2 . The e-mail request came in to Ekiben restaurant in Baltimore late on a Thursday afternoon: tempura broccoli. The man who sent the e-mail was writing ________ his mother-in-law, who liked the dish very much. He went on to explain that she was now in the final stages of lung cancer at her home in Vermont and that he was hoping to get the ________ to make it for her there.

Steve Chu, one of the Asian restaurant’s co-owners, read the e-mail and quickly replied with an ________ suggestion. “Thanks for reaching out,” he wrote. “We’d like to meet you in Vermont and make it ________ for you.”

Brandon Jones, the son-in-law, was ________. “I e-mailed back, saying, ‘You do know that this is Vermont we’re talking about, right?’ ” says Brandon. “ But Steve responded, ‘No problem. You tell us the date, time, and ________ and we’ll be there.’ ”

That Friday after work, Chu loaded his truck and then ________ for Vermont with his business partner, and an employee. As soon as Chu and his team ________ the parking lot, they got to work. In addition to broccoli tempura, they made tofu with peanut sauce and fresh herbs and some steamed rice. After neatly ________ everything up, they knocked on their customer’s door.

“As soon as she opened the door, she ________ the pleasant smell,” Rina Jones, Brandon’s wife, says. Her mother also recognized Chu and his coworkers. She was so happy and touched to have that broccoli. She couldn’t believe it. As for Chu, he couldn’t help remembering his ________customer.

The Joneses invited Chu and his team to join them for dinner, but they needed to get back to Baltimore. Chu also wouldn’t accept any money from the family ________. “It was an honor to help ________ the family’s wishes.” Chu says.

Rina was happy that her mother was able to enjoy her beloved broccoli with a side order of remarkable kindness one last time. “My mom cried later about their ________, and so did I,” Rina says. “I’ll carry that positive memory with me ________.”

3 . John, 69, wanted to retire from running his small-town grocery store: However, he didn’t want to leave his local community without a grocery store to shop at. He was facing a(n) _______ .

John’s parents opened the store in 1940，and John _______ it over in 1985. When the store first opened, it was one of four grocery stores in town. Now, it’s the last one _______. Since there was no one in his family who could continue running it, John _______ selling it and put the store on the _______ three years ago. Although he got some attention, no _______ came in. _______ he pulled the store off the market, as he worried that whoever bought the building might not continue the grocery store, which would make life harder for people in the community — especially those without _______ to a vehicle.

Then last summer, Elizabeth, who grew up in a nearby town, _______ John with an idea. She offered to raise money to buy the store, with the goal of ________ it into a sustainable social enterprise. Thus, Elizabeth turned to local residents and they ________ . Local residents, as well as people with ________ to the town，donated.

In a matter-of months, the community ________ half a million dollars, which was enough for them to purchase the property and ________ the store.

Johnm for his part is ________ that his family’s legacy (遗产) will live on, and the residents will still have a local place to shop for fresh food.

There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of the 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

But that was impossible because there in the front row, slumped (萎靡不振) in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, his clothes were messy and constantly needed a bath. And, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in making his papers with a red pen, making bold Xs and then putting a “F” at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to relieve each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last.

However, when she relieved his file, she was surprised, Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. . . he is a joy to be around.”

His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates. But he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness (绝症) and life at home must be a struggle.”

His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tried to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest in him, and his home life will be in trouble.”

Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class.”

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful paper and tied with pretty ribbons, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson opened it in the middle of the other presents.

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

9 . Some people say he is a hero. Some people say he is stupid. Emmanuel Tulor thinks he did the _______ thing. The 18-year-old from Liberia found $50,000 on the highway. He gave it back to the _______ . Life in Liberia isn't _______ . The country went through 14 years of civil wars. Tulor dropped out of school in seventh grade and started driving a motorcycle taxi to _______ money. One day, he was _______ on the highway when he saw a bunch of money wrapped in a plastic bag. It had been _______ on the road unnoticed. There were thousands of dollars inside. “I was _______ because it was plenty.” he said, “and so I brought it home and gave it to my aunty to _______ until the owner could ask for it.”

That day, Musu Yancy, the businesswoman who had lost the money, went on the radio _______ for her money and appealing to anyone who found the money to return it. So he took it to her. Yancy gave him a(n) ________ of cash and some gifts, which was worth about $1, 500 in all. Yancy celebrated with Tulor.

Tulor said that while many Liberians are praising his actions, others couldn't ________ him. They said it might be a better ________ for him to save the money; they said Tulor should let the money help himself.”

Tulor ________ thinks he made the right choice. He thinks people should ________ lost things and the cash they find. Tulor planned to ________ the gifts with some people who were with him when he found the cash. “But the cash I got will be given to my grandma.” he said.

The Gratitude Jar

Once upon a time in a small town, there lived a woman named Emily. Emily was known for her warm smile and compassionate heart. Despite facing life’s challenges, she carried an atmosphere of gratitude that inspired everyone who knew her.

One day, Emily came across)an old, dusty jar in the comer of an antique shop. Interested, she picked it up and noticed a small label that read. "The Gratitude Jar. "The shopkeeper explained that the jar was meant for collecting moments of gratitude—tiny notes that captured the essence(本质)of thankfulness.

Excited by the idea, Emily decided to start a journey of gratitude. Each day. before the sun dipped below the horizon, she would sit down with her Gratitude Jar and reflect on the blessings of the day. From the warmth of the morning sun to the laughter of children playing in the park. Emily found joy in the simple things. She set down the joy in different tiny notes and put them into the jar.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Emily’s jar began to fill with an abundance of notes of gratitude. She was amazed at how her perspective on life had shifted. (Instead of thinking about what she lacked)Emily focused on the richness of what she had—the love of family. the support of friends, and the beauty of the world around her.

One chilly autumn evening, Emily faced an unexpected challenge. The news of a job loss cast a shadow over her sunny disposition. Feeling a mix of uncertainty and fear, Emily sat down with her Gratitude Jar. wondering if she could find anything to be thankful for in such a trying time.

As she read through the gratitude notes in the jar, something magical happened.

Two weeks after the application, she received a letter for her new employment.