1 . Lyn Story is a retiree in Fort Worth, Texas. She had a lot of _________ time on her hands until she met Apryl Goodwin, who had been diagnosed with uterine cancer (子宫癌).

Apryl had no transportation and didn't know what to do. So she sought for _________ on the community app Nextdoor. Someone _________ and said, “I’ll take you to your _________.” She ignored it because it was a stranger and didn’t accept it until Lyn _________ her again and said, “I’ll take you. I mean it. I’m _________ and sincere.”

That _________ was Lyn, and over the last year, she has taken Apryl to more than 25 radiation appointments, six chemotherapy treatments and _________ doctor visits. Apryl said Lyn was like her guardian.

Lyn’s _________ doesn’t stop there. Months after meeting Apryl, she was on the Nextdoor app again when she __________ a post from Kevin Horrigan, who is legally blind. “Lyn’s really a kind woman,” said Kevin. “She really is, because I can’t __________.”

Tough times made Kevin come back to work after retiring. Now Lyn __________ his burdens. Lyn drives him to work or she picks him up from work. Kevin says what Lyn has done helps him __________.

Lyn said she started thinking of herself as a bad-weather friend. “You know, fair-weather friends only __________ you when everything’s good for you,” she explained. “But a bad-weather friend is there to help you in times of __________.”

Filled with love, Lyn’s story is life changing for so many.

2 . Dave Hall led Surprise Squad, an organization to bring surprise to those in need, on a mission to spread joy at a local Albertsons store. Their _________ was simple yet influential: to pay for the groceries of _________ customers. Among the customers was Stephanie, a disabled veteran(退伍军人)who relied on her wheelchair.

She _________ to Dave that she was shopping for food for herself and her dogs. She was down to her last $50,_________ of how she would manage after that. Dave, thrilled to help, paid for all her groceries, a _________ that left Stephanie extremely grateful.

Dave _________ a man standing beside Stephanie. _________ mistaken for her husband, Larry turned out to be a friend of Stephanie’s husband and a fellow veteran. Despite his own financial _________, Larry was determined to support Stephanie.

He stood in the checkout _________ with just a bottle of dish soap and a piece of candy—all he could afford. Dave, moved by Larry’s situation, __________ buying him groceries. Larry’s eyes were filled with tears as Dave accompanied Larry back into the shelves, filling a __________ with food and toiletries(洗漱用品), far more than Larry had __________that day. As they finished checking out, Larry __________ that he had never spent so much on groceries before. The gratitude and emotion on his face were __________.

He thanked Dave wholeheartedly and left the store, carrying not just groceries but a moment of __________ that would never fade.

3 . Salvador Quijada is now an eighth-grade math teacher at Philip’s Academy Charter School. When he _________his own journey into maths, he gives credits to one high school math teacher who pushed him to take on AP calculus (微积分). Quijada said his teacher’s belief that he could succeed allowed him to challenge himself in ways he might not have otherwise _________.

Now, Quijada brings that _________ into his lessons. Last year, seeing many students who did well in maths, he thought they might need an _________ push in terms of their maths. So he wanted to bring an accelerated version of the eighth grade curriculum (课程) for them to _________ more easily. He brought up the _________ to Philip’s headmaster, Yasmeen Sampson, who encouraged him to move forward with it! Thanks to the right curriculum he found, the students were _________ enjoying the class. They were cooperating, _________ and working hard during the class. They’re now making great _________.

When asked what he has done as a teacher that he’s especially __________ of, “I create a classroom environment that __________ respect and learning,” he replied. “I always want my students to feel comfortable and __________, even when making mistakes. In my first year as a teacher, I had a student who always __________ me and made it difficult to teach. I had to really learn how to work with him. Once I was able to build a __________ with him, it became much __________ to teach him. Now, seven years later, I still keep in touch with him.”

4 . Dressed in a kachhad, a traditional Nepalese clothes, Umesh Balal walked into his meetings at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) on climate change in Dubai with a sense of determination.

Balal, who has physical disability, was there to publicly _________ inclusion of disability rights in the climate change conference, an aspect that he said has long been _________ by organizers of the world’s largest annual meeting on climate issues.

As a student, Balal was _________ about science and involved himself in research on environmental science. Those were his first few interactions that _________ the climate related issues to him. Being from a mountainous region, Balal _________ more about how climate change had _________ people there, which led him to develop climate anxiety.

