1 . Months ago someone gave us a dish-washing machine as a gift. We already had a part-time worker who cleaned our bowls and _________ at home. There was no doubt that we _________ touched the new machine.

Alice, our neighbor was _________ the next week to a new house and I went to ask her whether the machine might be something she could _________. It turned out that she immediately said _________. She had a big family and her daughters had asked if they could get a dish-washing machine. And then she didn’t have to spend money to _________ one!

I couldn’t tell you how overjoyed I was to see her daughters’ _________ looks when they came over to get it. And they were even more excited about the _________ seeds (种子) I gave them. I hoped they would plant more flowers in their new home so that they would always have a piece of our _________ with them. Of course, I would miss them, too.

I __________ a pink heart on the front of our house while they were having their going-away __________. We also joined in their dinner and dance. I haven’t had the “heart” washed off yet either. I told her that maybe after they __________, I would wash it off or maybe not—I liked being reminded that our hearts would be __________ forever.

The __________ thing is that my neighbor’s daughters will still work in our town, and I’d like them to come to our house often. I want to tell them our door is always __________ for them here.

2 . For my daughter's 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn't really have the ________ but we knew how much this band meant to her.

The night before she was like a ________ at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to ________ with us, because she couldn't ________ . On the night of the concert it was good to see her so ________ and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.

Needless to say when they ________ after midnight, with T-shirts and lots of pictures of the band, ________ her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well ________ . This will be a memory she would never forget, and nor would we.

________ full of excitement from the night before, the following day they ________ to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I laughed, loving the fact that she had not ________   that quality as she grew up.

Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a ________ each. On each present were the words "Because you are the ________ mum/dad in the world. "When we expressed our thanks and told her she didn't have to, we asked her why she had bought us gifts. Her answer was simply "Just because I love you."

This wasn't something ________ from our daughter; she had always given us gifts when she wanted to express her ________ , and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn't have mattered, and it was the act itself and the feelings behind it.

3 . “I knew when I saw you, I wanted to take you home,” my dad says to me when I visit him one Saturday. There is a deep-seated _________ of a father seeing his daughter when she was born.

My father has Alzheimer’s (老人痴呆症). He does not _________ express in words, so the sudden accuracy of his words _________ me.

Another Saturday, he points to a photo of me and says, “She’s smart.” Does he know the _________ person, 30 years older, is sitting beside him? It does not matter. At that moment I can feel his _________.

Now I bring a spoonful of yogurt to his lips. With a _________ hand, he touches me and says, “You’re very good. Thank you.” He totally forgets it was he that _________ me in lifting a spoon to my mouth.

These words are all he can give now. But they make me understand more _________ my generous father.

His door was always _________. Drop-in visitors were welcomed with a drink. He would not ____________ to give money to a family member in need. In the community, he ____________ his time to preserve the historical buildings.

Time, advice, money. There were many ways he ____________.

And he gives, still. The ____________ has taken much from my father. What’s ____________ are his words. It’s ____________ for him to find the right word and say it out loud. Yet he keeps going.

4 . Before I lived in Pakistan, I was always with my grandfather. We were never ___________: I followed him wherever he went. He would never get ___________ with me when I wouldn't learn to do things. He always tried to cheer me up anytime I was in a bad ___________. I thought we would always live together.

However, on the morning of June 20, 2009, when I was 5, I went to ___________ grandfather, but he wouldn't open his eyes. I was   ___________, thinking he was just playing a game with me, but after trying for a while, I started getting _________. When my parents arrived, they explained solemnly (庄重地) to me his body didn’t work anymore. Slowly, I began to understand but couldn't face the truth. I stayed ___________ in my room, not speaking to anyone.

My parents had to call a psychologist (心理医生). Sonia was very kind, showing deep ___________ towards me. She said it was understandable to feel sad about death, but that didn't mean that I ___________ doing things that I used to do. Soon I started playing with my friends and talking to my family. My parents were pleased with my ____________. When I told them the pain I was going through, my eyes were filled with the ____________ instead of tears.

Dealing with a death of a family member is ____________, so it's hard to know what the right thing to do is. My grandfather's death made me realize that my life must move on, and that if I ____________ my feelings, it would be hard for me to overcome the pain. I'm now starting to forget the ____________ details of the time that he and I spent together, but I will never forget him and the ____________ he gave to me.