1 . When I was little, my mom put her love into making traditional Chinese soups for me. I’m talking Ching bo leung (清凉补), with a lot of herbal(中草药的) ingredients that give the soup a _______ taste.

As a kid, I never _______ drinking them because the taste made me sick. But my mom would try her best to _______ me to drink her soup.

First, she would state all the health benefits that the soup has.

“How can this strange water improve my _______?” I’d roll my eyes.

Then, she’d tell me it tasted _______ this time because she added chicken to make it taste more restaurant-style.

Lastly, she’d bribe (贿赂) me with a piece of candy.

And somehow that would _______. I’d take a deep breath and drink it without stopping. After I finished, my mom would _______ eating the Chinese soup ingredients (Tang Zha in Chinese).

I _______ why she did this. I could just _______ the soup but how could she eat the soup ingredients?

She’d always say, “I ________ eating them.”

When I was young, I ________ believed her.

But as I got older, I ________ she was only saying this because she wanted the best for her daughter.

Recently, I recalled (回忆起) this ________ while feeding my daughter a mango (芒果). I cut the mango into two halves and then ________ the seed (果核).

My daughter was ________ and asked me why I ate the seed.

I told her, “Because I love eating them.”

2 . Our family moved to Texas in 1996, when my husband Jerry got a job in a factory as a pipe-fitter. We lived in a small mobile home. When the job in Texas ended, he was out of _________. Months went by. Rent was _________ on the mobile home.

“At least we would have a nice _________,” I thought as I drove the girls to the supermarket on Christmas Eve to buy some food. Amanda was two years old and Kimberly was five years old. In the supermarket, I was _________ by different items. The _________ wrapped with shiny paper looked especially beautiful. I wished the girls weren’t _________ by them. Kimberly _________ alongside the cart with excitement. “Maybe she forgets this Christmas,” I thought.

_________, we got to the checkout counter. When we wheeled the cart out, we saw a wall of Christmas trees, each waiting to be _________ so its branches could __________ in a special spot at home. “Look, Mom!” said Kimberly. “Sweetie, we can’t get a tree this year,” I replied. Amanda was too young to have any __________, and Kimberly seemed to be calm, but I felt terrible. We pushed our cart through the parking lot. Halfway to the car, Kimberly stopped and pointed, “Look, Mom! That can be our tree!” At first, I wasn’t sure what she was pointing at. Then I saw a pine __________ lying on the ground. I couldn’t say no again. “Okay.”

I said. “We will bring it home.”

Back home, I found a coffee can to __________ it in. Kimberly collected some rocks and filled the can. While I made dinner, the girls colored some stars and bells. Jerry __________ their artwork for the tree. We set the display on the table in our tiny kitchen. “That branch was a lucky find,” Jerry said when we sat down for dinner.

__________, it was luck. My family and I celebrated many other Christmas holidays with real trees later, but it is the Christmas in the mobile home that we all remember most.

3 . The true test of an effective team is one where the members operate as a self-managing team. The _________ allows the members on the team to establish teamwork, adjust its work processes, and _________ a communication channel to the rest of the organization.

I followed up with one of our customers to see first-hand what a very successful team looked and felt like. Here is their story on what they do to _________ as a team.

This team _________ eighteen members that worked in a manufacturing facility in Texas. Their working _________ were not the best. During the night when I _________ them, they were performing a hot and dirty job and _________ that, they worked from 12 pm to 8 am. Their _________ was not the best and the products they were making had a terrible _________, which most people can’t stand.

The reason why I know this information is that when you have the opportunity to see how a team really works, you want to __________ their secrets. So I was looking for answers.

As I stayed and communicated with the team members to find out how they worked together, they described to me their requirements for team development.

They said, “Each member has a good time, and we are in tune (协调) with each other, and we have a great __________ of team spirit, believe in our __________, and run the operation without a formal leader in the middle of things. We have a ‘shared’ philosophy.”

