Ann, a mother of 3 children, is a warm-hearted social worker and she has done a lot to help people1. The family's dinner conversation often turns to local poor families, and she 2 tries her best to seek help for them. This year, Ann 3 that Santa Claus would pay a special 4 to a young unemployed mother named Ashley, who was 5 two sons by herself.

    One Sunday morning, the family were joyfully having breakfast 6the phone rang, saying that the help she had requested for Ashley had 7 No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing. On hearing the news, Ann noticed the 8 disappear from her children's faces. Kinzie, the youngest one, 9 down from her chair and ran out of the kitchen room. In only a few 10 , she returned carrying her piggy bank and began to 11the coins over and over again, $3.30 in total. "Mom," she shook her head 12 , "I know it's not much. But maybe this will buy a13 for the children." Then suddenly everyone was reaching into their pockets and 14 their purses. Immediately the money — coins and bills  15 on the table. On Christmas Eve, Ann as well as Kinzie drove to Ashley's house. After Ann wished the 16 woman a merry Christmas, she began to unload the gifts from the car, 17 them to Ashley one by one and told her the whole story.

    Ashley was moved to tears 18 the words: Kinzie opened not only her piggy bank but also her19 , and my children as well as I myself would be able to do something20 for someone else in need.

    On July 24, 1916, a natural gas explosion trapped 32 men working in a tunnel 250 feet below Lake Erie. The first rescuers who entered the tunnel were 1 by gas, and for hours no one else dared to enter the suffocating (窒息的)2 deathtrap.

    Then, late that night, someone had an idea3 Garrett Morgan and his new invention. Garrett Morgan was a successful 4 owner in Cleveland. The son of freed slaves and the seventh of 11 children, mechanically minded Morgan had opened his own sewing machine shop, which he soon 5 to a tailoring factory with 32 employees.

    In the early 1900s, factory buildings were crowded and untidy. They were often6 of wood, with no fire escapes. Fire could cause serious7 Concerned about his employees, Morgan 8 with a “safety hood” (头罩) that would allow the wearer to9 despite a fire's poisonous smoke.

    Morgan knew smoke rises during a fire10 he created a heat-resistant hood with a long tube reaching to the floor. Wearing Morgan's hood, a firefighter could breathe the 11 air near the 12 Morgan lined the breathing tube with a sponge-like material that was wetted before use to13 the air. A second tube was designed to14 exhaled (呼出的) air.

    Called to the scene on the night of the tunnel explosion, Garrett arrived with samples of his safety hood. Still in their nightwear, he and his brother Frank put on the hoods and 15 entered the tunnel. It was a dangerous 16 of the invention, but they saved two lives and 17four bodies before officials closed the18Morgan knew that more lives might have been saved if he had been called sooner.

    The daring19 made Morgan famous and brought requests for safety hoods from fire departments around the country. But his greatest20 was knowing that his invention would now save more people.

    Madison Williams, aged 13, was studying in her bedroom in Dublin, Ohio. Suddenly, her mother, Leigh Williams, rushed in saying1 “A little boy fell into a septic tank（化粪池）, and no one can 2 him.”

    They ran to the neighbor's yard, where they found the boy's desperate mother and other people 3a septic tank opening that was slightly wider than a4. The boy, only 2, had slipped in.

    Madison quickly 5 the situation. She was the only one who could 6 through the small hole. Without 7she got on her stomach next to the opening, placed her8 out in front of her9 told the adults, “Lower me in.”

    Leigh and the others 10her waist and legs. She moved her arms and shoulders from side to side until she got through the 11 Inside, the tank was dark, and the air was sick. She used her hands to 12 the boy in the dirty water, and jammed her left wrist 13a hidden pole, injuring the muscles in her wrist and arm. Ignoring her14 Madison continued. Minutes ticked by before she15grasped his foot.

