1 . My life is full and active taking care of my grandson. But weeks ago, he headed for an overseas holiday, I was left feeling _______ and lost. I needed something extraordinary to lift my _______.

Then one day, I entered the Coffee Club near my home and _______ a cup of coffee. I settled into a comfortable sofa, _______ tasting the delicious drink. After a while, I approached the waitress and handed her my _______. She smiled and said, “That’s already been paid for.”

I looked at her in _______. “Really?” Then she said the words I’ll never forget. “It was a _______ of kindness, and it happens a lot.”

I was shocked. I never really _______ these things though I had heard about them. Today, I _______ it firsthand. Good, kind people are out there in the world. And they ________ when you need them most. I left home this morning feeling, somewhat lost. I returned with a ________ in my step, excited about sharing my story and ________ the kindness.

Two weeks later, I paid for a girl in the Coffee Club. The only thing is, this time, the Coffee Club did it ________. The waiter pointed me out. She couldn’t believe it and ________ me. I simply smiled, explaining that I was passing on the ________ I’d received not long ago.

2 . At 19, Vancouverite Karina Zhou launched her first book, Kai’s Tea Eggs, earlier this week.

Zhou first _________ the story as an entry for a picture book illustration contest. She _________ the gold award. Getting it out there for the world to see was the natural next _________: “Because it did so well in that contest, I really want to publish this,” she says. Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree _________ her style, and inspiration often struck as she _________ the pages of other books. “I went to every _________ I could find and sat in the kid’s sections (区域) for a long time.” she says.

Much of Kai’s Tea Eggs was drawn from Zhou’s _________. “The story is inspired by a day when I _________ tea eggs for a multicultural event at my primary school — it was a really _________ experience and everyone liked the food,” she remarks. Her book recreates that __________ through the main character Kai: a sweet child, who, with the __________ of a friendly dragon named Ming, finds the courage to embrace (接纳) and explores the foods of her Chinese heritage.

Zhou-noticed a pattern when sharing the story with people from different __________. Many said that they could __________ the experience of the main character Kai, who feels __________ about sharing the food of her Chinese culture. “Everyone has gone through the anxiety in their own unique way,” Zhou notes.

The book is Zhou’s first, but she has plans for more: “I do want to __________ finding stories that are meaningful and that I think need to be in this world right now,” she says.

3 . In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, US, when his tire blew out. He_______to the side of the road and made a _______indicating his need for help.

Three hours later,_______a van pulled up and out came a Latino family of four. Regardless of the _______barrier, they worked together to repair Horner’s car, relying on the daughter’s broken English. One hour later, the car was _______ and the mom pulled out a big jug of water for them to drink and wash their hands. Horner thanked them sincerely and _______to give what he had in his wallet - a $20 bill - but they _______the offer. Despite their resistance, Horner _______and placed the money in the mother’s hand before walking away. A few moments later, their small daughter called out and offered Horner a _______—— a tamale (玉米粉蒸肉) ——which he gratefully accepted.

As they slowly drove off, Horner unwrapped the tamale and discovered his________inside. He rushed over to the van to give it back, but the father ________shook his head, saying only four words, “Today you, tomorrow me.” With a ________, he drove off.

Months later, Horner shared his experience online, which ________ thousands of likes and comments. Horner knows that the phrase, “today you, tomorrow me” wasn’t________ by that stranger in the van. He said it’s a common expression in Mexico, where he believes the family was from. However, the idea behind it is________.

4 . It was dark and I was standing in front of a stranger’s house. Rescue box in hand, leather gloves under arm, my head was full of ________ to follow. It would be my first test as a volunteer wildlife ________ since I’d completed the training course last month. A man called that afternoon: a bird of a/an ________ species was being attacked by a flock of crows in his garden. He scared them off and grabbed their ________.

After being shown in, I lifted the edge of the shoebox ________ to see a little bird standing to attention on very long, thin legs. The bird seemed ________ and troubled, so I didn’t grab it by hand but just ________ the whole shoebox into my rescue box.

