1 . While driving in a small Colorado town, I stopped as a group of people crossed the road. As I watched, I ______ a thin, poorly dressed old lady taking a(n) ______ suitcase.

She managed to carry it for a few yards before setting it down on the ground. After trying several times, she was still ______ with it when the traffic started to move again.

Having experienced similar ______ in the past when traveling, I ______ alongside her and leaned over to call out through the window, “Excuse me. Would you like a ______?”

She stopped, gave me a ______ look and then started to walk hesitantly toward me, pulling her suitcase hard. “If you want to tell me where you’re going, I’ll ______ you off. That suitcase looks ______ heavy,” I said.

“Well, all right,” she answered in a ______ voice. And after we had both lifted her luggage into the back of my pickup, she ______ herself without a word on the front seat. My attempts at conversation were a ______, except for directions to her destination. When we arrived there and got her suitcase down, she ______ her hand into a pocket, saying, “What do I ______ you? I don’t have much.”

Surprised, I said, “Nothing. I was glad to be able to help.”

Her expression changed immediately, and she stared at me unbelievably. “Well, thank you, lady. No one has ever done me a(n) ______ like that before. God bless you.” Then she disappeared down the street, while something warm occurred in my heart.

2 . Mike Huddleston had flown from Maryland to San Francisco and needed to get to a rental car agency. But because of a neuromuscular (神经肌肉的) disease that weakens his muscles, he wouldn’t be able to _______ the stairs of the shuttle bus. As he was walking outside to meet his ride, he fell and couldn’t _______.

Due to his _______, Huddleston needed something to push up on, like a bench or a chair. But there was nothing around that fit that _______.

“Out of nowhere, I hear in my left ear, ‘What can I do to help?’” Huddleston _______ his head to see a man in his late thirties standing behind him. Huddleston described what the man could do to help him get off the _______. Once he got him up, the man _______ Huddleston’s baggage, which had rolled a few feet away when he fell.

This encounter _______ Huddleston because of the way the man offered that kindness. He took a(n) _______ to ask Huddleston how he could help. “Different people may need __________ in different ways,” Huddleston __________. “So asking them how you can help them is amazingly __________. It allows the individual who’s in need of assistance to maintain a sense of __________, to maybe feel a little less helpless, and maybe even a little less weak.”

It’s been more than 20 years, but Huddleston __________ to think about it to this day. “His willingness to help me — and the love and sympathy he showed in a very __________ situation — for me is something I will never forget.”

3 . Ethan Reynolds of Columbus, Indiana, has always been a helper.

The 11-year-old loves to ________ at a local nursing home and an animal shelter. ________ asking for toys or video games last Christmas, he wanted lawn mowing (割草) equipment so he could start his own ________!

When COVID-19 began, he ________ more people who were holding cardboard signs asking for food in his area. Thinking of his own $10, he ________ found a way to help. He ________ it by buying as much food as he could. ________ he put everything on a table in his family’s front lawn with a sign saying, “________ Food.”

When the neighbors ________ Ethan’s table, they started ________ their own donations, such as canned fruit and meat. Even better, his ________ was reported by a local news station, and soon, ________ were coming from all over the city to make donations of cash and goods! As Ethan’s table got larger, the ________ fifth-grader started up his lawn care service to bring in some extra ________ for his new charity. Of course, his neighbors were more than happy to ________ him to mow their lawns.

But Ethan’s mower kept ________ in the middle of jobs, so his community got together and decided to ________ him with a brand new push mower! When Ethan came home and saw it sitting in the driveway, he fell over with ________! We’ve never seen someone this ________ get so delighted over lawn equipment, but Ethan is no ordinary child. He’ll use it for a ________ he’s valued.

What a great kid! We know he’s going to put that mower to good use.

4 . Being part of a community can help people feel less lonely in life. Oliver Johnson is only 7years old, but he sometimes feels lonely and abandoned.

