After nearly falling down onstage, the singer mentions he was diagnosed with a rare and weakening brain condition. Country music's famous singer Drake White was singing as usual on the night of Aug 16, taking the stage for an outdoor concert series in Roanoke. Then, 15 minutes into his performance, he suddenly fell down, his bandmate catching him before he collapsed to the ground. Rushed to the hospital, the "Livin’ the Dream" singer later apologized to fans in Facebook: "Sorry we had to cut it short… Thanks for your prayers and continued support.”
While the incident shocked many, Drake was finally ready to reveal a secret health battle he had faced for months: In January he was diagnosed with an AVM(动静脉畸形), an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in his brain that disturbs normal blood flow. Since then Drake has been undergoing a series of operations which have weakened his brains--the last just four days before his onstage collapse.
Though Drake suffered a lot from his disease, he had kept up his touring schedule, often appearing onstage just days after a treatment. "There was a show in April that I played for 48 hours after surgery, ” he says, "Emotionally it made me realize that I could still do this. Maybe I wasn't jumping around like I usually do, but I was doing it.”
As Drake and his wife Alex wait for further test results and news on his condition, they will be relying on their faith to see them through. "Drake and I are grateful to life and all he has done, "says Alex, speaking from her husband's bedside "He has worked miracles in the last 24 hours.”
1. How was Drake during the first 15 minutes at the concert?A.He almost fell off the stage. | B.He performed as usual. |
C.He was dancing to a song. | D.He stopped singing suddenly. |
A.He kept touring around the world. | B.He called off all the performances. |
C.He insisted on turning up onstage. | D.He waited for operations in hospital. |
A.Drake has recovered entirely. | B.Alex is afraid and pessimistic. |
C.Drake's condition worries them much. | D.They are optimistic and grateful to life. |
A.A Country Star’s Health Crisis | B.Painful Life of a Country Star |
C.A Singer’s Country Music Dream | D.Rise and Fall of Country Music |
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【推荐1】When Sabrina Vega was 5 years old, a friend invited her to a party held at a gym where Sabrina discovered that she loved doing gymnastics.
A few nights after the party, Sabrina had a dream. She told her mother, Jahira, about the dream. Jahira said, “Sabrina said that in her dream she went to the Olympics. She described everything at this international competition. At first I did not take her story seriously.”
But Sabrina kept talking about her dream. She told it to her father, David. So Jahira and David decided to pay for Sabrina to learn gymnastics.
So Sabrina started to train at a special and competitive gym. Though only 7 years old, she was already training to compete at a high level. The years passed quickly. Sabrina got better and better. By the time she was 12 years old, Sabrina was training so many hours each day that she did not have time to do things that many other Americans of an age did.
When Sabrina was 13, she had a chance to compete in a national gymnastics event. If she did well, the event would give her the chance to join the national team — the team that trains for the Olympics.
But the family was out of money. Jahira had to tell Sabrina that she could not go. Jahira said, “Tears came to her eyes, and she said, ‘I understand’.”
A week or two later, a rich family came to visit Sabrina’s gym unexpectedly. They watched Sabrina train. Then they asked to talk to her mother. The rich family offered Jahira all the money they needed!
Eventually, Sabrina Vega competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials. She finished 10th in the all-round.
1. Sabrina Vega had a dream to .A.go to the party |
B.do gymnastics |
C.take part in the Olympics |
D.attend a national competition |
A.Sabrina’s parents were tired of her talking |
B.Sabrina’s parents loved her and were moved by her |
C.Sabrina’s parents supported her dream even at the beginning |
D.Sabrina became a national team player at the age of twelve |
A.All roads lead to Rome. |
B.Early birds catch worms. |
C.Practice makes perfect. |
D.God bless the determined and hard-working. |
A.A talented girl | B.The caring parents |
C.An Olympic dream | D.A helping hand |
【推荐2】On Sunday, April 23, almost 50,000 athletes took to the streets to compete in the 37th London Marathon. While few were able to get even close to Daniel Wanjiru’s 2:05:48 winning time, none were as slow as Tom Harrison,who crawled (爬) to the finish line, six days later, on April 30.
