Across the street from where we live, there stands a big hospital. To earn some money, we rented the rooms upstairs to patients. One evening, there was a(n) 1 at the door. I opened it and saw a short old man who was hardly 2 than my eight-year-old son. But the worst thing was his face—it was 3 ugly. He told me he'd been 4 a room since that noon but no one seemed to have one. For a moment I hesitated, not 5 to rent him a room, but his next words convinced me. He said,“I could 6 on this chair. My bus leaves early in the morning." I told him we would find him a 7.

    It wasn't a long time before I found that this old man had a 8 heart in that tiny body. He fished for a living to 9 his daughter, his daughter's children, and her disabled husband. He didn't tell it by way of complaint. Instead, he was 10 that no pain was caused by his disease and that he still had strength to keep going. At 11, we put a camp cot(吊床) in my children's room for him.12 he left the next morning, he asked, “Could I please come back and 13 when I see the doctor next time? Grown-ups are bothered by my 14, but children don't seem to 15. ”I told him he was welcome to come again.

    On his next trip, he brought a big fish and a bag of the largest oysters（牡蛎）I had ever seen. Other times we received 16 in the mail. There were oysters, fish or some fresh vegetables. 17 how little money he had and that he must walk three miles to 18 these made these gifts much more precious. And from him we 19 what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good 20gratitude.

    What do you think of that? One man donated(捐赠) his stem cells (干细胞)to a(n) 1 living on the other side of the world.

    A man working as a taxi driver in Shanghai 2 an activity about stem cell donation. Shortly after, he received the 3 that his stem cells had been matched to a boy in England. The receiver is just seven years old. The driver, Jiang Yongfeng, 4 to donate his stem cells at once. “I did not expect it to happen so 5. I was so excited to get a match so soon.” He says. “6 I learned the boy was only born in 2008, I was silent. And I 7 I made the right decision. I must help him.”

    Some people 8 stem cell transplants to treat cancer. They must 9 a donor with nearly the same genes(基因). It means the matched 10 must have the very similar gene. The possibility of the long-distance match between Jiang Yongfeng and the little boy is 11. It sounds like a 12miracle（奇迹）. “ The little boy receiving Jiang's donation is very 13, ” doctors said.

    Some donors were 14 to donate stem cells in out-dated ways because of poor health care systems years ago. It was a(n) 15 experience that many people couldn't stand. 16, Mr. Jiang was able to use a simpler and safer method.

    Usually donors and receivers do not meet, nor do they know each other's 17. Does Jiang Yongfeng mind that he doesn't even know the little boy's name? “ No,” he shakes his 18. “ I just want the operation to be done as soon as possible so that they can send my 19 to the UK and help the little kid 20 as soon as possible. I hope he can be brave and strong and that he can live a good life.

    I was having a period of bad health. I had one operation after another. I was falling 1 faster than the doctors could put me back together. But I just couldn't bear the operation, the hospital stay, the long recovery and the physical therapy（康复治疗）. I told my doctor I was going to try 2 else.

    I'd discovered that walking gave me a little 3. So I started walking. The first day, my wife 4 off our steep Silver Lake hill to a flat street. She got me out of the car, and I walked about two blocks 5 asking to be taken home. The next day, I walked about four 6.

    Slowly, feeling a little 7 every day, I began to walk a mile or more. I even 8some hills to my route. I became interested in the network of public stairways around Silver Lake I made a 9 of it and walked every public staircase in Silver Lake. That went pretty well, so I 10 onto Echo Park. I was feeling better, so I kept going. The search finally 11 “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles' a book 12 in the spring of 2010. By then, I had 13. I'd been walking at least an hour a day for three years. My life 14 returned to normal.

    In three years of walks, I've met dozens of people who'd had 15 experiences of rebirth or recovery. One man told me he'd lost 80 pounds walking the secret stairs and was dating for the first time in a decade. One woman told me she'd 16 knee operation. Another told me she'd been 17 to start ballroom dancing again.

    All I'd 18 from the walks was relief from pain. What I got was 19, community and a whole new experience of my city. Out of the car, on my feet and moving at walking pace, I 20 Los Angeles for the first time.