As Oliver’s birthday drew near, his mom Katherine Johnson ______ to do something to make her son feel ______ in society. Knowing Oliver loves ______ more than toys and video games, and always wants to sit behind the wheel, Katherine shared a simple post on Facebook ______ if any truckers would give her son a ______ in their trucks for $50. She hoped just one trucker would see the post and ______ . Later, Barry, the owner of a transportation company, saw Katherine’s ______ . Unexpectedly, Barry appealed to the truckers of his company to turn up for a truck rally (集会) in honor of Oliver’s birthday. Thirty-four truckers ______ right away. However, on the big day, more than twice that number ______ . Barry was very grateful for his staff members showing a lonely child what a ______ community looks like. “When it comes to kids, these truckers will always come out,” Barry said. Oliver was ______ surprised by the truck rally, and he couldn’t have been more ______ . “We all could sense he was surrounded by happiness,” said his father, Simon Johnson. “To be perfectly honest, the big day meant more than we could have ever ______ ,” he added, “‘thank you’ just doesn’t ______ what’s happened.”

None of the truckers accepted a cent for their time or expenses. It’s an act full of ______ ! Thanks to everyone who made this happen to the special kid.

5 . Kelsie’s grandmother always encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and try new things. The two of them were especially ______ because it was her grandparents who raised Kelsie rather than her parents. Sadly, her grandmother passed away last year.

One ______ her grandmother pushed her out of her comfort zone was ______ her to sing more, especially in public. Kelsie gave it a shot, but it didn’t turn out as she’d ______.

“I once tried to sing in church,” she said. “The music started playing and I just ______.”

Luckily, Kelsie didn’t ______. She took the American Idol ads as a ______ from her grandmother for her to take another chance on ______.

Taking this leap was no small courage for this ______ 18-year-old. As she grew up in the country and had never been on a plane before, just getting to the audition (试唱) would mean experiencing lots of ______. Not only was she about to ______ for the first time ever, but she was about to do so before ______ Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.

Kelsie chose to sing “Piece by Piece” by Kelly. All three judges were ______ by Kelsie’s voice. But the judges could tell Kelsie’s ______ held her back. After much encouragement, they asked her if she could sing the second song she had ______: “When We Were Young” by Adele.

At first, Kelsie’s ______ remained the same. But as Perry shouted out instructions to cheer her up, something ______ happened. Kelsie eventually walked out of her ______ and performed wonderfully. The judges were so ______ by her excellent first performance that they couldn’t help but say, “You are ______ going to Hollywood!”.

We can’t wait to see where Kelsie’s singing career takes her!

6 . Twenty-eight years ago, best friends Tom Cook and Joe Feeney made a promise to each other that whoever won the Powerball jackpot (强力球头奖), if they were so lucky, would share the winnings with the other. And that _______ to Tom who picked a ticket worth $22 million last June. He remembered his _______.

Tom bought the S2 winning ticket for the June 10 drawing. He was having breakfast the next morning and he froze when he read the _______. He handed the ticket over to his very _______ wife.

Tom said he remembered the promise he and Joe made almost three _______ ago. So he called his friend to share the _______ news. They made the promise to each other while _______ what they would do if they won all that money.

“He called me and I said, ‘Aren’t you _______, man?’” said Joe of his _______. “A handshake’s a handshake,” said Tom. What a ________ guy! Tom and Joe were ________ around $5.7 million each after paying taxes. They could now do anything they ________.They have no extravagant (奢侈的) plans about the ________ winnings, but both are looking forward to spending more time with their ________.

“We both got grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and we’re looking forward to spending time with them, not worrying about if we got time to go, and where we can go, and if we can ________ it,” said Tom.

7 . David and Candace recently welcomed their new baby, Luna. Before their daughter was born, the couple, who now _______ in California, had been preparing for the baby shower (迎婴派对) and sent out invitations via text messages.

_______ , a message was sent to Angela’s phone, who lives in Indiana. “I was _______ at first, but then I thought there was a reason why I got that _______ and invitation. I could and should do something lovely about it, ” said Angela, who runs a small business making and selling _______ .

“What better way to _______ the arrival of a new little one than with a baby blanket? So I _______ a super-soft blanket made from my own business with hopes that it would reach them, ” Angela said. Inside the special delivery, she included a note _______ the error and why she felt it necessary to do so.

