1 . There’s that old saying: How you do one thing is how you do everything. Therefore, as you become more kind and considerate, it _______ in everything that you do, even when you are playing _______.

I recently went to a music show with some other musicians in town (many of whom I was meeting for the first time). When I used to play with other musicians, I spent more time in my head _______ my drumming. _______, I paid no attention to what was going on. This time though, I found that I was more attentive and was able to _______ the other musicians more through my playing.

Because of this, our music was _______ than ever before, and I could feel the audience was _______ the music more, too, because the music was no longer about me, it was about all of us connecting through the _______ language of music.

Afterwards, the musicians I played with told me they felt like our hearts were _______ while playing. They felt ________ that we were able to achieve a new level of playing together thanks to the adopted ________ . When playing, there was no self or one-upping. There was just us sharing ourselves with our ________ hearts.

I believe that the best ________ in the world have this in common: which is to see their own egos (自我), and to connect with their audience and fellow musicians. I've ________ all of this thanks to my practice of being a more considerate and ________ person.

2 . The Secret of Happiness

An old man walked slowly into a restaurant with his cane (拐杖). His old overcoat and old shoes made him _________ from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd.

A young waitress _________ Mary watched him move toward a table by the window. Mary ran over to him, and said, “Here, Sir. Let me _________ you.”

Without _________ a word, he smiled and nodded a thank-you. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him get seated _________. In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss. And thank you for your _________.”

“You’re welcome, Sir,” she responded. “I’ll be back in a moment, and if you _________ anything, just wave at me!”

After he finished the meal, Mary helped him up from his chair, _________ him his cane, and walked with him to the door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back to _________ us at any time, Sir!” The old man turned around and smiled.

When Mary went to clean his table, she was __________ to find a business card, a one-hundred-dollar bill and a note which read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. What you do __________ the way you treat others. You have already __________ the secret of happiness! Your kindness will __________ through those who meet you.”

Actually, the old man is the __________ of the restaurant. And he has never been to the restaurant and been __________ by his employees.

3 . Today I am working with Sim on for starting a mobile repairing shop. His ________ made me think of the day he joined us as a participant under Naya Savera, a skill-building program for different backgrounds.

My memory stretches back very ________. When I first looked at him during selection interview we ________ for taking on the participants, I wondered how I was going to help this person who could not even ________.

Simon has a ________ problem in both his legs. And to reach from one place to another he has to ________ a wheelchair. I didn’t take him seriously at first, but something changed when we ________ talking with him.

He made us ________ with all his funny stories. And made us cry by sharing his ________ to live normally. It is a pity that people underestimate him and look down on his ________ to become a successful person. By the time interview was over, we were all looking at him with awe and wondered who ________ whom, as most of the time he was the one posing questions.

Needless to say, he was selected for the training program and also ________ the program with ease. He was one of the ________ who never missed even a single day of training. He was one of the highest scorers in exams ________ on the last day of the training program. He touched everyone with his positivity and ________.

4 . When two ninth-grade students found smoke coming out of the back of their school bus early Tuesday morning, their bus driver knew just what to do. Thanks to her ________ thinking, more than 50 students’ lives were ________.

While driving a group of 56 students to their middle school in Duncan, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Teresa Stroble noticed the heavy ________ rising from the back of her bus. She ________ pulled the bus over, evacuated (疏散) the students, and radioed the transportation office to ask ________ to call 911. Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the fire began and quickly put out the fire. “The fire was so ________ that people driving by were able to feel its heat inside their cars”, CBS News reports. Parents of the children on the bus were ________ the fire, but thanks to Stroble, the news they received was all ________: not a single child had been hurt.

Since then, Stroble has been a bus driver for seven years ________ also works as a teacher’s assistant (助教). She has been ________ for her brave actions. “We are so ________ of our bus driver,” headmaster Scott Turner told local CBS News. “She was ________ . She also kept the students calm. She made sure they were safe. She didn’t leave the bus ________ they all left. She is our ________ today.”

The local fire department is still unsure what caused the fire, but some say that this 1995 bus has been known to have wiring and electrical problems. ________, we’re so happy that Stroble was able to, think on her feet and keep everyone safe and sound.

