On my first day of the sixth grade, I noticed one little girl called Amy on the school bus. “Don’t ________ her,” Lauren said, who sat beside me. “Or they will make fun of you.”

Amy had many _________ differences — lots of reasons for other kids to make fun of her. Her eyes weren’t straight. Her glasses were an inch thick. And she had really ugly teeth.

Every day__________ we drove to and from school, kids would shout insults (侮辱) at Amy. “God, what a (n) ______face! Stop looking at me!” “Mr. Rolland (the driver)! Amy took off her __________, and now her eyes are ________ me! Make her put them back on!” For a while I shouted my share of insults, just so I would fit in (合群). ________, I didn’t want them to treat me the same way they treated Amy.

But while I was insulting her, my heart ________ for the girl. I could see that the insults were making her look _________, because she was so ashamed ( 羞愧) and alone. Then I wanted to_________ her. I just didn’t know how to stop my schoolmates ________ the night of our class roller-skating party.

Our whole class was there, including Amy. Amy didn’t know how to ________, but I could see how much she wanted to__________like the rest of us. So I skated over to her and took her by the hand; we began the journey together around the skating rink (溜冰场). She just smiled, and sometimes she would laugh in________.

On the school bus the next morning there was much news about Amy and me _________ together, _________ nobody insulted her or me. And they didn’t do that for the rest of the year.

After graduation, I never _________ Amy again. However, I never forget her and I have always _________ if I changed her life for the better. But I know for sure she changed my _________. After becoming her friend, I no longer tried to impress (给……留下印象) people by trying to _________ like them. I became myself.

While washing dishes, I sometimes look into the kitchen window of our neighbour’s house. Our kitchen is always _________ but our neighbours, two young men whom I only know in passing, never seem to turn on their light. Once as I was washing apples, my eyes _________ Shadow gave way to shape. Then I _________ them — head bent, pouring the pickle (腌菜) juice from an empty jar.

On the first Saturday of the COVID-19 lockdown, I wanted to be a good _________ to them. The pandemic seemed to be getting worse. I _________ what the weeks and months ahead might look like. Our family have been trying to take the idea of “love the neighbour” _________, and sometimes that does literally mean the person living next door, _________ you’ve only met them from the kitchen window.

So I made a sign reading “Have a nice day!” and stuck it on my kitchen window. A while later, a sign appeared on their window with a _________ for us. “Thank you. You too!”

We went on like this for a few days and I thought of how this would be a nice story for us all: _________ by signs and moving from strangers to good friends. __________ around Day 5, I posted a line of a Mary Oliver poem, and that was the __________ of that. Maybe I was showing off, so I stopped. However, a week later, when I went out to quiet our yelling dog, I saw one of the guys. “Sorry, we didn’t find a __________,” he said. “We meant to,” he added. “And then we never __________.” “That’s okay,” I replied. And we both went back inside.

It is so __________ to be a good neighbour now. We can’t __________ and knock on a door, or even lend things. After this is all over, I have decided I will invite all our neighbours over for dinner. I can’t be a neighbour now, but I can be a neighbour then. The pandemic will have knitted us together like an old worn sock and we’ll stay that way.

There are many kinds of friends. Some are always______you, but don’t understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only______friends leave footprints.

It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves______in the cool wind. In such a______, I liked walking alone in the leaves,______to the sound of them.

Autumn is a harvest season and______is uninteresting. The free days always get me______. But one day, the sound of a violin______into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was______in playing her violin.

I had______seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn’t know that I had been______there for so long but my existence did not seem to disturb her.

Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building______I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became______.Though we didn’t know each other, I thought we were already good______. I believe she also liked me.

Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly______.To my surprise, the girl came over to me.

“You must like violin.” she said.

“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.

Suddenly, a______expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.

“In fact, it was your playing______gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let’s be friends.”

The girl smiled, and so did I.

I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure(身影) of the girl. She is like a______so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off much light that makes the autumn beautiful.