1 . Julie and Jimmy Johnson are no strangers to dogs. They have three of their own that _________ sleep in the bed with them in their home. But recently, the couple woke up to find a large tan dog _________ between them that was not one of their own.

It didn’t take much time after that to realize that the strange dog was not a _________, but instead a cuddle bug (伴侣). After taking a look at the dog and realizing it must have had owners who took care of it, Julie started taking some _________ of the unusual and funny situation. She then _________ a few photos to Facebook asking her friends if anyone _________ the dog.

It didn’t take long before Julie received a _________ from a person saying they were the dog’s _________. It turned out that the dog, whose name is Nala, had _________ out of her collar (项圈) while on a walk and ran into the woods the previous day ahead of large thunderstorms in the area. After a quick photo __________, one of Nala’s moms was on the way to __________her.

“Shame on Nala for somehow __________ a stranger’s house and __________ their personal life. __________ , the couple thought it was hilarious (欢闹的) and they aren’t even __________ about it.” Cris Hawkins, one of Nala’ s owners, wrote on Facebook.

In the end, there were no __________ feelings and the owners have since had a play date with all four dogs __________ the fact that they are __________ no more.

The only __________ that remains is how __________ Nala got into the house without any of the other dogs barking.

2 . Sarah Ramadan had always been a perfectionist to draw more attention from others. “It’s hard to say if I ever did things for myself,” she said. Her drive for perfectionism even influenced her body. “I thought I would be a better person if I lost weight since that meant I cared for my figure,” she said.

Ramadan started to make changes, slowly by cutting food intake (摄入).However, things began to get worse and she developed anorexia (厌食症). “Gradually, I was having greater food fears. I related weight increase with shame,” she said. The extreme weight loss seriously affected her health. She was always freezing, had dry skin and thinning hair, and developed an irregular heartbeat and low blood sugar.

To hide her weight loss, Ramadan wore thick clothes. Then one day her mother walked in her room while she was only in a T-shirt. Her mother began to cry. Only then did them other know her poor condition. Realizing the trouble, her parents placed her in a treatment center. Ramadan’s weight increased, and she looked recovered, but mentally she was still fighting with anorexia. After half a year, her weight went to the lowest again and she could no longer walk without her mother’s support. She left university for that.

Ramadan finally realized she had a choice to make: To beat her anorexia or to die. She turned to her brother, Aladdin, a bodybuilder for help, who set up a meal plan to increase her food intake. “I knew I needed to eat to gain weight, but eating is actually physically exhausting when you’re not used to it. I had to learn how to enjoy food again,” said Ramadan. She started to feel a difference and was motivated to continue. In addition, Ramadan also hit the gym to build herself up physically. She said, “Where there is a will, there is a way. I eventually make it. Not only did I get weight, but most importantly, I got life.”

3 . Niu Yu, 24, became a shining star at Shanghai Fashion Week for her confident attitude while walking down the catwalk with a prosthetic (假肢的) leg. “She is so cool and so pretty.” Many audience made such comments on her first performance on the stage. But actually, she was so nervous on the night before the event that she wasn’t able to fall asleep. The next morning, her friend reminded her of a message from another disabled girl, reading “Although we are not perfect, we are still pretty”. It gave her much courage to put a punch (痛击) in the nose for prejudice against disabled people. When the other models appeared, the audience cheered and applauded, but when it was Niu’s turn, the venue suddenly fell silent Niu recalled that after some seconds, she clearly heard a female audience sigh in admiration, “so cool!” Through the activity, Niu wants to convey a message to the world, “People should respect people with difference and allow them to shine.”

Niu lost her right leg after she was buried for three days during the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake. She was 11 years old then and a member of the school track and field team.

This is not the first time that Niu has been in the public spotlight. She first drew people’s attention when she finished a marathon in 2018, which was held in Wenchuan on May 12, in memory of the 10th anniversary of the earthquake. The day was also Niu’s 21th birthday. She suddenly realized that she could have a beneficial impact on the lives of others.

Niu now works as a photographer and often uploads video clips from her life on short video platforms such as Douyin, where she has more than 850,000 followers. She explained that she shares her experiences to help society at large better understand disabled groups. “I feel I have a social responsibility to connect the disabled with the public. Showing my life to the public can allow them to become familiar with our group and also can tell other disabled people that society is more tolerate than they imagined.”

5 . Porras and her daughter Elena have been taking weightlifting classes together for five years, though Elena is paralyzed (瘫痪) from the waist down.

When Elena was born, she was diagnosed with a cancer which ______ from immature nerve cells. This resulted in her ______ to walk. Porras was in such a(n) ______ that she needed to see a psychiatrist (精神科医生) herself. She was ______ to create a long-term plan for life and start ______. A local health club trainer recommended weightlifting.

Once Porras started attending the strength training classes, she ______ Elena with her, “She saw me become ______ again and start to have my community. I wanted her to be a part of that, too.” Now Elena does ______ training with her mom. Together, they have become stronger, both mentally and physically.

Out of their expectation, a miracle ______. Months ago, Porras was about to ______ Elena into the car from her wheelchair, but had to go back to ______ the door. “When I turned around and found her in the front seat, I was ______.” Porras said. “I got in by myself, Mom... I’m ______ like you.” said Elena.

Today, Elena is in a survivorship clinic and ______ numerous tests to get her health ______. However, as Elena gets older, they have to face more ______. Luckily, all of her efforts ______. “Each year I find myself more ______ and mentally stronger,” said Porras. Meanwhile, Elena’s workouts have ______ her growth. “You can be happy or sad, but I ______ to be happy.” said Elena.

6 . The steps at the back of David Olson’s house in Norton Shores, Michigan, were breaking off and had to go. So one day last July, Olson started to do some repair work. He was surprised to see that the ground underneath was sand, not dirt. Even more surprising, there were three bowling balls in the hole he’d made. “No way,” Olson said out loud.

All afternoon, Olson dug out sand and bowling balls. As Olson reached the last step, he counted the balls and was shocked to get 158. The balls Olson dug up are Brunswicks, a bowling products company near where Olson lives. But how did so many of them get into the ground behind his house?

A local woman named Judy had a theory. Her husband had worked at Brunswick for 48 years, testing bowling balls to make sure they were qualified. He told Judy that sometimes homeowners would use unqualified balls as filler for their backyards. Sand and bowling balls wouldn’t be legally accepted, but the combination is structurally sound. Most highways are built using the same basic principle, with pavement (路面) over a rock foundation.

And that wasn’t the end of it. Weeks after posting his find on Facebook, Olson heard a local restaurant asked to use the balls in a bowling match. In exchange, Olson and his wife could play for free.

Neither of them had bowled in years, but they struggled for a win in their first match. Then they won again. As David and Megan Olson kept winning, they started to believe that these bowling balls were more than just a strange backyard discovery but an amazing gift.