1 . Each year, I write a Christmas list for my family. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the ________ of a perfectly chosen gift that I would never have thought to ________. It’s just that, more often than not, someone else’s ________ of the perfectly chosen gift is not mine. I’d rather they just stuck to the ________. However, there is one area where I ________ hand over control—the Christmas stocking.

My mum makes a stocking for me every year. There are ________ to the stocking. It will always _________ chocolate coins and a pair of gloves. There will be some sort of seasonal ________, like colourful lights. And then there will be ________ supplies. We’ll buy each other little bits of skin care, such as soaps. There will be kitchen tools to replace the old ones. We use stockings as a chance to ________ each other’s daily lives, to replace the small things that you ________ because there’s always something more important to spend the money on.

These oversized socks packed with small gifts might not be ________ in fancy ribbon (丝带) and placed under the tree, but to me they bring as much ________ as the most expensive present. They_________ that the person who filled that stocking understands your life, sees the details of it, and wants to make it easier.

Buying a woman a beautiful piece of jewellery that absolutely meets her taste isn’t easy, but finding ten small items that will _________ her daily life is an act that requires truly seeing her.

2 . Ever since we were together, my wife has known about a magical place called Lincoln City, a modest beach town on the central-Oregon ______. But for me, it holds a Shangri-La-like myth. Lincoln City is where I spent one ______ week each year as a boy, ______ the rough beaches for beautiful pebbles, fishing off the local pier, and ______ matches outside my aunt’s beach house. These are ______ my happiest childhood memories.

So it was with great ______ that, not long after marrying, I took my wife to visit the “Best Place” in the world. For me, it was every bit as ______ as I remember. For her, no so much. She couldn’t ______ the fishy smell as well as the chilly wind. Ever since, she has considered Lincoln City my unexplainable ______ with no basis in reality.

In most cases, our assessments of a place or experience seldom differ. In this case, our wildly ______ perceptions of Lincoln City can be ______ by one of the strangest and most powerful feelings that humans ______: nostalgia (怀旧). Psychologists have-defined nostalgia as a, self-conscious, ______ but dominantly positive- experience, a defense response to unhappiness and a relief from a negative mood. Maybe that is why on a windy ______ day, the kind that would normally make me ______, a fishy smell will bring me the mixed feelings that my wife couldn’t share.

3 . A 40-year-old man in China found his calling — teaching quantum mechanics (量子力学) on social media — after being unemployed for more than 20 years. Li Wei, from Qinghai province in northwestern China, became ________ for teaching science in an easy-to-understand way on his Douyin account.

Such is his popularity, he has ________ 1.8 million followers. “I don’t like ________ people,” Li said. He ________ a bachelor’s degree in law 20 years ago, but he did not find ________ in that field because of his personality. “I suffered a great failure,” he said. The turning point in his ________ came two years ago when he ________ his friend in the photovoltaic (光伏电池的) business and was ________ to find that lots of people have no knowledge of the technology.

Photovoltaic ________ a special electrical system that produces energy from a ________ and inexhaustible source, usually the sun. With a strong ________ to help people understand, Li came up with the idea of creating clips to teach science using simple everyday words ________ of terms. As he created more teaching videos, he began to realize he was good at it and ________ his subjects to include quantum mechanics and life sciences. Despite experiencing a series of failures, he finally found his ________. It’s never too ________ to do what we enjoy.

4 . Kelby Nelson had always looked up to his dad Mr Nelson, a hardworking man who had always put his family first. As his dad’s birthday _______ , Kelby wanted to do something special to show his _______ for all that his father had done for him. After much thought and consideration, Kelby decided to give his dad a gift that would truly make his day more special.

Kelby knew that his dad had a deep _______ for photography but had never pursued it as more than a hobby. _______ by this, Kelby decided to give his dad a once in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase his work in a local art gallery.