Their hard work and effort paid off as they became known as “the stars” of the company. They were described as “__________” compared to other 156 teams. They were motivated by the positive attention, and the __________ that went along with being the best.

It is clear that this team developed to compete for the goal instead of against each other. This team has stayed __________ and self-directed because of being allowed to become more than their “individual selves”.

4 . The very unusual series of events finished as Sondrup was heading home from an extended work shift. She had just completed her fourth continuous night shift, and _________ was coming over her. Little did she know that July 26, 2023, would become a day unforgettable in her _________.

While driving home, Sondrup _________ a truck had overturned on State Route 143 near Sky Harbour, with a man _________ inside. Despite her tiredness, she made an inspiration—of-the-moment decision to help.

“It’s _________, but there were so many reasons that led me to that fine moment,” recalled Sondrup. “_________, I wouldn’t have been there.”

Under what she described as a turn of fate (命运), Sondrup _________, joined by a couple of other individuals who happened to be passing by. With unquestionable timing, no other cars were on the road, allowing her to cross over safely and reach the _________ scene.

Sondrup courageously _________ under the truck to check the injured man. In an act of __________, she used a bystander’s belt as a makeshift tourniquet (止血带) to stop the bleeding. Months have passed since that fateful day, and on October 18, the Phoenix Fire Department __________ Sondrup for her life-saving actions.

“I really feel that my guiding __________ led me to that very moment,” she told Fox 10Phoenix. “I’m not without imperfections, but I believe that at that __________ moment, I received a guiding premonition (预感).”

The man Sondrup rescued recently reached out to express his __________ for the second chance at life. “I wish him nothing but the best,” Sondrup said. “I hope he experiences a new __________ and a future filled with success.”

5 . It was a warm March evening, and I’d just taken a seat on the bus. A woman took a seat opposite me. Not speaking to anyone________, she tearfully________her story.

A thief had________one of her bags. It had contained half of the money she’d brought. The other half was rolled in a hankie and hidden under her blouse, so she________still had some money.

After a few minutes, an old man in ragged clothes got on the bus. The bus conductor started to collected ________. When he came to the old man’s seat, he became _______ and asked whether he had any money. The old man ________ that he had spent all his money this morning when he’d accidentally got on the wrong bus.

Upon hearing this, the bus conductor and the driver ________ the old man to get off the bus. The old man ________ them to let him take that bus.

The woman was observing the ________. When the bus driver and conductor raised their voices at the old man, she ________.

”Can’t you see he’s only trying to get home?“

”He doesn’t have any money!“ the driver shouted.

”Well, that’s no reason to throw him off the bus, she ________.

She reached inside her blouse, took out her ________ money. “Here’s his fare and mine.”

On the road of life, the ________ and smiles of strangers can lighten our loads and ________ our spirits. How much sweeter the journey when we make it a little smoother and richer for others!

6 . Tim Gjoraas doesn’t have much time left. However, there’s no ________ of supportive people in his corner.

Last year, Tim found out he had cancer. In the following months, his health ________ and then he got the news that he likely only has months left to live. He quickly retired from the Washington High School and decided to devote every moment to spending with his ________.

After ________ that he may not have much time left, Tim began taking steps to ensure his loved ones will be ________ . While he was catching up with Doug Rinken, a friend and retired teacher, Tim asked him to ________ his house next summer. He ________ that his wife Lisa has always wanted blue walls. Little did he know that the job would be finished much ________! One Saturday in September, Tim opened his doors to a(n) ________ sight. Doug had shown up with paint tools and about a dozen of Tim’s fellow teachers and friends.

This wasn’t the first time they had ________ him. After they heard about his disease, they organized fundraisers to help with his medical ________ . The project took less than a day ________ their efforts. Of course, it left a ________ mark on Tim. What a powerful act of kindness! No matter what happens, Tim ________ knows he and his family members will always hold a place in their community’s ________.

