1 . I just returned from India. While driving home from the airport, I was amazed by how everything in American streets ________ those in Delhi, a city in northern India. “You can eat off the street here!” I said. My family looked at me ________ I had gotten off a spaceship rather than a plane.

During the two years I was away, my friends and family ________ sending texts to each other by phone. After I came back, my phone was no longer ________ as before, just lighting up with the “ding” sound of a text, and I felt very ________. I chose to talk to my friends instead of texting them. I asked my friends for their ________ as I made an effort to ________ with them and rebuild our friendships.

While I was on my ________ trips, most of my friends had moved on with their ________. We felt disconnected from each other’s experiences. Just as ________ would always be part of my life, I understood that raising a family would always be part of theirs. I told them sometimes I felt ________ because I had been away and wasn’t there for their ________ events.

Expats (侨民) in Laos say that sometimes, if you stay abroad too long, you become a permanent ________, never quite making it as a local, and never feeling ________ in your home country. I ________. If you always travel with a heart beating for your beloved ones, no matter how long you have been abroad, you will find satisfaction at home.

2 . It was in the mountain s of Kashmir that we realized how people can show kindness.

On our ________ toward Pahalgam, we came to a sudden ________. We had been driving along the mountain roads of Kashmir, ________ the beautiful views spreading before us. Five hours into the ________, we came across a long line of vehicles ahead of us.

We waited for the roads to ________. Soon we learned that the roads were all ________ because there was a terrible accident. We were full of ________ as we waited, feeling nervous that we wouldn’t reach the town before sunset. ________, it was already afternoon and we were hungry. Even worse, we’d already finished whatever food and water we had with us.

For a long time, we sat there, ________. At one point, we saw a group of people ________ the buses, taking out stoves and some food and starting to cook. They then ________ whatever food they had with all the ________ people that were stuck in the traffic jam.

After waiting for what felt like a century, the cars started ________ slowly. Our driver had all the while been the perfect gentleman. Being a local, he offered to put us up in his home, if required. We reached our destination almost around midnight, and he ________ that we got a proper place to stay that night.

We were really ________ for his care. Truly, there are still many people who live by the values of kindness and understanding.

3 . Yesterday, I was shopping in a store, minding my own business, when I saw someone _______ a dog with a “service animal” vest. I gave it very little _______ at first. But then, in the soup aisle (过道), I saw the person and his dog again. When I walked by, the so-called “service animal” growled (咆哮) at me, showing his _______.

_______, service animals are trained not to do that kind of thing. Honestly, it _______ me, and I _______ the dog, fearful of being bitten. I thought about going to find a _______ but finally decided not to because I was afraid to be _______ with the person.

But the dog’s behavior got _______. In the milk aisle, the dog was not growling. Instead, he got his body close to the ________ and started pooping (排便) while the owner just watched. Then, his owner walked on, paying no attention to the waste left in the middle of the ________ aisle.

At this point, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and ________ it was time to actively get a worker. Soon a worker came to guide the dog and his owner out of the ________. Seeing that fearful dog and annoying person disappearing, I felt ________. There was nothing wrong with loving dogs, but dog owners should raise dogs in a ________ manner.

4 . I received a call telling me that my brother and his wife had been killed in a car crash. Shocked and grieved, I _______ down on the couch.

Several friends phoned me, _______ kindly, “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.” “Thank you very much.” I’d reply. But I didn’t know what to _______ .

When the door bell rang, I _______ and moved slowly across the room. I opened the door to see Donna, a friend of mine, standing in the doorway.

“I’ve come to clean the shoes.” she said.

_______ , I asked her to repeat.

“I remember when my father died, it took me _______ to get the children’s shoes cleaned and shined for the _______ . So that’s what I’ve come to do for you.”

Donna settled herself on the laundry room floor and _______ whole-heartedly on her work, saying nothing. The love in the act released my tears, washing the _______ off my mind. I didn’t know when Donna left. But in a ________ against one wall stood all our shoes, totally ________ .

