2 . There Is No Ping without A Pong

In February 2020, my husband, Bob, and I were offered an outdoor pingpong table, but I was not good at pingpong at all. “ What are we going to do with that?” Bob asked me. He clearly thought we were about to get something we did not _______ .

“The two of us will play. ” I replied. Bob looked doubtful.

The pingpong table arrived _______ before the COVID-19 quarantines (隔离) began. We were both working at home. Every day at a little after 5, if it wasn’t rainy, we played pingpong for about 45 minutes, driving away the anxiety or _______ of another day in lockdown.

I lost every game. It didn’t _______ me at first. Bob was enjoying the chance to _______ . But there were days when I hated losing. Once I threw my paddle across the yard in anger. Then one day Bob suggested I play with a handicap (让步赛) of 12 points. That _______ a lot — I sometimes won! The effort of trying to win was _______ . Even when I lost a point, I enjoyed making Bob work harder for it.

Pingpong helped my husband and me _______ the worst of the lockdowns. The gift of the pingpong table gave us a way to have fun in a _______ time. It takes two willing partners to play table tennis. Similarly, it takes two people who would like to ________happiness with each other to make a marriage. Simply put, when it comes to table tennis — or any other relationship — there is no ping without a pong.

3 . One day, while homeless John was asking for money, he met a woman named Gladys Kamande. She had collapsed lungs that gave her shortness of breath and she ________ relied on some medical instruments to breathe. Not only that, she had ________ 12 surgeries, one of which caused her to go blind.

After knowing her situation, John’s eyes ________ with tears. Then, despite not having the resources to support himself, John found his own way to help her. He ________ into his pocket and gave her what little money he had. At that time, John had no idea just how ________ he was!

A passerby named Njogu ________ the whole process. “I asked him why he decided to give the only money he had,” Njogu said. “He told me he opted to give because even if he suffered the same, others would support him.” Struck by what the little boy did, Njogu shared stories and photos of the heartwarming ________ on social media.

Soon, John’s story spread across social media and generous strangers from all around the world began donating money in an effort to help. In fact, enough was raised to ________ the treatment Gladys needed in India.

But that’s not where the good news ends. John’s simple ________ helped him get into a children’s home. Finally, this sweet boy was adopted, giving him a family.

John and Gladys were both able to get the help and the bond they formed that crucial day continues on. It just goes to show that a little ________ can go a long way!

4 . In a winter evening, Gus Kiebel was driving home from work. Suddenly he _________ a pair of beagles in the flash of his headlights. It was snowing so hard, but he could tell the dogs were wearing collars and labels. Gus parked his truck and _________ the animals. He squatted(蹲) and stretched out his hands to the beagles. He read their labels by his truck’s headlights—these two dogs were a couple. He _________ his phone to call the number listed, but it was snowing so hard that his screen blurred.

Then he placed the dogs in his truck and they snuggled(依偎) together. Gus dialed the number from the dogs’ _________. Unfortunately, the call declined. But Gus dialed again. A man _________ and immediately grew defensive. “I gave those dogs away,” the man said. “They’re not mine anymore.” The man hung up.

It was _________ that these beagles were abandoned. As a boy, Gus had dreamed of owning beagles, but he already had a family dog. The next day, he took the dogs to the shelter to drop them off—on one condition. “I’m not signing the dogs over to you if you’re going to _________ them.” he said. The shelter workers promised him they’d keep the couple together.

In the following days, Gus phoned the shelter _________ to check up on the pair of beagles. Soon after Christmas, the beagles were _________, as a pair, and adopted to a loving family. What Gus did brought out the best in our nature. And when __________ and love overcome cruelty and the elements, it can feel like the greatest miracle of all.

5 . We don’t see many 17-year-old who can list as many accomplishments (成就) as Eduardo Caiado.

Edu, as he likes to be called, lives in Anapolis, Brazil. He’s always been driven to help others. In fact, when he was just 15, he was named one of the 50 Young Inspirers of the United Nations for his project on reusing_______ to provide drinking water in a village. He also bought gifts for 52 people living in a local nursing home, _______ his own money.

These are all totally natural for Edu, who says he’s been_______trying to help others for most of his life. But right now he centers on saving stray (走失的) animals.

Since he was 9, he’s dreamed of the day he could open a _______for the many lost or forgotten pets he’s seen. Less than ten years later, he_______that dream a reality by starting the EduPacoca Institute!

“The place where I live is cold, and many stray dogs were dying of_________cold,” he said. The EduPacoca Institute depends on_______to help these animals in need. First, Edu rented a house; now, he’s using the money to_______food and other expenses. “I want these animals to know that even if they don’t have owners, they will be with me until they grow old and die.” he said.

After years of feeding animals on the streets, Edu understands that while they’re not human, animals have feelings of their own. Each has their own habits,_______ , and preferences, and Edu loves getting to know them.

He’s already given about 30 dogs and cats a home, and the number keeps growing every day! His only regret is that he doesn’t have enough room or money to____________every stray.

6 . Sam and Lightning

Twenty-one years ago, my husband gave me a dog named Sam. Later, when we were in New Jersey, our neighbor asked us if we would like a cat. We were a little _________ that Sam would feel angry, but we decided to risk it. We picked a little, grey, playful cat. She was very _________ and raced around as if she were running after imaginary mice and jumped from table to chair in the blink of an eye, so we named her Lightning.

At first, Sam and Lightning were very cautious of each other and kept their distance. Slowly, however, Lightning started to _________ Sam up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen to watch him eat, and into the living room to watch him sleep. As time passed, they were always together. When I played with one, the other _________. If Sam barked at something, Lightning ran to _________ what it was. When I took either one out of the _________, the other was always waiting by the door when we returned.

But one day, without any warning, Sam died of a heart attack at the vet's and I had to walk back to our house _________. There was no way for me to _________ why Lightning would never see her friend again. In the days that followed, Lightning seemed heartbroken. She could not tell me in words that she was _________, but I could see the sufferings in her eyes.

As the weeks went by, the cat's ____________ seemed to be lessening. One day I happened to find Lightning was sleeping with her best friend's statue, with one arm wrapping the statue's neck.

7 . Autism hasn't slowed down Landon Dimm. Although he didn't speak until age 6, he was able to _________ by writing spelling words at age 4.

Dimm loved his PE class, which helped him prepare for the Special Olympics Capital Area Athletics Meet. He has competed for the last four years and has _________ nine gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Dimm has competed in the 100-meter walk, softball distance throw, long jump and the 50-meter walk run once. His favorite _________ is the softball throw. He's increased his softball throw distance every year.

Dimm, a junior, is well-liked at school and is a friend to many. He's known for his excellent _________ . He never forgets a birthday, and he _________ dates of events that happened years ago.

“Landon Dimm is a great kid and always smiling,” his PE coach said. “He's very friendly. He loves PE class and loves   _________ in the Special Olympics.” Dimm's mother, Stacy Crescionne, said. She was proud of her son's _________ , not to mention his growth. “Landon loves his classmates and teachers,” she said. “He talks of them often. He likes helping others in class. Landon is loved by everyone who meets him. He is friendly and very polite.”

“He has an unbelievable memory about _________ . If you tell him your birthday, he can tell you _________ what day of the week it'll fall on in a matter of seconds.”

Crescionne said her son took a __________ attitude lo his yearly Special Olympics competitions. “He loves competing and doing better each time,” she said. “He likes to get praised for doing his best. He looks forward to the event each year.”