    My grandfather died in 1970, leaving my grandmother living in their old house alone. Shortly after that, we went to the animal shelter(收容所) and picked out a little 1 to accompany(陪伴) Grandma. The dog was named Penny.

    Grandma and Penny quickly became very attached(依恋)to each other, and that attachment grew much 2 as years passed—they became very close. When Grandma went to 3, Penny walked along and lay beside her until she woke up.4 Penny aged, she could no longer jump up on the 5 to lie next to Grandma, so she lay on the blanket beside the bed. Grandma never went anywhere without her partner by her side.

    The time came when both my grandmother and Penny were becoming 6. Grandma had been sent to hospital several times, and Penny couldn't 7 around very well. When Grandma was in hospital, Penny would sit at the window 8 out for the car bringing Grandma home and would 9 wait at the door when Grandma came through it. Each homecoming was a great meeting again between the two.

    On Christmas Day in 1985, Grandma was again taken to the hospital. Penny, 10, sat watching out the window for the car bringing Grandma home. Two mornings later, I 11 she couldn't stand and wouldn't eat. Later, she had difficulty in breathing. I quickly 12 her to the hospital where Grandma stayed to let her see her owner for the last time. There, as soon as Penny saw Grandma, Penny's eyes brightened suddenly and then slowly 13.Grandma left this world, several 14 later.

    After fifteen years of loving friendship, Grandma and Penny passed away on the same day. God had it all worked out—Penny was waiting at the door to 15 her when Grandma came home.

    A little girl created the perfect Mother's Day gift. It was a drawing of a 1 on white paper with the words "For mom: love, love, love" decorated in hearts. She folded (折叠) her letter, 2 then she lost it.

    For most people, that would be the 3 of this story, but this story has a different result: James Carrell 4 the letter. He had just 5 his mother, wishing her a happy Mother's Day. After he got off the phone, Carrell saw the 6 on the ground outside of a hardware (五金器具) store in Manvel in Texas, United States. "I 7 it was a note" said Carrell. "I 8 it and saw the flower and hearts. It 9 moved me." Carrell thought the letter would 10 someone's day and maybe he could find the 11, so he posted it in the Talk of Alvin Facebook group. The message 12 a lot of people, especially one man.

    "I was sitting at my friend's house and saw a man 13," said Carrell.

    His Facebook comments (评论) included a message from Roberto Alvarado. He wrote, "I can't 14 you found my baby's letter." Carrell reached out to Alvarado to 15 the letter. It took a few days, but the men finally 16 on Thursday night, one day after Alvarado's daughter Natalie celebrated her seventh birthday.

    "17 the letter made it home," said Alvarado. "We are 18 for what James Carrell did."

    We often forget the power of 19 things, but for this family from Alvin, Carrell's small act left a(n) 20 impression (影响).

    Jason, our son, was born with cerebral palsy（脑瘫）. My wife and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his early years.

    It was 2 to see him regularly chosen last for baseball, but his most 3 time came when he began high school. One afternoon, Jason returned home in 4 and shouted: "I'm never going to school again!" He was 5 with food that other kids had 6 him on the school bus on the way home. Jason later told us what had 7. A few days earlier, Jason had 8 up for the school running team. That day, a few older students made 9 of his performance on the track. I called the headmaster about the 10, and it never happened again.

    One day, as the other kids exercised in the gym, they 11 one lonely runner-Jason jogging around the snow-covered track. A few weeks later, Jason said to me, "Dad, I was ready for the 12. He added that each month, each student 13 an "athlete of the month" and voted for the 14. Jason's name had never been 15. But that day, one student said: "Sir, I would like to propose Jason for athlete of the month. "The coach looked 16. "He works harder than any of us, Sir," the student continued. Tears 17 in Jason's eyes as everyone in the class put their hands up. We, also in tears, looked on as he 18 displayed his certificate.

    Whenever I despair, I think of this story. I 19 myself that challenges are not overcome by 20, but by patience, determination, and faith.