1 . I entered this world with Poland syndrome, a disease that prevented the formation of my right arm and muscles. My parents believed playing with Lego could enhance my_______and gifted me my first kit when I was five. Initially I _______to piece the the components together but finally I crafted my first Lego work – a car. By the age of nine, I had _______my first prosthetic arm (义肢) using Lego– a simple box that perfectly accommodated my right arm.

This early creation sparked my drive for further _______. Years later, I developed another prosthetic arm called the MK-1, which had fingers, a motor, a pressure sensor, and a grabber capable of _______things. Before constructing it, I was against traditional prosthetics as they were too _______. My parents had looked into getting one years earlier, only to be discouraged by the prohibitive price. So, I concluded that I might not need one because I was managing well without.

As the years passed, my _______evolved from MK-1 to the more advanced and comfortable MK-V. One day, a couple with their eight-year-old son, who lost both_______in an accident, reached out to me after learning about my story. Short of money, they couldn’t afford well-functioning prosthetics. “Daniel,” the father_______asked, “we were wondering if you could help build a set of prosthetics for our son.”

It would be a _______task, but I responded with a “yes”. Without any delay, I _______ the task. The subsequent days witnessed how I carefully selected the Lego piece and intricately integrated practical components to enhance its dexterity(灵巧). Days _______into weeks, and the boy-customized prosthetics finally took shape. It’s time for them to fulfill their intended purpose.

I rushed to the boy’s home and _______the prosthetics onto him. They worked! The room erupted with cheers! The boy expressed his gratitude and sprinted to his parents to _______them in the biggest hug. Never had I imagined that my creations, born out of mere _______, would someday make such a difference.

Tripod’s story started one spring morning as I was finishing a morning surgery at the veterinary clinic (兽医诊所) I owned. I was writing up medical records of the surgery patients when my receptionist (接待员) stuck her head into my office. She told me there was a big cat lying outside with a seriously injured front leg. What’s worse, nobody knew whom it belonged to.

Then I sent two of my pre-vet students to pick up the poor cat while I went back to my record-keeping. But it wasn’t long before I heard the students returning with this newest patient who seemed to be in pretty bad condition.

I carefully checked up the injuries which seemed to be caused by the pressing of a heavy object. With the extremely horrible smell, I knew from years of experience this cat didn’t have an owner. “Well, then,” I sighed, “I’m not sure whether we are able to bring this cat back to life, but let’s give him our best shot anyway. Afterwards, let’s see if we can find a home for him. ”

Just then, when one of the students began touching the cat’s head gently, somewhere deep in the cat’s throat, a weak purr (呼噜声) began. As the student continued to pet the cat, I noticed the cat’s breathing became less laboured (缓慢而困难的).

When I performed the complicated operation, I whispered, “You’re a fighter, aren’t you, boy? You deserve a chance to live.” However, after the surgery, he lost one leg, and still struggled with life and death. Over the next few weeks, Tripod, the cat, went through many ups and downs, but I was sure about his resilience (快速恢复的能力). News about Tripod spread. A number of customers stopped by regularly to check on the progress of his recovery, including Mrs Melson, a pet lover.

The day finally came when I decided Tripod had really recovered.

Though unwilling to part with Tripod, we were happy to see Mrs Melson come for him.

3 . Every Thursday afternoon, the food pantry (食品储藏室) at the local high school opens up to provide fresh food bags for families who can hardly make both ends meet to get their meals to last through the weekend. Nearly a hundred families rely on the extra food. Some are between jobs, some got hit hard with medical bills for a few months, and some are new to the neighborhood, placed there by refugee services.

On one breezy afternoon, two young mothers walked in together, each accompanied by a young child. There was nothing different about their dress, but their manner revealed a shyness that they struggled to overcome. When they spoke, it was clear why: Their accents were thick, even though they were trying hard to make their English sound American. They were uncertain of being understood. But the pantry is run by grandmothers who are never pressed for time when it comes to conversations. So they sat for a moment and told their story while the little ones were held in arms so very familiar with children.

