1 . Employees working around the clock, cake pans shipped overnight from the supplier. For six weeks, Bill Hanisch of Hanisch Bakery in Red Wing, Minnesota, pulled out all the stops for high school seniors.

When COVID-19 shut down schools in Red Wing, seniors missed major important events. Bill realized they’d miss out on in-person graduation too. Graduation is the final vital moment of watching these kids grow up through school,“ he said. ”It’s even more important in smaller communities like Red Wing.“

Bill knew that kids didn’t always see what was special about their hometown, which was part of why he wanted to bake cakes for the high school seniors. ”I’m hoping that at their 10-year or even 25-year reunion, they’ll think it was pretty special,“ Bill said.

After receiving calls from parents and school administrators, Bill sat down to do the math. He usually sells cakes for $28 a pop to turn a profit but figured he could break even(收支平衡)selling graduation cakes for $15. He posted on Facebook that he would love to give cakes to graduating seniors in all the towns but couldn’t do it financially with the pandemic.

To his surprise, donations rolled in alongside orders. What began as an idea to celebrate the seniors of Red Wing quickly grew into a race to bake and deliver 1,200 cakes to 15 towns. Hanisch Bakery got to work. On May 19, Hanisch Bakery delivered its first round of cakes, to the happy graduates at Kenyon. Then May 20, another school delivery. May 22, two more schools. After that, the daily deliveries didn’t stop until June 11, the end of graduation season.

With the graduation season finally over, Bill looked over the numbers to survey the damage. After adding up all the donations, Bill realized he’d broken exactly even at $15 a cake. Did it keep Hanisch Bakery going through such hard times? Bill said happily. “That’s the icing on the cake.”

A little girl was worried that the Tooth Fairy (牙仙子) would not find her lost tooth on an airplane. Captain Josh stepped in and saved the day.

On a recent flight (航班) from New York to South Carolina, the 6-year-old girl Lena lost one of her bottom teeth. During the flight, she fell asleep on the plane, and when she woke up, the tooth was gone.

Their flight from New York to South Carolina was their last flight on a long travel day from Norway. Lena and her mother tried to go back through the security checkpoint to search the plane for her tooth, but it was 2 a.m. and the security was closed. Seeing Lena’s sadness, Captain Josh Duchow offered to write a note to the Tooth Fairy to explain the situation.

“Dear Tooth Fairy, Lena had a tooth fall out on her flight to Greenville. Please take this note in place of her tooth. Captain Josh”

Lena’s mom, Lauren Larmon, shared the pilot’s act of kindness on the Internet. “In a world which is full of bad airline stories, United Airlines came through when Lena fell asleep on her flight home and woke up without a tooth. Very worried that the Tooth Fairy would not show up because the tooth is somewhere on the airplane, the pilot saw Lena trying to go back through the security to get her tooth and helped her out. Thank you, Captain Josh! I’m sure that the Tooth Fairy will accept this note in place of a tiny tooth.”

Afterwards, Lena learned the Tooth Fairy had written back.

Two months later, a new tooth was coming in.

3 . A huge smile ________ across my face as I heard the shave (剃刀) near my head.

After seeing a family friend shave his head in Dad’s ________, I knew it was the right thing for me to do. When my dad died, I was ________.

Once a week, Dad would take me out for frozen yoghurt before we ________ to the local gym, lay down in the cool grass and listened to Coldplay’s songs. “Look at the stars,” he’d sing along, “look how they shine for you.” Dad was so ________ and funny. We were best friends.

When I ________ to shave my head, The Leukaemia Foundation (白血病基金会) wanted to share my story to raise ________. I was happy to help, went on TV and talked about it. As the day for the shave ________, I was so excited.

Mum helped to ________ the shave at a local cafe with other participants. But a week before it, we had to ________ it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I still want to shave my head,” I told Mum.

We decided to set up a live stream on the Internet so it could go ahead with friends watching on. My family took turns shaving my long hair as my stepdad Michael read out encouraging ________ from the community. “You’re an inspiration, Tanisha,” one had ________.

After 25 minutes, my hair was all over the floor and my head was ________ bald (秃的)! Next day, I found out that I’d raised just under $3,500, which was a great feeling.

My dad was an incredible person and I’m so happy I did something he’d be proud of. Hair can grow back but Dad can never be ________. If I can help prevent just one family going through what we have, it would all be ________ it.

5 . 98-year-old Mae Amburgey survived the historic 2022 Kentucky floods after her granddaughter shared an alarming photo.

Mae_________escaped with her life after her apartment was flooded. The water level rose to 4 feet, _________ her, her son Larry, in his seventies, and her grandson Gregory.

They tried _________ several times to call for help, as most of the phone lines were down due to the _________. Eventually, Gregory took a picture of his grandmother sitting on her bed with her legs dipped in the _________ water below and sent it to his sister Missy, who lives in Green Oaks, Illinois, and the instant she _________ the photo, it broke her heart.

She _________ this photo on a social networking website. _________ it, she wrote, “My grandmother, uncle and _________ are stuck in the house across from the high school. Anyone who has a boat around that area, please __________!”