The more Balan _________ himself to climate science, the more he learned about the impact of climate change. People with more resources have better chances of _________ the climate crisis. But the less developed countries, for the _________ communities, usually don’t have the same opportunities, which will push them further into the __________

And it is even harder for people with __________. Many people with disabilities in Nepal don’t have __________ to proper education or opportunities for growth. As a result, they aren’t able to advocate for their rights.   

In an interview, Balan said, “__________, I am honored that I come from a supportive family, where I had a chance of good education which __________ me to grow in life. This is what I __________for others, to change the way they live their lives.”

5 . I turned on the radio and heard a woman describe her father’s final days in a hospice (临终安养院). ________, his end was a warming memory because of the hospice volunteers who ________the pain of strangers. In her sadness, she had ________ humanity at its best. I suddenly realised that I wanted to be where life matters most, which is when it is ________. I wanted to be one of those hospice volunteers.

I Googled hospices and ________ to one hospice seeking a volunteer to write the life stories of patients in its day center. Within a month, their ________ took my breath away. I was listening to the strangers giving an ________ of their loves and their losses, the memories that had never been shared and regrets that had ________ been expressed.

I began to see life differently. Everything I ________ the school run, the weekly shop seemed a gift to those no longer able to experience it. The details that the patients recalled of their past were so ________ , though so small. I saw people ________ , too. Instead of the unknown faces of ________ in the street, I saw leading characters of untold stories and the quiet heroism of ordinary life.

Six months later, my father fell ill and died ten days later. His sickness was sudden, but the hospice had ________ me. It was my encounters with patients and their relatives that enabled me to accept my father’s diagnosis without ________ .

These days, I try to see the world from the perspective of those I briefly knew and cherish chores and routines as a gift. And I want to take back into the outside world that sense of life stripped back to its ________ , where what ultimately matters is love.

6 . Over the past few decades, technology has profoundly transformed the way we live and work. The digital revolution has brought about________ changes to industries, economies, and societies worldwide. As we continue to navigate this rapidly changing landscape, it is crucial to understand the ________ impact of technology on various aspects of our lives.

In the realm of employment, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping job markets. Routine tasks that were once carried out by humans are now________ by machines with remarkable efficiency. While this automation has increased productivity and reduced errors, it has also ________ concerns about job displacement and the need for upskilling.

The education sector has not been immune to technological advancements either. Online learning platforms and digital resources have________ traditional classroom settings. This shift offers flexibility in learning, but it also requires learners to possess strong________ skills to navigate digital environments effectively.

Communication has been revolutionized by technology as well. Social media platforms enable instantaneous global________, connecting people across borders. However, the rapid spread of information in the digital age has________ challenges related to misinformation and privacy breaches.

Healthcare has witnessed the integration of technology through telemedicine and remote monitoring. While these innovations improve access to medical services, they also raise questions about the ________ of personal health data and the potential loss of the human touch in patient care.

In the realm of creativity, technology has opened new avenues for artistic expression. Digital art, virtual reality experiences, and interactive storytelling have________ boundaries in the creative world. However, concerns linger about the ________ of originality and the potential loss of tangible artistic experiences.

The environment benefits from technology through innovations in renewable energy and resource management. Yet, the________ footprint of electronic devices and the challenge of electronic waste management underscore the ________ implications of the digital revolution.

In conclusion, technology’s far-reaching influence touches every aspect of our lives. Its ________ can be both empowering and concerning. To navigate this complex landscape, individuals, businesses, and policymakers must work together to harness the potential of technology while addressing its________ challenges.

7 . In 1980, Dad was diagnosed(诊断) with a serious disease. The disease _________ his memory and expression. Dad couldn’t think or process information as fast as he _________ to. He grew to repeat the same words, which drove Mom _________. On one of my visits home, Dad was sitting in his deck chair. I reached down to _________ and kiss him. “What’s new? How are you?”

“Oh, you know, dear, the same. They treat me like a mushroom around here. They keep me in the dark.” He laughed, proud of his _________.

As I walked through the kitchen, I stopped to hug Mom. She _________ her head. “I heard your dad and those words! It’s not his will. He just can’t _________ himself.” She stopped for a while before _________. “He always says he’s just like a mushroom…” She took a _________ breath and laughed. “Goodness,” she said, “I’m going to be __________ the adversity(困境) for a long time.”