The two lived in apartments in the basement of the Methodist Church. They had been in the United States for one month. Their husbands were well-educated but working labor jobs to pay for food and save for more typical apartments.

Both had fled the war in Eastern Europe, one family from Ukraine and one from Russia. They ended up in the same church basement and discovered that they needed each other. They became fast friends. Their children played together. They shared meals and navigated their new world together.

There were no bombs or soldiers or rations in their new neighborhood, only a chance to start over. Friendships are sometimes hard to come by, yet matter so much to each of us. A good friend gives us strength, love, laughter and the courage to keep trying.

These two families — worn down by uncertainty and war, thrown together in a new country, a new community with a new language — found so much in common. And isn’t that what we all need? A friend who faces the same life challenges, even if the forces above them have different political views. We are, after all, just mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors.

My family had only recently moved into a new neighborhood. All of my neighbors have been very friendly and helpful since we moved in.

However, Mrs Davis, an elderly lady living in the last house on the other side of the road, escaped associating with us, or anyone else. When I asked around the neighborhood why, they warned me not to go after her because they thought she was insane (精神失常的) and preferred staying alone after losing her husband and only daughter in an aircraft crash. After that, she stayed isolated (孤立的) from all the neighbors, refusing all the care and help.

I often saw her on the streets during the evening, but she was always by herself. She appeared weak and I always wanted to help her, but after hearing what my neighbors had said about her, I wasn’t sure whether I should.

One day, when I was on my way to the supermarket, our paths crossed. I was walking past her and overheard her singing a tune. It immediately drew my attention because my parents used to sing the same song with me. I began to sing along with her, and she smiled at me for the first time. But when I smiled back, she quickly hurried her pace and went home.

She seemed very different to me that day. I refused to trust my neighbors’ claims that she had cut herself off from the rest of society because she was insane, so the next day, I knocked on her door. Mrs Davis was home, and instead of letting me in, she just looked at me silently through the window. I noticed her staring at me and was about to walk to the window when she quickly closed the curtains.

The next day, I revisited her house. “Hello, I brought you something,” I called out to her. “It’s the record of the music you were singing yesterday.”

The door opened and Mrs Davis’ eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me standing there.

Several days later in the morning, the doorbell rang at my house.

One day, my nine-year-old younger brother Jeff came home from school earlier than me. When I returned home, I found he was shouting at our mom—who was busy cooking in the kitchen—about the clothes that needed washing.

“Mom, why haven’t you washed my clothes?” he asked, pointing at the dirty clothes he had taken off two days before. “I want to wear them tomorrow,” Jeff added. However, the clothes that he was wearing still looked clean. “Dear, I’ll wash it after cooking,” Mom told Jeff, looking anxious and upset. Without replying, Jeff unhappily went to his bedroom and closed the door, with a long face.

I was shocked about Jeff’s bad behavior towards Mom. How unsympathetic he was! Our washing machine had been out of order for two months. Because our parents were on a tight budget and were too busy, they still didn’t buy a new one. So recently our family had to wash our clothes by hand, which was time-wasting and truly hard work.

Just when I decided to scold (训斥) my little brother, Dad came home from work, and I told him what had happened.

Dad was upset and felt sorry for Mom, knowing how hard she worked all day. She was a saleswoman in a supermarket and did all she could to support our family. Often, Dad tried to help with some of the housework. He didn’t want Mom to have too much burden, knowing her heavy work as a saleswoman. I also tried to spare time to help do housework, sharing some of the family burden. However, Jeff was a lazy and naughty (淘气) boy, who hardly did housework.

Now, our dad decided it was high time to teach him a lesson. “Jeff, come here,” Dad called out. “I’ve some good news for you.” Jeff immediately came and asked excitedly, “What, Dad?” “Your mom and I are too busy recently. Tonight, I want you to wash your own clothes,”Dad smiled. Jeff immediately refused, shaking his head.

“Then, you won’t get your pocket money next week. I’m serious,” Dad replied.

At 9 pm, Jeff was still struggling to rinse (漂洗) the clothes, realizing the work wasn’t easy at all.

