3 . When Nicole George—O'Brien was 16, she began having seizures(癫痫). Her doctors tried some treatment, but they didn't ________ the problem. So when she was 21, she had brain ________ . That stopped the seizures, and her life went back to ________ . Five years later, she was driving over the San Mateo Bridge when suddenly it ________ like a thunderclap: another seizure.

"When I woke up in the hospital and ________ what had happened, I was really worried that I had hurt someone," George—O'Brien ________ . "And that was the first thing I asked the nurses and the doctor: "Did I hurt someone?"

The medical staff told her that a ________ had seen her having a seizure and ________ . He directed traffic around her car and made ________ no one was hurt.

"I didn't hit anyone ________ they didn't hit me, which is a ________ ," she said. No one knew the man's ______ , and to this day, George—O'Brien doesn't know anything more about him. She thinks he ________ drove off after the ambulance took her to ________ .

"He clearly ________ my life, and probably the lives of several people on the freeway that morning," she said. His actions ________ George—O'Brien's thinking about what she wanted to do with her life. She went on to become a therapist(治疗专家), a decision that she ________ to the kindness the unknown man showed her that day.

"It contributed to my ________ to do a type of work that also gave care and ________ ," she said. "I've had a great life, and I feel incredibly ________ to him for allowing that to happen."

4 . Never will Kate Baker forget her frightening traveling experience. She and her husband. Bob, were heading to Europe with their 2-year-old son, Neil. "When we got on the plane in New York, all three of us were healthy," she said. "But halfway over the Atlantic Ocean, Neil started to get very warm, and his face was red." Then Neil began foaming at the mouth.

"The flight attendants were going up and down the aisle（过道）, asking anyone if they were a doctor," Kate recalled, "No one would come forward. And then the pilot started announcing, ‘Is there a doctor on board and should I turn this plane around?’ And again, no one came forward."

"When noticing Neil could hardly breathe, I think I must have gone into shock because I couldn't feel anything, and I couldn't speak," Kate said.

Then three women got out of their seats and approached where she was standing in the aisle. They came up to her and put their arms around her. They started speaking to Kate in a language that she didn't understand.

"The tone of their voice was so, so soothing, and they stood there with me with their arms around me." said Kate.

They eventually landed in Amsterdam. But they quickly booked another flight home to New Jersey. They went right to a doctor, who discovered that Neil had just had an ear infection. His symptoms（症状）had probably been due to a rapid increase in his body temperature.

The doctor treated him for the ear infection, and everything was fine. Kate never forgot those women and how supportive they were. She said, "I will never forget them and what they did for me. We may not speak the same language, but it doesn't matter to me because we can connect on a very deep human level."

6 . A big company wanted a manager, so John went there. In the interview the director asked him a question. “Who paid for your school fees(学费)?” “My mother paid for them by washing clothes.” Hearing this, the director asked John to show his hands. John showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect. The director said, “When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

When John went back, he happily asked his mother to let him clean her hands. However, his tears fell as he cleaned his mother`s hands. It was the first time he noticed that there were so many bruises (伤痕) in his mother’s hands. After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, John quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

The next morning, John went to the director’s office. The director noticed the tears in John’s eyes and asked, “Please tell me your feelings.” John said, “First, I know what appreciation (感激) is now. Without my mother, I would not be successful. Second, by helping my mother, now I realize how difficult it is to get something done. Third, I have realized the importance of family relationship.”

The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager. You can get the job.”

8 . Sam was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself to find a better-paying job.

Except for Sundays, Sam hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with a better life. Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them.

The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Sam passed with an impressive performance! Soon after, he was offered a better job which paid handsomely. Sam could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and a vacation abroad. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. To make himself a worthy candidate for the promotion, he registered another course in an open university. Sam’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Delightedly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough. It would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a larger apartment.

Sam resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see him much of the time, Sometimes Sam had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. As expected, Sam’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful apartment with amazing scenery overlooking the coast.

From then on, he was able to devote more time to his family. It was time for him to enjoy the fruits of his labor finally.

I watched my dad scowl (绷着脸) as he listened to the voice coming through the telephone receiver. I heard him say, “Yes, Miss Beisner,” and “I understand what you’re saying, Miss Beisner. I appreciate you sharing this information. We’ll see what we can do about the situation. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.”

Miss Beisner was my first-grade teacher, and I loved her. I thought she felt the same about me, but now I was beginning to wonder. The tone of Dad’s voice, the redness in his cheeks, and his repeated clenching. And unclenching of fists made it pretty clear. This was not a warm and fuzzy good news-from-the-teacher call.

As I was deciding whether I should lock myself in my bedroom for the rest of my life or run away from home, Dad hung up the phone. “Jacquie, come here and sit down. We need to talk.”

Uh-oh. When Dad said, “We need to talk,” it meant he needed to talk, and I needed to listen.

I shuffled (拖着脚走) over to the well-worn brown chair in the corner of the living room, plopped down, and waited to hear the nature of my crime.

Dad told me that Miss Beisner thought I was bright but not working up to my ability. She said I had strong verbal skills but weak study habits. Translation: I never closed my mouth, and I seldom opened a book. Apparently, my failure to memorize the addition facts, or even attempt to, was more than she was willing to put up with. Hence, the telephone call.

Dad ended our one-way conversation with a verbal outline for his plan of attack. Bubbles, our Toy Manchester Terrier, was going to teach me math. Silently, I thought, No way is any dumb dog going to teach me how to add, not even our beloved Bubbles. Out loud, I said, “How?”

Dad summoned Bubbles from her bed near the stove and commanded her to sit. “Bubbles,” Dad said, “how much is five plus three?” Bubbles let out eight loud, crisp barks.

I was incredulous (满腹狐疑的). I couldn’t understand how a dog could add, and I was more than a little embarrassed by the fact that the family dog was smarter than me.

Paragraph 1: After that, I threw myself into math with newfound determination.

Paragraph 2: One day, I asked Dad whether Bubbles really knew how to add.