6 . Losing an eye might be an unthinkable thing, especially for a young woman, but not for Xintong. She chose to become an ocularist (义眼师) who makes artificial eyes for herself and people in the same ________ to help them get back their ________. Xintong is the name that she gave to herself — which she ________ people to call her instead of her real name — because “xintong” in Chinese sounds like “new pupils”.

Nearly 10 years after ________ her right eye in a car accident , 28-year-old Xintong from Beijing transformed the empty of her eye socket (眼眶) into a fashion statement. She ________ a short video online in which she wears a charming artificial eye. As she ________ her hand, the artificial eye begins to ________ with red light. With another wave, the light ________ to green and then purple and white. The video soon became ________ on social media, with many ________ praising her. But that wasn’t the case 10 years ago. “The artificial eye I ________ at that time was suffering,” Xintong said. “It ________ and gave me a red eye socket. I was young and I wanted to look ________.”

She started ________ artificial eyes. Beginning in 2019, she dedicated about two years to mastering the production techniques and skills under the ________ of an ocularist. This journey ________ her own artificial eye studio, providing personalized services for those ________ them.

Now when Xintong hears her ________ say words such as “Finally, I can ________ myself” or “Now I feel free to take photos”, she feels deeply ________.

7 . Choose what you want to do, and don’t stop until getting there. You can _________ beyond your wildest dreams.

My goal for myself last year was to _________ a half marathon. I was inspired by the runners in the world, seeing them run a half, then _________ a full marathon, seeing my parents-in-law’s _________ as they told me about their upcoming marathon. I knew I wanted to do a half.

I completed my first 10 km last April. Feeling happy, I _________ to take the next step and sign up for the Hampton’s Half in September. However, as the marathon drew near, I became a bit _________. Unexpectedly, a month before the _________ I hurt my right arm seriously one rainy night. _________, I felt somehow relieved. Now I had a good _________ not to run. I didn’t have to feel __________ when I couldn’t finish, because I could simply explain that I had hurt myself and could no longer __________. It was like a weight had been __________ from my shoulders.

My attitude finally changed. I made up my mind to participate in the match with some friends, and with all of them __________ me, I couldn’t draw back. On that exciting day I __________ it. The __________ distance I’ve ever run, one I had never thought possible.

8 . I grew up in three cultures: I was born in Paris, my parents were from China, and I was ______ mostly in America. When I was young, this was very ______: Everyone said that their ______ was the best, but I knew they couldn’t all be right. I felt that there was an ______ that I would choose to be Chinese or French or American. For many years I was stuck among the three, trying on each but never being wholly comfortable. I hoped I wouldn’t have to ______, but I didn’t know what that meant and how exactly “not to choose”.

However, the ______ of trying on each culture taught me something. As I struggled to ______, I came to understand what made each one unique. At that point, I ______ that I didn’t need to choose one culture to get rid of another, but instead I could choose from all three. The values I selected would become part of ______ I was, but no one culture needed to ______ . I could honour the cultural depth and longevity (持久) of my ______ heritage, while feeling just as passionate about the deep artistic traditions of the French and the American commitment to opportunity and the future.

So, ______ settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each. Every day I make a (n)   ______ to go towards what I don’t understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually ______ my life.

As I work in music today, I try to carry out this ______ —that the music I play, like me, doesn’t belong to only one culture. Thanks to many musicians and their music, I have found new meaning in my own music making.

10 . I recently went to a jam session (即兴演奏) with some other musicians in town. When I used to jam with other musicians, I spent more time in my head   ______ about may drumming (鼓声) instead of ______ paying attention to what was going on. This time though, I found that I was more ______ and was able to support the other musicians more through my playing.

Because of this, our ______ was better than ever before, and I could feel the audience was ______ the music more too, because the music was ______ about me; it was about all of us connecting through the ______ language of music.

Afterwards, the musicians I played with told me they felt like our hearts were ______ while playing, and that we were able to achieve a new ______ of playing together thanks to our collected approach. When playing, there was no ego (自我) or one-upping. There were just us ______ ourselves with our open hearts.

I believe that the best musicians in the world have this in ______ , which is to see past their own egos, and to listen to or connect with their ______ and fellow musicians. I’ve ______ all of this thanks to my practice of being a more kindhearted and caring person. As I grow into a more kindhearted and caring person, I can now bring ______ to not only those in my daily life, but also through my music, and to those who ______ .