1 . We never know when our paths with long-lost friends come together. It can happen anywhere and usually when most ________.

Last month, a friend’s mother ________, and I attended the memorial service. While consoling (安慰) her, I suddenly ________ my two friends with whom I was no longer in contact. They were ________ with one another on the other side. It didn’t take me more than an instant to know the ________ thing to do. So I walked to them and said hello.

I knew it could go either way. They might not be ________ talking. Or maybe one would and not the other. As it turned out, all three of us chatted for over a (n) ________. We shared news about the latest things that were happening in our lives. There was so much to let each other ________ wonderful things, ________ things, losses, lost loves, and even health issues.

We each showed an interest in the ________ of one another, asking questions and ________ full of attention. We were catching up, and most of all, we were _______ again.

Our mutual friend, whose mother died, overheard us stating our intentions to make an effort to rekindle (使恢复) the ________. Despite being in a state of grief, she was ________ to hear our discussion. She was the only one who had kept in contact with all of us lost souls.

I was glad to ________ have the opportunity to mend broken friendships. But I never imagined it would happen at a funeral.

2 . About four weeks ago, our dear little Persian cat Ashleigh Faith died at the age of 16, for which we felt sad. We _________ her when she was five weeks old and bottle-fed her until she was able to _________ on her own. She was _________, weighing only six pounds at her heaviest weight. She was our baby, _________ all over the USA with us in our motorhome, then _________ at our home in Custer. She left a huge hole in our _________, and she had been my constant companion during the _________months of my stay in hospital.

Recently, our neighbor called and _________ asked if we knew anyone who did cat-sitting, as her mother was ill and she had to _________ her. She couldn’t __________ her cat Bella with her. My husband __________ said, “We’d love to take care of Bella.” We visit Bella each morning and afternoon, and she has been so __________ for us after our loss. Bella is ten months old, and very __________. We take Ashleigh’s laser light toy and Bella loves chasing(追逐)the red dot all over the house. She now __________ us at the window, and then races to the door to __________ us. Spending time with Bella is just what we need, and it helps our neighbor know that we take good care of her cat.

3 . Brothers Mike and Nick Fiorito had a smooth life in the first 30 years. _________, they decided to quit their highly paid jobs since they realized that they often felt unfulfilled. At first they felt _________ about future without knowing what to do, but eventually they came up with an idea to help the homeless folks after _________ their poor situation on the street.

They _________ Blankets of Hope with their own efforts, which turned into a global nonprofit organization that also encourages kindness in schools. The brothers sent the blankets to schools. The kids would write the notes, and then _________ the brothers in delivering the blankets to homeless shelters in their local communities. They _________ students so that every blanket includes a note handwritten in classrooms to _________ homeless folks across the country.

Now, their organization is very _________ — reaching nearly 20,000 people in need across America, Canada and Mexico.

Adults can _________ as well. They can make efforts by donating on a GoFundMe page so that the brothers could have enough money to purchase the blankets. Thanks to people’s generous __________, the brothers aimed at __________ another 20,000 blankets this winter. And they expected these blankets would not only keep people warm, but provide a friendly __________ to another soul. The brothers tried to do what they could to make a __________ despite the sweat. They are __________ that more and more people can join them in __________ the kindness.

4 . Being first time parents can be a really happy and________time for most people. The feeling — in a few months, you’ll be able to________a new little baby in your arms and call him your own — is________what married couple Kate and David Ogg felt. More________were heading their way when they found out that they were having twins. It is very exciting to have a baby, let alone having two at the same time. However, their lives were________worry when Kate went into labor (分娩) in just 26 weeks.

Although it is pretty normal that twins are born without full term (足月), 26 weeks is also a bit________for some. There was a lot of stress and________at that day but what they didn’t know was that they’d receive news that would________their hearts. After giving birth, they were________that they had a boy and a girl. However, the doctor said that the boy didn’t survive (存活) and________him over. Without any words, Kate immediately took the baby and held him________to her. She called for her husband to climb up the bed and give the baby as much________as possible. They hugged him for some time and then suddenly, by some miracle (奇迹), the baby moved in Kate’s arms. The couple were________and looked at the baby who’s moving and breathing (呼吸). They immediately________the doctors to come quick. Now, the twins are already 10 years old and are both at the most perfect________as they can be.

5 . Seeing fresh snow over our town, my son CJ and I couldn’t wait to go sledding (滑雪橇) in the park. As we_________aside street where a friend of CJ’s lives, he___________to drop in and play with him. So there I was ___________.

Four teenage boys were the only ones at the park when I arrived. As it is common to see kids___________by their parents there, they eyed me and were_________to know what am other could be doing at the snow hill___________a child. I began to wonder about this myself as I___________my 41-year-old body into a first-graders snow saucer (盘状物) to push off. “If I end up___________myself, it serves me right”, I thought.

As it was early, the saucer hadn’t cut a track into the snow,_________, I really needed to push my way for the first two runs before the saucer would gain any____________.After, reaching the____________, I picked up the saucer and found it a____________job to drag back to the top of the hill. But it____________when the snow sprayed (喷射) on my face as the saucer flew down the track I felt excited even when I was thrown upside down. The____________of being hurt had gone.

On the way back, my heart was flying at the joy of____________the freedom of going really fast through thin air and finding the real self that was lost in my busy life.

6 . My son Darcy, 10, begged “No more needles”, tears rolling down his cheeks. Seeing him so _______ broke my heart. Darcy had a surgery and the needle would provide a blood transfusion (输血). It looked like the _______ was successful, but Darcy only got sicker.

