Back in New York, I am fighting fires as the assistant captain of a volunteer fire company.

I still remember my first fire. I was the s    67     volunteer on the scene. The captain was talking with the homeowner, who was standing outside at midnight, in the pouring rain and under an umbrella, barefoot, while her house was on fire. She was surely having one of the w    68     days of her life.

The other volunteer, who had arrived just before me, was asked to go inside and save the homeowner’s dog. The captain then waved me over. He said, “Bezos, I need you to go upstairs and get this woman a pair of shoes.” This was not exactly what 1 was hoping for, but I went up the stairs, past the f    69    , who were almost done putting out the fire at this point, into the bedroom to get a pair of shoes.

Now I know what you’re thinking, but I’m no hero. (Laughter) I carried the shoes d    70    . There I met the other volunteer with the precious dog. We took our treasures (珍宝) outside to the homeowner. Not surprisingly, his treasure r    71     much more attention than mine.

A few weeks later, the company got a letter from the homeowner thanking us for saving her home. In the letter she described the act of k    72     —someone had even gotten her a pair of shoes.

Not every day is going to offer us a chance to save somebody’s life, but every day offers us a chance to a    73     one. So get in the game. Save the shoes.

TCM wins the hearts of young people for its effectiveness.

Jin Ying, 25, is a lover of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). She took part in a three-month training course on acupuncture and tuina (针灸推拿) in the winter of 2023 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Jin’s life has been different since the training. She changed her life habits after learning the Five Elements theory (五行学说). For example, she avoided sweating too much during exercise in winter because the cold of winter means people should slow down, according to TCM. For her, learning these skills and theories was not about becoming a TCM doctor but rather about accepting a new lifestyle.

She is not an unusual example of young people loving TCM. A survey by China Youth Daily showed that 93.3 percent of the 1,000 young people had tried different TCM treatments.

“I have seen a rising number of young people come to me for neck and back pains, which are usually related to the elderly,” said Ma Huifang, a TCM doctor at Guoyitang, a TCM hospital affiliated with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Between Western medicine and TCM, young people often choose TCM “due to its effectiveness,” according to Ma.

Some people question why TCM treats the same illnesses with different prescriptions (处方). “This is actually an advantage of TCM, rather than a shortcoming, as it can be a more accurate treatment for different patients,” Ma explained.

Younger age groups are welcoming TCM, and, at the same time, TCM is also benefiting young people. As Jin noted, “It helps young people understand Chinese medicine and learn why it is believed to be a treasure of our Chinese culture.”

你学校的英语专栏将在下月进行主题为“My social activity（我的社会实践活动）”的分享。请你写一篇短文，介绍你参与校外的某一次社会实践活动，并谈谈你的感受。