It was a cloudy day, and the terrible experience happened when I was studying in Bangalore. I got a call from my mom that my brother's1was fixed and they were arranging the wedding ceremony in the next few days.My 2was pretty far. So the next thing I was 3 to do was to book my 4 ticket as there was no direct flight to my hometown. The 5 was done by an agent in my neighborhood. I paid the whole amount 6. But when the day approached the 7 disappeared, leaving me without the train ticket, and thus 8all my travel plan.

    But as it is said, once you face such 9 situations, you realize your inner strength. I 10 decided I would complete my whole journey by bus. Without further 11 ， I took a bus to the first city stop. The next bus was again not 12 —it was 8 hours to a city near my hometown, where my aunt lived. They were also going to 13 my brother's wedding ceremony. So I called them and 14 them to accommodate me. They 15. Half the battle was won.

    Then next day, I was just a few hours from my hometown. When my aunt's family and I were boarding our car, my 16 asked me to switch places with her.

    The journey continued. We were trying to overtake(超越) another car when 17 a truck appeared in front of us and we went directly head on in front of it. We 18 with the truck. In this accident, almost everyone in our car was 19. Fortunately, I didn't have any injury, 20my cousin who switched places with me was seriously injured!

    Last week I talked with Mandy, a mother of a young teenager in my class. She was telling me how 1 it was for her son at school, because he is in a school uniform that doesn't 2 him as he's outgrown it. Since her husband and she both lost their 3 in the last couple of years, they have been searching and interviewing persistently (坚持不懈地). 4, unfortunately they are still out of work.

    Now I know the fact that they just can't 5 a new one. She wiped away 6 as she told me sadly that she is 7 trying to buy a new shirt, then trousers, then… then shoes.

    I know her well enough to know that she doesn't 8 want to get my sympathy or help. She's 9 asked for anything from me, either. She was just telling me the honest 10. I felt moved to go to the 11 to draw money out from my own account through ATM and come back with a bit of savings of my own 12 I believe I can spare. I told her to just go and buy the 13, and not to tell anyone that I did this but her husband.

    I also made it clear to her that nothing is 14 —no payback, nothing. It's a gift done, so I can enjoy 15, and that is all I need right now. I told her that she was also doing me a favor, 16 she let me know everything. She was so 17 for what I had done for her that she was moved to tears, but I really just feel happy that her boy won't continue to be 18 for his ugly uniform. I know what that is like, and as a victim of school bullying (恃强欺弱) when young, I can say 19 it hurts for a long time. I felt so 20 to be able to do this!

    Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom when the door burst open. Her mother, Leigh, hurried into her daughter's room, making a(n)1 “Can you help?”

    Madison and her mother ran to a neighbor's yard, where they found a 2woman and other adults 3a septic tank (化粪池) opening a few inches above the lawn. A boy, aged only two, had 4an eight-foot-deep tank.

    Madison quickly 5 the situation. She knew she was the only one who could 6 through the small hole. Without 7 she told the adults to lower her in. Leigh and others held her waist and 8Madison shook her arms and shoulders until she got through the 9 into the dark and smelly tank. In the process, she10one hand severely. Rather than tend to her injury, Madison scanned the11of the water, hoping to feel the boy. Every once in a while, she could see his little12in the water but failed to catch his foot. Minutes ticked by before she saw the 13of his foot again. Madison shot her good hand out and grasped the foot14 Then both of them were lifted out.

    But the boy wasn't out of 15 He had been short of oxygen so long that he wasn't 16 He was placed on his side, and an adult 17him hard on the back until the boy coughed up fluids. Then they were rushed to the hospital.

    It took Madison longer to18 than the boy, who returned home soon. She,19 stayed there for her injury. “Madison's a hero,” the boy's mother says, “What other teenage girls will 20to go into a septic tank?”

    A girl complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her.

Without a 1, the father took his daughter to the kitchen. He filled three pots with 2 and placed each on a high 3. In one he placed carrots, in the second eggs, and in the last coffee beans. The daughter sucked her teeth and waited 4, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes the father turned off the heat. He 5 the carrots and eggs out and placed them in two plates. Then he poured the coffee into a cup.

    He asked 6, "Darling, what do you see?"

    "Carrots, eggs, and coffee." she replied.

    He asked her to 7 the carrots. She did and said they were 8. Then he asked her to take an egg and 9 it. After pulling off the shell, she 10 the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to drink the coffee. She 11, as she tasted its rich aroma (芳香).

    "What does it 12, Father?" She asked.

    He explained that each of them had 13 the same adversity (困境), boiling water, but each reacted 14. The carrot went in strong and hard but it turned soft and 15. The egg had been fragile, but after sitting through the boiling water its 16 became hardened. The coffee beans were 17, however, after they were in the boiling water, they had 18 the water.

    "Which are you?" Father asked his daughter. She was then wordless as if 19 in thought.

    When adversity knocks on your door, how do you 20? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

    I didn't grow up in a very loving family. In fact, there are few,1, happy memories I have of my childhood2my family members. My3moments were those spent with the few friends I was4to have. My family eventually alienated (排斥) all the neighbors.5, I didn't even have kids to play with and became quite serious just to hide my pain.

    There was another family in town that seemed6to mine. They had a lot of children too. I always wondered what it would be like7my family were more like them. They never knew it, but I watched them and8them. They were kind, genuine and close.

    9later I found myself back in the very same place, in that same small town I had10. This time I was in that town for my mother's funeral. My family gave each other the cold11, as always. I felt upset that neither time nor circumstances could make them act with12toward each other. As I approached the church for the funeral, memories came13back to me. I remembered the warm, kind smiles of that family.

    After the funeral service a meal was provided. When looking for seats with my husband. I heard a14voice I hadn't heard in decades call my name. I15and the father of that family I had admired was there. He was a church volunteer for my mother's funeral lunch. We chatted for a bit. I16my happy child a few meters away to him and it was at that point that I realized I was raising my boy in a way I had seen him bring17his own children so long ago. He wasn't18of it, but my son's life has been greatly19by him.

    So, live your life with love and kindness. You never know who's watching, who you will20and whose life you'll change.

Atdhe Trepca had long been interested in film-making, 1 he did an internship (实习) at Warner Bros. Studio where he 2 experts in the field. There was a French documentary (记录片) which actually 3 his latest project. "I thought it'd be really 4 to start conversations with strangers like the documentary by asking them the 5 question: Are you happy?" Trepca says.

He started his journey to 6 his conversations with strangers in February 2019. "I brought with me lots of 7 about every person I 8 he says, "And now I realize that this question really serves as a 9 to the soul (灵魂). Because when you approach a stranger with that question, all their 10stories come to the forefront and they start 11 something that they've done. One of the purposes of making these videos is to give people a chance to 12 themselves."

Although these videos seem to show stories worthy of 13 that they receive on social media, Trepca believes that everyone's story is also worthy of the same respect. "My videos are 14 endless, because I truly believe that everyone has a story." Besides, he finds that the happiest people haven't had the most15lives. "Even if we are faced with difficult times, we can hold a positive attitude to our lives," Trepca says.