I often remember those good old days when life was 【小题1】（simple）, and people were much more humane and gentler. Recently, to my surprise, I got an opportunity（机会）to experience that same warmth that I thought 【小题2】（disappear）from the world.

I was out shopping the other day with my husband, two daughters and one granddaughter. It was very hot, and we were all 【小题3】（obvious）tired and hungry. We entered a restaurant, 【小题4】（look）for some food and comfort. To our disappointment, all the tables 【小题5】（occupy）and no one seemed in 【小题6】 hurry to stand up. Suddenly, two young girls offered 【小题7】（give）their table to us although they had just got their order. They said they would enjoy their meal at home. We were grateful 【小题8】 them for their kindness. We thanked them sincerely. That day, I thought to 【小题9】（I）there still were some kind and polite youngsters 【小题10】 are willing to help others in this fast-moving and less caring world and my faith in humanity was brought back once again.

   I now remember the day as if it were just yesterday. It was the early morning hours and I had _____ to my dad several hours before. We hung up the phone and I _____ my night time routine, getting my daughter ready for _____ and doing the same for myself. I went to sleep that night and the phone rang around 1:30 a.m. I saw that it was my brother _____ I thought he had probably been drunk so I hung _____ up. My brother gets drunk and calls me _____ Then the phone rang again and I answered. He asked me if I knew what was _____ because our cousin had called him and told him to call our aunt because she _____ to talk to him. She said there was no _____ at my parents’ house. At that point I started to ______ but I had to stay strong for my brother. I called the hospital and I asked if they had a ______ by the name of Ray Green. They said yes and nothing else. My mother called me back after a few minutes and told me that my father had ______.

I’m still so lost that sometimes I pick up the ______ to call my dad and then I remember he’s not there for me to make a phone call to. ______, I see something that would have made him ______ and I laugh twice for him too. My mother is so much ______ than I am. She is back at work and going on with her life and I’ve done the ______ but not like her. I know she ______ my father dearly but she is strong and keeps on so that everybody else can ______ her lead. So that is what I’m trying to do: stay strong and keep my ______ up.

A young man had bought an old house that was in bad shape, but he and his wife believed they could restore it. They immediately went to work. Their goal was to have the old building look best for New Year’s Eve get-together.

Just two days before New Year, however, a storm swept through the area, leaving a hole in the wall of the house. There was obviously no time to repair the damage before New Year. Then, the sad couple attended a local auction(拍卖)that afternoon. One of the items put up for bids was an old gold-and-ivory-colored tablecloth. Seized by an inspiration, the young man was the highest bidder at $ 6.50. His idea was to hang the cloth to cover the ragged hole.

On the day before New Year, it was snowy. As the young man unlocked the house door, he noticed an old woman standing at the bus stop. He knew the bus wouldn’t be there within at least half an hour, so he invited her inside to keep warm.

When the woman walked in and saw the tablecloth, she rushed at it and said excitedly, “It’s mine. It is my tablecloth.” She told the surprised man its history and even showed him her name in one comer of the tablecloth. She and her husband had once lived in Vienna, Austria, and their village was hit by a deadly disease. So they decided to flee to Switzerland, but her husband told her to leave first, saying he had something urgent to deal with. A few days later, it was reported that the bus her husband took fell off the cliff(悬崖)and he was never to be found. Her husband was believed to have died. Touched by her story, the young couple asked about her address, planning to send the tablecloth to her after New Year. As the bus came, she left.

In the candlelight of New Year’s Eve, the tablecloth looked even more beautiful. As the man’s friends left the house, they thanked the man for his arrangement and mentioned how beautiful the house looked.

Otte old gentleman stayed, admiring the tablecloth.

The young man drove the old man to that old woman’s home.