I was born with no arms in a remote village. Life is difficult for me, and I’m not about to give up so easy. After years of efforts, now I can do things with my feet flexibly.

In 2013, my brother bought for me a smart phone. I was very excited, but I don’t know how to use at first. I cherished it a lot and spent much time on it. Now, I can use my toe tips to press the phone.

Seen local farm products couldn’t be sold out, I had an idea. In 2015, I opened the online store to sell farm products. Under my help, the products sold well online. So far, my online store has helped the villagers sell them products to many people across the country. I feel happy because the business helps lifting many poor families out of poverty.

2 . Most people need to hear those three little words “I love you”. Once in a while, they hear them just ________.

I met Connie the clay she was ________ to the hospice ward (临终关怀病房), where I worked as a ________. Her husband, Bill, stood nervously nearby as she was ________ from the gurney to the hospital bed. We got her ________ in, and I marked her name on all the hospital ________ she would be using.

Connie was a romantic. She loved soap operas, romance novels and movies with a good love story. As we became ________, she confided (吐露) how ________ it was to be married 32 years to a man who often called her “a silly woman”.

“I’d give anything if he’d say ‘I love you’, but it’s just not in his ________.”

Bill ________ Connie every day. As Connie had fewer ________ moments, I began spending more of my volunteer time with Bill. One clay,________ coffee in the cafeteria, I got him on the ________ of women and how we love to get ________ cards and love letters.

“Do you tell Connie you love her?” I asked, and he looked at me as if I was ________.

“I don’t have to,” he said. “she knows I do!”

“I’m sure she knows,” I said, “but she needs to hear it, Bill. She needs to hear what she has ________ to you all these years. Please think about if,” The day was ________ 12.

Two days later, Connie died at 11 A.M. When Bill saw me, he ________ himself to come into my arms for a long time. “This morning I fold her how much I loved her... and loved being ________ to her. You should have seen her smile!”

I went into the room to say my own ________ to Connie. There, on the bedside table, was a large Valentine card from Bill, the sentimental kind that says, “To my wonderful wife... I love you.”

It was International Women’s Day. I decided to give my mother the surprise. Immediately after school, she started to prepare dinner. It is the first time that I had cooked something on my own. Not knowing the exact procedure to cook, I read some recipe first. Keeping that I had learned in mind, I got down to cook. Almost an hour later, three simple but delicious dishes were ready on the table. No soon had everything been ready than my mother came to back. A big smile with both surprise and satisfaction spread on Mom’s face when she found the hearty dinner but the tidy room. At that moment, I took pride at what I had done.

5 . As a child, I had library phobia (恐惧症). I associated going to the library with doing research for a school project. I regarded reading as work, so going to the library for fun was out of my realm (范围) of ________.

Hard as they tried, my parents could not get me ________ reading. They purchased a few of the Hardy Boys books. The books collected ________ . The closest I came to ________   to read was “The Big Green Book” by Robert Graves. Its lead ________, a boy of about 8, discovered a book of magic spells. I was ________by it.

Spells were not in the book, but I drew an imaginary ________ circle in my bedroom, stood inside the circle and ________ my own spell. I never became invisible (看不见的), which was my ________ . This was my favorite book. I read it again and again. Certainly there was no ________ to go to the library.

________, I started reading novels in my 20s. To ________ going to the library, I joined the various ________ clubs. I didn’t mind having to buy a book a month ________ I didn’t have to go to the library.

My library phobia was ________ 23 years ago when my family moved to Long Island. The East Meadow Library became a(n) ________ destination for my family. My children were ________ to books through the children’s section with free programs that even I enjoyed. My children made ________, and I made friends with the parents.

As for “The Big Green Book”, I shared my ________ with my children when they were younger. The magic spells still didn’t________.

6 . James Bowen and a Street Cat

It all started in 2007 when James Bowen, a thirty-something drug addict (吸毒上瘾的人) who survived by playing guitar on the street, found an orange cat sitting in front of the door of his apartment.

Bowen noticed the cat was wounded. Without hesitating, the young man took him to the Humane Society and spent the little money he had on medicine to heal (治疗) him.

Shortly thereafter, the cat, who was healing and feeling much better, began to follow the musician when he left the house. Then one day the cat got on the bus that Bowen took to the place where he worked.

That’s how the cat, who had recently been named Bob, began to accompany his human friend to his musical performances. Bob’s mere presence attracted the attention of passers-by. He and Bowen would finish off each song with a high five. Pretty soon, the images of Bob wearing a scarf while sitting on the musician’s shoulder, or keeping him company while he played the guitar, began to go viral all over the world.

Eventually, the news found out about the pair and did a story for the magazine Islington Tribune. It was not long after that when a book agent appeared in their lives and gave them a chance to tell their story.

By then, Bowen, who had managed to get away from drugs, wrote a novel called A Street Cat Named Bob. He relates in great detail how meeting the cat changed him.

The book soon sold more than six million copies and even spread beyond the borders of the United Kingdom. In fact, it was translated into thirty languages.

Through all of these changing circumstances, Bob has always been with Bowen — on his shoulder. You can’t make up a story like this. But life always gives opportunities to those who know how to get hold of them. So if you are ever in a position where a cat has chosen you, don’t ignore it. You can’t imagine all the good that life may have in store if you decide to accept the proposal (提议).

7 . I was with my mom one day as we took a walk while window shopping. We both knew we wouldn't ________ much.

I remember I was looking up at the ________ we passed as we walked. Ladies wore five-inch heels and bright ________. An uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. I could ________ it no longer; I was ________ my mother.

We were in a high-class ________ — I knew that. We lived in a small, overpriced apartment building at the edge of our county. Mom chose to move there because she knew the schools were ________ . I realized for the first time that we didn't ________ there. I could see the ________ lines around mom's eyes and mouth. She wore cheap clothes and ________ shoes. My mom is nothing extraordinary, yet at that moment, she ________   because she was just so plain. I felt ________ about being at her side.

We were standing in the middle of a high-end store, and mom was ________ a sweater.

She said, “ This will look good on you. Do you want it?”

It was much expensive, but I almost ________ answered “ yes”.

Then I took a closer look at the small tired woman with a big smile and a ________ in her hands, happy to be giving me something so nice. My words ________ in my throat.

She looked so tired because she was busy working to ________ me. She didn’t wear jewelry or perfumes because she was content with ________ what little money she had on me.

Suddenly, mother was ________ and extraordinary wonderful in my eyes.

I was no longer ashamed of her, but of myself.

“ Do you want it?” my mom ________ .

“ No, thanks.”