1 . With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He ______ played with his classmates, and when he was asked to answer questions, he always ______his head without a word.

One spring, his father brought home some saplings (树苗). ______of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, “Whoever ______his sapling best shall get a gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get the gift. ______seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, he ______an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never______it.

Several days later, he was ______ to find it not only didn’t die, but also grew so many fresh ______. Compared with those of his brothers and sisters,his appeared greener. His father kept his______, bought the boy a gift and said he would become an outstanding______after growing up.

From then on, the boy slowly became ______and confident. One evening, he suddenly ______his biology teacher once said that plants ______grow at night. Why not go to see the tree?

When he came to the courtyard,he found his father working near the tree! Immediately he ______: Father had been secretly ______his tree! He returned to his room, tears in his eyes.

Decades passed. The boy didn’t become a botanist. ______, he became the U. S. ______. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

______is the best nourishment(滋养品)of life. ______it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

2 . I was walking down the road one day when my cell phone rang. A _________ voice on the other end spoke to me, “Dad, please come back soon. I miss you so much.” I judged that it was a _________ number. A little while later, the call came once again, so I rudely _________, “You’ve dialed the wrong number!” and then _________ up.

During the following days, I got the same _________ now and then. But I didn’t care much about it. Then one day she constantly called me, _________ I didn’t answer. Finally I answered the phone and heard a weak voice, “Dad, please come back. I miss you so much! Dad, I’m in so much pain! Mom said you were too _________ to take care of me. But, dad, please _________ me again, OK?” The innocent (天真无邪的) request was difficult to _________. I made a loud kiss on the __________. Then I heard the weak __________ say, “Thank you Dad, I am so happy, so happy…”

Shortly after this, I became __________ about who had been on the other end of my phone. So I called __________, and a woman answered, “Sorry, sir. I am really sorry to have bothered you. My daughter has __________ from bone cancer since she was born. And her father __________ in an accident a short while ago. I dare not tell her this __________ news. Poor baby! When she couldn’t bear the painful chemotherapy (化疗), she would cry for her dad, who had always __________ her. I __________ couldn’t bear it, so I gave her a random (任意的) number”.

“How is your daughter now?” I couldn’t wait to __________.

“She has __________. You must have kissed her on the phone, because she went with a smile, tightly holding the cell phone”.

Tears blurred (模糊) my eyes.

3 . Fink had accidentally texted the wrong number and her messages were going to a man named Clayten, rather than her friend, Jakeman. “Hey! Brother, Jakeman. This is your sister Fink, we are ______you dinner tomorrow. What time would be a______time to bring it over?” the text read. Clayten______replied, “Ooh! What are you bringing me? I’m allergic to seafood.”

Fink then______to Clayten that the text was meant for Jakeman and his______, Sally, who have a four-year-old son, Noah, who was in the ICU. Clayten then responded to Fink, asking, “How can I ______?” Noah has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Sally was______Noah, along with his four siblings (兄弟姐妹), to a doctor for a follow-up   ______regarding his broken ankle. It was caused by a fall when he______a seizure (突发疾病).

Clayten told Fink he is a single father. He thought helping a______in need would be a teachable moment for his______. And he added that it is just what people______. Clayten used Facebook on Sunday to______the exchange he had with Fink and encouraged his friends to help out the Jakeman’s family. He also______a fundraiser on Facebook and got in contact with Armer Foundation for Kids. The foundation can______assist the family.

“He doesn’t______us or Fink at all. The fact that he not only offered to help but actually backed that with______is amazing,” Jakeman said. “I don’t know if he______ in God or not, but I believe he was sent here to help this family. I______him he was an angel,” Fink said. Noah is doing better, but he has a long way to go to______. Noah’s mother said that she was making plans with Clayten so he could meet Noah.

4 . When the lockdown began, 54-year-old artist Steve Derrick had to work from home. As he had ________ time on his hands, he wanted to do something to ________ the heroes on the front lines. One day, he found a magazine photo of a nurse ________, who had stayed so late at night treating COVID-19 patients. He decided to paint her with       _____ from her mask.

After painting that first portrait, Derrick felt ________ and began using Instagram to ________ the nurses who posted photos about treating COVID-19 patients. As ________ spread, medical workers started sending him photos, and so did their friends and family members who wanted to ________ their hard work. He sent the paintings to his subjects, free of charge. The reaction he got was, “This is amazing. It’s ________ a time in history.” Derrick said their ________ kept him going.

Derrick would take a picture of the portrait before putting it in the mailbox. When he ________ publishing the paintings on social media, he began ________ photos of frontline medical workers around the world. Requests       _____ came from patients who were ________ to show their respect for the doctors who helped save their lives. Since early April, Derrick has painted and ________ at least 100 portraits.

