A young girl is smiling at me from a picture frame on my desk as I write this. She is a child I once sponsored from the Philippines. Even though I have never met her in person,she has found a(n)___ place in my heart. It doesn’t ___ me much to help her,about a dollar a day. Yet,millions of people in this world live on less. The ___ that helping her gives me,however,is beyond ___. It connects me to her,to life,and to love.

I can still ___ the first time that I decided to help a child overseas. It was many years ago. I was only a teenager myself and had a little extra ___ each month. I didn’t feel like ___ anything,though. We had ___ everything we had in a house fire a few years before. Going through that had taught me a lot. I had learned that I didn’t need a lot of“stuff”to be ___ . I had also read a lot about the ____ of children in poor countries around the world. It seemed like a far better thing then to give what I could to help them. With my mom’s love and ____,I soon found a few organizations like Children International that were ____ others around the world. It felt so good being able to reach out and help another in need. It felt so good being able to make even one life better. I could feel the compassion and ____ growing within me and beginning to change me.

Empathy(共鸣)does change us. It helps us to ____,to be kind,and to make this world a ____ place.

How to Keep Peace With Roommates

Keeping peace with your roommates will not always be a walk in the park.     19     Here are some steps you could follow to be at peace with your roommates:

    20     Whether you’re moving into a new room or you’re welcoming a roommate, it’s good practice to set rules from the start. Let your roommates know your plan so they know when quiet time should be observed, and decide on how you’ll share costs on food and so on. When everyone is on the same page in the beginning, it’s easier to get along later on.

Mind your basic manners and get to know your roommates more. Respect for each other and communication can make sure of peace of the room. Basic manners include knocking, saying “excuse me” when needed, being quiet and lowering the light level when the roommate is sleeping. Organize an open discussion about your roommate’s personality. Know his likes and dislikes. Have the necessary information in case of emergencies.     21    

Solve conflicts (矛盾) in a calm manner. Good communication is the key here. It is best to keep the conflicts only in the room when they happen.     22     These are the times when you maturity (成熟) will be tested.

Roommates may be your lifelong friends.     23     This will surely make your new room a home away from home.

Ryan’s charity work is not unusual. Many kind-hearted people who give Ryan much support donate money for charity     24     (activity), and others volunteer to help run charities. On most UK high streets, for instance, you will often come across people    25     (raise) money and looking for volunteers for Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and many     26    (much), one of     27     many public-spirited citizens are willing to take an active part in.     28     the help of the organizations, the poor or the     29     (disable) can improve their lives or even realize their dreams.

In china, volunteers are also playing an    30     (increasing) important role in environment protection, disability    31     (assist) and many other fields. As a matter of fact, it is easy for you to be a volunteer. If you have     32     opportunity, you can visit old people houses to do some cleaning. Also, you may help sick kids in hospital so long as you put love to good use. It     33     (hope) that you can be involved in voluntary work to help others in need.