    Then, ten minutes after Madison had16 the tank, she and the boy were17. But the boy wasn't out of 18.He had been kept from oxygen long enough that he wasn't19. An adult gave him several hard hits on the back. It was only when Madison heard him cry that she knew he was 20 Madison's action made her a hero.

    I run a hotel in London. My knowledge on volcano is from my son's science textbook, which says “volcanic ash is formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when dissolved gases escape 1 into the atmosphere”. During the days with the terrible ash cloud which spread Europe from Iceland in May, 2010, I was 2 to a London radio station called LBC. People called in 3 their stories of trouble. Some had missed 4 for holidays, and some couldn't get home following the volcanic eruption.

    The story that most 5 me was a call from Peter, who had just gotten 6 the previous weekend to Maz. They had planned to 7 their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic but could not 8 the ash cloud. When James O'Brien, the radio presenter, asked if he was unhappy, Peter said: “Not at all. I've married the 9 girl in the world whom I love, so…no…

    I'm not 10 at all.” Both the presenter and I were so impressed by the beautiful 11 .

    A little later, after receiving many cancellations(取消预订), an idea 12 to me and I called LBC. I spoke to the producer of the show and asked if she could keep 13 with Peter to offer him and his wife a room for the weekend at my hotel 14. She later 15 to say Peter and Maz were delighted and would love to take up the 16 . The producer asked if I would like to 17 offer it to them on the radio show, but I said no as I didn't want it18 to the public.

    So, two days later, Peter and Maz arrived at the hotel and 19. I was so pleased to have made a bad situation better for a young couple. Nobody could ever imagine how 20 I was of myself.

    I won't forget my voluntary experience a while back. It always reminds me what people truly need is not always so 1. This story is a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.

    It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my mother at a 2 for the needy. We stood behind the counter 3 food to whoever came in. It seemed that most of our diners had been having 4 times. Their clothes were ragged, worn and dry; they were hungry and tired. 5 , they looked needy!

    When we were busy with the unlucky fellows, a well-dressed man came in who looked 6 but poor. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in7 when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered. What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn't going to take the food8 for those really in need! He had small talks with 9 and the look on his face suggested that he just wished to10 being alone.

    Then my mother11 took me to one side, saying, “You have12 that the needs of the people who come here must be purely13 : hunger, inadequate shelter, clothing, etc. But this gentleman seems to have none of those problems. What if his needs are emotional? What if he needs 14, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” Her words 15 me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn't.

    About a week later, from an 16source, the shelter received a large donation. I can't help but17 if it came from that man.

    Now, whenever I meet others, I remember my mother's words and try to send kindness and blessings to them,18how they look. Needs aren't always visible. Maybe emotional 19 is not only the loneliest feeling, but the most difficult need to get 20 . But kindness always makes a difference.

    When Charles Barkley's mother passed away, Barkley's hometown came to the funeral. But a(n) 1 guest also came. He wasn't a basketball player or from Barkley's hometown. More 2, he was my dad-a scientist.

    My dad said he3 about Barkley long before he met him. Whenever we 4 dinner parties, he would talk about Barkley. Basketball has never been my thing. I 5some key words into a search engine to6something about Barkley. He seemed pretty famous and 7not like anyone who would be friends with my dad.

    But the friendship was real.

    My dad 8 made a slide of photos of him and Barkley together for our community's Chinese New Year party- totally irrelevant to the 9. I asked him what made them become friends.

    "As an Asian in the U.S., we had a good 10," he said. "We agree on many views."

    They believed the color of their skin didn't 11 .

    But on a Sunday afternoon my dad passed away. Everyone was 12 as Barkley attended the funeral. "It gives me great 13and joy to know I was a friend of his," Barkley said. "Just hearing about him at the 14 -what he had achieved and what he was trying to help others 15, touched me I 16he would be known to many people."

    At the funeral, people 17 memories of my dad. I realize that even after he passed away, I would continue to 18things about him.

    The story of his friendship with Barkley was not just a 19with a famous person-it threw light on the 20 of this world.