Bobby and I had been friends right when we were five. I had a natural talent and _________ for painting, but Bobby’s life was marked by sorrow. While he had lost his parents, we _________ through our youth together, playing, chatting, loving and studying, until we graduated from college.

I was fortunate enough to find a job that allowed me to _________ my passion for painting. Bobby, on the other hand, seemed to wander _________ in his search for employment. Having heard his situation _________ when he fell ill, I decided to put my career on hold to look after him. When I stepped into his house, _________, a single room that he lived in, I saw it was covered with a layer of dust. Bobby’s only _________ during his days at home was a tree outside his window, holding desperately on to a single leaf.

Bobby would often pour out to me, “If that last leaf falls, I probably won’t _________ either.” Determined to lift his spirits, one early morning, I drew a leaf and tied it to one of the branches. It was so _________ that it appeared as if it belonged to the tree. This leaf never fell; it became Bobby’s symbol of hope.

As time passed, under the silent encouragement of the leaf, Bobby’s health began to __________. Eventually, he was hired as a clerk in a bank close to his home and __________ his enthusiasm for life. It turned out that the leaf I had drawn was more than just an artistic creation — it was an unbreakable __________ of our friendship.

Our experience taught us that sometimes, a simple __________ can have far-reaching effects. Friendship proves to be the most __________ power along our path, even when faced with all challenges. This is the very __________ of life.

The other day we went on a trip to our community’s new fountain(喷泉). My oldest daughter, Anne, was very____ and eagerly explored the attractions. There I was happy to see Lily, who was of Anne’s age. They didn’t know each other well, ____ they had met before. I was ____ that Anne would have someone to enjoy the ____with. However, my daughter was about to ____ an important lesson.

I said not everyone wanted to play with us and that if one person didn’t want to be ____ you, that didn’t mean you were not ____ by others. I thought I had ____ it clearly. She didn’t mention it any more and I haven’t seen any lasting side effects. However, I can’t ____ it. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of the memory of her ____ at that moment. My heart has been forever wounded for her.

A picture with a dog in a hospital room visiting a patient has recently attracted the attention of millions of people.

The patient is a man who is the dog’s owner. They are the best friends. The dog, named Rusty, always does what the man wants it to do. They had separated from each other since the man was ill in hospital.

The _________ dog in the picture was saying goodbye to his _________ as he lay in his hospital bed because he was badly ill. It is obvious that he is coming to the end of his life.

Emily, the man’s sister, _________ the picture on Reddit — a social networking site. It has been _________, written about and commented on thousands of times. Thousands upon thousands of _________ have opened their wallets to help the _________ man’s family with the increasing bills in the hospital.

The man in the hospital bed is Mike Petrosino, 27 years old. He was 13 when he was first _________ with a rare form of cancer that _________ soft tissue, bones as well as other parts of the human body. “He’s in a lot of pain, but he tries to show that he is _________ so that he can make others worry less about him,” Emily said. “We are told there is nothing else he can do.”

Friends and family have come __________ to say their goodbyes. And the photo, taken by Mike’s brother, John, __________ one very special goodbye, when the Petrosino’s family dog, Rusty, came to Mike’s hospital bedside.

Emily said it was “__________” the way in which the world __________ to the photo. Many people followed the photo to the family’s to Funding page. More than $30,000 has been __________ so far. “To see these people who don’t know whom they are donating money to, it is really __________,” Emily said. “We all really __________ it.”

“It’s a great photo. You can see there’s a lot of __________ in that photo,” said Emily, “People really understand the meaning of it. When you see something that cuts through the emotion, it really __________ you.” Emily posted this update about an hour ago, “An ambulance is coming to __________ Mike soon to bring him home for Christmas. Again thank you all for your donations and kind words and prayers... There are so many __________ people in the world.”