can afford or have the courage to go diving to see what is happening underwater.

When my daughters reached the third and fourth grades, I occasionally allowed them to walk to and from school alone, if the weather permitted. One warm spring day, a small friend followed them home after school. This friend was different from any other friends they had brought home. With a yellowish coat and tiny brown spots dropped across her nose, she was the cutest puppy I had ever seen.

When my husband got home that evening, he recognized the breed——a beagle puppy (猎兔犬), not more than twelve weeks old, he guessed. She ran to him right away and after dinner climbed into his lap to watch TV. By now the girls were both begging me to keep her.

She had no collar or identifying marks of any sort. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about running an ad in the lost-and-found but I really didn’t want to. It would break the kids’ hearts if someone should show up. Besides, her owners should have watched her more closely. I tried to find seemingly logical reasons to explain my behavior.

By the end of the week, she was part of our family. We had named the puppy Molly. She was very intelligent and good with the girls. This was a good idea, I thought. It was time for the girls to take responsibility for another life, so they would learn the nurturing skills they’d need if they decided to become mommies when they grew up.

The following week, something told me to check the lost-and-found section in the local paper. One particular ad jumped out at me and my heart pounded with fear at what I read. Someone was asking for the return of a lost beagle puppy near our grade school. They sounded desperate. My hand shook.

10 . The 8-year-old boy across the street stormed in and out of his own house very often. A neighbor, William Dunn, _______what was going on in his life. So Dunn asked him.

“He told me that he didn’t have a_______,” says Dunn, now 58, “and I realized there was_______I could do for him.” That something was_______, a passion Dunn’s father had shared with him.

Dunn has taken groups of kids out almost every _______to fish. Most didn’t have father figures in their lives and had never fished. “They’d been through a lot, and their lives were_______,” Dunn says. “But when they were fishing, all of that_______.   Out on the boat, they’d be smiling, and even_______.”

Jayden, now 13, has become a devoted fisherman and_______ Dunn with helping him mature. “I hope he knows I mean it when I say thank you,” he says.

Just as__________as the fishing are the__________Dunn forms with the kids. “When Jayden was going through a__________period recently in study — I let Dunn know that his grades were suffering and he had a little talk with Jayden,” Jayden’s mother says. To her delight, Jayden’s grades__________improved in the next exam.

“There is nothing like seeing a__________light up with a smile,” Dunn says. “I feel lucky to__________that every weekend.”