1 . I opened the door: the morning dishes weren’t in the sink, and the floor had been cleaned. The pile of junk mail on the counter disappeared, replaced by a single ________. Then I replayed the casual ________ I had made that morning: “You never helped out around the house...”

I picked up the letter, ________ his apology and gratitude for everything I did. But when I read the first line, I felt incredibly ________ myself.

“I’m tired of being ________ of not helping around the house. Yesterday, I washed the windows. I also picked up your car from school and took it for an oil change. Did you ________?”

I glanced through our ________ windows. My car? I did know he took it to the garage so I didn’t have to waste a precious Saturday morning on vehicle ________.

The letter continued in the same________ — a little anger, a lot of hurt. I deserved every word since I wasn’t________ unaware of his household contributions, but instead of giving him ________ for the tasks he did, I complained about the tasks he ________ to do.

I ________ a pen and notebook but my hand paused above a blank page. Careless, ________ words had rolled out so easily from my mouth, but these new words must be deliberate and meaningful, worthy of ________. I wrote, “I’m sorry.”

2 . On nothing but a “wooden board and four wheels”, a group of women are speeding down windy mountain roads. For most people, this could sound _________. But for Anna Pixner, downhill skateboarding at speed brings a _________ feeling: freedom.

Austrian Pixner got _________ in this sport six years ago. When she started competing, she would _________ in crowds of hundreds of men. Journalists point out that she is a(n)_________ in this male-dominated sport, but Pixner has tired of such _________. “There’s not that much of a difference except that we _________ started a bit later. There is no media about it... if you never saw a woman doing that, it’s harder to get the _________ to do that.”

That is about to _________: Pixner’s journey is captured in a new film “Woolf Women,” which __________ her 5,700-kilometer journey with four other young women across Europe in 2019. One of the central __________ of the film is mental health. Pixner says she finds skating helpful to all kinds of mental issues. “For myself, I __________ it too. I used to be extremely anxious and skateboarding absolutely __________ me.”

Though skateboarding was once a sport on the __________ of society, it is now becoming more mainstream, and in 2021 became an Olympic event. Pixner hopes that downhill skateboarding will soon __________ its appeal to more youngsters.

3 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood _______ had put it in the envelope. And there was always the chance I might see a handwritten sentence on the bottom, _______ the piece almost made it. When an editor at McCall’s wrote, “I’m afraid I have to say no on this _______ piece, but try me again on another, would you?” It was almost as _______ to me as if she had said, “We’ll _______ it and here is an advance for you”.

Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to _______ they have received, read, or considered your work because they receive so many _______ each day.

For me, there are three _______ of rejection slip pain. The first is _______ brought on by finding a flat “no” on a ________ piece of paper, then followed by anger (how could they ________ a piece that is obviously so much ________ than most of the stuff they print), and, finally, rebirth: I will live to ________ a new piece another day.

Learning to ________ rejection seems like part of growing up as a writer. Despite the many letters of acceptance I have received, my folder of “Noteworthy Rejection Slips” is far ________ than that of “Noteworthy Acceptances”, which indicates to me the fact: I still have some growing up to do.

4 . It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Shelly Romo surveyed what was ________ of her home in Maui, which was hit by a deadly wildfire, hoping to find her wedding ring, expecting to leave ________. But luckily, after three hours’ ________ with volunteers, it finally appeared, the diamond ________ but the band completely damaged. Romo and her husband went straight to No Ka’ Oi Jewelers — a local business that has been ________ fire-damaged jewelry free of charge.

No Ka’ Oi owner Omi Chamdi said he was one of the ________ ones — the fires had avoided his home and storefront. That’s why, in its aftermath, he immediately sprang into action and advertised ________ restorations. “When the fires here on Maui occurred, pretty ________ I decided this is something I can do and I really want to do for the ________ community.”

However, Chamdi doesn’t restore the jewelry himself; ________ he has been paying for the restoration services. When asked if he ever ________ that, he shook his head. “These are not just ordinary items, these are the most ________ possessions that people go back and dig through the ________ to find.”

________, Romo was not ready to say goodbye when the fires destroyed her home. But finding her wedding ring and getting it restored gave Romo some peace about ________.

5 . Ryan’s class at Tully Elementary Sohool was planning a hike at Falls of the Ohio State Park. But since the site isn’t wheelchair ________, her mother, Shelly, tried to find a way to make sure she could ________.

Ryan had missed out on a similar class trip last year as a third grader. When Shelly ________ the upcoming class field trip, she ________ began to think about making a plan B. “I was preparing for an ‘alternate field trip day’,” she ________ on the “Team Ryan” online page, ________ for her10-year-old daughter, diagnosed with spina bifida (脊柱裂)as a baby.

That is, until Jim, a teacher at the school, ________ to carry Ryan around on his back all day. This way she could ________ explore the fossil (化石) beds with the rest of her ________. He used a special backpack to carry the 55-pound girl on his back across the park-and the previously ________ Ryan became extremely excited.

The ________ meant so much to Ryan and her family that Shelly wanted to get the ________ out. Since she posted on the web photos of Jim and Ryan on the field trip, they have been ________ thousands of times.

“We are so ________ to have a whole school that never makes her feel left out,” said Shelly. “These beautiful people should be known to the world, to educate and ________ others.”

6 . I am employed in an educational institution. Following the _______ of the students each day, a delightful young woman named Claire often arrives to clean the classrooms and offices. Once a week, I _______ after hours, doing some extra work. So I often chat for a few minutes with her. She always makes me feel good because she’s a good listener and willing to talk about her children. Our _______ are consistently enjoyable.

