2 . I have only given blood once. The Red Cross trailer pulled into our school and _________ students to donate. Most of us were attracted by the promise of free cookies. Missing math class was a _________, too.

The process was painless but _________, and the nurse had just removed the needle when the bell rang for the next period to begin. I grabbed my cookies and climbed stairs to the _________. By the time I opened the door, I was lightheaded, with a _________ feeling in the stomach. In the following years, the few times when I tried to donate, the terrible feelings _________ me. Gradually, the idea fell off my radar.

But ideas always change with _________. Early in my cancer treatment while I watched the blood enter my veins, it suddenly dawned on me that for each blood product donated, there was a breathing man who _________ it, just like me. I am_________ by the fact that platelets (血小板) are bright yellow, like the sun. It is surely a __________ that a part of one person can save the life of another. We are designed to be interdependent, to understand that each of us can indeed __________ other people. That’s a remarkable thing, something we often __________ in the fast-paced era when everyone is busy with their own business.

I am grateful for the generous __________ whose kindness has allowed me to __________ my weakened body and live to fight another day. The Greek word agape means “love with action,” which is concerned with the greater __________ of another. And to so many, myself included, that’s exactly what blood donation has been.

4 . On a hot summer day when I was 13, I was bored in my attic (阁楼) bedroom. Thinking about how to _________ that boredom, I leaned (斜靠) sideways, and my hand landed on a floorboard, which _________ up and almost hit me in the head.

When I looked inside the open space _________, there was something like a book. I _________ it out. It was old and small: Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. I wondered whom these quotations were supposed to be _________ to, because I’d never heard of this book. And _________ I was bored, I decided to see what was inside the book. I started to _________the pages, reading about different _________. I learned about comfort, hope, love and even loneliness.

I began spending all my free time reading Bartlett’s. It felt like a new world _________before me. I learned about different quotes and phrases, and I got to __________ how language could be used to __________ complex emotions. I also realized how those emotions I’d felt while reading Bartlett’s became __________ in the characters I encountered in novels.

When I went to college, Bartlett’s came with me. Over the years, I’ve kept my __________ copy, which I still often refer to. I’ve bought a few of the newer __________, but the first one is the one that __________ me, that helped me escape from the boredom, and see more than my young mind and heart could understand.

6 . When my father was a teenager, he had been declared a prodigy (天才) by his art teacher. He ________ to become an art teacher and had some ________ of his paintings. But when my mother got ill, his creative life ceased.

I remembered my father’s ________ for art. One day, I asked whether he was interested in drawing a cartoon. My father was not much of a ________. When learning to drive, I had asked if it was more important to ________the cars ahead or those behind. “Both.” Then he was ________ for the next three miles.

He gave no ________ answer to my query (询问). I asked again the following day. Still no real ________. I ultimately ________ the idea. I understood he had enough on his p late already. But a week later, I received an email from my father — with a(n)________. I downloaded the file and there was the cartoon I had asked him to draw!

We began to draw cartoons. The process of creating gave hi m ________. As he built his art muscles back up, his teenage self’s enthusiasm ________.

He is now painting, drawing and talking so much I have to ________ I’m getting a call to escape his ________. If he were to ask me whether I was prouder of the cartoon or of him turning his life around, I would say, “________.”

8 . There are many examples of everyday kindnesses we often take for granted.

Last night, during my eldest son’s basketball game, we ________ to be sitting next to a lady with a young son. The little boy turned to my youngest son, smiling at him, and ________ said, “Wanna be my ________?” During the next 20 minutes, the two boys played together happily. It was a ________ scene, and reminded me how ________ it can (and should) be to make new friends.

A few hours earlier, we went to a downtown cafe for an afternoon treat. There were no open tables for four, so we ________ a table for two, and crowded into the small space. Just at that time, one young lady came over and ________ to trade her larger table with us. It was a simple act but showed us a ________ heart.

Just a couple of days ago, I sold my first book to a friend of mine. She paid the amount I charged and asked, “Is that enough? It doesn’t seem like it will ________ shipping.” Truthfully, I had not ________ correctly for the shipping charge. After that, I received a(an) ________ sum of money. I was so deeply humbled by her act of ________ and desire to encourage me.

Though often ________, these small acts of service, friendliness, and human care are what it takes to make the world go round. With everyday difficulties ________ us, these small gestures of goodwill can easily ________ a spark of positivity.

9 . It all began on a cold, rainy day．

Sarah, a poor single mother, was ________ to make ends meet. While waiting for the bus with her two children, Sarah ________ an old man sitting on a nearby bench. He was shivering (颤抖), his ________ jacket providing little protection against the freezing weather.

Sarah ________ the man and offered him her coat. She knew it would make her cold, but the thought of this stranger ________ while she had something to give was too much to bear. ________ by her selflessness, the man thankfully accepted the coat and gave back a smile. Little did Sarah know that her simple act of ________ would make a huge difference.

A man, who saw the heartwarming ________, took a photo and shared it on social media. The post quickly became a ________, with thousands of people sharing and commenting on Sarah’s ________. Encouraged by her, people began organizing events to ________ those less lucky. Schools added lessons on the ________ of helping others, and businesses started a “pay it forward” project, where people could buy more and leave the ________ meal for those in need.

Reflecting on this unbelievable journey, we can ________ our individual power, which may create an effect that would ________ reach every corner of the globe.

10 . We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. This saying perfectly shows the _________ of giving, and how it helps to _________ our own lives. One of the most frequent ways of giving is through voluntary work, where we help others without receiving any financial reward _________.

I once volunteered to _________ one-room flats where the less fortunate lived. When I first entered the flat, I was _________ at the living conditions. It was overcrowded with people and household items covered with dust. _________, I could not contain my judgement, and was instinctively _________ about the owners of the flat. However, as the cleaning proceeded, I talked to them. Learning about _________ that the family had met with, I was regretful for my initial _________ judgement of them.

Another time when I volunteered to teach life skills to students with cerebral palsy(脑瘫), I found they were very __________ of the teachers. They often said “thank you” and smiled whenever I helped them even with a __________ task. This experience has allowed me to be more mindful of the things that I take for granted, and to be more careful of not letting insignificant things __________ me.

Voluntary work has provided me with the opportunity to gain more __________ into the lives of the less fortunate and count the __________ in my life. Instead of just being absorbed in your own __________, extend a helping hand to others.