1 . Monique Marshall knew she had to do something for her mother after her stepfather passed away. Monique’s mother, Karin, who is 84 years old, was living in her apartment in New York City ________, about 2,500 miles away from Monique in Los Angeles.

Monique ________ she had to do something for her mother. ________, Monique’s husband, Demille, was all on board, willing to do anything to ________ Karin in her advanced age. That’s when Monique and Demille brainstormed with their friends and neighbors, Pierre and Carmen, who happened to be ________.

After much thought and planning, they ________ a solution of a “glam garage (豪华车库)”. Monique and Demille decided to turn their old and drafty ________ into an apartment space for Karin. But as is always the case with any construction project, they encountered ________. However, it was nothing too big that kept them from completing the ________. And the results are ________!

Karin is in love with her new living space and new city. When Karin first ________ into her glam garage apartment in Los Angeles, she couldn’t ________ her eyes.

“It was overwhelming,” said Karin. “I was so ________. Monique had done all the furniture. I didn’t have to do anything.”

What a wonderful and ________ solution that came about because of love, care and ________.

2 . In 1992, Jeff Balch’s mom died of cancer, at the age of 60. She _________ on a weekend, and that Monday was rubbish pick-up day.

Balch was at his mom’s home, doing some yard work, when the young man who worked as their _________ collector came up the driveway. The man _________ and said, “Hey, how’s Ms. Balch doing?”

Balch took a _________. He hadn’t yet told a stranger about his mom. And he said, “Well, she was very sick, and I’m afraid she died a couple of days ago.” On hearing this, the man felt very _________, He stammered (结结巴巴地说), “I’m so sorry.” And he _________ his eyes and hurried away.

Balch remembers looking down as well, his eyes filled with tears. When he looked up, he saw that the man was _________ by two other rubbish collectors, and now they were walking towards him, across the _________.

The oldest man in the group said, “We just want you to know your mom was the _________ person. She always brought us water to drink when we were working and __________ us in need.”

Today, Balch sometimes __________ of those three men, who went out of their way to say something kind about his mom. Balch says he can’t be __________ like his mom as he talks to rubbish collectors. But he does try to treat them the way the __________ treated him and he will pass on his mother’s __________. “It’s all about realizing the humanity (仁慈) in everyone we’re dealing with,” Balch said. “And that was the rubbish collectors’ __________ to me, which was to humanize (使人性化) at that moment.”

3 . My 16-month-old daughter jumped onto the floor again, after climbing onto the low windowsill. She made it many times a day—it is her own Mount Qomolangma. With a sense of _________, she ran into my arms, laughing. I was almost crying as I _________ her.

I felt I was a(n)_________. No one had prepared me for working from home daring the COVID-19 pandemic while _________ a wild, fearless kid. I felt so sad. I wasn’t _________ enough and I wasn’t a good mother. I was defeated by life.

Then came a sound from my cellphone. After getting my _________ child back on her feet and, watching her go to climb the windowsill, I read the _________: “Watching you be a mommy has been my favorite. It brings me so much     _______! How talented you are, and how kind and funny you are!”

And immediately, my friend Megan got me out of a complete _________. This was exactly what I needed to ________, at the exact moment I felt so ________ . She rebuilt my confidence and __________ me that motherhood is my mission, my happiness, and my greatest achievement, even when it’s __________.

Sometimes the greatest kindnesses are some words of __________ at just the right time. Therefore, I headed back to Baby Qomolangma, ready for her next __________.

4 . Kate Chandulal-Dee’s unique and infectious smile can brighten anyone’s day. It’s a(n)_______ she’s always had, which has helped Kate bravely face many challenges in life.

Kate was born with the rare genetic disorder (遗传性疾病), which has resulted in her having 138 _______ to date.

Kate’s many operations have _______ serious and life-threatening procedures. One important procedure when she was 14 was the _______ of a tube from her throat that helped her to breathe. After it was gone, Kate could _______ eat food. “It was like my mouth was waking up for the very first time,” she recalls.

Kate’s story was known to the public in 2010, when she was just seven years old and _______ school. Now 20, Kate is all grown up and has just finished the last of her _______ at Edgewater College in Auckland. She plans to _______ with a degree in the creative arts and media.

As a child, the thought of attending school _______ her will to live. “School has been ________ to keep me going and to help me with my self-confidence,” she tells. “Through school, I found my abilities and talents, like writing and drama (戏剧). I’ve also learned how to be ________ and interested.”

Last year, she challenged herself and ________ drama. She was cast as a nurse in a school production of Romeo and Juliet. Kate has also written four books and recently ________, and edited a documentary called Still Smiling, about the challenges that she has ________ in life.

She said, “I’m going to miss the teachers and the school community. They have taught me that I can ________ anything with enthusiasm (热情).”

5 . I started collecting shopping lists around 1997. It was just by ________. I was shopping for my wife’s birthday party in St Louis, and I remember coming across a yellow sticky note. I picked it up and it was somebody’s shopping list. I thought, “That’s ______ Whenever I see them at the store, I am going to ________ them. ”

At first, it was just people I knew who would ________ lists for me. In 2000, I put it online. The Internet then was fun and friendly. A lot of people ________ me. Therefore, I set up a(n) ________ and started receiving lists from everywhere in the world. Around 2005, a publisher approached me and wanted to turn my ________ into a book. That’s when I started going through all my lists, figuring out ways to interpret (诠释) and ________ them.

I found lists written on ________ things: leaflets (传单), clothing tags (标签), tax return forms and even a piece of wood. Some lists are written in detail. Others are ________ or short. There is one with just “toothbrush”, and another with just “celery (芹菜)”—not exactly the one-item list you would expect. Lists can ________ you all sorts of things about a person. Some of us are ________ and divide lists into parts—fruit, vegetables and drinks. Most of us are careless. Some are saving ________ and you can really tell from their lists, perhaps just “sandwich 50% off”.

