I live in an apartment building in a planned community, including private roads. I have lived in this _______ of mostly professionals and retirees for over three years, but I had met only a few of my _______.

After the _______ had stopped falling, we were left to _______ ourselves because the city and state services didn't work. I went out to the parking lot to dig out my and my girlfriend's _______. I took a large metal piece of my desk to _______ as a shovel. After about 30 minutes of digging, some of the neighbors _______ with snow shovels and told me if I helped them, they would _______ me. I agreed and we dug out each other's cars. The streets were _______ due to a state of emergency declared by the governor, so we had ________ to go.

As I said, I only know my ________ neighbor, one who is elderly. But we all (we were 10 guys, all together, in the beginning) put our heads together and figured out who was too ________ or too ill to dig themselves ________ and went about, as a team, helping them. ________ the day went on, more and more people ________ us, men and women. We became an army of snow ________. Our only motivation was concern for the people who were ________ and our growing friendship.

Everyone was concerned for each other. Someone asked me if I had enough ________ to get by. It was typical of the spirit of the day. I ________ a lot of friends that day and we were planning a party to be held at the club house in spring.

Kindness and ________ for others has countless rewards!

   I am a social worker. I wanted to tell everyone about my very dear friend who passed away a few months ago. I met him many years ago while doing my internship（实习期的工作）in the county prison. He was _____ a program he had designed to help prisoners with drug and alcohol problems. He was always _____ new ways to bring hope and help to these men and their _____. One of his favorite _____ was the Toy Drive he would run every Christmas for the children of the prisoners. He did this for twenty years _____ his sudden death. As the Christmas _____ ，I decided that this tradition had to be _____，for the children as well as in _____ of my friend.

But the file where he kept the names of the people who had helped him over the years had gone _____. I had to start anew（重新）and with very little ______ ！I started making phone calls，explaining the project and my ____ . I prayed every night that the event would，______，be worthy of my friend. To my great ______，individuals，organizations and businesses began to come on board and，______，I had enough toys to give to all the children of the prisoners with some left over for the local community ______！

When Christmas Eve finally arrived，I felt very happy，thinking I had done all I could do and reflecting（认真思考）on what a（n）______ it had been for me. I was bagging up the remaining toys ______ if there was anyone left who might like them. Then my phone rang.

It was my daughter. She ______ to explain about a woman she knew in Kentucky who had five children，one seriously ill，no husband，no heating in the home，no toys！Ohh—how could we not help her？

My daughter and I drove all night，from New York to Kentucky，and those children woke up in a nice warm house with plenty of ______！My friend's ______ of kindness lived on that year，reaching all the way to Kentucky！

Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits

In today's busy society, it can be hard to think about finding time to volunteer. _____ , the benefits of volunteering are enormous（巨大的）, both to you and to the community. The right match can help you find friends, reach out to the community, learn new skills and even _____ your career. Volunteering can even help protect your mental and physical health.

One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the ____ on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue（胶水） that holds a community together. Volunteering allows you to ____ your community and make it a better place.

One of the best ______ to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to _____ to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, _____ if you are  new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ____ to the community and broadens your support network, ___ you to people with common interests, neighbourhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.

 ___ some people are naturally outgoing,others are _____ and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the _____ to practise and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with _____ interests. Once you have motivation, it's easier to branch out and  make more friends and contacts.

Volunteering can provide a healthy boost （激励）to your self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community , which ______ a natural sense of accomplishment. Your ____ as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more ______ you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

 _____ the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key ____ in depression is social isolation（孤立）. Volunteering _____ you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which ______ protects you against stress and depression when you' re going through challenging times.

   Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick，the aged，and children who have lost their parents，but also friends，workmates，relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.

Over 60 years ago，when a Cleveland man noticed that some people，such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed，too often felt forgotten and neglected，he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors，he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed，other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration，which came to be called "Sweetest Day". Over time，the Sweetest Day's idea of spreading cheer to the poor，the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened（扩大）to include everyone，and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder（提醒人记忆之物）that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because of many people remembering to take the form of gift giving，Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care，in a positive way.