Volunteering abroad is a great way to help others, improve your skills and become a more confident, independent person. If you are interested in volunteering abroad, here are some places to go.
Australia
If you seek a life on the beach, in a great climate with friendly people, Australia might be your best bet. With thousands of volunteers already signing up to leave for Australia during the holidays, it will be a very popular option.
Brazil
This vast country has some great opportunities on offer and is especially popular this year. A lot of volunteer work is available in Brazil centers on conservation and ecological projects. With the world's largest rainforest in Brazil, of which huge part is in danger, there are lots of different jobs you can do.
Kenya
Kenya is the destination for those seeking an African experience. Generally volunteers in Kenya work in orphanages (孤儿院) or with local children living in slums (贫民窟). There is a great demand for volunteers in Africa because many people live in poverty, so if you truly feel like making a difference to a community, Kenya should be at the top of your list.
Costa Rica
Golden sandy beaches, clear coastlines and beautiful cities are what Costa Rica is all about. Because of its small size, you can see a lot of the country in just a short time. You can really make the most of your time as a volunteer. A lot of work is needed with wildlife and ecological work, so if you want to look after turtles (海龟) on the beach, Costa Rica could be just the place for you.
Mid-afternoon on a particularly busy Tuesday, I took leave of my desk at work and walked into a local Starbucks, only to find a space where neither my clients (客户) nor my children would ask me to do something.
Inside, I ran into Kate, a co-worker of mine. The topic of parenthood came up. I complained about how packed my schedule was. From the minute I woke up to the minute I fell asleep, I was constantly in demand and always had someone knocking at the door. But a bit of sadness seemed to come over Kate's face.
"Well, my daughter's in San Francisco and she doesn't seem to need me at all these days." Kate said. It was in that moment that I realized although I might often feel in high demand, there will come a day when I'll actually miss that same stress I now complain about.
And as our conversation continued, it turned to our children's younger years, with Kate smiling proudly, thinking of the little boy and girl she raised who are now a man and a woman. But I noticed her smile was marked with regret. She explained that she often wondered about what she could have done differently when her children were in their earlier years.
This got me thinking Is regret an unfortunate footnote (注脚) to parenthood? With that in mind, I asked six older parents one question: What is your biggest regret from your early days as a parent?
It turned out that all of them thought they could have done it better. But, each of them also has a strong, healthy relationship with their kids. Whatever regrets their parents might have had about their upbringing, one thing is clear—it didn't affect them in a meaningful way.
The bottom line is, we all feel like we could be doing this parenting thing better, And quite clearly, years later, we're still going to look back and wish we tried things differently. But the past can't be changed, and neither should it.
Although not as much as in the past, grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo (纳瓦霍人) youth. They make young people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising the children or at least having a big part in raising them.
Young children often stay with their grandparents for years at a time developing a close and trusting relationship. The grandparents teach the children Navajo legends and the principle of life, emphasizing both new culture trends and the preservation of traditions.
The grandparents are also often the leading figures in teaching the youth the arts of weaving, caring for the livestock, using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts.
The children are taught to respect their elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their elders and to keep as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social gatherings and traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn more about their culture and traditions.
I live with my grandmother for thirteen years, and she raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to school, she taught me as much as she could about our traditions. She was a beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings, expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.
We used to plant corn and pumpkin every summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I asked my grandmother why. She said, "Grandson, our plants will be far more beautiful than the flowers outside the fence." I did not understand until one day I saw their beauty as I was coming over the hill with her. She said, "Anything that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than the things which you pass by." We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of me and I am a part of her.
Children used to be well disciplined, possessing more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than they do now. The world of the Navajo has been influenced by the western world, and the grandparents have less control and influence than they used to. But the young people who have been touched by their teachings have glimpsed a way of life beyond what most people know today.
Are you afraid of sharks? What about snakes or spiders? Put those fears aside: because in the U.S. you're far more likely to be killed or injured by a deer skipping across the road.
Deer cause more than 200 humans deaths each year, plus some 29, 000 injuries, all because of 1.2 million collisions between vehicles and deer. Most incidents occur in the eastern U.S., where deer prosper without natural predators like wolves and mountain lions.
"That's the region in the U.S. where deer-vehicle collisions are such a problem, and where it seems like an effective large carnivore reintroduction could make a really big difference." says wildlife biologist Laura Prugh from University of Washington. She thinks it would help to reintroduce predators like mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas or panthers, to parts of their historic range from which they've been driven out.