Everyone writes lists, and I just saw the potential in something that seems without ________. It’s an everyday kind of art that everyone can make. You can find similarities in the most ________ places.

6 . Chris Raven, a former IT professional, found a new career after retirement. As a child, he had a(n) ________ for woodwork and music, but his career took a different ________. After retirement, he ________ his two loves and became a flute (长笛) maker.

Raven ________ this unique journey at the age of 70, after decades in IT. He was ________ in a musical family, with both his parents ________ in music. He played the flute in his teenage years. And his love for the ________ was reawakened in his 40s.

Due to a long lack of practice, his woodworking skills has ________. One day, when Raven found his old school reports ________, which showed his best subjects were music and woodwork. That led him to ________ his passion for the two again.

Around the age of 70, he signed up to an Irish flute making workshop. ________, Raven spends at least four days a week in the workshop, carefully ________ each flute. He has ________ his skills in wood turning, silverwork, leatherwork, and French polishing. He even cleared out his garage to settle a lathe (车床), bandsaws, milling machine and other ________.

Raven loves the feel of the wood and the smell of it when he is working. He feels ________ with his work, stating, “You could call it a job, but I never think of it as that.”

7 . My dad is easy-going and has a gift for chatting. He ________ a fast food restaurant called Queenie’s Weenies, which is specialized in hot dogs. I work with my dad at the ________ on weekends.

One Saturday, we went ________. As we got into the checkout line, I ________ something: our cashier (收银员) was very ________! She ________ no smiles, no greetings and no small talk. Her “anger aura (光环)” was obvious and kind of ________ to me. When we ________ to check out, I was thinking that we should just pay for our things and leave quickly. My dad had a different ________. When it was our turn, he started ________ her.

Dad said, “Hi, how are you today? This is my son. I have a restaurant, and we ________ together. It’s called Queenie’s Weenies. Drop by my restaurant sometime and I will ________ you to my hot dogs. I’m good at cooking them.” By the time we ________ checking out, the cashier was smiling. She said, “Thanks, umm… I hope you and your son have a very nice day.”

Back in the car, Dad said to me, “The cashier was obviously ________ today. It happens to everyone. Smile ________ or give a few kind words, which is all it takes to make one a little more delighted.”

8 . It’s a really cold winter day. I had just finished some shopping, and was ready to _________ the supermarket’s parking lot. Hearing the _________ coming from the area of the shopping carts, I _________ the sounds. It was someone I knew well who was playing the guitar. Beggar (乞丐), I can’t really call him.

He never begged. It was more like he was open to _________ presents. He would just sit _________ to the side of the entrance, and _________ everyone very politely who gave him something. I’d seen him many times.

He had been an epileptic (癫痫患者) since his childhood. He couldn’t even _________ the lowest-paid job the social services try to offer people like him. They seemed afraid of the _________.

I started feeling _________ for him, but he said, “I’ve made my __________ with that. I’m happy I could live in a flat. It’s very difficult to get off the street when people know you’ve lived here.” He told me how he’d remembered his __________ for music. He’d gotten so much help, and wanted to try to __________ the kindness, starting with the music. Thus everyone could enjoy sweet music while shopping.

I was __________ when he said that people were much more giving, and he wasn’t __________ about the money anymore because it didn’t matter to him any longer. He was grateful for what he had. He only wanted people to give him money if they really wanted to, if it was a __________ from the heart.

9 . The story happened in the morning. I just _________ my dog from the vet’s. When I was driving home along the road, I found the car behind was _________ lights at me. Considering the signal might tell me that I was driving too slow, I _________ over. The car stopped, too. I was _________. What should I do?

A man approached and said my wallet had _________ the roof of my car at the last bend and that he had seen a lady pick it up. _________, I remembered I had placed my wallet there as I took away my dog in the doghouse and placed him in my car, but I _________ to take it back.

Having thanked him, I drove back to the previous _________. A lady came over and asked if I had lost anything. I said, “Yes, my wallet must have _________ somewhere.” She continued to ask me what was in my wallet. I responded truthfully. She added the __________ were scattered (分散的) on the road so she could confirm the wallet was mine. I was really __________. I took my wallet and said thanks. When I __________ my head to keep the things organized, I found my credit card, licence and cash were all right in my wallet.

I simply saw her disappearing __________ as I held my head up to look for the lady. She did me a favor but walked away silently. What a (n) __________ and kind lady! The lady’s and the man’s good deeds deeply touched me. I expressed my __________ to them from the bottom of my heart.

10 . Julie and I wanted to get together with Kirk. We arranged at a _________ in the village to meet for dinner, which was _________ for everyone by subway.

It was a _________ enough place, and we had to wait 15 minutes for everybody to _________. Then we ended up at a table in the back near the kitchen. The food was excellent and the waitress, a young woman, was _________ and knew just what to _________ on the menu. We talked and ate and talked more. Nobody made _________ to hurry us out, although it was a Sunday night and _________ somebody would be waiting out for a table.

The bill came. I gave the waitress my credit card. The bill came back. I _________ it and left it at the table. We chatted some more. Then we got up and headed out the __________. Outside we said goodbye to Kirk and __________ to the subway.

We had gone almost two blocks __________ I heard someone running after us, calling, “Excuse me, sir.” I turned __________. It was the __________ from the restaurant. “You left your credit card,” she said and __________ it to me.

“Thanks so much,” I said, putting it in my wallet. I didn’t even have time to say anything before she was already hurrying back to the busy restaurant. I was left to consider her amazing kindness and enthusiasm.