Darcy often asked, “Mom, when can I see my _______?” “Soon, sweetie,” I’d reply. But with a weak immune (免疫的) system, it was _______ for him to return to school. At first, my words seemed _______ but as the months passed, I watched as Darcy became _______. While he was in hospital, his friends were enjoying their lives without him. I could _______ he was giving up.

I consulted the school about _______ Darcy’s education in the hope of creating more _______ for him and I got the reply “If he’s well enough”. At that point, I wondered if this had happened to thousands of kids around the country. __________, a year later, Darcy got better enough to go back to school!

One day, I talked with some friends, who had __________ kids too. We all agreed that there should be a way to keep them in the classroom __________ with their mates, even if they can’t __________ be there. Later, we got to know some sort of robot, which could just __________ the need. I then became a fundraiser and finally launched a national pilot program. A mother’s pure love now __________ to all children.

7 . Reducing the use of plastic is a balance between what you can afford and what you can get. I’ve ______ a lot from a plastic-free lifestyle. It helps me ______ my carbon footprint and save money.

I’ve found that living plastic free is a great way to ______ mindless online shopping. Nowadays, I ______ weigh the possibility of returning an order before I hit the ______ button. Do I have something else I could ______ to meet this need? Is there a place I can get it ______ so I don’t have to deal with all the plastic it’ll arrive in?

Besides, I’ve slowly ______ the collection of the things that I want, and that are made to last. Anytime I need to replace a bigger-ticket item, I’m ______ to look for a second-hand version of a nicer, ______ item, which I can often find for the same price as a new but less durable (耐用的) model.

Of course, there are certain situations where plastic is the most ______ choice. I recently reorganized my closet and found that I ______ clear plastic containers for my off-season clothing. After a few ______ to my favorite neighborhood charity shop, I found a set of Rubbermaid storage containers that ______ the bill.

Life without plastic doesn’t take place overnight. Devote yourself to making a few ______ in your daily plastic use and see where it takes you.

8 . As her father guided her ________ down the road alongside the swimming pool, 12-year-old Tina Fisher fiddled (整理、摆弄) with the folds of the borrowed wet suit she was wearing and took a few ________ breaths.

This is a girl who loves the ________ of water flowing around her limbs (四肢), who until recently was ________ her underwater swimming, and who takes every opportunity to spend time in the water.

But this was the first time Tina had been anywhere near a pool since the otherwise ________ June 2 when she was playing with a friend. Just 90 minutes after the preteen felt pain in her legs — the first symptom of a spinal stroke — she became paralyzed (瘫痪) from the waist ________ .

Now she was going to try something she’d never ________ even when she’d had the use of her legs: She was going to take her first scuba diving lesson.

Tina’s father, Dennis Fisher, slipped into the pool and helped Occupational Therapist Kaitlin Macdonald ________ his daughter into the water. She lay ________ , rested her head on the surface and, for a few brief moments, ________ her eyes. Then she did something that made MacDonald smile. “Tina,” she said, “look at your leg.” Ever so slightly, Tina was moving her right leg. It was ________ a few inches, but still — Tina’s mind was telling her leg what to do, and her leg was ________ .

“A lot of times, we’ll see movement ________ in the water,” MacDonald said, “It means a capacity (能力) is there that we can build on, ________ it’s still weak.”

For Tina, it felt great to just be back in the pool. She wrapped her arms around her father and briefly lay her head on his chest. Then she turned to Macdonald and indicated she was ready to swim the ________ of the pool.

“OK,” Macdonald said, “Here we go.”

9 . Dalena worked as a teacher in a small Indian village, where girls attended school only for primary education. Mala was a(n) _______ girl in Dalena’s class, whom Dalena was proud of. Dalena always instructed her girl students about the importance of _______, self-respect, and courage. So, it was surprising when Mala was _______ for more than a week.

Dalena decided to _______ in Mala’s home. Mala’s parents _______ their plan to get Mala married. Greatly _______, Dalena argued, “I don’t believe it! But she is too young to know what _______ means and what the responsibilities are. Mala is not ready physically, _______ or emotionally.” Mala’s father said, “But our family _______ won’t allow girls to continue school, and the seniors of the family may also ________.”

Dalena said, “I do respect your customs, but these are old ________. Nowadays, girls can ________ to great heights because of their education. Please reconsider it.”

In the next two weeks, Dalena visited the family many times. Finally, Mala’s father ________ to let Mala go back to school.

Mala ________ her learning opportunities and rose to be a topper in her school. Years later, with hard work, Mala became a senior Civil Services Officer in her city. Mala proudly said, “It is the ________ of my teacher that has made me what I am today.”

10 . I’m approaching the Knight Street Bridge in my car. It’s 5:15 pm. The traffic is already _________ and then it comes to a full stop. I’m _________ even before getting on the bridge. Ahead of me are endless rows of _________, roughly 300.

When I finally _________ it onto the bridge, the traffic is still moving at a slow pace. Tired and hungry, I become very _________.

Just then I hear a weak sound in the distance. The sound gradually becomes louder, until I can _________ it as an emergency vehicle approaching from behind. What do we do? The bridge is _________. There’s no room for us to move.

But I’m wrong. Every single car quickly, yet _________, moves to the side. Without thinking, I follow suit. The lane (车道) remains _________ for a few seconds, during which the ambulance __________ through. Afterward, we close up the emergency lane, ready to continue our wait. Back in my __________, my anxiety is gone. I start __________ what we just did.

Despite our tiredness, we collectively drew on our compassion (同情心) and __________ to help the stranger who needed the time more __________ than we did without any orders. Although I may seem alone stuck on the bridge, I’m __________ to all the other drivers. Together we could make the impossible possible.