Now whenever I hear of an acquaintance who has ________ a loved one, I no longer call with the ________ offer, “If there is anything I can do.” ________ , I try to think of one special task that suits that person’s ________ — such as washing the family car or house-sitting during the funeral. And if the person asks me, “How did you know I needed that done?” I respond, “It’s because a friend once cleaned my shoes.”

5 . Putting down the book I was reading, I turned to my mum. “Next year, when I go to high school…,” I started, thinking of all the novels I’d soon finish. But before I could finish my sentence, Mum ________ my words. “There will be no high school,” she said. “We don’t have ________ for uniforms or school shoes or books.”

My family were very poor and the kids all ________ school, including me. Years later, I met George and got married. Life went on,________ the desire to study never left me. “When we retire, I want to go to university,” I told George. I wanted to ________ to myself that I could do it.

In 2015, we ________ and I seized my chance. At the age of 66, I was ________ to a program with the University of the Sunshine Coast which helped ________ students prepare for university.

Walking onto campus that first day in February 2017, it was clear I was the ________ student there. My biggest challenge wasn’t the course work; it was the ________.

Before ________ my first paper, I turned to two girls next to me. “How do I send this in?” I asked. They kindly showed me, but as I clicked “send” I was ________ all that work had disappeared into the black hole of cyberspace never to be seen again.

I loved campus life and ________ all my subjects. When I was invited to ________, I cried. I couldn’t believe I’d done it. My family all came to my graduation ceremony in April 2023 and sat in the front row.

If you’re thinking of getting a ________, just do it. I have three great grandchildren now and if I can get a degree aged 73, so can you.

6 . A woman’s 16-year-old dog went on a little adventure of his own, leaving his owner both ______ and pleasure.

When Jenny Hazard discovered that her old dog, Bear, had ______, her world broke down at once. ______ the worst thing would happen due to Bear’s age and heart condition, Hazard searched for him like crazy. It didn’t take long for her to notice the gate was ______, and Bear was nowhere to be found.

“After about 15 or 20 minutes, I was just in tears,” Hazard said, ______ her concern for Bear’s health.

Feeling hopeless, she ______ social media, sharing a photo of her dear dog and ______ the community to take notice.

Then the dog’s story took an ______ turn when Hazard received a text message that not only reduced her worries but made her ______. It turned out that Bear wasn’t in any danger — he was at the ______, about a mile away, having the time of his life.

“Great, he’s fine, so I’m not worried — but what’s he ______ there?” Hazard told the media, laughing ______ .

As more was ______ about the story, Bear was found hanging out with a group of girls. The owner of the dance hall reported that the two ladies had obviously ______ Bear on the street and that their first stop was indeed the dance hall.

Jenny Hazard thanked the ladies and then posted the ______ story online.

7 . In 2009, Lauryn Valladarez's life changed. Soon after graduating from college, she moved to Central America to _______ for an international organization. Her time abroad was _______ supposed to be for up to a year, but life had other _______ — one year turned into six.

“I ended up doing research there, meeting Pedro who I married,” Valladarez said. They _______ to take a trip to the beach to relax. She remembered it being a sunny day, with lots of people surfing and swimming. Carefully, the two _______ to get in the water.

“We turned around and were pretty _______ from where we started. I was treading (踩着) water just fine. I noticed that Pedro was _______ a little bit,” Valladarez said. It turned out that Pedro wasn't a strong swimmer. When Valladarez _______ that, she started to feel anxious.

“About 100 meters from the shore (海岸), my husband started to struggle. I was so _______ as he was stuck in the water,” Valladarez recalled. Just as Valladarez seemed to ________ hope, a surfer appeared and ________ them. He offered to help them get back to the shore. After delivering them to ________, the surfer walked away without introducing himself. “Tired on the shore, we felt ________ that we were still alive,” Valladarez remembered.

Years later, Valladarez and Pedro now live in Arizona, and are the parents of three children. To this day, she wishes she'd thanked the surfer for his act of ________, “I always think he not only ________ our lives, the two of us, but our future family.”

