It was a few days before Christmas many years ago and it looked like it would be a hard one for my family. I lost my job so we didn't have much _______ . My wife and I had saved to buy our young children  some toys , _______ an unexpected car repair took most  of our cash. We decided then that we could only _______ to get one small gift for each of our children.

We arrived at the store and walked past people loading gifts into their cars. I _______ them a bit,because it sure didn't feel like Christmas to me. We hurried into the store past the Salvation Army bell ringer with our heads _______ . I had always enjoyed putting something in his _______ before but wasn't _______ if I could afford this time. We _______ all through the store hoping to find one thing each of our small children would like. _______ , we were able to get them each something sweet. We headed for the ________ ，bought the toys, and were amazed that we even had a few dollars ________ . As we walked out of the store, I stopped and ________ those dollars into the bell ringer's kettle. I didn't have a coin left but that didn't matter. ________ , it felt like Christmas.

I think the wonderful actress, Dale Evans ________ it best when she said,“Christmas is love ________ . Every time we love, every time we ________ ，it's Christmas. ” It doesn't ________ have to be a gift of money either. When we give our time, it's Christmas. When we share our ________ ,it's Christmas. When we give others our ________ and compassion , it's Christmas. When we do ________ at any time to help another, it's Christmas.

   You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless on the platform as the train pulls away.

But at least, if you're in France, someone may be playing the piano for you. But it won't be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer playing for coins. It will just be a random passer-by, jamming (即兴演奏) for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S. N. C. F. , has fixed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.

Gares & Connexions, the S. N. C. F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from producer, Yamaha, which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.

The music, mixed with the sounds of shouting passengers, screaming trains and rolling suitcases, gives French stations a special soundscape. The amateur (业余的) musicians have included Irish soccer fans and even babies. In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit (提交) videos of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.

Isn't the railroad company taking a big chance? Obviously not. "None of the instruments has been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged," said Claire Foumon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions. "They are shared and respected by all. " So if you miss a train in Paris one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease your pain. Or perhaps you'll sit down and play your annoyance away yourself.

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.

   After stepping out of the international plane, I realized my 10-hour sleepy voyage finally came to an end. Sitting on the bus, I was waiting anxiously for it to start. A woman, sitting next to me, and her daughter both seemed _______ . She told me that her daughter had an upset stomach and would throw up（呕吐）continuously；_______ the mother had lost her _______ . Apart from a significant amount of money ,the purse also had her cellphone and a phone number of an important _______ , a person she was traveling 90 kilometers to meet for discussing an urgent matter which had to be _______ by the next morning.

I handed her my cellphone _______ and told her that she could make any call she wanted. I also _______ a bottle of water I had in my bag to relieve her daughter of her _______  

After making several calls, they finally _______ to the official. They turned to look at me ________ and thanked me many times. The woman tried to pay for my _________ , but I jumped to do it before her _________ I knew she had lost her money.

The next morning, I received a _________ from the mother, saying that they couldn’t tell how my _________ act touched them. They were so considerate that they had taken down my number to thank me. I was _________ to be thanked in this way. I never thought my simple offer _________ so much in her heart. And I thought of how many opportunities for _________ we had lost by focusing on cellphones and being _________ from the reality around us - _________ with easy access may make a big _________ to others.

   Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”

The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.

“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”