I felt like a good mother on that summer morning. I'd 1 up early, made a picnic lunch2 my three- and five-year-old daughters into the car, driven to my friend's house, packed her and her3 into the car, and driven the hour and a half to the shore where we4 our towels on the sands by 10 a.m.

    Soon the girls began running. About 50 yards from us, a man, maybe 5 his late 50s, was fishing. The girls stood next to him and watched with their mouths open 6 he cast the lines. He smiled at them. They all ran back to us except my three-year-old Drew, who7 just seated herself next to the white bucket where the man was 8 planning to put the fish he caught.

    However, suddenly a 9 came to my mind. Is it dangerous for Drew to stay there with the stranger? Good moms should also teach daughters that the world is dangerous. Then, I watched them like there was a hidden 10 in the lifeguard chair filming the man as America's Most Wanted. Every few minutes, I looked to my five-year-old to make sure she hadn't been 11 out to sea, then back to Drew to make sure there was no 12 between her and the stranger.

    When I looked at Drew again, she had started 13 with the man. She was probably telling him where we lived and how her father was away on 14. He nodded. She kept talking. He nodded again, then they laughed.

    A few seconds later, she ran back to us, with a toy fish in her hand. It must have been something 15 he used for bait(饵). The three other girls were 16 so they didn't try to 17 how eager they were to have one.

    Just when I was at a loss, there he was: the man, standing right next to us. He was holding three more toy fish. He handed them to each of the girls. By their 18 I realized that he was 19 a warm-hearted man, meaning no harm at all.

    “Thank you”, I said, realizing that yes, there is evil in this world…but there is also good, and 20 in strangers, and lessons for mothers to learn that only three-year-olds could teach them.

    This is really simple but I was caught off guard（ 措 手 不 及 ）. As my son and I were1 a restaurant today, I 2  the door for several older couples going in and out. Just as I was about to let it go, I saw someone coming around the corner so I 3. She saw my little boy and told me to go first. I told her to  4because I wasn't in any 5—we're still technically on vacation. 6, we'd had our lunch.

    I've held doors 7  I was a kid because that's what my brother  8  me in and now I just do it out of 9  . Maybe people will say thanks, but most of them 10 blow past like the world 11 them something or whatever excuse they make for ignoring that  12.

    The girl, however, 13 a big smile, saying "Thank you". It's a tiny thing and she probably didn't even14 its effect. But I could suppose she  15  appreciated it. It wasn't until she was in 16  and walking past that I found she was a beautiful girl, so I'm not the first person to open a door for her. I just got back from Florida, was dirty and 17  and hadn't even showered yet. I am 99% sure it had nothing to do with my  18. I can only assume she was actually  19.

    Anyway, this probably wouldn't mean anything to most people but I valued her sincere20passing.

    Grady threw down his backpack and slammed the car door shut.

    "This is going to be a really 1week," he said unhappily to no one 2. He looked around the campground. Hundreds of tall and green fir trees, some as tall as church towers, 3 the mountainside, giving it the appearance of a green carpet. The sun would be setting soon. Then, Grady thought, maybe the 4wouldn't be unbearable. But actually even up here in the5, the hot stickiness of July was closely attached to him.

    Grady hated camping, but it was something his family6 every summer. His father liked cooking over an open fire, telling stories about how to 7 things like bear attacks and swarms of bees. His mother and younger brother Jared liked to hike and take 8 of animals. Jared had a collection of bug pictures that he'd 9 to the walls in his half of their room. Grady thought they were just scary and proof that Jared was a 10 kid.

    They set up camp—two 11, one for his parents and one for himself and Jared. While everyone else started 12 dinner, Grady, looking for some place to cool down, set off for the nearby stream, which was deep enough to 13 in.