Back home, I couldn’t see any obvious ________ of injury: no blood, no broken bone, no evidence of a concussion (脑震荡). I hadn’t seen this bird species before, so I searched the Internet for a likeness. After a while, I found a/an ________: a rufous fantail (红尾扇尾鹟). I phoned a bird specialist, who told me this species ________ insects on the wing, so keeping it longer than overnight would only do it harm.

Half an hour later, I was back to where I’d rescued it. I________ the bird up as high as I could to give it a good lift-off: the little bird ________ swiftly into the darkness without a pause. It would look after itself just as before, and be ________ enough to catch some insects as food and refill its energy without any ________.

My first rescue had ended in a ________ release.

5 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been ______ a position there as a Civil Engineer. Accompanying him, my aim was to find a job shortly after. As you can imagine, I was very excited, even rather ______, as I’d never been abroad before. So, my first ______ was to get settled in this small town called Dodoma in the middle of Tanzania.

As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the ______ towards us. Completely out of breath, she said, “We’ve heard you’re from England and our school ______ needs an English teacher — please say you’ll help us.” I felt tired and ______ a shower after the journey. Though shocked by her ______, for some reason or other, I agreed to ______ it!

I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was ______ to the two local teachers and my ______ at 8 o’clock. It felt like being thrown into the deep end, as my teaching timetable began ______ at 8:30! Although I’d hardly had time to get my breath, I never ______ my sudden decision.

Though my entry into this ______ was unexpected, I found joy in teaching those youngsters and gradually became part of the local community in the following years. I’ve been fortunate to ______ lifelong friendships, which has left a lasting ______ on both my students and myself.

6 . One day, hundreds of people were stuck in traffic on the highway in below-freezing temperatures due to a snowstorm. With the conditions making it _________ for rescue workers to help, many were trapped overnight with no access to _________.

But one stuck driver found a _________ spot in the despair. As she was sitting in her car fearing the _________, Casey Holihan and her husband, John Noe, _________ a bread truck just ahead of them in the jam. Willing to try just about anything, they called the customer service number listed on the back of the truck and left a _________ begging for the driver to open the back and _________ bread to the hungry passengers around them. It was a last-ditch effort, and the couple wasn’t very _________ about getting a response. But to their _________ they soon received a phone call from the company’s owner, Chuck Paterakis, with the news that he was __________ the truck’s driver to open up and pass out loaves of bread from his cargo. Overjoyed by the news, Holihan and Noe __________ the truck’s driver to bring much-needed things to the cars around them.

The simple loaves of bread were surely a ray of __________ in an impossibly disturbing situation. Holihan herself calls it “one of the __________ moments” she’s ever witnessed. This company could have made a(n) __________ from the bread but instead chose to help the people around them. That is just so incredible that someone chose __________ over profit, especially in a situation where people were so desperate.

7 . Spanish class scared me in the freshman year. I knew little Spanish before starting the class, and I thought it would be ________ for me. However, Mary, our honored Spanish teacher, who was full of creativity, made her class fun from the beginning. I knew what to expect with a schedule for each week, but there was always some slight ________.

Before the exam, Mary often asked us to ________ our lessons by ourselves. But I could remember one day she said, “This time, let’s play a game before going over what you’ve learned.” The game was so interesting that we all ________ ourselves. After the exam, Mary gave us opportunities to make up for our ________. After each error correction, she would check again. She took things so ________ that she wouldn’t overlook any detail. No wonder she was ________ by us.

Mary was ________ and willing to help, within reason, on everything. We could ask her questions at any time. She encouraged everyone to speak Spanish in class. Because of that, I was ________ enough, and then I could communicate with Spanish speakers outside of class. When she knew our problems, she would give advice. When someone was struggling, she would ________.

Mary’s ________ teaching eventually transformed my ________ into fascination. She infused (灌输) foreign culture into lessons, using music and dance to ________ our language skills. Her personalized attention to each student’s needs fostered a(n) ________ environment. At the end of the term, my Spanish improved, and my confidence soared. Mary left a lasting impact on my ________ for new challenges.

