1 . Mary McCollum and her friends, all university students, were on a drive. Suddenly, they _________ a white car went off the road and rolled into a river. Without _________, these extraordinary individuals sprang into action. Turning around, they _________ to the crash site at once.

“We saw a _________ stuck in the middle of a river. It was _________ at the same time, so we just threw our belongings aside and jumped in,” Mary told ANF. She recalled the _________ moment when she and her friends stood on top of the car, _________ every imaginable method to break open the door.

Luckily, with _________ and teamwork, they managed to open the door and _________ the mother and her two children. But their heroism didn’t __________ there. Clarke Jones, Mary’s friend, performed first aid __________ on the younger child, who was in a state of unconsciousness.

The actions of these students weren’t __________. The local police office took to social media to express their gratitude and admiration,__________ what the students did. “Thanks to your quick thinking and bravery, the family may now keep alive. Your behavior is absolutely __________. We are grateful you were in the right place at the right time.”

As for the students, they had never imagined that a routine drive would turn into an urgent rescue mission, and they were really proud of the __________ they made.

2 . Over a decade ago, Heather Benoit was given a crayon as a gift by one of her students. This may seem _________, but the reason behind it couldn’t be more heartwarming.

At that time, it was Heather’s last Christmas as a(n)_________. Students and their parents _________ her — they gave her lots of presents, which moved her. One little kid, who didn’t have a present to give,_________ this. Still, he tried to think of a way that he, too, could _________ how much he cared about her. Knowing that her favorite color is purple, he _________ a gift from an already opened box. Inside was a single, purple crayon. “He gave me so much _________ a purple crayon. He gave me a kind gesture. He gave me _________. It is his thought that counts,” said Heather.

It’s been over a decade since her retirement. But Heather Benoit still _________ it. Now she volunteers at the Wallace Community Center to work with the youth, many of whom she says __________ a variety of hardships, like that student. “And I often show them the crayon and tell them ‘You don’t have to take money to show somebody that you __________ them,’” Heather shares. “I want to __________, by doing this, that just the __________ goes such a long way.”

This crayon has been so __________ that Heather plans to write a book about it called The Giving Crayon. With it, she hopes to show the importance of __________ gestures and shedding (散发) light, hope and positivity.

3 . I picked up my phone to take a picture of the beautiful scenery. And I got a ________ “Cannot take photo: There is not enough available ________to take a photo.” I panicked and ________ went to see what pictures I could delete.No candidates. So I tried the next best thing: to ________ some apps. But it turned out that all of them were useful.

I was annoyed at myself for not remembering to transfer (转存) my photos the night before．Before I ________defeat, I missed many breathtaking views that the tour guide was ________. I would probably never get to see them again, and wasn’t I on this trip to see them? I thought back to the conversation I had with my brother before ________this trip. My brother suggested I just look at pictures and videos of Switzerland and save all the money and troubles. And I thought his idea was ________. How could photos and videos compare to actually going to Switzerland and ________ it?

But wasn’t I planning on taking ________ pictures and then looking at Switzerland through a screen? I was robbing myself of the experience that I had been looking forward to. So a trip ________ taking pictures was actually a blessing. I was ________ to take mental pictures and to experience Switzerland.

Now,a year later, as I continue to share my travel experiences with my friends, I no longer use pictures. ________, I use my unique experiences to create an image in their minds that no ________ could ever match.

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the ________ you miss by going too fast — you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

4 . Our small hometown had a tradition in which the students at an elementary school put on a Tom Thumb Wedding, a mock (模拟) wedding event performed by kids. I was in the first grade. When the _______ were handed out that spring, I was _______ as a bridesmaid (伴娘).

Money was _______ then, as it remained throughout my _______, but my mother always found a way. My mom would work her job outside the home, take care of the housework and cooking, _______ all the demands of the family, and then sit down at the sewing machine to _______ the dress. While she had some sewing _______, it wasn’t something she did often, so there were _______ during the process. Yet I never heard her _______ about having to do it.

When the dress was ________, it looked just like the picture, and it was a wonder to me. I remember my happiness and ________ when putting it on for the big event. No________ dress since has ever made me feel like I did the night of the Tom Thumb Wedding all those years ago. It was as if a piece of my mother’s ________ was in every stitch (针脚).

Now I am a mom. And while I never put together a small formal dress for my daughters, I have stayed up nights laboring on similar projects ________ by love. I do it because that is what my mother gave me: the life lesson that it isn’t about the money you ________, but the love you give.

