Johnny lived with his mother and father in a small town in the mountains. One day there was an earthquake near the 1. Many houses were 2. Everyone thought that there would soon be another earthquake.

    They were 3 that the second earthquake would be worse than the first. “We 4 send Johnny to a safe place,” Johnny's mother said to her husband, “Many of our friends are sending 5 children to relatives in other towns.”

    “We'll 6 him to my brother, Peter,” Johnny's father said. “He lives a long way away. Johnny will be 7 with him.”

    He telephoned Johnny's uncle Peter and asked him 8 he would let Johnny 9 with him.

    “He is a good boy,” he said. “He won't give you any 10 .”

    “11 , Johnny's uncle Peter said. 12  I'm not 13  to children. I 14  a very quiet and peaceful 15 .”

    “You won't know Johnny is in the house.” His father told him.

    16  Johnny, 17  was five, went to live with his uncle.

    Two days 18 , his mother and father 19  a telegram from Peter.

    It said, “I'm returning the child. Please send the 20 .”

    I'd been proud that I'd never lost my cellphone until my husband Jack got a call one evening.

    We went to visit a friend in hospital last year. When Jack's 1 rang, it was my mother calling from my 2 . She asked if I had 3  my mobile. I checked my purse. It was 4 !

I used Jack's phone to call my number. Then a boy, whom I'll call Rhys, 5 it. "I found your phone!" he said, excitedly. "I have been trying to find you, but 6 it was getting late, I decided to leave." He gave me the address of a 7 near his home.

    Later that evening, I went to 8  him there. I didn't dare to go 9 , worrying this was some cheater. So Jack came along. After 10  10 km, we got to the coffee shop which Rhys 11 .

My 12 were gone. Rhys was just a young boy. "How did you 13 my mum?" I asked. He 14 that when he found my mobile by the roadside, he started calling people in my list of contacts (联系人). But all they 15 was my mobile phone number — which didn't 16 . He'd called many names, starting with the letter A. Finally he got Adam, one of my friends, who 17 my house.

    I was 18  to get my phone back with all the contacts, messages and photos I could have lost forever. I was so 19  to Rhys and offered him so me money, but he 20 .

    As we drove back, we praised Rhys for his honesty.

    At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. As was usually the 1, I fully expected one of the women to 2, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite3 and a bit shaken.

    He began by saying, "Dennis, I was quite 4 with you last week when you gave us this 5. I didn't feel that I had anyone to say those words to, and6, who were you to tell me to do something that is 7? But as I began driving home a(n) 8 deep down in my heart started talking to me. It was 9 me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you' to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a cruel 10 and really never resolved it since that time. We 11 seeing each other unless we totally had to at Christmas or other family 12. But even then, we 13 spoke to each other. So, last Tuesday by the time I got home I had14 myself I was going to tell my father I loved him."

    "It's 15, but just making that decision 16to lift a heavy load off my chest."

    "When I got home, I rushed into the house to tell my wife what I was going to do. She was already in 17, but I woke her up anyway. She catapulted ( 弹 射 ) out and18 me, and for the first time in our married life she saw me cry. We19 half the night drinking coffee and talking. It was20."

    One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”

    I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I'll explain,1you can just wait until we make a quick2at the grocery store. I have something3to show you. ”

    At the grocery store, we4some apples—red, green and yellow ones. Back home. I told Adam, “It's time to5your question.” I put one apple of each6on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a7look on his face.

    “People are like apples. They come in all8colors, shapes and sizes. On the9, some of the apples may not10look as delicious as the others.” As I was talking, Adam was11each one carefully.

    Then, I took each of the apples and peeled (削皮) them,12them back on the table, but13a different place.

    “Okay, Adam, tell me which is which”

    He said, “I14tell. They all look the same now.” “Take a bite of15. See if that helps you16which one is which. ”

    He took17, and then a huge smile came across his face. “People are18like apples! They are all different, but once you19the outside, they're pretty much the same on the inside.”

    He totally20it. I didn't need to say or do anything else.

    Kindness is the golden chain by which society is linked together. However .I was not thinking about the golden chain when l had to help people who1their way, and parked in front of my house.

    I was growing tired of helping so many people. Almost every2I was awaken during a sound night's sleep and bad to3 someone out, Many tints l was4by some penniless motorists who did not even hank me for the help that they received and some even complained that I could have done5.

    One day, a young man with a week old beard climbed out of a6automobile. He had no money and no food. He asked if I could give him some 7offering him gasoline and a meal. I told him that if he wanted to work for me, he could cut the grass, but 8the work wasn't necessary.

    Though sweaty and hungry, he worked hard. After working all day, he sat 9to cool himself. I thanked him for his work and gave him the money he10. I then offered him some11money for a task particularly well done, but he 12, shaking his head.

    I never saw him again. He probably thinks I helped him out that day, but that is not13it was. I didn't help him. He helped me to 14people again to repay their trust in me. He helped me to once again want to do something for those who are 15I wish I could thank him for 16some of my belief in the basic 17 of others and for giving me back a little of the18 I had lost. Because of him, I once again felt part of a golden chain of kindness that 19us to others. I may have fed his body that day, but he fed my 20.

    It's about 250 miles from the hills of west-central Iowa to Ehlers' home in Minnesota. During the long trip home, following a weekend of hunting. Ehlers 1about the small dog he had seen 2 alongside the road. He had 3 to coax(哄) the dog to him but, frightened, it had 4.

    Back home, Ehlers was troubled by that 5 dog. So, four days later, he called his friend Greg, and the two drove 6. After a long and careful 7, Greg saw, across a field, the dog moving 8 away. Ehlers eventually succeeded in coaxing the animal to him. Nervousness and fear were replaced with 9. It just started licking(舔) Ehlers' face.

    A local farmer told them the dog sounded like one 10 as lost in the local paper. The ad had a 11 number for a town in southern Michigan. Ehlers 12 the number of Jeff and Lisa to tell them he had 13 their dog.

    Jeff had 14 in Iowa before Thanksgiving with his dog, Rosie, but the gun shots had scared the dog off. Jeff searched 15 for Rosie in the next four days.

    Ehlers returned to Minnesota, and then drove 100 miles to Minneapolis to put Rosie on a flight to Michigan. "It's good to know there's still someone out there who 16 enough to go to that kind of 17,"says Lisa of Ehlers' rescue 18.

    "I figured whoever lost the dog was probably just as 19 to it as I am to my dogs," says Ehlers. "If it had been my dog, I'd hope that somebody would be 20 to go that extra mile."