语法填空
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
One day a young man was walking along the road     he heard a cry. It seemed to be coming from underneath a bridge. As he approached the bridge, the sound got       (loud) and then he saw      pitiful sight. There, lying in the muddy riverbed was a little dog about two months old,     front legs were tightly tied with ropes. It had wounds on its head and    (cover) with mud.
The young man wanted to help the dog,    as he approached, the dog started to bark. The young man did not give up. He sat down and started      (gentle) talking to the dog. It took a long time but eventually the dog     (stop) barking and the man was able to touch it. The young man carried the dog home, cared for its wounds, and gave it food and water. Even with all of this, the dog was still      (friend) every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up. Weeks went by and the man continued attending to the dog. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail.
It was consistent love and kindness   _won a lifelong friendship of loyalty.