1 . I’ve been paralyzed (瘫痪的) since childhood and I started using a wheelchair in first grade. So I’ve had 30 years to learn just how______ I am and just how often people assume I’m helpless.

As a culture, Americans are ______ that disability is something they’ve figured out. Disability doesn’t define anyone; try to be ______; and the rule that guides them all: be kind.

Well, here’s the ______: we look through the eyes of nondisabled people so regularly that we ______ to ask even one of the many questions hovering (停留) around the disabled recipients of “help”. Did you want anyone’s help? Was it______ helpful?

“So how am I supposed to be helpful?” you might be asking. You have to______ the person in front of you. What signals are they giving you? What expression do you see on their face? If you really can’t ______, you can ask, but if someone says, “No thank you,” listen.

Like anyone else, disabled people are both capable and in need of some help. If you want to be genuinely, actively “______” to disabled people, invite them into your organizations, businesses and programs. Include disabled engineers and comedians and lawyers and teachers in your world. This kind of ______is a kindness for all of us, because listening to voices that are typically silenced brings to the table creativity, innovation and power.

2 . Chasing Dreams

When I was a little girl, I had always dreamt of becoming a famous pianist. The melodies that flowed _________ the keys spoke to me in a language that words could never capture. However, my family couldn’t afford a piano, and my dream _________ distant and unreachable.

But passion, as they say, finds its way. One day, while passing by a charity shop, I found an old keyboard on sale. It was nowhere close to a real piano, but it was a _________. Using my savings, I bought it and hence started a journey that was filled with ups and downs.

Every day after school, I would practice for hours, trying to perfect each note and each melody. My fingers would often _________ from the strain (软组织拉伤), but the joy of creating music was unparalleled. Mrs. Peters, my school music teacher, noticed my passion and offered free lessons _________ weekends. Under her guidance, my skills flourished.

As years passed, I started participating in local competitions. Not all were victories, but each one was a learning _________. The challenges were many, but with every setback, my resolve only grew stronger.

One day, a letter arrived. It was an invitation to an interview for the National Symphony Orchestra (国家交响乐团), a chance to _________ with the best in the country. The preparations were tiring and boring. Every evening was consumed by endless rehearsals and critiques, pushing me to my limits.

The day of the audition finally came. As I walked onto the stage, the weight of my journey _________ on my shoulders. But as I began to play, all fears disappeared. The music, as always, transported me to another world.

A week later, I received the news: I was selected. My dream, once distant and unreachable, had _________ fruits. My journey taught me that it isn’t the destination but the journey itself that shapes us. Every struggle, every hurdle was a steppingstone to my dream.

Now, as I play on grand stages, I often look back. Not in regret, but in gratitude. Gratitude for every challenge, every setback, for they shaped my __________ and made me who I am today.

3 . It was hard not to notice an 8-year-old kid storming in and out of his own house. “He doesn’t have a father,” said his neighbor, William Dunn. “I can probably do something for him.”

That something was fishing, a ________ Dunn’s father had shared with him. “It brought me peace and taught me how to be patient,” he said. He then took the kid fishing every weekend. Gradually he took groups of kids out to fish. Most didn’t have father figures. “They’d been through a lot, and their lives were ________,” said Dunn. “But when they were fishing, all of that disappeared. On the boat, they’d be laughing and making new friends. They just ________ the moment.”

________ by this scene, Dunn started the nonprofit Take a Kid Fishing. He and the volunteers have introduced 2,500 kids — most without fathers ________ — to the calming peace found on the water and the excitement of catching a fish.

Just as important as the fishing are the ________ Dunn forms with those kids. When they have a rough time, Dunn will talk with them, emphasizing self-respect and mental ________. One of the kids, Bella Smith, said she would forget about the past while fishing and concentrate on something positive. “Fishing is learning,” she said. “I’ve learned I ________ a better life than what I had. Whenever I feel down, I know it’s time to go fishing.”

Dunn’s father passed away this year, so fishing has ________ new meaning for him. “I have a stronger liking for it because now I’m fatherless too. There’s nothing like feeling that first pull on the line and seeing a kid light up with a smile,” said Dunn. “I feel ________ to witness that every weekend.”

4 . It was 4:30 pm. As I was packing up, I noticed my colleague had left his laptop bag in the office. So I decided to bring it to him. It took me about 15 minutes to get to his house, where I _____ the bag and got right back on the road.

Suddenly a snowstorm came and within minutes I was in a whiteout. I stopped because I was afraid of driving into a farmer’s field, or worse. I kept the car _____ to stay warm and called 911.They told me to sit tight and wait things out for the night.