The shot soon went viral (走红), attracting many people’s __________. There were emergency boats nearby, but they failed to come because they couldn’t __________ the large portion of floodwater with a powerful current (水流). Both Larry and Mae are __________, and young Gregory couldn’t help them __________ on his own. However, before the family lost __________, one kind stranger entered the __________ just in time as the water kept rising.

The man __________ the home and helped each person get out. The three men helped Mae out and swam against the __________ current to safety.

No one knows who the man was, and he __________ before anyone could thank him. We hope his __________ comes back to him in some way.

6 . In July of 2022, my parents and I were in Venice on holiday. At around one in the afternoon, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. As we were _________, a strong man with a long beard entered the restaurant. He was clearly _________, unsteady on his feet and slurring (含糊地说) his words. Seeing this, a young waiter, around 15 or 16 years old, came up to help him to a seat and take his _________. But the man pulled the boy towards him _________ and rattled off (飞快说出) his food choice in loud, unclear words. Puzzled, the boy took the order and ran into the _________. A few minutes later, the man began to get _________ and complained loudly. The boy appeared hurriedly and started _________ the man. _________ in his nervous rush, he accidentally knocked over a glass of water on the customer.

Suddenly, the angry man rose from his seat and raised his hand to _________ the boy. The boy was so __________ that he began to cry. The other __________ were watching the scene quietly. The other staff seemed __________ — the cashier looked on coldly; the cook __________ came out from the kitchen.

Just as the man was about to hit, a middle-aged man from a nearby table __________ and placed himself between the boy and the __________. A fight ensued (接着发生)— the drunken man __________ took out a knife, but the tall, well-built man pinned him down to the floor until he __________. Turning his attention to the boy next, the man held him until the boy __________ crying. He ordered a cup of tea for the boy, talking to him in a __________ voice until he felt better. Then, the middle-aged man __________ the bill and left the restaurant to thunderous applause.

7 . On the first morning of a new term, Jared remembered the things he didn’t like about school: Jessica, maths and reading aloud.

Jared _______ to stay at home, but his mom sent him anyway. He had to sit next to Jessica. At reading time, Mrs. Thomas asked Jared to read. Reading aloud always made Jared _______ . As he picked up the book, his hands shook. “He can’t read,” Jessica said. “I didn’t call on you, did I?” asked Mrs. Thomas. Jared made a _______ .

During the break time, Jessica whispered to him, “When Mom brings my cute kittens (小猫) to school for show-and-tell, don’t even think about _______ them.”

The four kittens arrived in a box covered with a piece of screen. Everyone except Jaredd held them. When Jared picked up his pen from the floor, he looked into the box, saying,

The four kittens arrived in a box covered with a piece of screen. Everyone except Jared held them. When Jared picked up his pen from the floor, he looked into the box, saying, “Stupid kittens.”

After show-and-tell, the children took out their maths books.

Then Philip said, “Hey, where are the kittens?” The box was _______ .

“Oh no!” Jessica cried and told Mrs. Thomas. “Jared said they were stupid.”

“I didn’t _______ it.” Jared’s face turned red.

“Look at the radiator (散热器)!” Angela said. Tiny grey paws pushed out from under the radiator cover. Alex yelled, “Kitten! ” But the kitten disappeared at once.

The bell rang, and the class went out for a break. When Jared passed the empty box, he saw kitten treats. He then had a(n) _______ . He threw the treats on the floor. A kitten came out. Jared waited until it was eating. Then another…Soon the other kittens were eating. Jared gently put them in the box. Mrs. Thomas put a book on the screen so they couldn’t run _______ again.

“Class, Jared helped the kittens out,” Mrs. Thomas announced. Everyone _______ .

“Thanks,” whispered Jessica. “You’re the greatest.”

Jared was so ________ that when he read, his hands didn’t shake. That day, Jared felt the new term might not be so bad.

9 . Jack has a very effective technique when he’s determined to get his way and he’s using it now staring at Suzannah, trying, she feels, to see into her soul. He doubtless can, of course, seeing as the very first day they met. He walked over to her and in that quiet yet confident way he had told her exactly what she was thinking.

“Look, Sure,” Jack says, in the soft, persuasive tone she’s never been able to resist, “we’ll only be borrowing it for two days. There’ll be no problem.”

Suzannah trembles inwardly. Jack wants to borrow her father’s car for the weekend while her parents are away, so they can take a group of friends to a party in a town 200 kilometres away. He won’t be insured to drive the car, and their no-doubt drunken friends will urge him on to drive ridiculously fast. He’s far from a safe driver.

“It’s not a good idea,” she resists weakly. “Imagine if we had an accident.”

“Suze. Trust me.” Again, the deep, warm look into her eyes and she’s near to giving in even though she knows she shouldn’t. She wants to please him. She’s about to agree when suddenly a small voice speaks up inside her.

“Suzannah,” the voice says, “you can’t allow this.” And she knows that for once she’s going to have to say no and do what’s right.

“No, Jack,” Suzannah says, surprised by how firm her voice sounds. “Just no.”

His eyes widen and he looks at her carefully. There’s a long pause and then his face breaks into a huge smile.

“Good girl,” he says, “you made the right decision,” and he kisses her gently on the forehead.

And with the warm kiss she knows that there is, after all, real hope for them.