Many years ago, I was a student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. I had an evening class that was a fifteen-minute ________ from my dorm. No one in my dorm was taking the same class, so I walked to and from class alone, ________ in the dark.

One evening, I ________ two very large, black Doberman Pinschers following about twenty feet behind me. I have always been an animal lover and I have never been ________ of dogs, so I stopped walking, turned around, and talked to them. They ________ to come to me and when I tried to walk toward them, they backed up, keeping their ________. They were not threatening in any way as they did not growl (低吼) or flatten their ears — the way dogs do when they are about to ________. They just wouldn’t allow me to get close to them.

For weeks, every time I walked to this particular class, the two dogs appeared and ________ me. I was very ________ with the situation, even though the dogs would not interact with me.

One night, a car with three young men slowly ________. They were loud, ________ my attention. When the young men got out of the car, I felt a sense of ________. As they walked toward me, before I had time to react, the two Dobermans charged and barked at them. You never saw three people get into a car so ________ and pull away!

I spent the rest of the semester searching for those heroic dogs. ________, after that night when I needed their ________, my guardians never reappeared.

A farmer had some puppies to sell. He painted a _________ advertising the pups and began _________ it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked _________ into the eyes of a little boy. “Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, _________ he rubbed (擦拭) the sweat off the back of his neck, “These puppies come from fine parents and _________ a good deal of money.”

The boy _________ his head for a moment. Then _________ deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of _________ and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?”

“_________,” said the farmer.

And with that he let out a whistle, “Here, Dolly!” he called.

Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face __________ the chain link fence. His eyes danced with __________.

When the dog __________ to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring (微动) inside the doghouse. Slowly __________ little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat __________ manner the little pup began hobbling (跛行) toward the others, doing its best to __________.

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the little pup.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will __________ be able to run and play with you like those other dogs would.”

Hearing that, the little boy stepped back from the fence, bend down and began __________ up one leg of his trousers. In doing __________ he showed a steel brace (支架) running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a __________ made shoe. “You see sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone to __________ the same feelings.”

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.