7 . This was the big game. The boys were _________ and excited. It was a clear night, and my son, Andy’s baseball team, which had _________ all year, had shocked the better teams by making it to this championship game. The atmosphere was _________: the other team’s slugger (强击手), a big kid, was like a snake, dangerous and ready to _________.

Nervously, I looked out Andy’s way. I was _________ to see Andy looking straight up at the night sky! Obviously he wasn’t _________ on the game. I was horrified that he wouldn’t even know the ball was coming.

“Come on, Andy. _________ out there,” I said to myself.

Thank goodness, a big kid in the other team made a mistake. Andy and I had been _________ and our team still led by one run.

Andy ran up to me at the _________. I was about to ____________ him when he said loudly, “Did you see that shooting star?”

Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with ____________. I paused.

“Yes,” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”

“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his ____________.

I suddenly realized it was nice that my son would take time out to ____________ the wonder and beauty in life. You might be surprised by the beauty you can find when you least ____________ it. Andy hit a triple (三垒打) in that last inning. But I still wish I had ____________ that shooting star, too.

8 . As a ski instructor for children, I work with all sorts of behavior challenges. Kids seem to mask _________ less effectively than adults, so it’s _________ to see when they are cold, scared, or just not having fun. On one occasion, I was working with a group of _________ when one of them started to act out. He began spitting rude remarks and _________ instructions. After five years of working in this environment, I recognized that his _________ were not being met. Did he deserve _________ if he was not being kind himself? Maybe. So, I took him aside and tried a(n)_________.

I showered him with every ounce of _________ I could. I reassured (使安心) him and smiled when his skis responded effectively to his movements. I _________ him when he fell. As the class __________ through trees, I saw his confidence grow. By the bottom, he was smiling as well. He quietly apologized for being __________ and thanked me for being his teacher.

Although this is an oversimplified example of kindness and behavioral psychology I know little about, I learned something that day: Kindness __________. I often think that we are still like kids as adults. We’re just better at __________ our unpleasant feelings. But our inner child needs healing and security. And when someone offers a hug after a long day, souls can be __________. So, whether they __________ it or not, be kind.

9 . My trip to Antarctic (南极洲) fulfilled a personal goal and dream of mine-reaching all seven continents. I’ve had the _______ to travel to some amazing places for work and pleasure throughout my life, but I had yet to _______ Antarctica.

Several months ago, I was ready to book the trip. To get _______, though, I needed a plan. For me, one of the _______ things I wanted to see was the Antarctic _______, which survives in the worst environment on Earth. So I _______ my trip to Antarctica based on the best time to see baby penguins (企鹅).

I am a self-described bookworm (书虫), and this was the perfect trip to relax and _______ new knowledge. I was able to _______ a variety of seals, birds, whales and penguins. A highlight during my _______ was when I got within a couple of feet of a ________ penguin, something that I will never forget. While I didn’t ________ it, this inquisitive creature decided to come to check me out. ________ took over me. It was ________ amazing to see Antarctic wildlife up close and personal. I was also surprised at how the wildlife ________ with me. These were priceless ________ that I was able to make on my Antarctic trip.

10 . I was then in my early twenties. Even though I was armed with a degree in Education, finding a ______ teaching job was not easy. I had to try some temporary ones.

This year, when a golden opportunity ______ to teach 5th grade students in a local school. I ______ it and took things seriously. I ______ myself with lesson plans, taught with enthusiasm, and stayed ______ with the students. I had no hesitation in ______ the kids when they got the answer right, and encouraged them if they didn’t.

One day when the kids were _______, a girl approached and handed me a ______ before she went home. On it was a lovely drawing full of childlike wonder, ______ by the words, “You are the best teacher I have ever had!” It really amazed me that one of my kind comments had ______ that girl’s heart greatly. I took that note home and ______ put it in a folder, looking on it as a ______ because it was very important. Anytime I was feeling down I would look at it and it proved to be a ______ .

That experience showed me the ______ of just a single kind word. It encouraged me to continue to try my best each day to ______ love and kindness through my words and actions. Wish the same for others.