During my quiet moments, I often think back to the days when my children were young. Life was busy and very _________ for me then, because I had a (n) _________ and challenging job. I worked from morning to night.

Then I was ill in hospital. After I _________, I went back to work, only to be told I would be _________. The company was making _________ cuts, and decided to lay off some workers. I was one of them. My boss handed me an envelope. I was _________ when I opened it and saw the check I had received. It was large enough to help us _________ the difficult time. I was _________, though, and left the company.

Every coin has two sides. Then my children and I had the _________ of our lives as a result of my getting laid off. I __________ a great deal of money on childcare, and we discovered how much __________ we could have on a small amount of money. We did all kinds of activities and led a __________ and happy life together.

The week before my unemployment __________ ended, I found a part-time job at a local pharmacy (药店). I worked during the hours my sons were in school. I kept the job for eight years. The __________ I got there enabled me to find a similar job __________ I moved to another town.

When I think back to the days I __________ my job, I realize that as sad as I was then, it was the __________ thing that had ever happened to me. __________ being laid off, I had the __________ to spend quality time with my children, and even to find a more suitable job to __________ my role as mother and employee.

One day we were on our way to a family event. As we _______ into the local gas station I noticed a woman sitting _______ at a picnic table. It was around 30℃ and she was dressed in a ________ coat and long pants.

As we left the gas station, I told my husband I needed to go home and ________ something first. As we returned to our home, I went and ________ some items. I had just bought a new backpack and I knew it was ________ for her because it ________ her coat.

As I was back into the gas station, I got out of the car with the new backpack full of goodies. I walked up to the woman, ________ myself and asked if it was okay that I sat down with her. I offered her the ________ and she accepted it. She then asked me if I would like to ________ a snack with her, as she had not had anything to ________ today. I agreed and for over an hour and a half I ________ there with her, a proud mother and wife who lost her entire ________ a few years ago.

She was once a school teacher, but she was unable to ________ return to work after the ________ . She told me the reason why she wore that ________ coat—it was the last thing she bought with her daughter. She explained that she sat with her family at that very ________ . We shared smiles and ________ . This woman helped me to realize that every moment is such a ________ gift and in the blink of an eye, everything can ________. Make sure that you hug your loved ones extra tight today.

On 17 March, 476 students and 36 teachers at Falmont Primary School escaped an earthquake that ________ the country at 2:27. Only five students suffered ________ injuries, despite the ________ figures of 7killed and over 200 injured in the disaster area ________.

Alice Brown, head teacher at Falmont Primary School, was teaching when the floor began to ________. Her students’ reaction was quick and correct—— they moved under their desks, head first, and held on ________ the legs of the desks. At the same time，Miss Brown quickly opened the classroom door, in case it became damaged during the shaking and could not open. There were loud ________ of glass breaking and things ________ to the ground , but the students remained ________ and waited calmly and quietly.

________ the shaking stopped, Miss Brown ________ it was the best time for the class to make their escape. She ________ to her students to ________ the classroom in an orderly line covering their heads with the hands. Within one minute and twenty seconds, the whole class went down the stairs and rushed to the playground. Soon students from other classes arrived too. After a roll call ________ that all were safe and sound, they relaxed, laughing,crying and hugging each other.

“We practise earthquake safety ________ twice a year,” said Miss Brown, “so the kids were calm enough to protect themselves during the earthquake.