While my father was an officer of the British army in South Africa, we lived in a two-storeyed house. One evening my father and sister and I were sitting together. He was 1 the window. I suddenly 2 that he was turning very pale. I sat 3 for I didn't want to 4 my sick sister. Soon father said in a 5voice, “Kate and Joan, a friend of mine 6 here to see me this evening, and I wish to be 7 him. Will you go up to your own room?” We obeyed, went to our room and closed the door.

    Soon I heard a8 like that of a door burst in, and then a climb of feet. They were hurrying 9 the narrow stairs. Fearing that there was10 near, I seized the pistol (手枪) on the table. Then I heard my father cry out, “For God's sake, child,11 the door.” I did so. To my scare, I saw,12 my father's shoulder; a gorilla (大猩猩), the worst enemy of the soldier in Europe, he was 13 my father. I raised the pistol and fired. The animal fell backwards with an/a 14 loud cry. Father took the still 15 pistol from my hand, and fired another shot, which killed the gorilla.

    It happened when father 16 us upstairs because he thought he would be able to 17the door-which was twenty feet away 18 the animal reached it. However, the gorilla was too 19and this was the cause of the 20 flight (escape) up the stairs.

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.

    Ann's neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local high school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on it. Ann said that she could 1 it only for the day.

    Tracy took photos of the 2 and printed off 400 FOUND fliers (传单), and put them in mailboxes. Meanwhile, Ann bought some pet 3 in the dollar store nearby, and warned her two 4 not to fall in love with it. At the time, Ann's son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was 5 from a heart operation, was 21 years old.

    Four days later Ann was still 6 the dog, whom they had started to 7 Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog 8 itself against the screen door and barked 9 at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley 10 into the boys' room where Ann 11 that Jack was suffering a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, and as soon as Ann bent over to 12 him the dog went13.

    "If it hadn't come to get me, the 14 said Jack would have died," Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to 15 the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.

    The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter 16 his dog and called the 17  on the flier. Tracy started 18, and told him, "That dog 19 my friend's son."

    Peter drove to Ann's house to 20 his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, "Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it."

    If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that1my life forever.

    One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a2on life support with less than twenty percent3of living. It wasn't until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a4blood infection. Over the5of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knees. When my parents6me out of the hospital, I7that I had been put together like a patchwork （拼接物）doll and I had to live with8legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken,9streaming down.

    But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and10the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant11. And that is when it12me that I didn't have to be five-foot-five anymore,13I could be as tall as I wanted. And14of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were15here.

    Four months later, I was back upon a16. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals,17me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

    So, instead of looking at our18and limitations as something19or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful20that can be used to help us to further than we ever know we could go.

Fifteen years ago, I loved going to the gym, but family life and work commitments meant I was finding it hard to get there. With the help of my dad and uncle, I built my own gym in the garden. It's basically a beautified room with insulation(隔热层) and electrics and a small heater for the winter. We built a corner desk too intending it to be for me to do the paperwork for my small business. However, the desk served its real purpose when I started my writing journey two years ago.

I've always had stories going through my mind. I could be out jogging and I'd lose myself playing out thoughts in my head like movie scenes. Once seen, they stay in there. I have trouble keeping other information, but when it comes to story ideas, they lock in. I have many full novel ideas in my head waiting to be written. When I was younger, I wasn't brave enough to write. I didn't do well in school and I've spent most of my life in physical work, so the idea of becoming a writer felt laughable.

I now know there isn't a writer type; writers come in all forms. I still use the gym for its real purpose, but some of the equipment has been replaced by books and a small be d for the time when I want to relax and read. I like to have my desk looking colorful—some might say messy. My love for sport is clear to see, with photos around of my favorite boxers and the football team I follow. On the other hand, having my own writing room is important. Without it I wouldn't be where I am now on my writing journey. It's far from charming, but it is mine. It's my happy place.

The university I attend has about 3500 students. One early afternoon, I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (walk) around the campus when I found a female student sitting on the walkway with tears on her face. Everyone just walked by her, so I decided to stop {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (give) her a hand. I dropped my books and sat down beside her. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} turned out that she injured her ankle (脚踝) and was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (able) to walk. So I told her that I would sit with her {#blank#}5{#/blank#} she was ready to get up. It only took a few minutes for her to calm down. Then I took her {#blank#}6{#/blank#}the hand and got her to the nearest hospital.

She thanked me so much for just stopping! Since then, when we run into each other {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (occasional) on campus, she would smile and thank me again. And we have become good friends now. I am amazed that just my sitting there, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (offer) support and comfort to a total {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(strange) would affect her so greatly. She said she was grateful for what I had done, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} made her feel that she was not alone in the world.