Those seconds after the call were _____. Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.

I texted my colleague, joking about my good deed ending in _____. He suggested I share a satellite view of my _____ on my social media. And I did so, praying that anyone who knew the residents of the nearby farms could get me rescued.

Waiting in the car, I doubted whether _____ would be able to come. Soon enough, though, I got a message from someone who was going to put me in touch with them.

At 8 pm, I saw a tall figure in a yellow raincoat striding toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight. I’d never been more _____ to see someone in my life. It was André Bouvier, who’d walked about 550 yards to come get me, fighting the wind and snow each step of the way.

He turned around and started to trudge through the snow, sure of the direction. I drove behind him, feeling my heart begin to beat more _____. When we reached his house, I burst into tears, all my fears turning into relief and _____.

The experience has been a game changer for me. I now ______ challenges with a sense of calm I’d not known before. But best of all, it brought André into my life.

5 . As an ordinary senior school student, I’ve discovered a wonderful way to _________ life with a positive attitude — my daily bicycle rides. Riding my bike has become more than just a fun activity. It’s like a little _________ that has taught me important lessons about staying positive, facing challenges and being _________.

When I get on my bike and ride around familiar streets, it feels like I’m on a small quest. It’s not just about reaching a(n)_________; it’s about enjoying the ride itself. Cycling has turned into a kind of teacher, helping me understand the _________ of practice and having a can-do spirit. One of the coolest things I’ve learned is about not giving up when things get hard. You know, when I’m trying to pedal up a steep hill, it’s hard! But guess what? Even when my legs feel super tired, I keep going and do not give up, till I reach the _________. Life is kind of like that too. When I have a challenging task or any problems in my studies, I remember those steep hills. I know if I keep trying, I can _________ anything.

Another thing that cycling has taught me is to be ready for surprises. The road isn’t always _________. Sometimes there are bumps, and you have to ride around them. When something is wrong with my bike, I do not _________. I try to find a solution. Life’s a bit like that too. It’s not always easy, but being flexible and staying positive helps me rise to the challenge and handle __________ problems.

The most important part, though, is how cycling makes me feel happy and __________. The wind in my hair and the rhythm of pedaling makes everything seem OK. It’s like a secret power — no matter what’s going on, it keeps me happy, lets me __________ my batteries, and lets me come back feeling __________.

In the end, my daily bike rides have become more than just a way to get around. They’ve become a(n) __________ for how I want to live my life. Cycling has shown me that being positive, facing challenges with __________, and keeping an optimistic attitude can turn the life journey into a fantastic adventure. So, here’s to more bike rides and more fun!

6 . In 2019, Thierry Henry, a bus driver, found there was a rise in bike thefts in his city, Reykjavik. Rather than ________ that the bike was gone forever, he decided to take matters into his own hands and started to track down the bikes and return them to their ________ owners.

The 44-year-old has helped return hundreds of stolen bikes in the past 4 years. His social media account has over 14, 500 members and helps people track down more than just lost bikes. His page ________ to people who have lost tools, cars and other items of high value. On top of his noble act, Henry has helped the bike ________ to reform in the process.

________, Henry would deal with the thieves with anger. However, over time, he realized that most of the thefts were driven out of poverty and other issues. He went from feeling ________ towards the thieves, to developing empathy (同理心) for their situations. It was very tough at first. But Henry decided to try to ________ them and just talk to them.

From this moment onward, he reached out to the thieves, offering help and guidance. After the change in his ________, Henry found that the bike thieves began to often hand back the bikes to him. Amazingly, some former thieves that Henry helped now ________ him in looking for the stolen bikes.

“It’s like a ________ that has got bigger and bigger, ” says Henry. “It’s not only me. Many times, someone spots a bike hidden in a bush and takes a picture. Then someone else comments, ‘hey, that’s my bike’”.

Thanks to Henry, everyone’s looking out.

7 . When Susan was a high school senior, her English teacher Mr. DiMeo gave the class a challenging task: Recite a poem in front of the whole class.

“I had a mild stutter (结巴). I’d be ________ to get a word out that might begin with ‘D’ or ‘TH’, or I might say ‘the’ three times,” Susan said. The thought of getting up in front of her classmates and stuttering through the poem was too much to ________.

Susan went home and ________ how scared she was to her mom, who agreed to write a note asking for her to be ________ from doing the task in front of the whole class.

When the day of the recitation came, Susan recited the poem one-on-one to Mr. DiMeo. ________ she was done, Mr. DiMeo said something she’d never heard before: that he liked listening to her voice. For the first time, she considered the possibility that public speaking didn’t have to be a source of ________.

