I got on the bus and noticed a girl looking at me. With the warmest smiles, she rose and ________ into the aisle（过道） offering her seat to me politely and respectably. I was wrong-footed, then conflicted. “No,” I screamed ________, holding back a laugh from within, “I come from a generation ________ I do that for you.” I realized immediately what a ________ place that was.

Speech failed me; I burnt with ________. Later, I reflected that this was an act of ________. I bowed in recognition, ________ felt I bowed with shame. I am fit, able, and strong. In my head, I am ________. She shocked me by making me so acutely(强烈地) aware of my ________ years.

To accept the seat was to accept that ________ status— elderly, needy, requiring care—a status I was not yet ________ to acquire. To decline was to ________ an act of generosity. To turn a blind eye was to appear____________and impolite. To explain, on a ________ bus, was impossible.

The ________ situation was played out before the other passengers. What if, once I was seated, an older person ________ and no one offered a seat? Should I remain seated and burn with shame, or stand and ________ my newly received gift — a slap(巴掌) in the face for the kind and caring girl?

________ I took the seat, smiled and ________ my head on to my chest. The bus came to a stop. I got up, walked slowly, ________ and noisily down the aisle and out into the rain.