Last year at Christmas time my wife and I were in France. For five wretched (恶劣的) days everything had gone _________. On Christmas Eve, there was no Christmas _________ in our hearts.

It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. Only five tables in the restaurant were _________.There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. In the comer a piano player _________ played Christmas music.

I looked around and noticed that the other customers were eating in stony _________.The only person who seemed happy was the American sailor, who was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face.

Then came an old flower woman. Carrying her basket of flowers, she went from one table to the other. But no one bought any.

Before the young sailor left, he walked over to the flower woman.

"Happy Christmas," he said, smiling and picking out two flowers. Pressing the smaller flower flat, he put it into the _________ he had written, then handed the woman a twenty franc note.

"I don't have change." she said.

"No, ma'am," said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the _________ cheek. "This is my Christmas present to you."

_________ the other flower in front of him, he came to our table. In one quick motion he gave my wife the flower, wished us a Merry Christmas, and departed.

Everyone had been watching the sailor. A few seconds later, Christmas _________ throughout the restaurant like a bomb.

The miserable evening __________ being the very best Christmas Eve we had ever experienced just because of a young sailor who had Christmas spirit in his soul. He gave us Christmas.

For ten years my father had been fighting cancer. Now he was forced into the hospital because of an infection. I sensed he_________being there, but he hardly complained. That wasn't his_________

One night after_________ to call a nurse, he tried to reach the bathroom on his own and fell, getting his_________ injured. When I saw his wounded head the next day, I felt my helpless anger_________.Why isn't anything I can do? I thought. As if_________ my thoughts, when the lift I waited for opened, two dogs greeted me. I was_________ that hospital rules should allow it.

A(n) _________ grew as I walked to my car.I_________ that if I could give my dad nothing else, I was going to give him some__________ with his beloved dog Boots. When dad was at home, Boots was always there, watching him protectively. When dad had to go to the hospital, Boots waited and jumped every time a car__________ to the house. Later that day I came back for another__________, bringing Boots. Upon arrival, Boots flew out of the car and dragged me through the hospital lobby.__________, she knew to stop directly in front of the very lift.__________ she had never been here before, when the lift door opened, she ran directly into the room. Ever so gently, she crawled into my father's open arms, not touching his __________ sides and laid her face next to his. For the first time in a long time, I saw my father’s broad smile.

In March 1975, my mother brought my younger sister Cissy and me back to our hometown.

Cissy and I were ________ to moving. We had moved 23 times before I was 18. Altogether I ________ 19 schools. But at 13 and 11 years of age, we were ________ being the new kids in school.

Staying in a motel (汽车旅馆) for weeks, we ________ found a two-bedroom home for $80 a month, which was in the landlords (房东), Mr and Mrs Hendrix’s back yard. It was ________, but Cissy and I thought it was a palace. ________, in October my mother lost her job. November’s ________ went unpaid, so did December’s. Cissy and I knew we’d soon move ________.

On Christmas Day, Mrs Hendrix knocked on the front door. Mom was out, so I ________ it. I’d received eviction (驱逐) notices before, so I knew what to ________. Mrs Hendrix held out a ________ to me, smiling as she said,“I thought you girls might enjoy some bread. I bake it every Christmas.” Unprepared for such ________,I managed a “Thanks”. Closing the door, we ________ the box. There were bread, candy, and new socks and gloves for us three. No eviction notice!

We lived over five years in our twenty-fourth home. The Hendrixes gave Cissy and me something we had never known in our ________ lives: the comfort of belonging, and ________.