We were five minutes into the worst turbulence(湍流) I’d ever experienced — approaching Boston’s Logan International Airport in a severe winter storm — when I ________ the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes. I’m really ________.”

“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. Then the plane moved forward and sideways violently, and I ________, “I might need to hold your hand, too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight and I soon felt ________ in my heart. Sometimes a stranger can ________ improve our day. A pleasant encounter with someone we don’t know, even a(n) ________ exchange, can comfort us. In life, most of us ________ talking to people we barely know since we worry we will bore the other person. We’re typically wrong. ________, we don’t even have to talk to complete strangers to obtain the benefits.

When Sue took my hand on that scary ________ to Boston, she was so calm, “Yep, this is a little bumpy(颠簸的), but we’ll be on the ground ________ soon.” Sue and I talked about our families and vacations until the plane finally landed.

When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my ________. A few days later, I received a letter. “I have to admit that I was just as ________ as you were but did not say it,” Sue wrote. “I just ________ your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary situation.” Through the experience, I ________ that it’s OK to ask for help from a(n) ________ if you need it, and it may benefit both.

Washington is home to lots of trees, and lots of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves too. But what if you _______ there and couldn’t cut or buy wood? _______ Shane McDaniel and his twin sons, Harrison and Henry, are _______ to lend a hand. The three men cut truckloads of wood——then _______ it to those in need.

The idea _______ as a father-son bonding project. “I had to cut wood with my dad. He just _______ doing it,” says Shane. He wanted to pass along that feeling, _______ he and the twins spent the summer of 2018 like the _______.

The _______ was a great wall of wood piled up around their house. It was too ________ for the McDaniels to use themselves, and Shane started thinking of others. He ________ on Facebook: “If you are in need of firewood and cannot ________ it, please inform me and you will get it for ________!”

The response was ________. Some kind people raced at once to Norm’s, the convenience store Shane owns, with more ________ for the pile. Single mom Katelyn and her daughter ________ a wood-burning stove as their sole ________ of heat, so it was a ________ to receive a truckload of firewood from the McDaniels. “To get that much wood brought me to ________.” she said.

“Giving is getting,” Shane said. “It has nothing to do with whether it will be ________; it’s about how much it’s needed.”

Daniel angrily stormed out as he learned his parents had had a violent quarrel again. He no longer cared about what happened at home. School didn’t_______and neither did his_______.While he had wanted to be a pilot, it might_______only a dream now. Disappointed and desperate, he_______got into bad habits like smoking a lot, which he thought made him feel relieved. His friends were like him, too, from _______families and they lived a life that left them on the streets often._______, there was no one waiting at home to care! Daniel remembered the_______when he and his friends were_______by the police for getting _______in gang fights or even robberies. Whenever informed about it, his father became speechless while his mother__________in despair all day.__________, Mom’s tears didn’t move Daniel any more for he took it for granted that his parents were__________.

The other day, Daniel saw his neighbor, Rob, __________his feet to school. Rob, disabled, was adopted at a young age. His foster parents (养父母) loved him but didn’t spoil him, always__________him to work harder if he was to__________the rest of the students.

With all his__________, Daniel turned to Rob’s father, Mr. Pattinson, and__________out all his problems. Having listened attentively, Mr. Pattinson said, “I know your parents are suffering a lot but they do love you. So it is your__________to do something for yourself. Using an abnormal family as a(n)__________not to fulfill your ambition is weak. Just as the old saying goes, ’When life hands you a lemon, ask for sugar.’ Cheer up, Daniel and you can also help your family in the__________.”

Daniel looked long and hard at Mr. Pattinson, tears finally returning to his eyes.