1 . As a little kid I always asked to be held up in the air. So I could ________ down upon my mom’s washing machine and was attracted by clothes swimming in ________ in the soap water. I loved watching clothes being ________ so much. My mom and her mother ________ my passion by taking me shopping, involving me in fine clothes, and teaching me how to ________ them.

My love of washing clothes only ________ as I grew older. I learned how to wash and dry my own clothes properly before I was ten. In my ________ , I taught myself how to iron ________ , creating razor-sharp lines in my trousers. As time went by, with a love of dry-clean-only clothes but on a tight ________ as a college student, I asked my textiles (纺织品)professors if I could wash my wool sweaters myself rather than pay to get them dry-washed. To be ________ , I suspected I could. People had been wearing wool clothing since long before the invention of dry cleaning, ________

What I learned from my professors were not just the ________ but “love languages”—ways to ________ and experience love. Caring for your loved ones’ clothes shows them love. When their ________ are clean, smell wonderful, and look great, they are going to feel as if they can take on the world, and their days are going to be all the ________ .

2 . I recently spent a week on the Greek island of Ikaria with my partner, exploring the secrets of the locals’ healthy and happy lifestyle. It was a (n) ________ break from the fast-paced world, and we learned a lot about the ________ of slowing down and enjoying life.

One of the first things we ________ was how relaxed life was on Ikaria. Unlike the ________ rush of modern society, the locals took things ________, enjoying long meals with friends and family, taking a ________ in the afternoon, and spending lots of time outdoors. While they worked hard when they ________ to, they also knew how to take breaks and ________ the simple pleasures of life.

Food played a big role in their healthy lifestyle, too. The island’s Mediterranean diet ________ fresh vegetables, fruits, and seafood instead of red meat and carbohydrate (碳水化合物), and we enjoyed delicious meals at local restaurants. The amount was small, but the flavors were ________, and we noticed that the locals ________ to snack on healthy options like nuts and seeds.

Exercise was also a big part of life for the native people on Ikaria. The hilly landscape provided plenty of opportunities for ________, and we even joined a group of locals for a morning yoga session on the beach.

________, our time on Ikaria taught us the importance of prioritizing (优先) self-care and taking things at a lower ________. While we may not be able to ________ the exact lifestyle of the locals back home, we can certainly include some of their habits into our own lives.

3 . The great philosopher Plato said, “Happiness springs from doing good and helping others.” It means that giving help to people in need can also bring _________ and enjoyment to ourselves. Here is my story.

The other day, I heard that Doreen, an old _________ in my community, developed a serious disease and she needed someone to drive her to the hospital. I _________ gave her a hand. On the way home, I happened to know that it was also _________ for her to go to the grocery store because of her _________ health conditions. I _________ to take her shopping on Saturday mornings. It was on the countless Saturday mornings that Doreen _________ me to the fantasy world of paintings. What _________ me most was her unique insight into the art and active attitude towards life. I _________ felt life was even happier. Every Saturday was another gift.

One Saturday morning just before Doreen __________, she weakly said to me: “Mary, I really enjoy your __________ in my last 2 years. I’m so lucky to have you in my life. You are my angel!” Her last words deeply __________ me! It was the first time that I was __________ of the value and significance of my life.

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones __________ us every day. My happy __________ with Doreen always remind me that a small kind act can also make a big difference.

4 . Megan King is a waitress and she recently saw an elderly woman eating by herself at the restaurant. She _________ that the woman was quietly sitting and seemed to be _________ on something while eating her meal.

That’s when Megan decided to take a pause in her busy workday and _________ the woman at her table. The two talked for a bit _________ Megan got back to her work duties.

“It was on Sunday, which is always pretty _________,” Megan shared, “About halfway through her _________, it started to slow down so we _________ for a few minutes. Small talk, nothing too deep. She told me she was almost 70… and she just wanted to stop by an old _________ for a bite.”

Little did Megan know how much that _________ meant to that elderly woman. Before she __________, the elderly woman decided to leave Megan a(n) __________ sharing how her act of kindness made her feel.

“Thank you very much for your kind company. This was my first time eating out __________ here since my husband passed away. I was hoping I could get through it,” the note read.

As soon as Megan saw the handwritten note, she had to fight back tears and went to the restroom to gather herself from the wave of emotions. She took a __________ of the sweet note. She also took a picture of her smiling with one tear rolling down her face, and she __________ both of the pictures online.

This story reminds us that one simple act of kindness can mean so much to one person. You never know what people are __________ and sharing a smile or a nice chat could really make someone’s whole day!

5 . When I started my company, a customer service number was put on the company’s website to better the communication with users. Somehow it rarely rang. So we abandoned it.

However, I thought phone support would have made sense. So, last year, I ________ putting another service number on our homepage.   

“Again? We tried this before, but it didn’t work!” they responded, casting ________ on me.

“But companies evolve; circumstances change.” I argued.

Late last year, I convinced my company to give it a shot. So we started a two-week ________. During the first few days, the volume of calls, around 20 per day, was not much but ________. Then, over the following days, the volume increased dramatically, which ________ them all. So successful was it that we finally decided to adopt the service phone number ________.

This experience reminded me of the elephant-and-rope story. Baby elephants were ________ with a small rope. Because they’re too ________ to break free from the rope, they grow up being conditioned that the rope is stronger than they are. So, as adults, they think they can still be ________ by the rope. In my company, those who thought we couldn’t because we once ________ were like a baby elephant who was living with a ________ mindset. They drew a conclusion based on specific ________, but they forgot to revise it when things changed.

In business, not to mention life, all sorts of invisible mental ropes may hold us back. It results in missed opportunities and wasted ________. So don’t hold onto the ________ that you can’t grow or learn from past failures. All it takes is ________ eyes to reexamine the situation.

