1 . Delivery driver Alan Moncayo had his 5-year-old daughter Sabrina along with him when he took lunch to an animal shelter in Lorton, Va., on a recent Saturday.

As Moncayo approached the shelter, he ________ a sweet-looking dog staring at him through the window. The sight of the dog ________ him of his previous one, Rusty. “They’re ________,” said Moncayo. “Rusty was exactly the same build.” Although his daughter had been ________ him to get a dog, Moncayo said, “being a delivery driver, it’s not in my ________ to pay for a dog.” But this dog really drew him in.

Shelter staff introduced Moncayo and Sabrina to Jihoo, a 6-year-old 65-pound pit bull mix (比特犬混种). “Since big dogs were ________ more difficult to adopt out,” said Rebecca Cavedon, the manager, “Jihoo remained at the ________ for longer than usual. He’s just an amazingly gentle, sweet, kind boy.” It only took a few minutes for Moncayo and his ________ to feel the same way about Jihoo. Moncayo decided that the dog was ________ to be theirs. “It was like an ________ space in my heart that just needed to be made full,” Moncayo said. “Now it’s ________ so much love for our beautiful new dog.”

After ________ paperwork and completing consultation with shelter staff, Moncayo ________ the dog that day.

So far, Jihoo has been adjusting well to his new home and family. “He brought joy and ________ into our lives,” said Moncayo. “We feel like a(n) ________ family now,” he added.

2 . It was in the mountain s of Kashmir that we realized how people can show kindness.

On our ________ toward Pahalgam, we came to a sudden ________. We had been driving along the mountain roads of Kashmir, ________ the beautiful views spreading before us. Five hours into the ________, we came across a long line of vehicles ahead of us.

We waited for the roads to ________. Soon we learned that the roads were all ________ because there was a terrible accident. We were full of ________ as we waited, feeling nervous that we wouldn’t reach the town before sunset. ________, it was already afternoon and we were hungry. Even worse, we’d already finished whatever food and water we had with us.

For a long time, we sat there, ________. At one point, we saw a group of people ________ the buses, taking out stoves and some food and starting to cook. They then ________ whatever food they had with all the ________ people that were stuck in the traffic jam.

After waiting for what felt like a century, the cars started ________ slowly. Our driver had all the while been the perfect gentleman. Being a local, he offered to put us up in his home, if required. We reached our destination almost around midnight, and he ________ that we got a proper place to stay that night.

We were really ________ for his care. Truly, there are still many people who live by the values of kindness and understanding.

3 . The journey of learning Beijing Opera has been a meaningful one for me.

When I first stepped into the practice room, the sounds of instruments filled the air. The _________ performers moved with grace and their voices were full of power. As a beginner, I found it hard to _________ the movements and vocal techniques. It seemed impossible to _________. But with each practice period, I found the determination to keep _________. Repeating the steps and vocal exercises over and over again, I practiced _________. My teachers and classmates were very _________. They encouraged me during moments of doubt and told me that _________ was not given but earned.

As time went on, I began to see _________ in my performance. My voice became more _________ and my movements more graceful. I started to feel a connection with the __________ understanding the feelings they had through their movements and expressions.

Finally, the day arrived for my first __________. I stepped onto the stage and the music started. I put my heart into the performance. The cheers that filled the theater at the end of the show were __________. The journey was __________, but learning Beijing Opera taught me a valuable lesson: never __________. I will carry with me the lesson learned from Beijing Opera that will __________ me on the road to success, both in the world of Beijing Opera and life.

6 . On a Friday evening in December, I lost my job. That was _________. I was excited about the weekend, when my daughter Kristil and I _________ to get our Christmas tree. Then I listened to my voicemail: “We are sorry, but we decided to _________ you.” I was a single mother and my income was survival. The next day, I struggled to be _________ as I eyed the Christmas tree prices.

Over the next week, I applied for _________ like crazy as my bank account grew smaller. On a weekend afternoon, I dropped Kristil in a _________ community for a birthday party surrounded by all the nice things that we couldn’t _________. I drove home feeling sad.