Susan went on to graduate from high school and go to college. She never got to properly thank Mr. DiMeo. But sometime after college, she ________ a job as a corporate trainer. The new position made her realize how big a (n)________ he had had on her confidence.

“I stand up in front of people and speak, and I do it all the time. If I do stutter once in a while, no big deal,” she said. Susan recently found a way to ________ her former teacher, and plans on sending him a letter expressing her appreciation.

In her mind, Mr. DiMeo is an unsung hero, because he’s a big reason why she has a successful career and life. “I don’t know where I would’ve gone if I felt like I had to keep my voice ________ because I was afraid of embarrassing myself. I’d like to thank him for that kindness.”

8 . One bus driver for the North Elementary School can now add lifesaver to her experiences after a student started choking (窒息) on her bus last month.

On Sept.29, bus driver Raquel Baker began her work just like any other drivers and was about to drop off students at the school gate when something went wrong. Video from the school bus showed 7-year-old Preston putting something in his ________ and then dropping down between the seats, clearly in ________ .

It was hard for the boy to ________ a word but he managed to mention something about a coin. Baker ________ stood up, took hold of him and ran out of the ________ .“On my way to the sidewalk, I was actually performing the Heimlich maneuver (海姆利克氏操作法),” she said.

Preston hardly ________ and Baker didn’t waste any time to jump into action. The whole time she was saying, “Baby, breathe, baby, breathe.”

Preston was blue in the face. Baker saw a parent and asked her to call 911. “All I could think of was I had to ________ this boy,” Baker said. She had never performed the Heimlich before, but her ________ on the first aid given by the school one month ago worked. “I was ________ at the time, but I just couldn’t be scared,” she said. She didn’t even realize when the ________ flew out of Preston’s mouth until Preston said, “Miss Baker, I’m OK. I can breathe.”

Preston’s mum was ________ for Baker’s help. The school’s headmaster was also touched and ________ her for her life-saving work. “As of today, I’m still in shock. I really can’t believe that this actually happened. I didn’t really realize what a big ________ I had,” Baker said.

Until today Bake r still doesn’t know how she got the ________ to do what she did that day, ________ she knows this, “If I wasn’t there, other drivers may have done it as well,” Bake r said.

9 . We live in a town, about half a mile from the banks of the Ahr River. It had been raining buckets that week and there were _______ warnings for some of the nearby areas, but not where I was.

As a precaution, I’d _______ sandbags outside my garden door and piled electronics and clothing on tables and the couch just in case water managed to see p through.

As I fell asleep, I was _______ by the sound of rushing water. When I swung my legs off the bed, I was _______ to feel cold water already up to my knees and rising fast. Shivering and in darkness, I grabbed my phone and _______ its flashlight. Water was coming from the garden door, and chairs, bookshelves and pieces of my drum set were floating all over my living room. The Ahr must have _______ burst its banks and breached the sandbags. And now I had to get out — fast!

With the water now up to my waist, in bare feet I started to paddle to my only _______: the door leading to upstairs. Finally I made it to that door and tried to pull it open, but the water’s pressure was high. I managed to make a _______ of about 30 centimeters with all my strength and effort, enough for me to squeeze through. Rushing down outside, I _______ that if I had woken up just a few minutes later, I would have drowned.

The experience made me grateful and determined to live each day to its fullest. I will remember what my mother told me: “Don’t remember the day when you ________ everything. Remember the day you survived.”

10 . While I was in hospital for a heart surgery, something affected me and made me do something meaningful. Before my surgery, my doctor showed me a video, in which there were patients like me and they each had a heart pillow, so I decided I would get one.

Right after my _______, I asked about the heart pillow. Unluckily, I was told they didn’t offer it but it could be _______ at the hospital gift shop. So my daughter bought one for me. It was comfortable and became my “security blanket”. However I was _______ that many patients couldn’t get that comfort. So I took this whole mission upon myself. I called various hospitals to find out what they used for patients after heart surgeries. I also found a site _______ that the cloth pillows were considered dangerous because it might spread bacteria to patients. I _______ understood, but that didn’t stop my mission. I continued to call the manufacturers. Finally, a lady called back and told me about the heart pillow that they had produced, which could be _______ and disinfected (消毒).

I did all my _______ so that no one could think of a reason why this wouldn’t work. It took me over a month to be able to meet with the hospital authorities to _______ my finding. I’m glad that they agreed and are _____ getting these pillows for patients. I cannot be ________— I actually did something that will help many patients.