8 . “Allie, did you write this signature (签名)?” my third-grade teacher asked me. I looked down at the paper on his desk. My mom’s handwriting was terrible.

“No, I didn’t,” I said. “My mom is ________.”

I have a complicated (复杂的) relationship with my mom because of her blindness. Sometimes I become annoyed about the need to ________ her with daily tasks. Helping her too often adds to my daily burden. Therefore, just as a parent teaches their child to be ________, I always try to guide my mom towards self-reliance (自立).

Even though our roles often feel reversed (颠倒的), my mom and I have a quite traditional mother-daughter ________. I admit I have secretly tried to use my mom’s ________ to my advantage in the past, like pretending to eat a salad I didn’t like. But I haven’t gotten away with everything. My mom is not able to see, but she can sure ________ well! I’ve been caught ________ my pears into the trash can due to the loud noise it made.

My mom has never allowed her blindness to ________ her from being a good mother. When I was in a car crash last year, the first thing I did was to ________ my mom. Putting down the phone, she was ________ on her way. The ________ happened only a few minutes ’walk away from my house, but reaching me required her to walk across a busy street on her own. Watching my mom find my car, stepping ________ through the grass to get to me, gave me a feeling of relief. I have taken on the responsibilities of an adult from such a young age that I have forgotten I still need my mom’s protection and ________ .

Throughout my childhood of living with a blind parent, I have rarely thought about how my family is different from others ’. Although my mom will never really know what I ________ , she will always know who I am and how I’m feeling by the tones (语气) of my ________. Her being blind doesn’t make her any less of a parent — or her signature any less valid (有效的).

9 . Carol Buckley and Tarra, a 47-year-old Asian elephant who Buckley calls her best friend, were reunited at an elephant shelter last month.

At first, Tarra seemed ______ in her new surroundings, but once she heard her original owner’s ______ voice, she cheered up. She wrapped her trunk around Buckley’s waist and pulled her ______. Memories of their years together filled Buckley’s mind, and she began to cry. For this reunion, they had ______ an 11-year legal battle.

The pair first met in 1974, when Buckley, then a freshman studying animal management in California, first saw Tarra being used for advertising, ______ with products around her neck. This went against Buckley’s ______ that elephants should never be held in captivity (囚禁) for work or human amusement.

Driven by ______, Buckley secured a loan with her parents’ help to ______ Tarra for $25,000. Afterwards, she bought a 112-acre farm and ______ with others the Elephant Sanctuary (避难所) in Tennessee for Tarra and other captive elephants to live ______, away from public display and ______. However, a sudden dismissal from the sanctuary ______ them and led Buckley into a long struggle for Tarra’s ______.

This heartwarming re union not only reminds us of the deep ______ that can exist between humans and animals, but also shows us to what ______ one will go to promote the well-being of an animal friend.

10 . Tobias, a 35-year-old Belgian musician, has become popular on social media for his excellent grasp of the Shanghai dialect. He has been sharing his everyday experiences, which he _______ in Shanghai dialect, on video-sharing and lifestyle _______ Douyin and Xiaohongshu, winning thousands of followers and millions of _______

In the videos, he speaks_______ Shanghai dialect, which many non-locals believe is as difficult to learn and _______ as a foreign language. He talks about walking on the city’s streets, enjoying the food and music, and _______ his daily life in the city. Tobias started shooting and _______ these short videos for his own practice purposes. He didn’t expect so many people would be watching them, following him and sending him _______ and encouragement.

Tobias did not bury his nose in textbooks or _______ intensive study to learn Shanghainese. He said his learning __________ involved getting immersed (沉浸) in a language environment, having a positive attitude, and speaking __________ “without being afraid to make mistakes” . He was not thinking too much when he started learning the Shanghai dialect — it was just for __________.

Tobias said he did not expect he would __________ the promotion of the Shanghai dialect, but it would be an __________ and pleasure if his posts encouraged his followers to learn and pass on the dialect. “I believe a dialect is the heart of a local __________” said the musician.