6 . When it comes to emergencies, children are sometimes unsure what to do. _________ 9-year-old Aria Lamen was fully _________ when she faced such an emergency. Her mother collapsed in the house and her quick _________ saved her mother’s life. She immediately called her father and then called 911.

However, she has been _________ most for her calmness. On February 2nd, 2023, when Aria was finishing her homework in the dining room, her mother, Caron Lamen, collapsed. “Out of nowhere, I just _________ ... I was on the floor and couldn’t move or feel my entire left side,” said the mother.

“In the ambulance, they _________ to know my allergies (过敏症), medications and all that,” said Caron. “Aria said, ‘Well, here I have my mother’s phone. I know all that _________ is on her phone; let me _________ it.’” At that moment, all that _________ to Aria was that her mother needed __________.

Even the police were __________ to hear Aria was so calm on the call. “I’ve taken calls for 30 years,” said Tracie Whalen, the 911 dispatcher (调度员). “I don’t see most adults do as well as Aria did.”

After getting to __________ about what Aria did, Mayor (市长) Richard Irvin rewarded her for her __________, “Your courage and calmness made all the __________. Congratulations, young lady.” Hearing that, the 9-year-old is __________ that she knows what to do in emergencies.

7 . On a warm morning last summer, California bus driver Tim Watson was about halfway through his daily express route from Milpitas to Fremont when an alert from the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) flashed across his dashboard screen. A toddler had been kidnapped in Milpitas, the message read, and it asked that drivers be on the lookout for the boy.

The victim was described as a three-year-old child in plaid shorts and red shoes; the suspect, a man in his 20s wearing jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. Tim felt his stomach drop when he realized that a man with a toddler in plaid shorts had boarded the bus just ten minutes earlier.

Before alerting authorities, he wanted to confirm their identities. Pulling into a parking lot, he announced that he needed to look for a lost bag. He moved slowly down the aisle, peering under each seat, until he approached the last row. “I saw the red shoes,” says Tim. “But I knew I had to keep cool.”

Back behind the wheel, Tim apologized for the delay and pulled the bus onto the highway. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, he waited a few minutes, then radioed the bus dispatcher, who directed him to continue to his final stop, where police officers would be waiting.

Minutes later, after making the last turn, he stopped the bus and opened the doors. As the man got off the bus with the boy, a police officer grabbed the child out of his arms, threw the suspect to the ground, and handcuffed him behind his back.

The police officers told Tim that the man, David Edington, 23, had snatched the boy from the Milpitas library after he wandered away from his mother. Tim thought about his own sons, ages 17 and 21. “I went back in the bus alone and broke down,” he says. Then he climbed out again to check that the boy was OK. Tim found him sitting calmly in the front seat of a squad car, without a tear in sight. “I just smiled at him,” Tim says. “I knew he was safe.”

Now, Tim is still humble about his actions. “I try to teach my kids to look out for people who can’t defend themselves,” he says. “And that’s what I did.”

9 . A Maryland couple stranded (滞留) without food in the freezing cold on a Virginia highway. They were getting ________ and more discouraged by the minute.

After almost 21 hours of being ________ on 95 South, Casey and her husband John slept there overnight and not ________ access to food or water. At that time, they ________ a Schmidt Baking Co. truck ahead of them in the standstill. “People around us were very much ________. Many of them had small children, some were elderly and hadn’t eaten in almost a whole day. ” In a desperate bid for a ________, they decided to call the Schmidt Bakery and see if it could help ________ some much-needed food for them, as well as their fellow highway captives.

“I didn’t think it would ________ work,” said Casey, who left a message with customer service. But to their ________, 20 minutes later, they actually got a ________ from Chuck Paterakis, the owner of the bakery. He told them to walk over to the truck driver, Ron, who was given the go-ahead to start handing out ________ to 50 motorists. Then, the couple joined the driver in making ________. Soon, others joined the effort, in which some 300 loaves were ________.

“It felt incredible just hearing people say thank you and hearing them so ________ to finally have food in their car. This was one of the ________ moments I have ever witnessed.” recalled Casey.