I was unbelievably proud of my nine-year-old daughter, Emily. 1 to buy a mountain bike, she'd been saving her pocket money all year, as well as doing small jobs to earn extra money. By Thanksgiving, she had collected only $49. I said, “You2 have your pick from my bicycle3.”

    “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls' bikes were 1950s models, not the kind a kid today would4choose.

    As Christmas5 near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she 6 a Salvation Army（基督教慈善组织） volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked. “Sorry, em, I'm out of change.” I said.

    Throughout December, Emily continued to 7 hard. Then one day, she made a 8 announcement. “You know all the money I've been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I'm going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily handed her total savings of $58 to a volunteer who was really very9.

    10 by Emily's selflessness, I decided to contribute11 of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children. 12 I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow（发光）.Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn't 13 the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later 14 the bikes, the car dealer said, “You're making two kids very 15, sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we're16 away one chance to win a girls' mountain bike.”

    Why wasn't I surprised when that second ticket proved to be the 17? I like to think it was God's way of 18 a little girl for a sacrifice 19 her years—while giving her dad a lesson in the20.

    Leon Logothetis is riding his yellow motorcycle, which he calls Kindness One. He is trying to 1 around the world on the kindness of 2. No money. No food. Nowhere to stay. Leon 3 on the generosity of the human spirit to keep him going.

"It's all about 4 other people," Leon said. So far, he's met with 5. In Las Vegas, a family gave him food and a place to sleep. In Nebraska, cowboys let him stay 6 them. "The American people have been 7," Leon said.

Andin Pittsburgh, after a dozen people had 8 him down, Leon met Tony, a 9 man who gave me his food and offered to let Leon sleep with him in a garage. "It was so inspiring for me," Leon said ."The people in Pittsburgh hadn't 10 helped but he offered me a place to stay and shared his food."

So just how far can 11 get you? Leon is determined to 12. "I used to be a manager in London, sitting behind a desk, 13 12 hours a day, and it wasn't for me." he explained. "Then I went and travelled the world and 14 with people. And that's what it's all about. That's where the 15 is: Connection. Heart to heart."

On his blog, Leon said he'll 16 a ship from New York to Europe, adding he'll do so "as a non-paying 17. Kindness Rocks!"

    He also lists a trip that would 18 him travelling to France, Italy, Greece, India. Cambodia and Vietnam and other countries. His 19 will be shown on TV. The trip also serves to 20 money for Make-a-Wish Foundation.

    There was my mother, standing in a fuzzy (毛绒绒的) pink bunny(兔子）costume. This can't be, 1 I thought to myself. Being ten was 2 enough.

    Our class was taking a trip to a convalescent home（疗养院) that day.I had 3 to stay at home pretending I'd caught some rare disease. My mother who's a(n) 4, sent me to school anyway.

    When we got there, I 5 wished for that 6. I'd fall to the ground and be 7the humiliation (耻笑) of anyone ever knowing that I 8every day after school there, dressed as a bunny.

“Hi, Shelly!” The residents waved at me, “ Do you know them?” someone asked. “No! They 9 me for someone else. I'm Machille,” I responded. I didn't look up 10 I might make eye contact with them. Then, Mrs. Deist, our teacher, handed us tulips (郁金香) to give to the residents. I quickly went to the back of the 11. My mother just went along her way— hopping（单足跳跃）. Last year, we hopped together. 12, “I'm too old for that now”, I thought.

    I hid behind my class. “ Shelly, how about a game of Fish?” Lou asked. My class and teacher 13 and stared. “ Machille, do you know these people?” Mrs.Deist asked me.

“Um….yes！”  

    “Well you should 14 the way,” she said, smiling. So I stepped forward, handed a tulip to Rose, waved to Frank and gave Mr. Blusso a high-five.

    “My mother is in a convalescent home. I wish she could have someone like you to 15 her.” Mrs Deist said. My mother hopped over then. “This is my mom. Every day she looks after these special people who need nurses' care.” I stood straight as I 16 the information. My mother then explained a program where kids can 17 after school. The residents cheered at the18, and my class seemed excited, too.

    I realized how 19 it made me to make other people smile and feel good. I should never be 20 of that.

    When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was 1 to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual (只用一种语言的) dictionary. 2 it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, none of my classmates had one 3, to be honest, I found it extremely 4 to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and5 not fully understand the meanings. I was used to the 6 bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are 7 both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt gave me such 8 to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I 9 that monolingual dictionaries are 10in learning a foreign language.

    As I found out, there is, 11, often no perfect equivalence (对应) between two 12 in two languages. My aunt even goes so far as to 13 that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the 14 meaning of a word in English! 15 she insisted that I read the definition (释义) of a word in a monolingual dictionary when I wanted to get a better 16 of its meaning. 17, I have come to see what she meant.

    Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses a(n) 18 number of words, around 2,000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am19 exposed to the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas. 20 this, I can express myself more easily in English.

    I was invited to attend a presentation at the Kentucky School. That evening I found gratitude（感恩）had amazing 1to change our attitude and our life.

    The young musician Mr. Patrick was 2 onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His 3 danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was wonderful. But what shocked me most was his 4 smile.

    Patrick was born with no eyes and an illness in the legs, which 5 him disabled for life. However, as a child, he was6 with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first 7, he discovered the piano. When his mom hit any note on the piano, and within one or two 8, he'd get it. By his second birthday, he was playing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". His father was extremely 9. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together."

    When Patrick was at the University of Louisville, his father 10 classes with him. He was also a part of the 214-member marching band! He was a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father did it together. His father 11 the night shift（夜班）in order to accompany his daytime band practice. Patrick says, "My dad's my 12."

    But even more than his 13 musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that 14 my soul. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how 15 he was to his great father. When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and 16 for over five minutes.

    We all face misfortune in our lives. 17, it's not the hardship but how we 18 to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During 19 times, do we spend too much time feeling 20 for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain?

    I grew up on a 40-acre farm in the small rural community of Illinois, as the fifth of six children.

    My parents, Robert and Patti, often noted during meals how everything on the table except sugar and wine came from the land.1 running the farm, Dad was also a carpenter. In the fall of 1980, he was working on a house when all of a sudden the ladder broke. His back was broken.

    He stayed in hospital for almost a month with his head and feet down, 2his back to align (成直线) correctly so the bones would heal.

    On Thanksgiving, Dad was still in hospital recovering from his back injury. Normally he would take us to butcher pigs the day after the holiday, and that year my uncle 3 up with my four cousins to help my two elder brothers 4 our year's supply of pork.

    When Dad came back home from the hospital, he was still in a back brace (支架) and 5 to work. I was too young to realize our family had no money coming in as Christmas 6 . Another day we saw a car coming up the long driveway. Always longing for company, we kids were7 about who was visiting. Rose Anderson, our neighbor, was at the door, holding an envelope stuffed with money. She told my dad she had8 money in the community and came to deliver it.

    Dad tried to refuse,9 Rose insisted. I can still hear her saying, "Robert, whenever someone's baler (压捆机) breaks down, you bale their hay. Whenever someone passes away, Patti cooks. It's our 10."

    I learned later that we also 11 gift baskets from more than one organization. That Christmas, I, a 6-year-old kid, understood what being a good neighbor was, and that as my parents were good neighbors, their12 would be returned. These tales of Christmas kindness will 13 our heart, too.

    My parents were accustomed to being the 14, not the receivers of such generosity. They had a bit of pride to swallow, but continued all of their lives to show us kids the 15of kindness.