When I settled in Auckland, my new city seemed so big and unfriendly. Then I had a physical problem and had to go to hospital for an examination.

Not having a _______, I was depending on a couple of buses to get me from A to B. Although I’d left myself plenty of time, soon it was _______ I was going to be late, as I had mistakenly boarded a bus that was taking me in the _______ direction.

I _______ the bus and stood on the sidewalk not knowing what to do. I looked into the eyes of a _______ who was trying to get past me. _______, instead of moving on, she stopped to ask if I was OK. After I explained my _______ to her, she pointed to a bus stop across the street, where a bus would take me back into the city to my appointment. Sitting there waiting, I felt _______ that someone had been willing to help. Then, hearing a horn (喇叭) nearby, I looked up to see a car with my new friend waving at me to get in. She had returned to offer me a _______ to the hospital.

Such unexpected kindness from a passerby was a lovely gift to receive. As I climbed out of the car at the hospital and turned to thank her, she smiled and told me not to lose ________, for all things are possible.

A beautiful, expensively dressed lady came to see her doctor and complained that her whole ________ was empty: it had no meaning.

The doctor called over the old lady who ________ the office floors, and then said to the rich lady, “I'm going to ask Mary here to tell you how she found happiness. ________ I want you to do is to listen.”

So the old lady put ________ her broom and began her story: “Well, my husband died of malaria (疟疾) and three months later my ________ son was killed by a car. I had nobody. . . I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep; I couldn't eat; I never smiled at ________; I even thought of taking my own life.

Then one evening a little cat followed me home from work. Somehow I felt ________ for it. I decided to let the cat ________. I got it some milk, and it licked the plate clean. Then it purred (咕噜叫) and rubbed (蹭) against my ________, and for the first time in months, I smiled. Then I began to think: if ________ a little cat could make me smile, maybe doing something for people could make me ________. So the next day I took some biscuits to a neighbor who was sick in bed. Every day I tried to do something ________ for someone. It made me so happy to ________ them happy. Today, I don't know of anybody who sleeps and eats better than I do. I've found ________, by giving it to others.”

When she heard that, the rich lady cried. She had everything that ________ could buy, but she had lost the things which money couldn't buy.

One year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher told me about them again and again. But soon, the ________ of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day, I ________ to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the ________ seemed to be surprised.

Gently shaking his ________, and shrugging (耸) his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” I was ________. I thought perhaps this was not a proper ________. I had better change it. So I said to him, “Have you ever been to the Great Wall?” “Certainly, everyone back home will ________ me if I leave China without seeing it. It was amazing.” I continued, “The Great Wall is one of the ________ in the world. We are very proud of it.” But soon “You don’t say!” came to my ears again. I couldn’t ________ asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, ________ surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘You don’t say!’?” ________ this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to ________, “‘You don’t say!’ actually means ‘Really!’ It is a(n) ________ of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know I had made a ________ of myself. Since then I have been more ________ with idiomatic expressions.