Volunteering abroad is great. Not only do you travel to an exotic country, you also meet like-minded people, and at the end of it all you have something to put on your CV to impress employers with. But did you ever stop to think about how great it is for the people on the receiving end?
In this context, Daniela Papi has a point---foreigners rushing heroically to volunteer in a country they’ve never heard of are unlikely to make a difference. But turning volunteering camps into classrooms, as Papi seems to advocate in her article, risks throwing the baby out with the bath water by putting people off of volunteering.
Rather, learning should be a natural part of the experience, and the key to creating such an environment is positioning everyone as equals. In order for that to happen, volunteers need competent leaders who create an environment of equality:
When, a few years ago, I joined a group of international volunteers to help a small farming community in the Swiss Alps, we were all quite ignorant about the local conditions. But thanks to our group leader, it was both a helpful project for the locals and a fun and eye-opening experience for us．Before we had even traveled (at our own expense) to the mountaintop village, our group leader had spent time with the villagers preparing the project to make sure it would be of benefit to them. She arranged for us to help in different areas, ensuring that we always worked alongside locals rather than for them. It was never "us" and "them", but always "we", like a big family. As a result, conversation flowed and we learned a great deal just by casually talking to the locals as we worked．At the end, we left with a deep appreciation for the labor of love that goes into producing the food we eat every day一一an appreciation we could treasure ourselves and share with our peers．
Volunteering isn't about saving someone's life, or even about changing it. It's about touching a different world and reminding ourselves that there is much, much more to life than the daily routines we take for granted．With that knowledge, maybe, just maybe, we can go on to really change the world．
By Lukas Thibaut
1.From Paragraphs 1 and 2, we can learn that＿＿＿＿in international volunteering.
A. foreigners are not welcome in some local communities
B. blind enthusiasm fails to make the experience rewarding
C. the author agrees with Daniela Papi's opinions
D. international volunteering is actually a poor approach to education
2.The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refers to＿＿＿，
A. a natural part of the experience
B．the learning of volunteering
C. creating such an environment
D. positioning everyone as equals
3.What contributed to the success of the author's volunteering project in the Alps?
A . The volunteers were quite familiar with Swiss farmers' lives.
B. The volunteers worked in areas separated from the locals.
C. The group leader ensured that the project would be beneficial to both sides.
D. The group leader ensured that the volunteers got to know the local conditions．
4.From the author's viewpoint, what should international volunteers avoid?
A. Placing themselves above the locals.
B. Taking food for granted.
C. Disrespecting others' labor.
D. Being proud of volunteering.
5.Which best describes the author's attitude toward international volunteering?
A. Objective. B. Doubtful.
C. Disapproving. D. Supportive.
Most teenagers in the United States spend their time trying to make time for school, family and friends. But some choose bigger goals and make a difference in the world.
At age 15, Winter Vinecki has already had more _________ than most people have in their lifetime. Doctors discovered Winter’s fathers had a rare and _______ form of prostate cancer when she was nine years old. He died 10 months later. “When he was first diagnosed I immediately knew I had to do something to help him. That’s ______ I formed Team Winter for prostate cancer research and ______.” Winter Vinecki has raised almost 500,000 dollars. She has _______ prostate cancer education worldwide from Kenya to Mongolia_________ foot races called marathons, on seven continents. In the United States she travels _______ to talk about prostate cancer and _______ others to act. Winter Vinecki spoke recently at a conference in Los Angeles. “Prostate cancer is much more common, ________ the men don’t want to talk about it. So that’s why a nine-year-old girl had to go out there and start talking it for _______.”
Jack Andraka invented an inexpensive sensor that _______ cancers of the pancreas, ovaries and lungs. Jack is now 17and seeking patents for his latest inventions. He has developed low-cost water quality _______. They help identify and remove heavy metals and poisonous chemical from_____. “I hope to see them _______ in the developing nations.”
Sixteen-year-old Mary-Pat Hector saw a problem in her own community. She says too many young people were ________in gun violence. It kind of made her feel like she had to do something about it. So she started a _________ to educate young people about gun violence. “I just want the world to be a better place,” she said.
Mary-Pat hector, Jack Andraka, and Winter Vinecki say a ________ of supportive parents, the Internet and social media has helped them succeed; but Winter and Jack also created their inner ________. “Ｉthink the biggest thing for kids and adults is to never let age and gender be a _________ and to not just dream but dream big,” said Vinecki. “ Never let anyone else tell you ______.” Said Andraka. “Always keep going for your dream, so anything is possible.”
1.A. opportunities B. troubles C. successes D. risks
2.A. passive B. sensitive C. aggressive D. negative
3.A. when B. because C. where D. How
4.A. development B. threat C. panic D. awareness
5.A. taken B. received C. searched D. tested
6.A. through B. off C. over D. beyond
7.A. officially B. continually C. peacefully D. temporarily
8.A. promise B. pay C. urge D. prefer
9.A. for B. before C. unless D. but
10.A. her B. teenagers C. them D. fathers
11.A. cures B. improves C. prevents D. identifies
12.A. experiments B. devices C. trials D. data
13.A. body B. water C. land D. food
14.A. carried B. exposed C. employed D. handled
15.A. failing B. fleeing C. declining D. dying
16.A. revolutionB. discussion C. business D. campaign
17.A. combinationB. convenience C. competence D. consideration
18.A. harmony B. satisfaction C. selves D. impressions
19.A. barrier B. favor C. benefit D. difference
20.A. all B. no C. nothing D. none
. ----My goodness, the lawn looks dead!
---- _________. There’s no rain and water is so precious.
A. It can’t be helped B. It beats me
C. It’s on me D. It’s out of the question
---What’s your comment on the match?
--- we ________, but today was not our day.
A. need have scored B. could have scored
C. should score D. would score
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy leaving them __________ whether you really love them?
A. wonder B. to be wondering
C. wondering D. wondered
A 5.5-inch ________, compared with the 4-inch screen of the current Iphone 5s, is being prepared for mass production and may be available around this September.
A. style B. version
C. display D. pattern