    As he 14 the stream, something caught his eye. There was a(an)15black bear cub—no more than two feet tall with a lovely face. It was playing pretty 16 at the water's edge,17 its surroundings. Grady moved closer to get a 18look. Then Grady heard a sound behind him. He 19 his father saying that bear cubs would never be20. Then he turned around and saw the cub's mother moving swiftly towards him…

    After 21 years of marriage, Bill Henrichs and Mary Ziegler concluded that they were no longer a good match. The couple politely divorced in 1995 and went their 1 ways, but they continued to see each other when meeting their 2at their school and sporting events. In February 2018, 3 , she and Henrichs learned they were a match in a different way.

    Henrichs's kidneys(肾)were 4, and he was in need of a 5.After nearly 40 family members and friends were tested as possible 6 , the result surprised all—only one person 7 to be a perfect match—Ziegler.

    So on Oct.16 more than four decades after they said "I do, "she and Henrichs, 62 , were 8into an operating room, and one of Ziegler's healthy kidneys was 9 and given to her ex-husband. The surgery went well, and the transplant is 10 well and continuing to improve as Mr. Henrichs 11 from the surgery. Henrichs was beyond grateful for his ex-wife's sympathy and 12 , but he was also worried in the hours before the 13 .

    Just three weeks after the transplant, she was back to work and doing yoga—a quick turnaround considering that the 14 kidney donor needs a healing period of six to eight 15."This entire experience has brought us all 16."She and Henrichs hope that by sharing their story, other 17 will realize that divorce is not always a reason to 18ties.

    "Divorce is divorce, but there's no reason to 19 , "Henrichs said."There are lots of reasons why it's 20 to get along." He pauses and laughs." Someday, you just might need a kidney."

    I was at a crowded grocery store not long ago. It was a weekday evening, cold and tense. People were carelessly 1 aisles(过道) and at one point, two women 2 for several minutes after running into each other.

    Things got 3 at the checkout line. The cashier scanned a man's discount card, but he misread the savings on her screen as an additional 4. He decided she was acting 5 and began to argue. The cashier tried in vain to reason with him. She 6 a manager, who accompanied him to customer service and moved to the next 7 in line.

    We've all witnessed 8 scenes like this in public places. My reaction when I see them is both personal and 9. I am a sociologist who studies how and why people communicate with one another — or why they 10 not to. To me, the grocery scene was another example of how our 11 in others has declined. But it was also a teachable 12 on how we can rebuild our faith — 13 with just one person.

    I 14 the nervous cashier. I got a bottle of water from a nearby cooler and handed it to her. "I felt 15 about how that man treated you and wanted to buy this for you," I said. Her face lit up, and we 16 as she scanned our items. She told me she had been 17 that evening through severe foot pain and would be having an operation later that week. I wished her well in her 18, and she thanked me as I left.

    Those are the balancing 19 that will add up to restore (重建)trust between people. You can start that pattern in someone else's life, even in a 20 as ordinary as the neighbourhood grocery store.

As I prepared for my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, memories of previous disappointing marks filled me with dread and anxiety. The mere thought of booking the exam made me feel completely strained. However, fate had other plans in store for me.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my trusty 10﹣year﹣old electric piano malfunctioned. The middle C note played as an F﹣sharp, and multiple other keys were out of tune.

Despite my distress, my father refused to buy a new piano and instead urged me to be more resourceful. Initially, I was at a loss without my beloved electric piano. But after struggling for a few days, I was determined to find every available piano room on campus. After discovering hidden pianos in corners, I spent countless hours practicing. As my exam drew near

One day, while practicing in a piano room, one of my teachers walked in and offered me a mini exam. To my surprise, I found a place where I could be anyone.

Playing the piano became my escape from the anxieties of adolescence and allowed me to express myself freely. When it was time to play in front of the examiner, I no longer feared judgment. Instead, I only feared not being able to represent all my hard work. As the lights came on

Eventually, I received my mark. Not only did I achieve a rarely given "well done", but I also discovered a newfound appreciation for music. Whenever I feel discouraged, some lessons are best learned the hard way.