1 . I was in my early twenties. I had _______ from college with a degree in Education but still couldn’t find a full-time teaching job. _______ I worked as a substitute (代课) teacher. I was determined not to just slide by. I was responsible for my students and stayed positive. I congratulated the kids when they achieved something, and _______ them if they didn’t.

One day just as the students were leaving, a girl handed me a folded _______. It was a lovely drawing full of childlike wonder and read: “You are the best teacher I have ever had!” My mouth fell open in shock. It really _______ me that one of my kind comments had touched that girl’s heart so deeply. Anytime I was feeling down or _______ I would look at it and it always made me relieved. _______, I lost the note when I moved house, but it still _______ in my mind and heart.

That experience showed me the _______ of single kind words. I never did see that girl again, but I pray that her life has been full of kind words and loving people. And I continue to try my best each day to let the love and __________ live through my life. May you do the same. You will create so much joy and your life will never be the same.

2 . Service Area Sweets

This past holiday season, I drove with my parents to Boston to visit my distant cousin. On my way back home, we stopped at a service area for food. As we stopped there, there was this old lady who was busy _________ all the tables and chairs as people were leaving, making sure everything was _________ and clean. I just thought of gifting her with five dollars and a chocolate in my pocket. I wrote on a paper napkin(纸巾) “Thank you and Merry Xmas.”

I had wanted to leave it there for her but decided to walk up to her and give her.

She asked me, “Is it a gift? Only then will I take it.”

I nodded, “Yes,” and _________ at her.

“Thank you,” she replied, and I left to buy some _________ from the store inside. On my way back to the car, the woman stopped me.

“I made a lot of cookies and candies on Christmas for people,” she explained. “Would you like to have some?” A bit taken aback, I replied. “Yes.”

She asked me to _________, and came back carrying a four-inch plate filled with different cookies and chocolates! My first expression was a big smile.

“That’s a lot,” I said, a bit surprised.

She smiled and told me that she made eighty to ninety of these plates every year, to _________ to friends and others.

I had no words or thoughts in my brain. Finally, I asked if I could hug her. We hugged, wishing each other a happy and healthy holiday season. Then, as we _________ I felt as if I had met a new friend with whom I _________ the gift of a smile and some happiness.

There is a(n) depth to the joy of giving and receiving. From either _________ both the giver and receiver are always __________.

3 . Emily checked her shoelaces(鞋带) and began to jog in small circles _______, waiting for Sierra. She didn’t mind the brief lateness; she was so grateful to have a running _______. Practically the first thing Emily had done after enrolling in this new school was to sign up for cross-country running.

“Hi, sorry, I’m late. It’s a good day for a run, don’t you think?” Sierra _______, talking nonstop as was her habit. Sierra ran every day, which encouraged Emily to take her own training more seriously. The regular practice had helped both of them to _______ their times over various terrains (地形).

Continuing her warm-up, Emily asked, “Are you racing next week in the big regional meet?” “Yeah, the coach encourages everyone to _______.”

“Oh.” Emily followed after Sierra just a bit, thinking about this information as they ran across the field. Knowing Sierra was easily the faster runner, Emily was very _______. She worried that her own time might _______ the team.

Race day arrived, and Emily gathered with the other team members to receive a colored wristband(手环) that showed their school. “Sierra, where’s your band?”

“You’re running in my place today because your times will _______ the team as much as mine, and I want you to have the _______ to show your stuff to the team. I’ll be your water girl at the end.” Sierra smiled and gave Emily a high-five.

“Wow, you’d give up a race for me?” Emily gave her friend a quick hug and thought this ________ would be her best performance ever.

4 . When I was eight years old, I spent a few weeks of the summer at a Girl Scout camp called Camp Redwing — a place where the scenery was beautiful. My friends and I were all excited about the day’s creek hike.

When one person in the group _______ a slug (鼻涕虫), we were all excited. We gathered around pushing each other to be in the front with the best view. And that’s when one of the counselors told us that when you lick (舔) a slug, your _______ goes numb. Then the counselor caught it and began _______ it around. When the slug made it way to me, my _______ took over and I decided to lick it. It was slimy (黏的) and cold, but not as disgusting as I expected. _______, it did not numb my tongue; the numbing chemical must have been _______ by the time it reached me. The enthusiasm I had to try it out and learn something new is a feeling that has stuck with me since.

When we’re kids, we want to know everything. We bother our parents with _______ questions of “Why?” and we try everything in school. But as we grow up and reach high school, then college, curiosity seems to _______ a lot.

Now, when I feel myself losing the passion for learning, I remembered to lick the slug — whatever the slug is in that moment. I’ll do anything that ignites that same enthusiasm in me, and I _______ what other people think about it. I know that my childlike curiosity is something I don’t want to __________ up, and I try to bring it to the surface as much as I can.

5 . When I was 19 years old, I decided to pursue my passion for writing as a career. At the time, I knew that it was a _______ choice. It is one thing to turn your passion into a career, but to study writing as a 4-year degree? Was I being crazy or just _______ ?

The truth is, from the moment I chose writing as my major, I was _______ doubting my decision. I enjoyed my classes, but I couldn’t shake the _______ . As my senior year closed in, most of my friends had _______ what kind of careers they were looking for. I, on the other hand, hadn’t even decided what kind of writing I wanted to do.

Then I asked myself why I write. For a while, I did not have a good enough _______ . “Because I love it” often came to mind, but it didn’t seem to be a sufficient reason to justify devoting my life. Finally, after many doubts and anxious questions, I found the answer that gave me _______ . I have returned to this moment many times to remind myself why I keep pushing through.

