When I was in my twenties, I travelled alone through the UK. In order to 1 locations that the public transportation couldn't get to, I bought a(n)2 car, drove it around for three months and sold it before I returned to Australia. The car cost most of my money, so I lived mainly on3during that trip, it being cheap and filling. In Ireland, my4 was stolen, and it was impossible to get another. So for the rest of the trip I 5out in my car, being too poor to afford bed and breakfast.

    One morning, I 6 in my old Skoda under a twisted tree on a remote lane in the Irish countryside, with no more than a 7 house in sight. I had a terrible desire for a 8 cup of tea and some hot water to make porridge with 9 I would not have to eat the cold leftovers from the previous day.

    My thermos (暖瓶) had gone cold overnight so I knocked on the door of the house. A woman opened it. Hot water? She 10 let me get away with just that! I was invited indoors, seated at the breakfast table with the 11 and given a delicious breakfast, as much as I could eat. I was 12 to eat something more than porridge! I 13 being friends with the whole family.

    That was only one of many acts of 14strangers showed me when I was traveling alone in foreign regions. One London businessman rushing to work, seeing me 15 offered to pull my ridiculously heavy suitcase 16several flights of stairs in the underground. After he'd done so, with a smile and a wave, he 17 into the crowd.

    Kindness gets 18. The other day, I was able to point out a rare parking spot to a young man who had been driving around the railway car park, looking 19 desperate. His grateful smile was all the 20 I needed as I dashed off to catch my train.

    Armed with a bachelor's degree in medicine, I left Jammu, my hometown, for Delhi hoping to find a good job. Those were testing time — I was 1 my resume at every hospital and clinic in the capital, and facing upsetting 2responses. These big-city folks seemed too busy to care about a 23-year-old, jobless girl. Then a friend told me about the “Technical Recruitment Cell”,3 near the Income Tax Office (ITO), where I could 4 for a government job.

    The next day I reached the ITO area and 5 in the sun for an hour asking everybody for the Technical Recruitment Cell, but no one had any idea 6 it was.

    It was 7 and the heat unbearable. I then reached a big book shop, full of books on law and finance. Maybe I'll 8 inside, I thought as I walked in and found a man aged about 40 busy at his PC.9him, I asked if he knew the address. Seeing me drenched in sweat (大汗淋淳)，he asked me to take a 10 and offered me a glass of water. He then googled “Technical Recruitment Cell”, but without 11. I must have looked frustrated.

    “Don't get 12.” he said, as he continued his search. “We'll find it.” He'd spent several minutes searching when an older man who also 13 in the shop, came by and asked us what we were looking for.

    “Beta, it might be the Delhi Subordinate Board,” he suggested. “They 14 people for government posts.” We searched for that and found it 15 — actually the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board. They then gave me a printout of the 16

    “What do I 17you for the Internet time and the printout?” I asked the first gentleman.

    “Oh, nothing. Good luck!”

    “Thank you,” I said to the pair. The older man then told me the 18 of the bus that would get me there, the fare, even the best 19 to take, finally saying “God bless you!” as I walked out.

    I was happy in the discovery that not all city folks are too 20to help other.

    As a kid I loved everything about school. I loved books1tests and homework. Most of all I longed to someday march down the aisle (通道) to receive my2.That seemed more appealing even than getting married. But at 15, I had to3because my parents4afford tuition. My hope of getting a diploma was dead.

Pretty soon, I married. I had three Children, and I thought: "There5my diploma."

    Even so, I wanted my children to be educated. But Linda, our youngest child, had juvenile arthritis (幼年型关节炎) in her6and knees, which made it7for her to function (活动) in a normal classroom.

    One day, I saw an ad in the newspaper for evening courses.

"That's the answer," I said to myself. Linda always feels8in the evening, so I'll just sign her up for night school.

Linda was busy9out enrollment (入学) forms when the secretary said: "Mrs Schantz, why don't you come back to10?"

I11: "There's no way! I'm 55!"

