1 . In 2022, my 4-year-old son, Tyler, needed to have a serious surgery (手术). My wife and I took him to Children’s Hospital.

There were a lot of worries in our hearts in the waiting room. When a nurse called us to the doctor’s office, our _______ only grew. A young doctor told us that he would perform the surgery and began to _______ what the process (过程) would be and all the risks of a surgery like this. My mind went to the _______ possible result. I just couldn’t help but feel like: What was I going to do if I _______ my son?

But he then did something that was very _______. He looked us both in the eye, put a hand on each one of our shoulders and said, “Your son is my son.” I will never _______ that because that sent a calm through me. What he said was very helpful and meaningful.

After the surgery, he _______ to us, looked us once again in the eye and said, “Our son is just fine, and you could see him here in a few minutes.”

I can’t tell you how _______ we both were for having him there and for what he said to us. I’ll never forget that doctor. And to this day, anytime I have a chance to volunteer or donate to Children’s Hospital, I’ll make sure I’m one of the first ones in line. I hope that I have the _______ of seeing him again someday to thank him for his ________ words.

2 . When Halloween arrives, you know there is bound to be some mischief (恶作剧). So I wasn’t entirely surprised when I opened my front door that night to see my candy bowl completely—and very suddenly—_________. To be fair, this was after some light rain had _________ the street of most trick-or-treaters and the youngest had already made the rounds. I never saw who took it, but I did shout “Happy Halloween!” into the night air.

Was a candy theft ideal? Nope. But, hey, we all make _________—especially as kids. What did _________ me was what appeared in front of my door the next evening: a plastic bag filled with the lost candy. Stuck to it was the following handwritten note:

“Hello, I am the kid that took all of your candy. After thinking it over I want to _________. Because it was late and no one else was out, I thought it was OK. It was not. I took the candy before you said it was _________. So, I am sorry, and I’d like to give the candy back. Maybe you can give it to a kid who is more _________.”

A tiny Halloween miracle! I have never been prouder of a kid who wasn’t mine. I assume a parent had something to do with this sudden reflective _________, but I’ll never know for sure.

What I do hope is that this kid knows how good it can feel to _________ a wrong. I hope they don’t think they’re bad—simply that they made a not-so-great choice. They do deserve to get their fill and have fun and run wild. __________, next year they’ll come back for more.

3 . I still remember the day when I came home from work at two o’clock one afternoon. Imagine my _______ when I heard my daughter Megan and her friend Joann laughing in the house since it was the right time for class. They finally _______ that they came home for lunch and never returned to school. But they said they had forgotten to look at the clock.

I told Joann to go home because I needed to speak to Megan _______. When Joann left, I _______myself and managed to ask Megan very quietly, “You forgot to look at the clock?” Megan lowered her head and said, “Well, we were just experimenting to see what it would feel like not to go back to school.” For the moment I was getting angry. I considered _______ her, but instead I said, “I’m very upset by all this. When you’re supposed to be in school, that’s _______ I expect you to be. Now I’m probably going to get a phone call from your teacher.” Megan said, “ Write me an absence note, say I was sick and then you won’t get a call.” I said, “Megan，the note has to come from you and it has to be the _______.”

Well, she wasn’t very _____ about that, but she did write a note saying she was just “experimenting” and that she wouldn’t do it again.

Although the teacher gave her a _______ time over the note, I still felt I did the right thing. I knew I had helped Megan face up to what she did and take ________.

4 . “Dear department, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn (独角兽) in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.” In mid-November, Joyce wrote a letter to the local department of animal care and control with a(n) _______ request.

Director Annabelle Bradshaw wrote back a few weeks later with good news. She said the department does in fact license unicorns under certain _______. Those include polishing the unicorn’s horn (角) at least once a month, giving it _______ access to sunlight, moonlight and rainbows, and feeding it watermelons at least once a week.