__________, Dad never became difficult, or had personality changes. I often felt grateful for that. Dad loved and __________ everything Mom ever did for him as well, no matter how big or small.

Care-giving comes at a __________. Mom was annoyed with Dad, but there was lots of love between them. Through the 21 years of care giving for Dad, there was __________ and tears, as well as weddings and babies. Without __________, I’m not sure what would have happened to us.

8 . It’s not every day that someone goes out of their way to help a total stranger.

Dee Harkrider recently dropped by a _________. After loading her purchases into the car, she _________ left her wallet in the shopping cart and drove away. She wasn’t even _________ that she’d left the wallet behind.

It was her friend, Elaine Keown, that rang her up, _________ if she knew a young man named Delivontae Johnson. “I’ve never heard that _________,” Dee recalled.

It turned out that 19-year-old Delivontae visited the same supermarket and _________ her wallet in the shopping cart. He opened the wallet and found Dee’s driver’s license, but with no phone number to _________ her, so he turned to social platform. Once he _________ her profile picture with the one on her driver’s license, he sent her a message.

Dee didn’t reply, so Delivontae reached out to Elaine, who’d recently _________ with Dee on the platform. It certainly took some detective work to __________ the wallet’s owner!

Dee and Delivontae arranged to meet at a restaurant, where Delivontae returned the wallet and Dee pulled $ 20 to give him as a(n) __________. “He was like a hero,”   said the __________ grandmother.

Delivontae says it felt “great” to help someone in need, and urged others to perform random acts of __________ to brighten someone’s day. “You’ve just got to be __________,” said Delivontae, “There’s no telling what the __________ might be. If you do good things, good things will follow.”

9 . You never know how good your neighbors are until there’s an emergency.

It was after midnight when Clifford_________to the sound of a noise next door. Outside, he saw that the house next to his was_________, and there were three people_________. A mother with a teenager and a 5-year-old child were _________ for help inside the burning home. Unable to get down the stairs due to thick smoke and _________, the only way out of the big fire was through the window. Thinking fast, Clifford ran into his backyard and_________ an old mattress(床垫)out and placed it beneath the woman’s window.

“Come down, come down,” he called up to the family. He _________the panicked mother that he would_________ the child. In an act of_________and desperation, the mother handed her child out of the__________-into Clifford’s arms. Next, it was the mother and the teenager’ turns. Luckily, their landings were__________.

Nine people are homeless after the house was __________. The Red Cross is working to help the victims recover from losing their home and__________. The house suffered about $1 million in damages, and the fire was so hot that it even melted the siding(墙板)of the house next to it. Two __________from the Boston Fire Department suffered minor injuries.

After the big fire, Clifford was praised for his__________. Later he said he was happy he could help the family__________from the flames(火焰). He says the mother he saved was so__________ and she couldn’t stop thanking him for helping. It took a lot of courage for him to run towards that fire! __________, everyone made it out alive. Clifford didn’t think twice about running toward danger to help these __________. Everyone would all be __________to have a neighbor like him!

10 . About a year ago, as I prepared to leave the house, the telephone rang. For a moment I had the idea of not answering it, but I ran back to the kitchen anyway.

My husband _________ and said, “Sorry, honey, but I have to work overtime. Guess you’ll have to _________ Taylor at school today. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” Each week I set aside several hours to bring a little joy to the _________ at a nearby nursing home. On this particular day, I hurried to the school and _________ picked up my boy, then we proceeded to send my freshly cut red and yellow _________ to the ladies at the nursing home.

_________ by my unexpected companion, we started our rounds with bunches of blossoms (花朵) in my arms and Taylor at my side. After we visited the third room, I _________ that, just as we were ready to leave each room, my son would try to _________ his little arms around each woman and then _________ something to her. Because I wanted to make sure that we had enough time to __________ all of the residents, I didn’t ask him what he was whispering, but he earned a __________ from every lady.

Later that evening, during dinner, my husband asked how my volunteer job worked out with our son as a(n) __________.

“It was actually lots of fun,” I said. “What Taylor did was the __________ of our volunteer job.” Whatever Taylor said to the ladies, from their smiles, it definitely brought tremendous(巨大的) happiness. Puzzled, I stopped and glanced across the table at our son. “What was it that you whispered?”

Looking at both of us with a(n) __________ face, he responded, “All I said was ‘I love you, Grandma. You look so beautiful today.’ I wanted to make them feel __________.”