Kelby _______ contacted the owner of a popular gallery in town and explained his _______. Impressed by the heartfelt gesture, the owner agreed to host an exhibition featuring Kelby’s dad’s photographs. Kelby then spent weeks meticulously(精心地) _______ the best photos from his dad’s collection, ensuring a diverse and attractive showcase.

On the day of his dad’s birthday, Kelby blindfolded(蒙住) him and led him to the gallery. As they entered, Kelby _______ the blindfold, revealing a gallery filled with amazing prints of his dad’s photographs. His dad stood there, _______ , his eyes moist with emotion.

The gallery opening ________ a surprise party, with friends, family, and fellow photography enthusiasts gathered to ________ Mr Nelson’s talent. The local media caught wind of the event and sent reporters to cover the exhibition, further expanding Kelby’s dad’s ________ .

Overwhelmed(淹没)by the love and ________ surrounding him, Kelby’s dad thanked his son, not just for the ________ gift, but for encouraging him to pursue his passion and giving him the ________ to share his art with the world.

5 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been ______ a position there as a Civil Engineer. Accompanying him, my aim was to find a job shortly after. As you can imagine, I was very excited, even rather ______, as I’d never been abroad before. So, my first ______ was to get settled in this small town called Dodoma in the middle of Tanzania.

As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the ______ towards us. Completely out of breath, she said, “We’ve heard you’re from England and our school ______ needs an English teacher — please say you’ll help us.” I felt tired and ______ a shower after the journey. Though shocked by her ______, for some reason or other, I agreed to ______ it!

I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was ______ to the two local teachers and my ______ at 8 o’clock. It felt like being thrown into the deep end, as my teaching timetable began ______ at 8:30! Although I’d hardly had time to get my breath, I never ______ my sudden decision.

Though my entry into this ______ was unexpected, I found joy in teaching those youngsters and gradually became part of the local community in the following years. I’ve been fortunate to ______ lifelong friendships, which has left a lasting ______ on both my students and myself.

6 . Karen Collingsworth doesn’t just make a great cup of coffee. She also smiles, listens and ________ with all customers with love and kindness. Those customers were ________ to help Karen when the opportunity arose.

When Karen’s car was ________ and had to be torn apart, she suffered a powerful blow. Her workmates at the Marshall University Starbucks knew she’d need to ________ her old car before long. Someone ________ the idea of a GoFundMe. With an initial goal of raising $ 5,000, money began to ________ quickly from students, teachers and staff who’d gotten their daily treat from Karen.

Donors expressed their ________ on the GoFundMe webpage. One previous student wrote, “Karen knew my name and my order ________. She always made me smile whenever I came in. So I want to come back and visit!” Another commented, “I hope she knows the impact that her ________ made on so many people. ” Also, some used phrases like “ ________ soul,” and “brightened my day at each visit”. Karen has ________ made a lasting impression and influence on so many!

The GoFundMe campaign collected nearly $40,000! While the majority of ________ came from those who know Karen, some came from ________ moved by the lovely comments. Marshall University’s President donated $5,000, clearly ________ of the blessing that Karen is to the institution and its students!

When asked the reason for her ________ Karen simply said, “Whatever you do, do it heartily.”

7 . After an extremely heavy rain flooded the town of Ruthin, 44-year-old farmer Llyr Derwydd encountered an awful scene that Friday afternoon. As Llyr checked on his sheep, he discovered his three ewes (母羊) ________ on a small, shrinking island surrounded by the rising floodwaters. And the situation grew increasingly ________ as the water levels continued to rise. Llyr knew he had to act quickly to ________ the helpless ewes before the island disappeared into the cruel flood.

Realizing the ________ of single-handedly helping the ewes in such terrible circumstances, Llyr ________ for help from his sheepdog, Patsy. Initially, Llyr wondered whether Patsy could make it, so he ________ for a while. However, under the unspoken ________ of her owner, Patsy immediately accepted the task. She swam through the uncertain depths ________ to reach the ewes. As the water rose gradually, the ewes became more and more ________ and gathered together for safety. Then Patsy’s presence calmed their panic, encouraging them to swim back one by one. Under Patsy’s ________, the ewes overcame their fear and managed to ________ the floodwaters.