_______ that Joyce would meet all the requirements, Bradshaw sent her a “preapproved unicorn license” for her future pet. “It is always   _______ to hear from young people who consider providing a loving home to animals.” Bradshaw wrote. She deals with a lot of “emotionally exhausting” issues on the job. So Joyce’s letter has _______ brightened her spirits. The first-grader also _______ her for wanting to ask permission in the first place, and doing her research to figure out how to go about that.

Joyce’s mother didn’t want to _______ her when she asked for a unicorn at first, so advised it might come down to getting approval. Joyce agreed and she _______ and an hour later she came back and said, “Will you help me ________ this?”

While the letter was received and replied to in a matter of weeks, Joyce thought the license would be a perfect present for her birthday this month.

5 . As I stood in line waiting to cash out at a store, I studied the customer in front of me. She was young but had a_________look—as if life had beaten her many times. The items in her cart (手推车) included the cheapest meat and meal.

When the cashier finally told her the_________, the woman’s face paled. She opened a worn wallet and began_________small bills and coins. It was obvious she didn’t have enough, and she checked her groceries to see what she could do without.

One by one, she_________things, but she still came up short. Someone behind me was upset and complained. “Never mind,” I said to the young lady whose face turned red, “take your time.” I waited quietly until my turn came. I moved forward and motioned_________to the items the woman had taken out, added all my meat and fresh milk, and whispered “_________bags, same bill please” to the cashier. She nodded.

I_________how I could put the bags with extra things into her cart without being caught. My dear cashier solved the problem by “accidentally” rolling several oranges so hard that they flew past the lady and onto the floor.

“I’ll get those,” the woman offered kindly and ran to_________the runaway fruit. I quickly placed the two extra bags into her cart while she was back with the oranges.

“Thank you so much,” I said.

“Thank you for your_________,” she replied before leaving.

That night, I thought about the young lady who I hoped was enjoying a hearty dinner with her family, and I sent a silent wish that her life would take a__________soon.

6 . “Sana, why don’t you read this paragraph for us?” asked Miss Mehwish. Hesitantly, Sana stood up to read the paragraph. She was hesitant as she stammered (口吃), “Em…Emma was stand…ing …” The class burst into ________ “Sana,” said Miss Mehwish, “Sana, sit down.” Feeling ________, Sana sat down and Miss Mehwish asked someone else to ________ it.

After the class, Sana went to the library to practice reading and overcome her inability. To go to the bookshelf, she walked ________ some of her classmates who were already sitting there.

She heard them talk ________, “What is she doing here?” asked one. “She needs to work hard!” laughed others. Disappointed, Sana picked a book. She settled at the far corner of the library and started reading the book. After many attempts, she found that it was not possible for her to read fluently.   She needed a lot of practice and guidance.

Aliza, one of her classmates who was observing her for quite some time, walked close to Sana and offered her ________. Reluctantly (勉强地), Sana agreed. So every day, whenever they got time, Aliza went to teach Sana in reading.

Soon Sana started to read fluently and she gained ________. A few weeks later, Miss Mehwish conducted a reading test. When it was Sana’s turn, to everyone’s ________, Sana read the paragraph without stammering or hesitation. Miss Mehwish praised Sana on her ________ reading ability.

Sana thanked Aliza for helping her and realised that there are always two types of classmates: the ones who make fun of you and the ones who help you ________ your weaknesses.

7 . Recently my wife and I were flying across the country. We were about to board our _______ when a woman sitting next to us had a medical episode.

I came back from the restroom and sat down next to my wife, who leaned in to me and whispered “Something’s _______ . ” A woman was collapsing and quickly lost control of her body. I _______ and bent in front of her, asking if she was okay.

She _______ herself as Miss Jackie. I told her that I was not a _______ , but I was there for her to help in any way she needed.

In one hand I held hers and with my other hand I supported her head, carefully asking what was happening. She _______ that she had a condition. When her body is exposed to a lot of stress, her body goes into a nervous breakdown.

