2 . In a heartwarming tale from Georgia, a 72-year-old senior recently celebrated his college graduation in cinema studies, an achievement made even more special by the presence of his proud 99-year-old mother.

Sam Kaplan of Lawrenceville decided to start on his educational journey at Georgia Gwinnett College in 2019, half a century after he had firstly chosen not to get higher education following his high school graduation in 1969. The catalyst for his return to academia came when he heard a radio announcement about a degree programme in cinema studies.

Recalling that moment, Kaplan said, “I was driving down the highway when I heard about the degree programme. The next exit led to Collinsville, so I immediately exited, and within five minutes, I was enrolling in classes. I’ve always had a passion for writing and storytelling. I longed to transform my narratives into screenplays, but I realized I needed the basic knowledge to do so,”

Kaplan admitted that the journey was a mix of anxiety and excitement, but it proved to be greatly rewarding. He graduated with a 3.975 grade point average and perfect grade honours, majoring in cinema and media arts, and had desires to continue creating screenplays in the future.

“It was an exciting and nerve-wracking (神经紧张的) challenge. Re-recognizing myself with the art of studying and communicating with fellow students was a lot of fun,” he told FOX5 Atlanta.

The most heartwarming thing of Kaplan’s graduation day was the presence of his mother, 99-year-old Virginia Kaplan, during the ceremony. Virginia expressed her huge pride, saying, “I am so proud of him. He faced numerous challenges but insisted, and I am delighted, pleased, and extremely proud,” the mother also added. “With his new degree, he’s going to stand out in whatever he does. Who knows, I might even make an appearance in the movies.”

3 . An unpleasant smell floated into my nose as the bowl of fried stinky tofu settled onto my grandmother’s dinner table. I immediately sat back. The smell ruined my appetite, and I pushed the dish away.

“It’s supposed to stink. Just give it a try!” my grandmother said.

Holding my breath, I unwillingly took a bite. To my surprise, the tofu beneath the fried skin     was warm, soft, and mouthwatering. Thus, stinky tofu became more than a household tradition. It became my favorite dish.

Along with the stinky tofu, I would meet my Uncle Chan on every visit. As an immature boy, I never understood my uncle’s condition of Down syndrome(唐氏综合征).He was an unfriendly and terrible creature in my eyes. He constantly walked around the house, talking to himself. Whenever he was within view, I would run away in fear.

However, one day, my view of my uncle suddenly changed. I was just getting out of my bed when I heard soft steps approaching. It was my uncle. My muscles froze. He slowly sat next to me and touched my face gently, as a mother would stroke (抚摸)a baby. A wide smile emerged from his blank expression. How beautiful his smile was! I could not help but smile back. My fear disappeared gradually, and my muscles relaxed.

My uncle very much resembles stinky tofu. Stinky tofu smells unpleasant on the outside, yet feels warm and soft in the inside. Like stinky tofu, my uncle’s Down syndrome made me keep my distance at first. Yet, I learned that deep inside, he is harmless and has a loving nature.

The outside and inside of the stinky tofu exist as two extremely different worlds. Perhaps that is what makes it such a tasty dish. Not only is it delicious, stinky tofu offers a valuable lesson: never judge people at first glance, for true beauty comes from the inside.

8 . A couple in Ohio accidentally dropped off a bag containing almost $ 100,000 at an Ohio charity shop. Thanks to_______employees, they got money back.

The employees were going through_______last week when they came across a_______. Inside was $97,004. “It was so much cash,” employee Kelsey Croy said. “I looked in the bag and we_______ it right there on the desk. And it was $97,004.” Thankfully , the owner_______a receipt for tax purposes when they donated_______that morning. The employees_______called the couple but there was no_______ .

Not wanting to_______that amount of cash in the store, they called the Zanesville Police Department.________ repeated calls, officers finally got a hold of the couple. The couple hadn’t realized the money was________. They told the police they withdrew all their money to another bank. On the way, they________at the charity shop to donate a bag of clothes. That’s________the money ended up there. “When we finally________them, they just asked if they could get it sometime tomorrow,” the officer said.

The couple has since made contact with the original ________who found the money to thank them. “I’m just glad that I meet with a bunch of honest and loyal people,” Croy said.

9 . Draper was the owner of a secondhand bookstore. One day, when he was sorting through a pile of old books, an envelope _______ from one. Inside was an undated letter and a faded photo of a woman holding a little girl on her lap. The letter said if Bethany was _______ it, it meant the author had died.

Tears were welling up in Draper’s eyes. These were a _______ woman’s last words to her child. He had to _______ Bethany. “Whoever it is will keep this.” he thought. “You wouldn’t throw away a letter like that.”

He supposed if the book ended up in his shop then Bethany was likely from around Bishop Auckland. And he thought he would _______ the little girl’s face. Even if she’d since left the area, there might be someone in the town who would recognize the picture.

He started with the local newspaper. The Northern Echo ran the story of the _______ letter.

Meanwhile, Bethany Gash, now 21 and a(n) _______ herself, was on Facebook about 10 miles away when a close friend messaged her to check out the _______. As she read her mother’s _______ which she thought had been lost forever, she said she thought she must be ________.

Bethany was only 4 when her mother ________. Five years later, her family moved to a new home and the letter, put away in the pages of a book for safe keeping, was unintentionally ________.

She remembered unpacking and looking for the letter, and then ________ searching through everything in the hope that it was there. “That’s when I realized it was gone and I’d never see it again,” she said.

Draper ________ the letter in person. He also brought her a children’s book for her son. Bethany was greatly moved to have the letter back, and also touched by the stranger’s ________.

“Goodbye, Mum and Dads, don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything!” Carly waved from the front door of the shop as her parents drove off. They were headed for a well-deserved vacation from their candy store, and Carly had promised them she’d be able to run it by herself.

Her parents didn’t quite agree, however, so they compromised by having Carly’s Aunt Maggie come over and help. Aunt Maggie didn’t have any experience running a store, but Carly did, and at least her aunt would be good company. Carly put on her pink shop apron (围裙) and removed a white one from a hook, handing it to her aunt. “Please put this on. The main job is to serve customers, but we also make some of the candy ourselves. Dad and Mum did most of the work already, but we have to finish up a few things. I’ll show you.” Carly took her aunt behind the counter and over to where the family made some of their own candy, such as fresh fudge (软糖), cotton candy, and ice cream. They had lots of delicious flavours to choose from. Aunt Maggie took a little bite of the chocolate mint-flavouted fudge, saying. “It’s delicious.”

“It’s good, but… unoriginal.” Carly said, “We can do better.” Before Aunt Maggie could question what she meant. Carly went into the kitchen, coming back with her hands full of items. She spread them on the work surface. “I want to create new flavours and our customers should try something new, something innovative.”

Aunt Maggie’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the items. Brussels sprouts (球芽甘蓝). Flaming Hot Chili Sauce (辣椒酱)… “Are you sure they can be added into fudges or ice creams?” Aunt Maggie shook her head in disbelief. Carly looked at her aunt, saying that it would work and the cold would perfectly balance out the spicy sauce.

After a while, today’s new specials were done—Brussels sprout fudge, barbeque-flavoured cotton candy, hot sauce ice cream… Carly looked at them proudly but Aunt Maggie disbelieved and said. “I just wish our customers would like them.”

They put up a sign in front of the store showing the new flavours.

But to her delight, the two boys came back, followed by a crowd of kids.