Last week, she seemed unlike her _______ self. She told me that her husband had been _______, leaving them worried about their financial _______. Later that week, while I was in a department store, my attention was drawn to the shelves lined with sunglasses. After _______ various pairs, I discovered the ideal sunglasses. As I admired my _______, it occurred to me that Claire would look great while wearing them. _______ with my current pair, I purchased the sunglasses for Claire.

Eager to surprise her, I placed them in an elegant bag and ________ put them in her closet for her discovery. The following day, Claire was chatting with a coworker as she ________ the closet. Upon ________ the bag and taking out the sunglasses and a Smile Card, her face lit up with joy. She expressed that it had been days since she had reason to smile and that this act of kindness ________ her spirits.

She penned a note expressing her gratitude for my heart-warming ________. Choosing to gift her the sunglasses instead of myself brought me much satisfaction. I eagerly ________ creating more moments of joy.

7 . Granny fell ill before Valentine’s Day. She had to ______ our planned zoo trip, which she had been ______.

“Remember to say hi to the monkeys for me,” Granny ______ us up before we left. We did go and have fun, but I kept ______ Granny could have been with us.

Tex spotted some ______ and suggested taking a picture in front of them. While we said, “Cheese,” Indi accidentally said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Granny!” This slip of the tongue (舌头) reminded me. I ______ taking pictures of different animals and ______ them into a zoo valentine for Granny. Everyone loved that.

At home, we ______ out the printed pictures on the table. Since it was ______ to fit so many pictures onto a heart-shaped card, we ______ to create a whole bunch of valentines, each card representing an animal.

______, our print didn’t have color ink, so we ______ the black-and-white pictures with markers and made speech balloons for the animals. When we were done, I made a couple of ______ on the cards and tied them together to make a book. It took forever to finish, but it turned out ______.

“Oh, you little sweet potatoes!” Granny smiled when we gave her our ______. “You sure did turn this lady’s frown (眉头) upside down! I love you so much.”

8 . Dave and I had just arrived home from his chemo-treatment (化疗) appointment. I should have noticed him ________ the door. When I opened it, he fell sideways out of the car onto the walkway. He lay there, too weak to ________ himself. I rushed to help, but he weighed close to two hundred pounds and was just ________. The slightest bump (碰撞) caused terrible pain, so this ________ would be more than he could bear. I called “Dave.” He didn’t ________, and I wondered if he had passed out. I looked around in all directions ________.

Just then, a man ________, pushing a baby carriage, with two children walking beside him. The man ________ the baby carriage safely, gestured the children to wait and stepped forward. He lifted Dave’s arm over his shoulder and put his own arm around Dave’s ________ to stabilize him. The two ________ for the house. Into the sitting room, slowly and gently, the man ________ Dave onto our little sofa. He smiled as Dave tried to ________ him and said he was glad to help.

He walked back out to the street where the children stood waiting for him. The little group slowly ________. There, in the shining sun, I watched, with ________. They were just like angles, emerging from nowhere and helping me ________.

9 . A man named Joe in Austin spent several months in order to adopt a dog. Alva is a dog with wobbler syndrome(摇摆综合征), but that didn’t _________ Joe from knowing they would be together.

_________ at Austin Pets Alive in November 2020 at just 5 months old, Alva was _________ , skinny, and in need of a helping paw. She had a hard time _________ and walking on account of the _________ . After almost 24 months of shelter stays, the _________ in her life with wobblers and multiple owners had made her self-protective, _________ , and shy.

Joe had originally seen Alva on APA’s Instagram, and determined to do something to help her. “I just _________ her and said, ‘I bet everyone has given up on you,’” Joe told APA! “‘I’m not going to do that to you.’”

Nor did he, but instead visited her at APA every single day for two months to earn her _________ in the hope that he could welcome her into his __________. Seeing that there was a potential end to Alva’s difficulties, APA staff worked hard to treat and __________ Alva. Alva recovered well during the two months, and __________Joe got what he wished for—Alva was able to move in with him.

He __________ his house with various ramps and carpeted corners to ensure she had a safe, comfortable environment.

“Alva gave me a __________ every time I saw her, and that was: inspiration. It is her infectious spirit that makes her __________, and brightens my days,” Joe told APA!

10 . Don Powell was pulling the envelopes from the mailbox outside his home when he noticed something unusual — a tiny doll couple were inside the mailbox. A small sticky _________ was also inside. “We’ve decided to live here,” the message read. It was _________ from Mary and Shelley.

Powell, 72, says he _________ thought that somebody must have left the wooden dolls inside his mailbox by mistake. “I asked the _________ whether anybody had left dolls in their mailboxes, and everyone told me no,” he says. “So I thought, this must just be a _________, and whoever left them here will come back to _________ them. I moved them to the back of the mailbox to see what would happen.”

A few days passed and nobody _________ the dolls, Powell says, noting that he and his wife soon discovered that the small couple had _________ a table and a pillow. “I also have a sense of _________, so I left a note of my own, saying that what the __________ really needed was a refrigerator stocked with food,” he says. The fridge never __________. But over the next several months, additional items were strangely __________.

Every month or two, particularly around holidays, the Powells find something __________ placed inside the box for Mary and Shelley. “People in the neighborhood are enjoying it and stop by sometimes to ask questions,” he said. “Some people ask if I’ve thought about __________ an outdoor camera, but personally, I like it being a __________.”