David and Candace said they were blown away by Angela’s _______ and how someone they never ________ could be so generous to them from thousands of miles away. “ ________ indeed. People often get wrong number calls and texts, but most times, they’re ________ . Luna is just so blessed that a stranger sent her a(n) ________ . This is so crazy,” said Candace.

Being a mother of 4 children, Angela has ________ from acts of kindness throughout the years. She said being on the ________ end of that same kindness, shown to her family, is great.

8 . 37-year-old Kyle Semrau wasn’t feeling well when he arrived home on Monday morning after his night job. Surprisingly, his 6-year-old daughter, Macie _______ to go to school that morning. Her parents eventually gave in and allowed her to _______ home that day with her 4-year-old brother Caleb and her dad. They didn’t expect that _______ would end up saving Kyle’s life.

Kyle was soon feeling _______. Macie recalled hearing her father _______ start shouting. She and brother Caleb _______ to find him lying on the ground in the basement unconscious. “I don’t want to say this, but I thought he was going to _______,” said Macie. “I immediately Googled the Eliot Police for its number and _______ the police department.” Meanwhile, Caleb did what he could to comfort his dad until _______ arrived.

6-year-old Macie was able to ________ give the police their address, her dad’s name and age. After first responders arrived and ________, Kyle was rushed to hospital.

Kyle has now fully ________ and is grateful for all the help he received. “Just incredible all around. It’s ________ for children to look up to their fathers as heroes, but Macie is, and will always be my hero,” said Kyle.

The Eliot Police Department was also ________ with the little heroine’s actions. “Great job, Macie!!! It was her ________ thinking and swift action that saved her dad’s life,” said a police officer.

9 . Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges is celebrating becoming a grandfather and is also happy to be back in acting. But life wasn’t so ______ for him in 2021. He had to fight with cancer and suffered from COVID-19 ______ . Recently, he spoke about those hard days, and what kept him motivated (有动力的).

Life suddenly took a ______ turn for Jeff when one day he started getting pain in his stomach. His whole life ______ when a nine-by-twelve-inch tumor (肿瘤) was found in his stomach. ______ was started immediately and the tumor disappeared soon.

But in January 2021, both he and his wife Sue were ______ by COVID-19. Sue was able to recover in five days, while he ______ with it in hospital for months.

“COVID-19 made my cancer look like ______ ,” Jeff recalled. He couldn’t breathe properly and needed oxygen even to roll over in bed. His wife Sue was ______ that he might die.

“I was pretty close to ______ . The doctors kept telling me, ‘Jeff, you’ve got to fight.’ But I was about to ______ . I was ready to go,” said Jeff. But he remembered his ______ to his daughter to dance with her on her wedding day, which gave him the will to ______ back. And he eventually recovered. He was not only able to ______ with his daughter but was also happy to be reunited again with his wife and enjoy the second ______ at life.

10 . Ethan has always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. Recently, the 18-year-old got a ________ of what it really feels like to save lives!

It all ________ when Ethan and his two friends, Ryken and Jackson, both 17,were heading to a local basketball court. They looked up and saw ________ pouring from the Citadel Mews Retirement Home. Pulling over in their tracks, they ________ to the Retirement Home to see if they could help.

“We knew that the elderly people were struggling ________,” Jackson said.

The ________ teens first went to the rescue members. Learning that there were still people inside the building, they didn’t ________ to go in after them. Thinking nothing of their own ________ , they ran up to the fourth floor and began to carefully ________ the rooms.

“Knock on every door, say, ‘There’s a fire; everyone gets out,’” Jackson ________. “After that we’d open the door and take a ________ look through to make sure no one was in and go to the next ________.”

Smoke began to ________ the hallways, and the roof was in flames, but they were so focused on evacuating (疏散) everyone that they didn’t have time to be ________. “The only thing that was going through my mind was to get out all the people ________ in the building,” said Ethan. Soon he found an old lady ________ to make her way downstairs, and he picked her up and ________ her outside.

The three teens are receiving lots of ________, but they insist they were just raised to do what they thought was ________.

After this experience, Ethan said he is more convinced than ever that he wants to be a ________.