Reflecting on the event, Llyr shared, “I know Patsy is a(n) ________ swimmer; otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken the risk. But her bravery and excellent skill were completely ________ what I had expected.”

At the critical moment, Patsy ________ the tough challenge bravely, demonstrating extraordinary courage and ________ to her owner.

8 . Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. In sum, this was our ______: I asked questions and he told the ______. When I grew up and moved out on my own, I seldom called him. But when something broke in my ______ and I needed to know how to ______ it, like the toilet, I would call him. Gradually, I called him less, because I got ______. My husband had most of the knowledge and skills I ______.

Our phone call developed into three ______. I said, “Hi, Dad.” He said, “Hi, sweet. Here is your mom.” Because I still ______ my mother. I usually asked her questions like “Do need to call the ______ for my daughter’s fever?” Sometimes. I ______ if my dad had already shared everything I needed to know.

This past summer, my husband and I moved in with my parents for three weeks while our house was being decorated. Dad asked me to help him ______ the bulkhead (防水壁). I didn’t ______ to do it. It was the least I could do for free rent.

As we put the new bulkhead together piece by piece, my dad knew ______ which piece went where, so I asked, “Why do you know how to build a bulkhead?” “I spent a summer in college building it on the Jersey Shore,” he answered. I felt ______ and I thought I had knew everything about my dad before. After that, I often called my dad and talked about daily little things. To us, it was a (n) ______ beginning.

9 . David Cote, then CEO of Honeywell, shared the pros and cons of hiring a CEO with experience in the role. Experience can make directors feel more ________ at a candidate, but the question is: Does he or she have the ________ to make a difference? If they don’t possess that hunger, they won’t investigate things deeply. So in many cases, experience is ________.

Are inexperienced CEOs more likely to have hunger than others? If they have no real reputation, they’ll be more likely to be driven to ________. For example, when Cote was CEO of Honeywell, some leaders said to him they didn’t know if the company could be ________—and that even if it could be, they weren’t sure whether he was the ________ to do it because he was not their first choice. Those comments just ________ his hunger. He decided to impress them.

Does the finding that previous CEO experience can hurt a person’s performance ________ you? An experienced CEO might say, “I am ________ in this work, so I know how to settle it.” Rushing to conclusions tends to ________ an experienced CEO to all facts and opinions. People will ________ act according to their own experience, which is an instinct (天性). So sometimes experience can be a(n) ________.

Rather than a fundamentally necessary factor for a CEO, ________ is simply the icing (糖霜) on the cake. The hunger ________ it. Nobody knows the future. It’s more important to hire somebody eager to ________ things, regardless of their experience.

10 . Gutiérrez’s life would never be the same again. He found a (n) _________ book in the trash while driving his garbage truck through wealthier neighborhoods, which stimulated his _________ to rescue books from the trash. Afterwards, he _________ his book collection into a community library for children from _________ families.

Because libraries tend to be distant from poorer communities, the _________ of buying new books is nonexistent for families _________ to make ends meet. However, Gutiérrez’s community library becomes a true representation of how one man’s trash can be another’s treasure.

Today, his community library _________ most of his home. Everything from school textbooks to storybooks can be _________ in a collection of over 20,000 books! The library is open every weekend, when children are allowed to come in to _________ the book collection.

Apart from school-going children __________ the benefits of the library, adults are also welcome to   __________ their horizons to build a better life for themselves. Despite his great contributions to community, Gutiérrez is not yet __________ with this result. He continues to search through __________ for reading material and has even travelled to book fairs in Mexico to share his experiences in building a library from unwanted books.

Gutiérrez’s journey to give back to his local community is an amazing example of how every one of us can __________ improve the lives of those around us by __________ needs, investing time and finding a simple solution.