Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.

    I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father1me to her with these words:“I would like you to meet the fellow who is2for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 3than tomorrow morning.”

    My stepmother walked over to me, 4my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 5.This is not the worst boy at all, 6the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

    That statement began a(n) 7between us. No one had ever called me smart, My family and neighbors had built me up in my 8   as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.

    She changed many things. She 9my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more 10and my brother and I could be better11.

    When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand12and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her ernthusiasm,I13it had already improved our lives. I accepted her 14and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of15 that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life's work later. I wasn't the 16beneficiary (受益者).My father became the 17man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.

    What power 18 has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is 19strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 20.

    You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.

    My memories of my father are slim because he was so sick in the last years of his life. But there are1that I am often reminded of and which may have had some bearing on my love of2.

    When I was small I was somewhat3of lightning and thunder. My father explained it. The explanation was in4that a child could understand but was basically correct. I gained a better5later, but I didn't have to unlearn anything.

    What he said was that there was electricity in the clouds6it traveled to the ground like a spark. When it traveled7the air it made the air so hot that it8. Then there was nothing where the air had been and the air all around rushed in to9the space. He clapped his hands together very loud,10 to be the air rushing in, and said that makes the thunder. When I hear thunder, I can still hear that11.

    He explained why if it was cloudy in the winter the night was warmer than if it was12. It was one of those nights when the sky was full of stars: no moon, no town lights. But there were more stars than you could13 and they had color too. He said that if there were no clouds, we had no blankets and were 14to the universe. Our warmth was going to15the whole universe. When there were clouds, they were like blankets and we were not exposed to the universe. I 16 feel on the edge of space on a very clear night.

    I am sure there were many other lessons that I17but no longer remember. What I did18, in general, was that there were explanations and that the more I understood them, the more comfortable the world was to live in. I was not taught that there were 19 but that there was understanding if you looked for it. This may be why I have always been 20 in science.

    Clara Daly was seated on an Alaska Airlines flight when a flight attendant asked a(n) 1question over the loudspeaker, "Does anyone on board know American Sign Language?"

    Clara, 15 at the time 2 the call button. The flight attendant came by and 3 the situation. "We have a passenger on the plane who's 4 and deaf." she said. The passenger seemed to want something, but he couldn't 5 his message.

    Clara 6 to have been studying ASL for the past year and knew she'd be able to finger spell into the man's palm. So she 7 her seat belt and walked toward the seat of Tim Cook, then 64.

    8 taking his hand  she 9, "Are you OK?" Cook asked for some water.

    When it arrived, Clara returned to her seat. She came by again a bit later because he wanted to know the time. On her third 10, she stopped and stayed a while.

    "He didn't need anything. He was lonely and wanted to 11." Clara says.

    So for the next hour, that's what they did. She talked about her plans for the future. Cook told Clara12 he had gradually become blind over time and 13 stories of his days as a traveling salesman. Even though he couldn't see her, she "looked 14 at his face with such kindness," a passenger reported, "We can see she smiled with happiness, 15 she made a difference in someone's life."

    "Clara was amazing." a flight attendant told Alaska Airlines in a blog interview. "You could tell Tim was very 16 to have someone he could speak to, and she was such a(n) 17."

    Cook's 18, "Best trip I've ever had."

    Learned a lot. The best thing for 19 is to learn something. Learning is the only thing that never 20.

Last week I went shopping in the supermarket. I got to the front of the 1 and put my groceries through the checkout. I was about to pay, when I 2 that I didn't have my bankcard with me. I 3.Then I remembered I left it at home when I 4 something online. All I had was $30 in notes and some coins in my wallet. I was short 5 at least $25, and I needed to buy most of the items.

I started to 6 to the checkout lady. "I'm sorry, I stop the queue. Can I put these things back, and then think I'll 7 these. Oh, no, need that."

An Irish lady was 8 behind me, next in the queue. "Excuse me, Dear," she said. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I replied, "I'm 9 you up." "Of course not. I know 10 you feel. This happens to all of us at some point. Now please use my 11 to pay the bill and you can be on your way."

I was astonished by her kindness, 12 even. No matter how I insisted otherwise, she was 13 to help me. Afterwards I asked for her telephone number to 14 and pay her back. "No," she said, "rather pay it forward. You may do a good deed for the next person in need."

By helping others, can we start chain 15 of positive feeling and charity that can benefit our whole society?

In March, 5-year-old Wynn Radke came home from preschool with no idea that she wouldn't return for months because of the COVID-19. Her mom Colleen1her to think of a goal to work toward that involved a(n)2activity. Wynn wasted no time and shouted, “67 waterfalls (瀑布)!” While the number was3, her mom loved the idea so much that she4to help the little one!

The lovely pair's first 5 took place on March 28, 2020 at Fairy Falls, and it was amazing! From there, they 6 hiking to different waterfalls, documenting their progress7they inched closer and closer to their goal.

8, Colleen said the challenge was simply a way to get Wynn outside instead of "just watching YouTube all day." But it ended up being something therapeutic (有益身心健康的) for them to do during the92020 has brought their family. Between Wynn missing her friends and Colleen losing her job, the waterfall10have helped a lot.

It took Wynn and Colleen five months, but they finally11Winnewissa Falls—their 67th waterfall—in August!12reaching her goal, Wynn 13, "I did it!" And she wasn't the only one who was14. When she returned to school, her friends and teachers15 her with celebratory balloons! For her mom, the adventure was less about the milestones (里程碑) and more about the time they spent together.

Mr. Brown had an umbrella shop in a small town. People sometimes {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(bring) him broken umbrellas, and then he took {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(they) to a big shop in London. They were mended there.

One day Mr. Brown went to London by train. He forgot {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(take) an umbrella with him that day. Sitting in front of him was a man with {#blank#}4{#/blank#} umbrella standing beside the seat. When the train arrived in London, Mr. Brown picked {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the umbrella as he often did during his journey by train. Just as he was getting off, he {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(stop) by the man. He said {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(angry), "That's mine!" Mr. Brown' s face turned red and he gave {#blank#}8{#/blank#} back to the man at once.

When Mr. Brown got to the big shop, the shopkeeper had got his six umbrellas ready. After a good look at each of them, he said, "You've mended them very well."

In the afternoon he got into the train again. The{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(similar)man was in the same seat. He looked at Mr. Brown and his six umbrellas, "You've had a {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(luck)day," he said.