Although Derrick ________ reward of any kind, he says he’s gotten very ________ in another way. “Right here,” he said, ________ to his heart. “That’s the payment. That’s the reason why I do it.” Indeed, in the paintings, you can see not only the ________ in the eyes of the medical workers but also the admiration the ________ has for all of them.

5 . Just several days ago, a violent storm hit our community. I looked out of the window and witnessed a tree being abused by the ________wind. The branches bent, and swayed (摇摆) back and forth, thanks to their ________ to avoid breaking. The leaves desperately stuck to the branches because their life ________ the tree. The powerful trunk (树干) which held the tree upright bent slightly ________ from he force in the battle to ________its position.

After the storm had passed, the tree gracefully returned to its ________ position standing tall among the chaos. It managed to ________ the storm. It didn’t look the same as leaves had fallen and the soil had loosened, but what ________ is that the tree won the fight for its life.

For a long time I couldn’t understand why this tree ________ my attention the way it did. As time passed, it became clear that it wasn’t just about the tree but about the ________ roots which are deep into the soil providing ________ and nutrition. The roots allow the tree to be able to take a ________ because they are there to support it.

________ , the next time you catch your kids ________ , when the job is driving you crazy , when you are underpaid and the ________is tight, and when the storms of life are blowing, go back to your ________ .

Life is full of storms. They will make you ________ , make you sway and even make you lose some leaves but the________ your roots, the stronger you stand. I challenge you to bend but don’t break. However hard the wind blows, don’t let life ________ you into an uncomfortable position. Your ________ lies in your roots.

8 . I was very angry because of a bad thing that happened this morning. As a result, I decided to go out for a _________. I put my headphones on, pushed “play” on a list of _________ I was excited to listen to and ran out of the door. However, the _________ event of my morning kept crowding into my mind over and over again. I couldn’t even hear the songs I loved so much.

And then something _________. About three fourths of my way through the run I _________ a couple in their early thirties. As I was passing by, the man _________ and gave me a thumbs-up (竖起大拇指) gesture. Did he just do that? I thought so _________ I wasn’t sure. It _________ me up right away and made me smile.

I thought to myself how _________ that was. A little piece of kindness from a ____________! I was very grateful for his small ____________. It was ____________ what I needed and I hoped he knew the ____________ it made. And then I ____________ that the only way for him to know was to tell him. I should tell him. I would ____________ it if I didn’t.

So I ____________ and rushed back to catch up with him. I came up behind them completely ____________ and said, “Excuse me... did you just smile at me and give me a thumps-up?” He smiled again and said, “Yes!”

I told him how much of a difference it made, saying that I was having a really horrible morning and how it made me feel so much ____________. And I really ____________ it.

An act of kindness is ____________. It is easy. But it makes such a difference.

9 . A group of class friends, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon ________ into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the ________ and returned with a large pot of coffee and a couple of ________— porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some ________ looking, some expensive, some delicate — telling them to ________ themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in ________, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, ________ behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is ________ for you to choose only the best for yourselves, that is the ________ of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself ________ no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. ________ all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went ________ the best cups. And then you began ________ each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the ________; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor ________ the quality of life we ________. Sometimes, by focusing only on the cup, we ________ to enjoy the coffee. God has ________ for us. God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!”

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just ________ the best of everything.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the ________ to God.

10 . One action can set off a chain reaction. The phrase “One Person Can Make a Difference” is one of those _________ that we teach youngsters, to encourage them to do something kind, _________ another person, or dream big about how they will _________ the world.

As adults, do we believe this? Or is it a _________ just for young people? I am writing to tell you that indeed “one person can”. I _________ this because one day one person did an act of _________ that changed my life and the lives of millions more.

Almost 15 years ago, while driving across town, I was _________ a radio interview and heard a story of selflessness that was _________. Over Thanksgiving weekend, a woman _________ ten heavy winter coats on a bus in hopes of donating(捐赠)them at “A Warm Coat” drive. She knew the city had many __________ people in need and that her __________ could make a difference between cold and __________ for ten people that winter.

She was only one person, yet it was her action that encouraged me to __________ that there would always be a __________ for more coats. And I also realize that more people would be able to __________ clothes if there were more convenient clothing collection __________. Now, nearly 15 years later, One Warm Coat has __________ over 4 million coats across the country. As the national founder, my heart is full and __________, knowing that we, each one of us, make a real difference in the lives of thousands.

So when you step forward to donate your time, or give a(n) __________, or help your neighbor, perhaps wondering “will it __________ matter?”, I can tell you that it will!