Mr and Mrs Moore were invited to a Christmas party at a hotel one year. They 1their car outside and went in. Mr Moore had never got drunk (醉) before, so he was2not to drink too much,3his friends asked him to drink more 4 .

    During the party, Mrs Moore found that she had5to bring her bag, so she asked her husband to go out to the car and6it for her. He7so,but on his way back to the hotel gate ,he heard a car horn(喇叭) blowing near his own car. He thought 8might be in need of help and went over to the car with the 9. He found a small black bear sitting in the driving-seat and blowing the horn.

    When Mr Moore 10the party, he told several people about the bear, but of course they did not believe him and thought he was drunk. When he took them out of the hotel to 11that his story was12, he found that the car with the 13 in it had gone. There were so many14about Mr Moore's black bear during the next week that he at last put an advertisement(广告)in the newspaper;“If anyone saw a black bear blowing the horn in a car outside the Century Hotel 15 the   evening of Christmas Day, please tell…”

    Tow days later16Mrs Richards called him and said that she and her husband had left their pet (宠物) bear in their car outside the Century Hotel for a few minutes that evening, and that17 he had blown the horn.

    Mrs Richards did not 18to think there was anything19about that.“Our bear likes blowing car horns,”she said,“and we don't20when we are not driving the car.”

    I still remember an old lady, a customer on the paper route in my hometown when I was 12 years old. She taught me a lesson in 1 that I shall never forget.

    On a(n)2  afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the 3  of the old lady's house. The stone that I found was too smooth,4 it slipped from my hand as I let it go and 5  straight not for the covering on top of the house but for a small window on the house's back porch. At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were 6 . We turned and 7.

    I was too 8 about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in the freezing weather. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been9 ,I started to feel guilty about her  10 . She still greeted me with a smile each day11  I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortably in her 12

    I 13 my mind that I would save my paper delivering money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would pay for her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note 14  that I was sorry for breaking her window and15 that the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.

    I waited until it was dark, moved 16 to the old lady's house and put the letter I didn't sign through the letter slot in her door. I felt 17  and could have the freedom of once again looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes.

    The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to 18  the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and proceeded(开始) to eat the cookies as I continued my 19.

    After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was 20. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, "I'm proud of you.”

    It was raining outside and I was preparing my breakfast at home. 1, a bottle of orange juice slid (滑) from my hand and fell to the floor. Glass and juice 2 everywhere. I looked at the 3. Then my eyes were filled with tears. They came from a(n) 4 acceptance that “Today is just not my day”.

    It was a bad day for me 5 things had to be done. I drove into town. In the few minutes it took to the bank, I made a 6. Though I had a bad day, I would be 7 not to pass it to anyone else. I would be happy and 8.

    Standing in line, I was silently talking to myself. For the 9 time that day my eyes were filled with tears as I 10 how disconnected (隔离的) I felt from others. Then a 11 drew my attention. “Young lady,” she was saying.

    I 12 and saw the bank teller, an old lady with a gentle smile. Her eyes showed 13 as she softly said, “I don't 14 what is happening inside of you, but please believe me when I tell you that everything will be okay.”

    And then she did something quite 15. My hands were resting on the counter and she placed her hands 16 on top of mine. The 17 was quick but electric. And in that moment my world changed.

    In the moment of her touch my self-doubt 18. I found understanding and acceptance. I knew that 19 was being passed through the heart of this old lady directly into my heart. Then I 20.

    My mother and I started our morning by rushing into the local grocery store. I waited in line at the Starbucks counter while she 1 around to pick up a few things.

    As I was 2 there I noticed an elderly woman, wearing layers（层）3 layers of old torn clothing, moving behind me in line.

    She had a few toiletries（化妆品）and seemed to want the Starbucks cashier to 4 since our queue was shorter than the grocery store queues were.

    At some point I became 5 of her moving closer behind me — it was 6 than I was comfortable with! I instinctively（本能地）7 a hand over my purse and drew it closer to me. My fear and imagination raced creating wild 8 about this homeless woman who might try to 9 from me.

    Then it was my 10 to order. As the cashier rang up my total, I discovered I was 37 cents 11. I called to my mother but she was hard of hearing. She asked me to 12 what I said but she still couldn't 13 me out.

    At that point, a long grey arm, with 14 in its sleeves, 15 over from behind me. She laid 37 cents out on the counter, saying, "Here. We all need some 16 sometimes."

    I was 17 ! Here was a woman who clearly had very little to 18 and in great need herself. I had judged her 19 and she had reached out, voluntarily, to help me!

    What an amazing gift and lesson this woman gave me about 20 others. Thank you, God!

    In high school I had a math teacher, Mrs. Davies, who took her job seriously and expected her students to put forth the same degree of commitment (付出). Strict but fair, she held our attention with her great method. One of her 1 was for students who were more advanced academically. I chose to 2 it and soon realized that the course was a bit over my head. I 3 with the complex problems that others seemed to learn without much effort.

    One Friday we were tested 4 our ability to use a theorem (定理) that no one in the class thoroughly understood. The teacher would 5 our papers based on our ability to progress through the problem which easily filled two pages of formulaic notations (公式符号). I was absolutely 6. Finally, I didn't use the required theorem. Instead, I decided to use more familiar theorems to arrive at an 7. I knew I had failed because I hadn't done the 8 assignment. I became resigned (顺从) to my fate.

    Our test papers were 9 back the following Monday. Everyone received a "C" except for me. To my surprise, I received an "A". I 10 that there must be a mistake. I watched 11 as the teacher approached my desk, smiled, and asked for my test 12 back. She then went back to copy my work onto the blackboard, 13 the class how I had arrived at the correct answer. "Mathematics is meant to be a creative tool, pushing our minds to a rewarding answer," she said with confidence. 14 I didn't use the required theorem, she seemed really proud of how I'd worked through the problem. The class saw her fold my test paper and put it into her textbook. She announced that it would be 15 with future classes.

    My teacher would have been justified (合理的) in giving me a 16 grade. Instead, she used the 17 to deeply influence a student who often struggled. And after forty years, I still cherish the 18. It helped change my self-image. I 19 up to a broad boundary of possibilities which has made my life an adventure. She understood that teaching went beyond strict demands and could be used to 20. Thank you, Mrs. Davies.

    My eight-year-old son's soccer team in Washington DC was put together several years ago. The team has won 1 one game in the last three seasons. Yet, despite the endless 2, soccer is my son's favorite activity. He plays soccer at every 3, even at break time and at the aftercare (病后护理), and although he doesn't play as well as the best players in his school, this hasn't 4 him in the least.

    This has been repeated often, but I 5 it first-hand: soccer is about friendship as much as it is about learning to control the ball and make successful 6. Watching the children, I see that winning is a distant 7 goal for them. What they enjoy is each other's presence and the fact that they're in this game 8.

    Actually, I went through a phase of giving my son suggestions such as: Why aren't you more 9 once you have the ball? He 10 my sudden torrent (滔滔不绝) of guidance. "Mom, I play midfield or defense, not forward. And 11, soccer isn't about being aggressive. It's about 12." After hearing that, I paused and 13. How strange it is that I, who never played any sport for a single day of my life, wanted my son to be a(n) 14 footballer!

    Isn't it extraordinary that kids don't necessarily 15 their attempts to have impressive results? They love the activity for itself. Becoming an adult means a gradual 16 of that spirit. To stand out or 17, people develop a spirit of competition. How often have I become 18 —professionally and personally—when things haven't gone the way I wanted? I've 19 there's much to learn from soccer-loving eight-year-olds: do your best, be passionate, enjoy yourself, and then, regardless of the 20, move on.