She explained that she had suffered from this _______ condition for thirty years and would be “perfectly fine in just a while”. Just like Jackie said, she was completely fine within about twenty minutes. As I was still concerned about her, Jackie agreed to board with my _______ . I stayed behind to ensure she boarded the plane safe and sound.

_______ , what Jackie needed was someone to listen to her. Don’t be afraid to listen to strangers and help them out. Everyone has their own battles and ________ and sometimes they just need someone to care.

8 . Those Shoes

Every time I walked to school in the past, there they were in the shop window, looking at me. Those perfect, perfect _______, with perfect, perfect design. Everyone who _______ had them, from the cheerleaders to the headmaster to the football stars.

Every time I asked Grandma if I could get them, she said the _______ answer. Those words are now etched (刻) into my mind, as if with a knife. “You have to buy them with your own money,” she told me. “We don’t have _______ for wants in this family. You know that, Gabriella.”

So I tried to _______ money. What I tried was dog walking. It always seemed so _______ in the movies. I picked up a Great Dane named Tiny, a Pomeranian named Snowflake, a Husky named Tulip, and a Yorkie named Flex. It didn’t go quite as planned. Tiny scared Snowflake, and she wound her leash (拴狗链) around Tulip, and in the end Flex was the only dog staying calm. _______ dog walking was hard and tiring, at least I made some money.

I walked to the shop with my best friend, Winnie. When we got there, I finally _______ that I didn’t really want those shoes. I just wanted to be like everyone else! I decided to get _______ I really wanted.

I named my new pet turtle Cashy, to __________ all the hard work and money it took to buy her.

9 . Disappointment is Followed by Unexpected Connection

My daughter with her two friends drove to the nature park for a hike. On returning to the parking lot after the hike, they _____, to their disappointment, that their car windows were broken. Shattered glass was everywhere and their _____ and iPad were stolen from the car.

Without a second thought, they called the police. The police tried their best to investigate, hoping to find some clues. Yet the methods they tried weren’t _____ even when given the device locations via finding apps.

That evening my daughter got a _____ from a lady on social networks. She said she had _____ a pure and a backpack on the street with ID card and credit cards in it.

We were thinking over the _____ of this caller. She had called from the neighbouring city. My daughter decided to call her the next day and learn more about her instead of _____.

The next day we called her as planned. It _____ that lady was an elementary school teacher and agreed to meet my daughter at a police station. On arrival, the kind teacher gave my daughter all the belongings she had found. This teacher was indeed practicing what she _____!

What an example she set to go out of her way for a ______, to make the effort to connect and follow through.

10 . The Drum Set

To Gabe, everything was as a drum. He beat on the sofa. He beat on his school desk. His life was a steady beat of drum sounds.

All Gabe wanted was a drum set, but his parents couldn’t ________ to buy him one. Then, one day at school, the class began studying how to protect the Earth and its resources. Mr. Gomez ________ three things that everyone could do: recycle, reuse, and reduce.

Gabe thought about what he and his family already did. They recycled bottles, cans, and paper. They didn’t waste a lot, either. Gabe’s new jackets were ________ new. His elder brother had worn those years before. They also reduced. They ________ lights whenever possible.

As Mr. Gomez spoke, a brilliant ________ hit Gabe. Not only could he help protect the Earth, but he could also do something to make himself very happy! Then Mr. Gomez told the class about a science project. Gabe didn’t need any more ________. He already knew what he would do.

He ________ big balloons from his birthday party, found old cans of different sizes, and ________ some tape from his father. Then he cut off the narrow end of each balloon, stretched a balloon over the top of each can and taped it on the side of the can.

He tried out his drum set by beating on them one by one with chopsticks. Each drum made a ________ sound. It sounded pretty good!

The science presentations were held on Monday. When he finished his ________ with his drum set, his classmates clapped and cheered!

Finally, Gabe was chosen to be a member of the school band.