Why do I write? Because it is what I have to give. I have the ability to _______ in a way that connects with others. I have the clarity to see that I can reach others through the language I use. It is how I can give of myself to the world that has shaped me. And so, I find dignity in the work I do.

Every person _______ a passion for something. Whatever they are, it’s worth it to seek out why they matter, and keep seeking until we find an answer that ________ . And once you have found the answer, cling to it. Return to it again and again to remind yourself that what you have to share with this world is uniquely yours to give.

6 . The weather was perfect. We were just out for a picnic. When lunch time came, we decided to go and ________ what each of us wanted, and meet back on the grass.

Susan and I headed for a hot dog stand. We watched the seller put together the hot dog. But when Susan took out her ________, the man surprised us.

“It looks a little overdone,” he said, “so you don’t have to pay me.”

We said our thanks, ________ our friends, and began to enjoy our food. But as we talked and ate, I noticed a man sitting alone nearby, in ________ clothes. I could tell that he hadn’t had a bath for days. Another homeless person, I thought.

We finished eating but when Susan and I went to ________ away the lunch bag, I heard a voice ask, “There isn’t any ________ in that bag, is there?”

It was the homeless man. I didn’t know what to say. “No, I ________ it already.”

“Oh, really?” was his only answer. He was obviously very ________.

I felt bad for him, ________ I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Susan said, “I’ll be ________ back. Please wait for me a minute.” I watched curiously as she went across to the hot dog stand. Then I ________ what she was doing. She bought a hot dog, crossed back, and gave the man the food.

When she came back to us, Susan said simply, “I was just passing on the ________ that someone gave to me.”

That day I learned how generosity can go ________ than the person you give to. By giving, you ________ others how to give also. You never know what happiness a simple ________ of concern will bring about.

7 . The Underdog

Paul was my friend. We both loved basketball and were ______ our school basketball team. He was only 1.6 meters tall and he used Bogues, who was ever the shortest player in the NBA, as his inspiration. Our coach was not so sure about his performance in the game. He had to try out many times for ______ the team. ______ Paul worked really hard, practised more and had a strong desire to play for the team, he was still usually on the bench, being just a replacement.

During this week’s basketball match against the Bears, I got hurt and couldn’t play any more, so Paul got the chance to play on the ______. He made shot after shot, and the Bears couldn’t keep up with his energy and speed. In the end, our team won by two point. From Paul all of us knew that every effort in doing anything would ______ one day.

8 . Look Out High School

It seemed that all the students at Hillside School were really eager to leave and move on to high school — everyone except Neil.

Neil was confused (困惑的). He had no real_______of high school, except that there seemed to be millions of kids-big kids. Neil also didn’t find_______easy and had to read and re-read things many times before he_______what was written on the page. He tried again and again but that didn’t help much. The _______still kept moving about the page.

And at lunchtimes, when the other kids_______the exciting things and the great time at high school, Neil felt left out. He only thought of the hard work and the_______. He’d heard about the long passages to write and the thick books to read, and he knew he’d_______again.

Neil closed himself off from the conversations,_______someone talked about hammers (锤子)and nails (钉子). “Something that didn’t involve (涉及) reading!” he said to himself. “Maybe high school won’t be all that bad after all.”

He started listening more _______to the excited conversation among the kids in his class. Every one of them seemed to be looking forward to moving on. To Neil, it was still the great________, and hard to understand. But, something deep down told him that high school wouldn’t be so bad, so trying his best would certainly be a good start.

9 . Being blind is tough under any circumstances. But things were even _____ for Srikanth Bolla who was born in a small village near Hyderbad, India, where the common belief was that kids with disabilities were “useless”. Fortunately, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to _____ social pressure. _____, they encouraged the blind boy to dream big. Srikanth was not _____. He is the founder and CEO of a successful company now.

Of course, getting here was not easy. As a young boy, Srikanth was enrolled in a _____ school. Unfortunately, the students and teachers didn’t approve of his disability. So his family decided to send him to a special school for the disabled in Hyderabad and he became the top of his class. But Srikanth was refused to study _____ . Srikanth took his plea (诉求) to the court and became the first blind student in the country to be allowed to study science.

But despite his good _____ in the national board exams, Srikanth was not allowed to take the entrance exams. So he decided to _____ for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge and succeeded.

After graduating from MIT, Srikanth returned to India and devoted his life to helping the country’s _____ community. In 2012, he established Bollant Industries. Not surprisingly, most of the company’s employees are physically challenged.

Srikanth owes his success to his parents. Despite being poor and uneducated, they encouraged Srikanth to ______ his dreams and taught him that true happiness comes from being compassionate towards others and giving them the opportunity to excel (胜过平时).

10 . After I lost my right hand in a car accident ten years ago, I thought I would never be able to lead a normal life again. I was equipped with an artificial hand, but it did not feel like a part of me. Even _________ things like getting dressed were unbelievably difficult. Three months ago, _________, all that changed when I was given the _________ to test a new robotic hand.

Scientists have been making great progress in robotic technology in recent years, and their work on robotic limbs(四肢) has really changed my life. With my new hand, I can move my individual fingers and _________ very small things, like pens and pencils. More _________, my robotic hand is capable of_________varying degrees of pressure, just like a _________ hand.

Over the past three months I have been testing out the _________ of what I can do with my new hand, and it constantly surprises me. I have rediscovered hobbies I enjoyed before my accident. For example, I have been cooking for my family since I got my new hand. Not only can I do more, but I also feel more _________ when I hang out with friends. And now I'm so __________ for all the new possibilities my robotic hand has opened up.