Back at home, I looked out the window at the heavy snow and _________ a woman opening her car door against the strong wind. As she _________, I realized it was my old teacher, Sister Esther. I rushed out and asked, “What are you doing out in this ____________?” She said, “I looked for you at your ____________ and it was said that you had left, so I thought I would ____________.” I made her tea and we talked. Before leaving, she handed me a Christmas card.

Later on when I opened her card, I was ____________. There was a lot of money inside. Tears of gratitude filled my eyes as I ____________. Sister Esther had given me $1,000. In 2020, at age of 91, Sister Esther died, but the ____________ she gave during her life lives on in my heart.

7 . Do you think you are too old to do something? Just go online and ________ the video of John Harrison doing the 50m backstroke in 2014.

He ________ the 100-104 years world record by 15 seconds! Yes, you read that ________. The 100-104 years group! A time of 1:29.78. The first ever British man to set records in that age group. The applause (掌声) is long-lasting and heartfelt from all the crowd. A(n) ________ moment.

John loved swimming. He still tried to keep ________ by swimming in his last years before he passed away at the age of 105 in January 2020. Many of John’s friends speak ________ of him saying he was a “wonderful man”.

John was born in Farnborough on 25 July, 1914. And his ________ in swimming was unusual. “When I was five years old, on the way home from school, I came across a small pond,” he said ________, “so I went swimming. It taught me two things. One, to swim; and two, not to drink the water.”

“My parents ________ two years later that I was still doing it. They were ______ at first. But their anger soon ________” when I said, “I didn’t get asthma (哮喘病) last winter. They then bought me a costume and ________ me swimming skills.”

However, John didn’t start swimming ________ until his wife told him to stop teaching swimming and life-saving classes and ________ the sport for himself at the age of 79. From then on, he didn’t look back and was full of praise for everyone who ________ him during his successes.

8 . My two-year-old daughter was playing with groceries in my shopping cart (购物车). A gentleman stood behind me with three ________ . He looked at his watch and me. While my daughter was ________ well, I knew she couldn’t stay there any longer. The man obviously was in a ________, and he’d be behind me a long time. I ________ to let him go first. “Thank you,” he replied ________ stepping ahead of me. His face lit up with ________ .

When the line moved forward I started ________ my cart. As I hurriedly opened my purse, my heart ________ :I forgot to bring my bank card. The gentleman had paid and was ________ his groceries. “Can you just put my ________ on the side please?” I was _________ . The gentleman said, “I’ll pay for her order.” But I _________, having over $250 worth of groceries. “You can just send me a check.” He ________ . “That’s too much of a car trip for the little girl.”

I was always willing to help others. However, there was a new feeling I ________ when I got help from others. I was shocked that a complete stranger would ________ another with a loan of that amount.

9 . A 40-minute taxi drive has, unexpectedly but luckily, become a ride for a lifetime. One day in October 2021, Bill Sumiel, 71, who had dealt with kidney failure(肾衰竭)for 2 years, was _________ outside a hospital for the taxi called online. Though he was on the transplant(移植)list, no _________ had yet appeared.

Timothy Letts, 31, the driver who took the _________ arrived on time. During the 40-minute _________, Sumiel said that he was looking for a kidney donor(捐赠者). Letts _________ that he’d be a good one, given that he didn’t drink or _________. Sumiel agreed, though he didn’t think much of it as they kept driving. Letts, _________, couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Letts believes in helping others, so donating a kidney “was something that was always on my _________,”he says. So, about a quarter-mile away from Sumiel’s house, Letts said, “I’d like to see if I could be a match to _________ you a kidney. ”

“I was __________,”Sumiel recalled. Shaking so hard, he could hardly write his name when they __________ contact information.

Letts got in touch with Sumiel just a few hours later, and by the next week, Letts had __________ the hospital. The result was that they were a __________ match.

Months after they ended up in the same car by ___________ Sumeil and Letts had their surgeries. It was a __________. Today Sumiel is doing well —thanks to Letts.