6 . Over the years I’ve spent living in Beijing, I can _________ the number of truly outdoor experiences I’ve had on one hand. But a road trip to Nanshan Skiing Village in February 2021 provided me with some _________ memories.

As my friends and I sat together in the ski lift chair, I finally felt for the first time that I had _________ left the busy city life of Beijing. Up in the air a few dozen meters off the ground, I _________ the wide view of the countryside and appreciated the peaceful quiet.

As the ski lift reached its _________, I _________ slid off from the chair and almost did a face-plant into the snow. “So much for the peace and quiet”, I _________ to myself. _________, I gathered myself together and made my way as _________ as I could to one of the several starting points.

My buddies had already started making their way down the hill, and I was about to join them but suddenly fear __________ me as I noticed how easy it was to __________ speed. I __________ to swerve (突然转向) to the side to slow down, but ended up tumbling (摔倒) down into the snow.

Not wanting to become __________, I awkwardly reattached the ski. Although I still felt nervous, by accepting the risk I was able to ski more confidently and at last managed to make it down the whole ski slope (斜坡).

By the day’s end, I had relearned what it __________ to take risks and get out of my comfort zone. By accepting what seems __________, you can find both confidence and peace within.

7 . If there is one trait (特点) I have taken from my mother, it is her _________. Like most mothers, my mom wants the best for me. She encourages me to seize every opportunity and use it to its fullest _________. She has encouraged me to _________ those opportunities that may even seem impossible. After all, she does this every day.

When friends met my mom for the first time, they were often taken aback, and _________ they didn’t want this emotion to show on their faces when they shook her hand and said hello. When they got me alone for a second, they _________ me for not telling them my mom was in a wheelchair. It shocked them.

In my _________, I never think to mention that my mom is in a wheelchair. She has been paralyzed from the waist down for most of her life. To me, though, she is just a/an _________ mom. Like many of my friends’ moms, she has always been there for me. When there were those _________ as a child when I just needed to be held, I knew I could crawl onto my mother’s lap and find _________ in her safe arms. When I needed a __________ on the sideline of my soccer games, she was always there. Mother, friend, teacher, nutritionist, chef, caregiver, banker, and advisor---my mom has always been __________ for me.

On family vacations, my mother never sits out on a/an __________. She couldn’t hike the volcano in Hawaii with the rest of the family or go cliff-jumping in Mexico. But she always __________. She goes as far as she can.

I have learned from watching my mom that if I don’t have the courage to try, even if the chances of failure are slim, I will never __________. The opportunities I have are without bounds because my mother showed me how to live __________ limits.

8 . I have been engaging in a spot of emotional therapy (治疗) over the last 2 weeks. I make an effort to try to _________ difficulties in life so that I can feel good within myself and find more _________ for my steps ahead.

The first day here I just couldn’t stop _________ at the breakfast table and another woman was very kind to me. Most people _________ to be there for each other when needed, which is highly _________.

Today one of the older women had a bit of a _________ during lunch and rushed out of the room with her plate in hand. I asked her if she was OK as she went past me but she could not answer. So, I _________ to a young girl to go after her to check and see if she was fine. Glad she did and I really hope it _________. I can only imagine it is really hard for all of us in one way or another as we all have our own _________ and do not know each other properly.

Whether we do or don’t get to know each other is another matter and at the end of the day, it really does not __________. For now we are all ships in a __________ and are getting our torn sails repaired before we are able to __________ to more restless waters. Although some days are easier than others, it takes time, a lot of patience and the right expert __________.

Please say a little prayer today for those with mental health __________. Oh yes… during my first week here, I bought a nice __________ plant at the local market for the TV room. Today it is in full bloom (开花)! I have learnt so far that every today has special little moments.

9 . One day I was in the hotel kitchen and my manager walked in quickly and said “Come with me”. I felt a little _________ by this but decided to go and see what he was talking about.Then he took me to the door and _________ me how to lock and unlock it. He said he had seen me _________ to unlock it the night before. So he gave me a small _________ on it. It wasn’t necessary at all. I had already _________ how to unlock it myself. I didn’t tell him that though.

I wonder why I just _________ him when I didn’t know where we were going. I suppose it is because I was ordered to _________ the voice of authority. So, since he was the _________ manager, even though he has much less _________ in life than me, I obeyed him when he __________ me to follow him.

At that time, some __________ came with me. Why did I obey him? Did I believe he would show me something that would __________ me? Yes, he just wanted to give me a hand, and that was the point.

I didn’t __________ at the time there was kindness. But now I am “wiser”. __________, what I want to do is that I let him think that he was helping me and I __________ him telling me.

10 . Smith Justice and his son were coming back from the dentist, when they saw a homeless man in the road. Smith _________ to give the man some money, but didn’t have any cash. His son suggested giving the man the 30 cents he had. But Smith was _________. He didn’t want to give this man just 30 cents since the man _________ needed all the help he could get. Moreover, his own pride and thoughts of the homeless man’s unknown _________ to receiving just thirty cents was standing _________.

Smith told his son what people saw as a good thing was not good enough to make a _________ in someone’s life. But his son insisted. Smith _________ the window and said to the man, “I’m sorry, man. I don’t have any _________ on me but my son wants to give you everything he has right now.” The homeless man smiled, “God bless you, little man!” At that moment, the only thing _________ the brightness of the man’s smile was the bigger smile on the little boy’s face.

A chain reaction of kindness __________ behind them that day in Nashville, Tennessee, as other people rolled down their windows to __________, too. Smith suddenly __________ that he was the only problem in this situation. He said, “My little boy __________ me by his actions that it’s always about the heart. It doesn’t __________ how much you have or how little. __________ love and sincerity will often bless others more than we think. ”