8 . Many years ago, I knew a man named Bob who was friends with my boss. He showed great _________ for learning languages and could speak several fluently(流利地). And he was a very _________ man.

My desk was right at the front, _________ I could see everyone who came in. One day, a man, who looked tired and sad, came in, speaking broken English. After a short _________, I knew he wanted to sell office supplies. _________ , I told him our supplies were sent from our main office. So we couldn’t buy anything.

Bob was just _________ my boss, and he heard the man talking to me. Bob came and asked the salesman a question in a language that sounded _________ . The man answered him with a look of _________. Then they sat down and talked for several minutes, and the man grew _________ by the minute.

Later, Bob __________ that the man was from Italy and that they talked in Italian. Besides, Bob told the man he was from there, too. “Are you really from Italy?” I asked. “No,” he said. “I __________ to him. I’m Irish. But he needed to talk to someone from home, and it didn’t __________ him to think I was Italian.”

Bob’s words have left me a powerful __________ and stayed with me through the years. It’s true that sometimes we just need to talk to someone from home to __________ our spirits. Bob could have __________ the man, but he took the time to make him feel better, and maybe a little less homesick.

9 . Thanks to a generous and kind soul, this winter is not cold any more. A Stockton teen will make sure seniors are staying warm and unforgotten during the holiday season, because dozens of elders across the nation are getting socks for Christmas — they couldn’t be happier about it.

Elle Gianelli, 17, is a student in high school, but most of her friends are elders. She has been making colored socks with silly designs for years, sending them to seniors in nursing and care homes to brighten up their day.

It all started from the closer-than-close friendship she has with her grandmother, which taught the value of spending time with elders. “I’m a grandma’s girl, I love love love my nana,” Gianelli said. On putting forward the idea, she was supported by her family and friends. Later, she was encouraged by her teachers who started the project Socks for Seniors when she was in her 7th grade, and she has so far lighted up 92 care homes in 48 states.

But as Christmas approaches, she’s making efforts to prepare her surprise in order to send boxes of silly socks to elders in all 50 states in time for the big day. “I know most people have toys for babies and things for kids but they always seem to forget about elders,” Gianelli told CBS. “Maybe they don’t have family or maybe they live super far away and they’re only getting something like a postcard.” To make sure that elders’ toes and hearts remain warm this holiday season, Gianelli is hoping to raise $10,000 through GoFundMe for a big sock drive. So far, with still 19 days to go before Christmas, she has received 95% of her total in donations.

10 . Washing windows was the worst chore for Maddie. As she did it, she noticed her________Mr. Valdez pressing his knees with a rake (耙子) lying beside him. “How are you?”

“Well, Maddie.” Mr. Valdez answered. “But raking leaves is the________chore for me.” “I’ll rake them for you first and finish washing my windows later.” Maddie________. She enjoyed building piles of golden leaves, ________the grass and making the yard look like a freshly swept carpet. Truly appreciating her help, Mr. Valdez ________ Maddie the rake and went to see Mrs. Iguchi across the street.

Maddie raked, piled and bagged all leaves. “I have to go back to do my windows.” She thought, turned toward her house and then stopped in________. Tom, the teenage boy living nearby, was washing her windows! Before she expressed her ________ to Tom, Mr. Valdez entered with Mrs. Iguchi. “I can explain. When I visited Mrs. Iguchi, she was ________ peeling (去皮) potatoes, so I volunteered. I like making the potato peelings into long curly shapes.”

Maddie looked puzzled, still ________ how peeling potatoes could have turned into washing windows. Mrs. Iguchi continued the________. She said she ________ to do her favorite — cleaning the carpet at Tom’s house when borrowing dustpans. When Tom asked what could be done for her, she couldn’t ________ any chores but only remembered Mr. Valdez had mentioned Maddie’s windows weren’t getting ________ because she was raking his leaves.

Tom added, “Nothing is more pleasant than seeing the ________ glass shine in the sun.”

What a neighborhood chore chain! Everyone gets a favorite and returns a _______.