2 . When I was in the eighth grade, my class was assigned (指派) to be friends with the second-grade kids. I got this little girl named Shelley. The first time I saw her, she was silent and cold. She was small for her age, and she didn’t play with the other kids in her class.

I tried all kinds of things to get her to talk to me. I bought her toys, crayons and candies. But try as I might, nothing worked. One time, I gave her a coloring book and said, “Shelley, now you can color at any time.”

Shelley looked at the coloring book and then looked up at me, and finally looked away. By that, I didn’t know how I was going to get through to the little girl, but I knew I wouldn’t give up on her.

One Friday, I decided to tell her a story about my childhood. I told her that I felt lonely when I was with my classmates, and how I thought only my teachers liked me. I also told her that every day was a battle (战役) for me and that I fought back tears so people wouldn’t know how much I was hurting.

She sat there just listening, trying to decide whether I was lying or not. Finally, when my story ended, there were tears in her eyes. And then she did the unthinkable. She said, “Thank you.” From then on, Shelley was a different little girl. She started smiling and talking with other kids.

Looking back at this, I’m in awe (惊叹), because all I did was to help her realize that she wasn’t alone. I didn’t ask her to tell her story, because her story is my story.

4 . While I was riding bike, I noticed a man about a half mile in front of me. He was traveling at a lower speed. I decided to _________ him. I had about one mile to go on the road before turning around.

I started to ride faster, and every block, I _________ closed the distance. Finally, I _________ him and passed him. He was not even _________ that we were in a race, but I felt like a _________.

After 1 made it, I _________ that I had been so focused on competing against him that 1 had _________ my turn, and that I had gone nearly six blocks past it and had to turn around.

Isn’t that what _________ in life? We spend most of our time competing with neighbors, friends and family, trying to beat them or trying to be more _________ than them—while in fact there was __________ a competition.

We spend most of our time and energy competing with others instead of reaching our __________, and we miss out on our own paths to our destinies(命运) as a result.

__________ competition is a continuous process, a never-ending cycle a race of life. No matter what you do, someone will always be __________ you: someone with a better job. a nicer car and more money.

Feel __________ for what life has offered you. Stay focused on your __________ and live a healthy life. There is no competition in destiny. Run your own race of life and wish others well!

5 . It’s hard to talk to dad sometimes. His silence about his feelings and thoughts made him mysterious and hard to see through. You could never break his hard shell and get to know him. And he seemed to want to stay that way too.

But a year ago when my relationship with my wife and career took a hit, I needed my dad to pull back the curtain so I could see him as real and accessible. I was facing serious problems, and I wanted to know whether he had faced them before and how he had found his way, because I felt like I had lost mine. In desperation, it occurred to me that sending an email might be the key, so I wrote him one, telling him about my regrets and fears, and I asked him to answer, if he felt like it.

Two weeks later, it showed up in my inbox: a much-thought, three-page letter. Dad, a 68-year-old retired technologist and grandfather of four, had carefully considered my message, and crafted a response. He mentioned his lost love, the foolish mistake he made in career and the stupid pride he had between him and his parents. He comforted me that “life will still find its right track despite many of its twists and turns.”

I closed the email and started to cry, because I wished I had opened up earlier but was grateful it wasn’t too late. I cried because at 33, in the midst of my own struggles, his letter instantly put me at ease. And I cried because in the end, it was so simple: I just had to hit “Send.”

We’ve since had many email exchanges. This increasing communication opened a door into his world. My problems haven’t been magically solved, but getting to know my dad better has made the tough stuff more manageable and life sweeter. It’s hard to talk to dads sometimes, but I’m glad I found a way to talk to mine.

6 . A beloved school worker received a special surprise last week at his retirement(退休)party. John Lockett, also called Mr. John, cried tears of _________ when the gentle old man was greeted by 685 _________ at Sand Hill Elementary School in Carollton, Georgia. “He was so surprised that he just _________ with the students,” headmaster Carla Meigs told Good Morning American. Finally, she said, “The scene was so _________. He is very modest, hard-working, and _________ to his job, so everyone loves him. ”

Mr. John was _________ to retire on May 24, but the school threw him a retirement party one week early. On that day, when Mr. John _________ for work as usual, he found the passage of the hall lined with students of that very school _________ there to wish him a very happy day! The students _________ him a crown and a cape and told him that it was “Mr. John Day”. Many students were __________ banners(横幅)and shouting “Mr. John Day! Mr. John Day!” while many others walked up to him to give him a __________! Mr. John, was truly touched by the surprise. “They are all like my __________. I love the kids,” Mr. John told Good Morning American. “It was the perfect day to __________ my retirement and make it about me.” “The school __________ so much to me, and I really love my job; it is for students,”he wrote in an email. The 83-year-old man had been a gatekeeper for more than a decade after previously having a __________ in construction(建筑).

7 . Becca was 6 when she was told she had cancer on Sept. 8, 2014. She clearly remembers the bad days of her 26 months of non-stop treatment. Luckily, Becca celebrated her final treatment on Nov. 13, 2016, and she has been cancer-free ever since. But she was thinking about what her life was like while experiencing the treatment.

“I was never able to do much, and that’s what the kids lying in their hospital beds right now experience, asking their mom and dad, ‘When are we leaving? When can I play with my friends?’ So I decided I have to help them.”

In February, 2017, Becca came up with the idea for Knots and Arrows, a company that makes bracelets(手镯)out of swimsuit materials. Part of the money made from each bracelet goes to the organizations that help people with cancer.

Becca created the company with her father, Gerhard Salmins. Gerhard Salmins once had cancer and already recovered from it. “I would be in the hospital sitting there crying and then my dad would come in and he would play games with me,” she said. “It made me forget about what I was going through.” Becca said the name of the organization shows the motto she stuck to through her personal cancer journey.

Her organization has already given thousands of dollars to research organizations and families in need. Becca said she hopes her bracelets will make people remember that great things can result from small changes. “No matter what age you are, what you look like, how you act, you can make a difference.” she said.

8 . A man was driving home when he saw a car stuck on the side of the road. So, he_________behind the car and got out. Even with a smile on his face, the lady was still_________. He said, “I’m here to help you. By the way, my name is Bryan.”

All the problem she had was a_________tire (轮胎), which was bad enough for a lady. Bryan helped change the_________, making hands dirty and hurt. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her_________. She asked him how much she owed him. He never thought twice about the_________.This was helping someone in_________.

He waited until she_________her car and drove off. It was a cold day, but he felt_________as he headed for home.

Halfway the lady stopped to grab a bite to__________at a small cafe. A waitress came over with a sweet smile. The lady__________that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant (怀孕). After the meal, when the waitress went to get the__________for her hundred dollar bill, she left__________. The waitress found the words on the napkin under which was four $100 bills — “Somebody once helped me out, and I won’t let this__________of love end with me.”

That night when the waitress got home, she shared the story with her husband and whispered, “With the__________due next month, it may be hard, but everything’s going to be all right, Bryan.”