8 . As a business consultant, writer of children’s books and community leader, Marjorie Appiah enjoys helping other people succeed.

Appiah _________ the opportunity to serve as a trustee (受托人) for the Spartanburg Regional Foundation. “It has given me the chance to learn more about the _________ of people in our community.” she said. The Foundation is helping _________ healthcare inequities and meeting specific requirements.

“Appiah is _________ about helping others, and she’s a creative thinker. This _________ is helpful as we work to increase access to care for those _________.” Kristy Caradori, executive director of the Foundation, said. “We look forward to her _________ as a leader moving forward.”

Appiah grew up in Ghana and _________ a famous college in Baltimore, where she met her husband, Koli Appiah, and _________ settled after they graduated. The Appiahs have installed (灌输) in their son, Adom, a commitment to __________. His sports-based nonprofit, Ball4Good, has raised money to support local causes. In 2021, Adom __________ the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award for his efforts.

Appiah enjoys telling children stories. It was storytelling that first inspired her __________ with the Foundation — She was a(n)__________ invited by An Uplifting Event to donate money to support people with cancer several years ago. At the Event, the survivors __________ their stories of perseverance (坚持) and hope. Appiah was __________ and decided to join the Foundation. “I have loved it.” she said. “It’s about being part of a team and cooperating to meet needs in our community.”

9 . He Cuiying lives on a mountain peak in Yunnan province, at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Every morning, the 91-year-old woman is _______ by floating fog, which creates a fairy-tale landscape.

Four years ago, He Cuiying opened a homestay (民宿) in her yard with the help of her granddaughter, He Qingmei. Ever since, she has _______ her stories, the beautiful scenery and the _______ culture of her village with visitors from across China and other parts of the world.

He Cuiying is a member of the Naxi ethnic group, while her husband is from the Tibetan ethnic group and he is a _______ in Tibetan Buddhism. In Qibie village, He Cuiying’s home, eight ethnic minorities live _______ in the same village, where local people _______ 102 homestays.

The villagers say they have turned “houses into homestays and people into _______”. They speak the Naxi language, _______ Tibetan customs and warmly welcome tourists from all over the world. In just eight years, they have developed a _______ multiethnic (多民族的) homestay village, becoming a key demonstration project for cultural ________ in Yunnan.

He Cuiying loves ________. Whenever guests visit her home, she sings songs and offers blessings continuously. Her favorite song is Chairman Mao Is Like the Sun. She remembers how the remote village was liberated and ________ poverty under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, so she has a sincere ________ for Beijing as the capital city.

Now, as He Cuiying gets older, He Qingmei and her cousins are gradually ________ the homestay. They hope to share the beautiful scenery and stories of Grandma’s home with more people through the ________ of guests from all over the world.

10 . One weekend, Molly McCollum and her four friends wandered off their campus. They took a long _________ before stopping for lunch in a particularly rural area. Little did they know that, by doing so, they would _________ a mom and her two sons.

It all _________ when Molly heard a loud crash. Getting a closer look through the trees, they _________ a car in the nearby water. A woman had got onto the roof and was _________ out for help, making it known that her children were still in the car. Without _________, the five of them jumped into action with one calling 911.

The mom, Cori Craft, was understandably panic. Still, she _________ to get her sons out with the help of these kind students. Getting her older son to safety was fairly _________, but it was tricky to help her younger son. He was still buckled（扣）in his car seat. A few minutes later, the 4-year-old was got out of the _________.

Unfortunately, the younger son passed out. __________, Molly had received a summer of lifeguard training. This __________ her to perform CPR, saving the boy’s life. The __________ was indescribable when the boy started to breathe again.

Needless to say, Cori couldn’t be more __________for the kindness of these students. Plus, this experience has given these __________ students a new outlook on life. “It has made me rethink my life, day to day, searching for anyone who needs __________ in the world around me,” Molly shares.