12he insisted, and before I knew what I had done, I was enrolled for classes in English and crafts. "This is only an experiment," I13him, but he just smiled. To my surprise, both Linda and I thrived (茁壮成长) in evening school. I went back again the next semester, and my grades14improved.

It was15going to school again, but it was no game. Sitting in a class full of kids was awkward,16most of them were respectful and encouraging. During the day, I still had loads of housework to do. But when I was down, Linda encouraged me. "Morn, you can't17now!" And when she was down, I18her. Together we saw it through. At last, I got my diploma19 my classmates voted unanimously (一致地) for me to be class speaker, and I got a ＄3, 000 college scholarship.

    Yes, Mom, I was late for school, but I got there20.

    One day, Jim played basketball in the living room after school. When he was playing in high spirits, his basketball 1 a vase off the shelf by accident and the mouth of it knocked off a large piece. What made him more2 was that the vase was rare and valuable. To cover the great 3 he caused, he glued the pieces together and put the vase back to its place.

    While cleaning the vase after work, his mother 4 the change on it. At dinnertime, she asked Jim if he 5 the vase. Being afraid of punishment, Jim said a wild cat jumped in from the window and knocked the vase off the shell. His mother was quite clear that he was 6, for all the windows were closed before she went to work. However, his mother just remained 7 and said it was her carelessness not to have the window closed.

    Before going to bed, Jim's mother asked him to go to the study. He felt he couldn't 8 the punishment.

    When he entered the study in fear, his mother's face appeared no sense of 9. Instead, she took a chocolate box out of the drawer and 10 one piece to him. “Jim, this chocolate is a reward for you, for you11 a cat that could open the window, with your imagination.” Then, she put another chocolate in his hand. “This chocolate is a reward for your topping12 to restore (修复). You restored with glue, the cracks were filled almost perfectly. 13remember, to restore a vase needs more powerful glue and higher 14 skill. Tomorrow, let's bring the vase to the15 to see how they'll make it as it was.” With that, his mother took the third chocolate, “The 16 chocolate stands for my deep apology (歉意) to you. As your mother，I shouldn't have put a vase in a place where it could so 17 fall down, especially when there is a boy fond of sports.”

    “But, Mum, I ...” His mother18him and said. “My chocolate box has been 19, so our talk is over, too. Now, go to bed!” Then she left for her own bedroom. The following days were the same as before. The only 20 was that Jim never told a lie since then.

    I was walking down a dimly (昏暗) lit street late one evening when I heard 1 coming from behind bushes. 2 I slowed down to listen and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing were the sounds of a struggle. Only yards from where I stood, a woman was being attacked.

    Should I get 3?

    I was frightened for my own safety, and I hated 4 for having suddenly decided to take a(n) 5 route home that night. "What if I'm hurt too? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?" Although it felt like a century, my thought process had only 6 seconds.

    But already the cries were growing 7.

    I knew I had to act fast. "How could I walk away from this?" I asked myself.

    "No", I finally resolved (决心), I could not turn my 8 on the fate of this unknown woman, 9 it means 10 my own life.

    I am not a brave man, nor am I 11. I don't know where I found the moral courage and physical strength, but 12 I had finally decided to help the girl, I became suddenly changed.

    I ran behind the bushes and 13 the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, 14 we fought for a few minutes until the man jumped up and escaped.

    15 heavily, I got to my feet and 16 the girl, who was sobbing behind a tree. In the darkness, I could certainly 17 her trembling shock.  Not wanting to frighten her any further, I at first spoke to her from a 18.

    "It's OK," I said soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now."

    There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered (说) in 19.

    "Dad, is that you?"

    And then, from behind the tree, 20 my youngest daughter, Katherine.

    God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right time.

In early November in 2023, a diver, swimming off the coast of Sardinia, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} （notice）pieces of metal on the ocean floor. He called the authorities and more divers were sent to look. The pieces turned out to be ancient Roman coins. The coins mostly lay {#blank#}2{#/blank#} （bury）in sand and seagrass not far from the coast. It is said that more than 30, 000 coins have been found, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} are close to 2, 000 years old. Experts call this a major historical discovery.