1 . We moved into a new neighborhood in 1990, Andy was pretty much the first person we ________. He came across the street to ________ us. Having lived there since 1967, he was warm and kind, full of ________. He would introduce to us which bakery for cakes, which store for shopping and ________ the occupations of everyone around us.

Andy would proudly and regularly ________ his veteran (老兵) cap and play music while doing yard work. ________ anything, though, he delighted in talking about our kids as much as about his. We watched out for each other. He would ________ our vegetable gardens when we went on vacation; we gave him some of our ________ in return. Andy and I would also complain about the big trucks that used our streets as a shortcut. As more time went by, we didn’t see him out ________ his small dog as often due to his ________ problem, and we’d help with clearing the ________ in the winter. Those ties continued with time passing by.

But the real ________ of our neighborhoods is their people — an Andy, or, in some cases, many Andys. Our neighborhoods are built on them, and ________ by their emotional ties. We are better for their ________, and worse for their absence.

Andy died this month. I will miss him, more than he ________.

2 . No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Yesterday a salesman, working for a telecom company, _________ me to sell his phone plans. I was at work and unwilling to spend time on those conversations, so I made a(n) _________ that I couldn’t talk yet and I _________ him to call back one hour later.

However, he continued to explain his phone plans, which he said were better than my _________ one. While listening to him, sometimes I was lost in thought, giving “hmm” as a sign of _________ or showing him that I was still there. Sometimes I felt a bit impatient. But I tried to be _________ during the conversation.

At the end of the conversation, he said: “Thank you for listening to me. _________, people treat us as thieves or _________ at us. Today, I haven’t had a conversation without offense (侮辱). I know you could have been _________ after work or done something else had I not __________ your time. So I am really touched.”

I thanked him for this statement. I __________ how much he could have been the subject of verbal (言语的) __________ all through his working days. I also admitted that those people showing bad __________ to him might have been me. But now I am delighted to allow him to feel treated __________ . In fact everyone should be __________ as a human being.

3 . Denver, Colorado is one of the fastest growing cities in America. It also has one of the biggest populations of _______young people. A Denver coffee shop is seeking to solve the problem. The Purple Door Coffee Shop employs and_______homeless young people, giving them a second_______to make a new start.

For many years, Kevin Persons lived on the _______. Today, he is working in a bar, serving coffee. He is also working to move off the streets and into a home.

The owners of the two-year-old nonprofit_______three to four young adults per year. Shelters such as Urban Peak, where Kevin was staying,_______young people who are ready to commit to working.

Madison Chandler, co-founder of Purple Door,and her partner meet with their workers _______each week. They talk about topics _______ from mental health, finance to customer service. They also _______a life coach to make sure the workers have the __________ and skills that will set them up for success.

Kevin __________ that he is learning what he needs to __________ the struggles of homelessness and live a full life.

For Madison Chandler, providing these young adults with __________and education and helping them become confident and__________is worthwhile. The most __________part of her job is helping them achieve a life for themselves that they have dreamed of.