A Welcome Gift

    Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them 1 side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud 2 filled the room and made them feel very happy.

    The next morning,3, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a 4 under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario's mother asked the building superintendent (管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all 5 people and he couldn't imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their 6 and apologize for their playing.

     “Maybe we could go and 7 everyone in person.” his mother said.

“What if we invited them to come here for a 8 instead?” Dario asked.

They both loved the 9. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts 10 their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.

    Finally, the day of the party 11. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to 12. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert,13 Dario's mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.

     “I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I 14 that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don't think I disliked the playing.”

    Dario's mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we 15 you an apology.” she said. “I didn't 16 how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.

     “You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such 17 music.”

     “These songs are beautiful music.” Dario's mother said. “We will be 18to play them in the evening.”

     “And we won't play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to 19 the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother's face. It gave him a feeling of 20 and made him feel that they were home at last.

To me, kindness is a chosen lifestyle. In my classroom, I tell my1that every day they are offered a choice. They can't choose what happens to them, but they can choose how they2to it. Kindness is a3. And it is a lifestyle. It isn't something that we just choose once in a while— it is a(n)4to live our lives.

    My father was hospitalized with leukemia(白血病) when I was in college. He didn't choose the cancer.5, he chose how to react to it. To this day, seventeen years later, the nurses6write my mother letters. The7? It was because of my father's kindness to others even when he was8against the disease. He made kindness a lifestyle.

    And I want to be 9him. Every day as a teacher, I try and teach my students the kindness lifestyle. Just recently, I turned 40 and a friend gave me 40 individual dollar bills. She challenged me to do something10with the money. I gladly accepted the challenge.

    I gave 40 of my students one dollar each and challenged them to make a(n)11. What happened? My Twitter and Instagram were 12with pictures of kids making the world a better place. One girl bought a dollar store stuffed animal(填充玩具). It was13that kids should have made a difference when they were given the 14.

    Living the kindness lifestyle 15 every day, every opportunity. As a high school teacher, I see16everywhere. In the hallways, in the lunchroom, in the locker room,17words and gossip fill the air. So I started a hashtag (标签) to18positive gossip called “third party compliments(称赞)”. The idea is that you talk about people behind their backs, but do it in a 19way. In that way, the gossip that gets back to students makes their day instead of getting them down.

    Our kindness lifestyle leaves a footprint on others, and let us be the movers and kindness-makers who20a better, more beautiful world.

    From an early age, Parker always said that he would be an astronaut when he grew up. But no matter how much he studied and took tests, he was never 1 to fly in space. 2 , he grew over the maximum age for taking the selection tests. In other words, he would never be able to fulfill his 3 .

    Thinking about all the time and 4 Parker had put into trying to be an astronaut, people felt 5 for him. Despite what he was told about having to 6 his ambition, Parker continued training and studying, 7  he was going to have the tests next month.

    He 8  as he got older, and when he was a very old man he heard that they were doing some very important 9 experiments. For those experiments they needed a very 10 astronaut. Parker, who now walked with a 11 was the only old man in the whole world who was 12 to fly in a rocket. Therefore, Parker found himself flying in 13 , all with the help of science. It was clear that the 14 gained during those missions helped to cure one of the worst sicknesses for old people, and Parker was 15 as a hero.

    Photos of the astronaut with a walking stick and no teeth 16 all over the world, and became a 17 of how you can never train or learn too much. It showed that 18 effort always brings 19 even though it may not be in the form we had first 20.

    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.

    One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his schooling by selling goods from door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to 1 for a meal at the next house.

    However, he lost his nerve 2 a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked 3so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it 4, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

    “You don't owe me anything,” she 5. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a 6” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger 7, but it also increased his faith in God and human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

    Years later the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were confused. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly，now 8, was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light 9 his eyes. Immediately, he 10 and went down through the hospital hall into her room. 11 in his doctor s gown he went in to see her. He 12 her at once. He went back to the consultation room and 13 to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave 14 attention to her case.

    After a long 15 the battle was won. Dr. Kelly 16 the business office to pass the final bill to him for 17.

    He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was negative that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her 18. She read these words...

“Paid in full with a glass of 19.” (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

    Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she 20 silently. “Thank you, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

You can't imagine how crazy I was about football when I was young. For years my life followed a(n) 1: I slipped out of the house, played football until dark and instantly I was infected with malaria. Football was so appealing that I was willing to 2 anything —injuries, punishment, and even sickness—to play it. Soon enough, my mother would rush me to the Sijuwade Hospital. There, the doctor said I needed to be 3 .

My dad often spent the night with me in the hospital while my mother 4 my sister at home. Then came the happiest 5 when my father told me wonderful stories.

My father was a(n) 6 storyteller. In the hospital, he would tell me a story or two, or, sometimes, if he was not too tired, many in response to my request. He 7 bicycle sounds and the howl of the wind so vividly that the pictures would never 8 from my mind. So happy were these moments that I sometimes wished to   9 my hospital stay.

Because of my mom's strict supervision, it became 10 difficult to steal out. No longer sick, no more stories. 11, I broke into my father's room one evening.

"Dad, you tell me stories only when I'm sick."

My father laughed, "You are already eight and can read by yourself!"

He 12 me a book and said, "Go and read that. It'll tell you stories."

I remember that night clearly. I opened the book and read what turned out to be the most 13 story that I had ever read.

What I discovered that night 14 my life. I became thirsty for books and became a voracious（求知欲强的）15 . I read in the mornings, at nights and in between. Through reading, I felt as though I were on the magical journey to the endless.