1 . I have grown up with pictures and shapes. Ever since I was a little girl, still ________ able to read, my mom would set me up on her lap and read children’s picture ________ for me. She would point to each picture, trace each line and tell me which ________ made the pictures up. Attracted by the tracing of her finger, I would stare and concentrate my eyes to catch every movement that her finger made and would listen for the name of the shape. If I ________ anything, I would beg her to repeat the page over and over again, until I had the name and figure of the shape in my ________.

As I entered the second grade, my memorization of the shapes ________ with me. I learned newer, complex shapes and my knowledge of shapes ________ to the point where my old picture books I had at home could no longer satisfy my need for shapes. Instead, I ________ the world as my new, ________ picture book and read each building, house and truck as rectangles (长方形), squares with triangles and rectangles with circles on the bottom. If I could, I would go up to each ________ and follow the tracing ________ that my mom did when I was younger. I’d take my finger and trace along the outlines of the object and ________ what kind of shapes made it up.

At school, during the ________ , other kids would say playing dodge ball, but I would say playing spheres (圆球). ________ other kids saw a red wagon (马车), I would break the wagon down in my mind into a rectangle and two ________. I was the only one that saw these “pictures” broken down into shapes, where as everyone else saw it as a whole. Now that I am a senior in high school, I still see things in the same way.

2 . In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, US, when his tire blew out. He _________ to the side of the road and made a _________ indicating his need for help.

Three hours later, a van finally pulled up and out came a Latino family of four. Despite the _________ barrier, they worked together to _________ Horner’s car, relying on the daughter’s broken English. One hour later, the car was fixed and the mom pulled out a big jug of water for them to drink and wash their hands.

Horner _________ them sincerely and attempted to give what he had in his wallet—a $20 bill—but they _________ to accept it. Despite their resistance, Horner _________ and eventually placed the money in the mother’s hand before walking away. A few moments later, their small daughter called out and offered Horner a _________ — a tamale (玉米粉蒸肉) —which he gratefully _________.

As they slowly drove off, Horner unwrapped the tamale and discovered his __________ wrapped inside. He rushed over to the van to give it back, but the father simply shook his head and smiled, saying, “Today you, tomorrow me.” With a __________, he drove off and Horner never saw the family again.

Months later, Horner shared his experience online, which __________ thousands of likes and comments. His story evolved into an essay in The New York Times and even inspired a handful of short films.

Horner knows that the phrase, “today you, tomorrow me” wasn’t __________ by that stranger in the van. He said it’s a common expression in Mexico, where he believes the family was from. However, the idea behind it is __________ .

“At the end of the day,” Horner reflects, “it shows that everyone can be __________ at some point and that everyone requires assistance.”

3 . I’m a university professor at an art school. Last year, I decided to _______ online classes to gain some knowledge of Arabic (阿拉伯语).

My teacher and I would meet a few times a month to practice _______ and go over grammar. During our communication, he also _______ details of his life. Gradually, the _______ of the first few lessons gave way to more familiarity and comfort. I stopped feeling embarrassed and began to open up about my own _______ and my battle with Arabic. “Don’t worry; I’m here to _______ you. You’re hardworking and I’m sure you’ll do well in it,” said my teacher. I had _______ my students with similar words in my own teaching. It was _______ to hear them directed at me. The tables turned.

“You are _______ today,” my teacher would say when I used varied vocabulary or expressions. When I heard these four words, I got a feeling of __________. It also surprised me that my confidence could be encouraged by such __________ praise. That was when I became aware how __________ I had praised my students. I thought much praise made them self-satisfied. But now, I had a change of heart and __________ that these plain words can mean a lot. Words __________. And now I become more __________ when I use them.

6 . There are moments when strangers’ lives collide (碰撞) by accident, when true character is__________ , often through acts of kindness and generosity of unlikely heroes.  

Not long ago, I was a(n)_______to that kind of moment. On a summer midnight, my parents and I were walking through the empty airport when I saw a passenger ____________ fall to the ground. We immediately ran toward him. My parents, who are doctors, dropped everything and began trying to________what had happened.Finally,they________that the man was hypoglycaemic (低血糖的) and in major need of sugar. However, the only thing we could find was a protein bar.We were___________it wasn’t enough to save him.

Just then, a young boy, Mecca, arrived at the __________. He quietly announced, “I have a Snickers (士力架巧克力)!” Nobody responded to him as they were in the________ of trying to save a stranger’s life. Mecca dug deep into his backpack, and________a Snickers. He then handed it to my father, who was trying to manage with the protein bar.

Within seconds of the Snickers replacing the protein bar, the man regained________. Mecca, a fourth grader, saved this stranger’s life!

However, Mecca had just been through a ________time. His father’s flight was unexpectedly canceled, __________him to fly alone. His grandmother filled his backpack with candy to make him a little less anxious.

When we told Mecca’s parents of his________actions, they smiled. They were surprised that he had saved some candy and was able to think about the candy during the_________ .

7 . I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I’m left ________. Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other ________?

I was ________ in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, when children from different races and religions played and studied together in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone’s ________ from Ismail’s. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu — we just ________ our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well meant or otherwise. We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we’d ________ the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to ________ the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his ________. When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail’s family later returned to their village, and I lost touch with him.

One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. When I ________ my destination, the driver acknowledged (告知收到) my ________ but did not move off. Instead, he looked fixedly at me. “Raddar?” he said, using my childhood nickname. I was astonished at being so ________ addressed (称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two ________ we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true ________ something hard to describe.

If we can allow our children to be themselves without ________, they’ll build friendships with people ________ race or religion, who will be by their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies built and then we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “We happy few. We band of brothers.”

8 . 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 ______, I ______ it and took things seriously. The job was to teach 5th grade students in a local school. 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.

9 . A few years ago, LaQuista Erinna’s seven-year-old son, Jackson, suffered from autism (自闭症). One of the most _______ things was getting a haircut. It was typically a bit hard to _______ him to sit down. And he’d get so _______ later that he’d start kicking and screaming. Erinna had to change barbers (理发师) _______ until they met Ree.

Jackson was _______ at first and started running around the shop. It was so tricky that Erinna was about to _______ the attempt and call it a day. But Ree _______ her to give it a few more minutes. To Erinna’s great amazement, Ree made the haircut into a _______. She would shave little hair off Jackson’s head, and then he would take it off. “He doesn’t like the hair to get on him, so it transfers (转移) his _______ from haircut,” Erinna said. When Ree ________ her work, Jackson flashed her a smile, saying, “Well, can we come back tomorrow and play again?”

It meant a lot to Erinna that Ree took time to figure out a ________ to give Jackson a haircut. “She was the only person who showed ________ and care for him. Other people would get unwilling. They don’t necessarily want to ________ such a difficult kid. However, I can totally ________ Ree. I know she’s going to ________ my son and make sure he’s looking the best,” Erinna said.