6 . One of my major life-turning points happened during my exchange study in Finland. At the University of Economics in Prague where I studied it was extremely _________ to get on an Erasmus exchange trip abroad since the demand was _________. Everyone wanted to go!

Regardless, I decided to sign up early for my last semester, just to see what the process was like to be better prepared for _________ again in a year. I did make it through all the three rounds and _________ got a spot at a University in Turku, Finland! I was _________. The success brought its own _________, but once you set your eyes on the goal, nothing can stop you.

And I had the time of my life in Finland. I met the most amazing people, traveled a ton, partied a lot, and _________ with friends from all over the world. _________ I was one of the few people there who really needed to pass all the courses and additionally write the papers, I _________ to run on an impossible sleep schedule of four hours per night. But I __________ it! My study in Finland opened up my __________, too.

After the exchange study, I __________ my life in Finland. This adventure led me to choose a life of __________ made up of remote work and plenty of travelling. I couldn’t have asked for a better __________. And it gave me one of my favorite __________ that I can now share with others.

7 . If you could save someone’s life, would you? That question was ______ in the hearts of Julia Harlin’s children. Their mother was at risk of dying without a liver transplant. Julia did not want her children to become living ______ , but the kids had other ideas. Eileen Harlin and two of her siblings (兄弟姐妹) made the ______ to have testing as possible ______ without telling their mom.

After securing a good test result, Eileen phoned her mother, “Hey, don’t get ______ , but I’ve been tested to see if I’m a match. And I am, and I want to do it. How can you be mad when your daughter is going to save her mom’s life?” The news went around and was ______ tears all around.

The transplant surgery went ______ on August 16, 2022, at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Unfortunately, Julia received bad news shortly after getting her new ______ of life. She was experiencing kidney ______ due to her liver disease, so even though the liver was mending, the kidneys had too much damage to ______ .

Without a second thought, Eileen ______ and another transplant was ______ on December 19, 2023, at the same facility.

Daniel G. Maluf, M. D. , the surgeon for both of Julia’s procedures, said, “The mom’s kidney function recovered ______. And both of them were home two or three days after the transplant. Julia is a wonderful patient, very ______ of her kids’ efforts. And obviously, the hero of the story is Eileen, who ______ twice to save her mother.”

8 . I was watching a TV program when I came across a sorrowful sight: homeless people lying near the wall of a busy Manhattan train station. Dan Rather, a reporter, was covering the event. He ________ numerous people: the homeless, those who ________ the homeless, and those who didn’t.

One woman took the ________ every day. During the winter months, the number of homeless living in the station increased, because it was cold and this woman ________ disliked it. She complained to Dan Rather that most of the homeless people were able-bodied and could have ________ a job, but they chose not to. She also said that most of the homeless could have gone to ________ but they would rather live at the station. She just didn’t ________ that nobody could acquire a job without a home address and that many shelters across the country are being closed as a result of a shortage of funds.

________, a mother and son did a lot to help the homeless. The household ________ the homeless by giving them a hot breakfast in the morning and giving them money to eat a lunch and dinner.

Dan Rather then went along with a homeless person to the welfare office. It took the man three days to just fill out the proper applications. The complete ________ took six days. He met with a welfare lawyer who could give him a(n) ________. Dan Rather spoke with the lawyer and he said that it took time because the nation didn’t have enough money to provide welfare to everyone who ________.

After watching this program, I gave ________ consideration of becoming a welfare lawyer for the homeless, who are part of our ________. We must do something — anything — to ________ the situation now. Only when we solve this problem can the nation have a bright future.

9 . It’s Christmas day. For Antony, this is another day spent in a white-walled _________. He doesn’t _________ with his family only five kilometres away. Instead, he’s _________ by flashes of red from arriving ambulances and beeping bedside monitors.

In a conversation over dinner, Antony told me how he _________ Santa Claus as a boy. When I asked him why, Antony laughed out loud and said it was because Santa never brought him a（n）_________ and his parents couldn’t _________ to buy him one. He was left to think Santa was an awful magical man who always _________ him. I felt _________ after hearing Antony’s words, as I _________ what it was like for him to watch all the other kids open their Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

But now, Antony has grown up and his __________ shows he is over his hatred for Santa. While other children focused on their new __________ , Antony passed the time reading his elder brother’s medical textbooks. His __________ for reading, and the __________ his elder brother set, inspired him to study hard and become a doctor.

Over the holiday season, hospitals are busiest with heart-related emergencies. Doctors are especially needed. Antony is at the hospital, __________ giving out the greatest gift of all—saving lives. __________, there is always something that Santa Claus isn’t going to do for us.