3 . It took me a long time and a lot of hard work but I finally returned to the University of Texas in the fall of 1983 — a year and a half after almost dying.

The next few years in Austin were very ______ and busy but very full for me, for besides attending classes at the University I ______ therapy (治疗) three to five days each week at Brackenridge Hospital. I have experienced too many sufferings. ______ , I truly believe that in order to see beauty in life you have to ______ some unpleasantness.

I thought of my family and Sharon who believed so ______ in me as I climbed the steps to receive my ______ from the Dean (院长) of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas on that bright sunny afternoon in June of 1986. Excitement and ______ filled my heart as I heard the dean ______ that I had graduated ______ “highest honors”.

On May 24, 1987, I realized that nothing could ever ______ the joy I felt as Sharon and I were ______ . To me, Sharon is my miracle in a world ______ problems, hurt, and pain are seen everywhere. It was her faith and love that ______ me through so many ______ days. While other nineteen-year-old girls were going to parties and enjoying life, Sharon ______ her life to my recovery. That, to me, is the true definition of ______ .

I couldn’t help but think how ironic (讽刺的) it was that my life almost ______ in a convenience store and now at 3：10 p.m. July 11, 1990, Sharon and I ______ the birth of our beautiful daughter, Shawn Elyse Segal!

At that moment I ______ God for blessing us with the greatest ______ of all — Shawn Elyse Segal.

6 . Nicholas Bostic was on his way to get gas one night when he saw some flames rising from the front of a house in Lafayette, Indiana. He stepped on his_______, turned his car around and pulled into the driveway. Then he,_______he’d left his phone at home and couldn’t dial 911.

The_______man jumped out of his car and tried to_______another driver, but the person just_______him, driving away. He ran to the back of the house alone, found an/a_______door, and rushed inside. All he saw was smoke.

“Anybody here? Get out! Get out! Fire!” Bostic_______.

He didn’t hear any_______and was about to leave when he saw a/an_______at the top of the stairs with some younger kids. Seionna Barrett, 18, was babysitting her three________while their parents were out. Bostic________everyone outside, but then Seinna told him a baby was________. He searched________for the baby in the next few________ . Eventually, when he got to the stairs that led downstairs, he heard some weak________. The staircase was full of smoke, and the heat seemed________, so he hesitated for a moment before rushing down the stairs. Invisibly, he________his breath and followed the crying in the________, until he reached the baby and quickly rushed her out.

________, Bostic had saved four girls in under 15 minutes. There’s only one way to ________his devoted deed: courageous and heroic.

7 . Brave daughter Neve, aged seven, and son Billy, five, saved their mum's life after calling 999 to say "mummy's dead". A proud mum was _________ by her young kids after she fell down the stairs and knocked herself out. Neve found her phone and _________ called 999, while anxious Billy who _________ her a blanket as the mum _________ unconscious was saying, "My mummy is dead." Ambulance service chiefs gave a lot of _________ to the children, describing Neve as "very brave".

The mum said she remembered going upstairs at her home that morning, but after that everything went _________ and she estimated she had been black out for half an hour. Neve told the operator, "I need _________ for my mummy. She's not awake." _________, Neve was able to give the ambulance service her full _________, and counted her mum's breaths for the __________.

Rebecca, who is diabetic (糖尿病患者) and has had four __________ on her back in the last two years, said, "I've always __________ them that if anything happens, this is what they have to do. She listened to everything." Neve even had the presence of __________ to call a friend of Rebecca's and a neighbour as the drama __________. "Billy went to get a blanket, he's a very __________ little boy."

The mother said it __________   the value of being prepared, and said paramedics (急救人员) were full of praise for Neve and Billy for their incredible __________ to the crisis. An ambulance service spokeswoman said, "We'd like to say a very big well done to the little girl for her __________ thinking to help her mum! We would encourage parents and __________ to teach their children about 999 using our __________ campaign called Little Lifesaver."

10 . “You brought home such a big dog on Christmas Eve? She’s not coming into my house.“ I said as they came. But my husband was happy to have the dog. From what he described, she had been neglected and tied to a tree. Her owners had to get rid of her because they were moving, so my husband brought her along.

I’m not against animals, but my work in emergency medicine let me see plenty of “the dog never bit anyone before” cases that I didn’t want repeated with my two-year-old. My husband adapted an area in the barn for her. He fed her in the morning before work and took her out in the evening. She was well-behaved. Still, I wasn’t taking chances with my child.

As the seasons passed, I started to feel bad for Brandy being stuck outside all the time. She seemed kind and gentle. Day after day, I would notice Brandy in her little space, alone, watching the house. The guilt was eating at me.

As my daughter grew a little older, I decided to let Brandy inside. She was a perfect house guest, showed no sign of aggression (进攻) and even became buddies with one of the cats. We made up for lost time with treats and soft beds. Once she moved into our house, she became a member of our family. We took her camping and found her to be great at traveling. She never caused a single moment’s trouble. As she became senior, I found a little dog Shirley through a rescue. We took Brandy to meet her, and Brandy played with the puppy, making it clear that there would be no problems bringing the young one home.

Brandy’s patient, gentle spirit showed me that you can’t judge a book by its cover—or a dog by its reputation. By opening my mind, I learned the truth about her. I’m so thankful for Brandy and the way she touched our lives, and the lessons she taught me.