The researchers say that bringing the predators back to the eastern U.S. would mean 22 percent fewer collisions between cars and deer over three decades. Each year would see five fewer human deaths, 680 fewer injuries and a savings of some 550 million. Sophie L. Gilbert thinks there are great socioeconomic benefits of large predator restoration through reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions and she says, says, "Cougars have shown that they can coexist in short distance with people, with very few conflicts, in a lot of areas out west."
Still, some folks might be understandably nervous about this kind of plan. After all, reintroducing predators doesn't come without risks to pets and to livestock, and very occasionally to people.
"Our fear of large predators is so natural and intense that I don't think it's possible to just completely clear it with statistics… What I hope is that knowing that there actually can be some measurable benefits might make people a little more supportive and maybe balance that fear a little bit." says Laura.
Indeed, the statistics show that cougars would prevent five times as many human deaths from deer-related accidents as they would cause by attacks. But it'll be a tough sell: the press will cover cougar attacks, but a statistically prevented death does not make the news. Nevertheless, "If people in the west can put up with having mountain lions around, I would hope that New Yorkers would be up for the challenge as well."
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A. Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament. B. It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April. C. People are willing to spend more money on watching it. D. College students will ignore piles of homework. E. But that doesn't mean money isn't involved. F. The players will go all out for the games. G. Husbands against wives. |
For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school. Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.
The disease, known as "March Madness", refers to the yearly 65-team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛). Teams compete against each other in a single-elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.
Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. Colleagues against bosses.
Big-name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little-known universities.
This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3, 000 students beat a team from a school with 30, 000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little-known George Mason University was one of the final four teams.
College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves. About 4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in 500 million in advertising income this year, topping the postseason income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.
The room in the workhouse where the boys were fed was a large stone hall. At one end the master, in his cook's uniform, and two women served the food. This 1 a bowl of thin soup three times a day, with a piece of bread on Sundays. The boys ate 2 and were always hungry. The bowls never needed 3. The boys polished them with their spoons until they 4. After three months of this slow starvation, one of the boys told the others that so hungry was he 5 one night he might eat the 6 sleeping next to him. He had a wild 7 eye, and the other boys 8 him. After a long 9, they decided that one of them should ask for more food after supper that evening, and Oliver was 10.
The evening arrived: the soup was served, and the bowls were 11 again in a few seconds. Oliver went up to the master, with his bowl in his hand. He felt very 12, but also 13 with hunger.
"Please, sir, I want some more."
The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned very pale. He looked at the little boy in front of him with 14. Nobody else spoke.
"What?" he asked at last, in a 15 voice.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."
The master 16 him with the serving spoon, then seized Oliver's arms and 17 for the beadle (执事). The beadle came quickly, heard the terrible news, and immediately ran to tell the board.
"He asked for me?" Mr. Limbkins, the fattest board member, asked in 18. "Is this really true?"
19, Oliver was led away to be locked up, and a(n) 20 of five pounds was offered to anybody who would take him away and use him for work.
(Adapted from Oliver Twist《雾都孤儿》)
Moving silently through Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's "FlyZoo" hotel, black disc-shaped robots about a metre in height deliver food and drop off fresh towels.
The robots are part of a set of high-tech tools that Alibaba (say) extremely cuts the hotel's cost of human labour and removes the need for guests to interact other people.
Inside the hotel, softly-lit white panelled walls bring to mind insides of Hollywood spaceships. Guests check in at reception desks that scan (they) faces, as well as passports or other ID. (visit) with a Chinese national ID can scan their faces using their smartphones to check in ahead of time.
At the hotel's restaurant, taller capsule-shaped robots deliver food that guests (order) via the FlyZoo app while at a separate bar, a large robotic arm can mix more than 20 different types of cocktails. Facial recognition cameras add charges to the room rate (automatic).
The hotel does employ humans, Alibaba refused to tell how many. This includes chefs and cleaners as well as reception staff, will assist with conventional check-in procedures for guests unwilling to have their faces (scan) and want to use electronic key cards.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：①每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
②只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Nowadays Senior 3 students are generally faced with a lot of pressure, that is rather common. To reduce it, the following suggestion may help. First of all, know exactly what lead to your pressure, and then you can take measures to deal with it. Secondly, set up a goal that is not too high, in the other words, don't put too many pressure on yourself. Thirdly, finding a way to relax yourself occasionally. For example, you can listen music, go swimming or just simple go walking. Eventually, make friends with others, for example, your classmates, your teachers, and our parents. They will understand you and come to your help though you are really in trouble. In a word, never get yourself stuck in the pressure for "impossible is nothing".
注意：①词数100左右；②可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；③开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Lucy,
I'm writing to tell you about the major I will choose in the university.
I'm looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