However, the Metropolitan Police Officer, who was dressed in a gorilla (大猩猩) suit, had a good reason for his slowness. He had completed the 26.2 miles on all fours to raise funds to help gorilla conservation efforts in Africa. The 41-year-old who spent 8—10 hours on his hands and knees, covered about 4.5 miles each day before crashing at a friend’s house for the night. To prevent his knees from blistering, he swapped between hands and knees into loping (大步走) along on hands and feet and took breaks every 100 to 200 meters. But the arduous crawl was well worth it.
Harrison, who crossed the finish line at 11:45 am, has raised over £37,000 ($47,800), far more than his original goal of £1,790 ($2,300), for the Gorilla Organization, whose efforts are mainly spent in Rwanda, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The much-needed funds will help train the communities near gorilla habitats to support themselves and make them rely less on selling wildlife meat for a living. The money will also help pay for ranger services to monitor excess hunting of the Great Apes. More importantly, Harrison hopes his six-day crawl will highlight the bad situation of the gorillas, whose numbers are decreasing at alarming rates, and encourage more people to help protect them.
While thrilled at the outcome, Harrison, Mr. Gorilla, is not done yet. He intends to continue his fundraising efforts at the annual Ride London cycling festival scheduled for the weekend of July 28-30, 2022.
1. Why did Tom Harrison crawl to the finish line?A.To improve his physical and mental health. |
B.To collect money for the Gorilla Organization. |
C.To win the title of the slowest Marathon runner. |
D.To advertise policies for Metropolitan Police. |
A.Tough. | B.Funny. |
C.Harmful. | D.Attractive. |
A.To help protect habitats for endangered gorillas. |
B.To protect gorillas in some African countries. |
C.To monitor and punish illegal hunting for gorillas. |
D.To make people aware of the bad situation of gorillas. |
A.Strong. | B.Hard-working. |
C.Caring. | D.Smart. |
【推荐3】Being a blogger can be good business. Don’t you believe it? Read on!
Meet Gary Vaynerchuk (GaryVaynerchuk.com)
Gary Vaynerchuk is a New Yorker who gained Internet fame because of a video blog that talked about everything related to wine. Through online video blogging, he built his wine business from a $3-million-dollar a year wine retail store to a $60-million-dollar wine wholesale business. Gary Vaynerchuk has built a multi-million-dollar empire relating to his personal brand.
Meet Rand Fishkind (moz.com)
Rand Fishkind is college dropout (辍学生) who started blogging about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) back in 2004 while working for a family-run web development company. He was also providing SEO consulting services for a few small clients. SEOmoz has left the consulting business since then and focuses on creating awesome SEO software instead. The company makes millions of dollars each month.
Meet Pat Flynn (SmartPassiveIncome.com)
Pat is one of the most inspirational bloggers in the world. After losing his job, he was forced to struggle to support his growing family. He started a website called Smart Passive Income to track his progress with various websites and online money-making- projects. He has since built massive followers and readership thanks to his honesty. Over the last 6 months, Pat has earned on average, around $50,000 per month.
Meet Andrew Sullivan (thedishdaily.com)
Andrew started his blog, The Daily Dish, near the end of 2000. By the middle of 2003, he was receiving about 300,000 unique visits per month. Just this year, Andrew made some big changes and decided to work on The Daily Dish full-time. On launch day in 2013, the blog reportedly took in over $330,000, charging $20/month per reader.
1. After Gary Vaynerchuk started his video blog, ________.A.he spent most of his time making videos |
B.he fell in love with learning about wine |
C.his online security has been threatened |
D.his wine business really took off |
A.To learn how to find a job online. |
B.To learn how to make money online. |
C.To read very inspiring real-life stories. |
D.To know about the history of various websites. |
A.Being a successful blogger is very difficult. |
B.The Internet has greatly influenced our life. |
C.Successful bloggers can make a great fortune. |
D.Everyone can succeed as long as he doesn’t quit. |
【推荐1】The idea of billions of people going through a few masks a week during this pandemic definitely rings alarm bells, but a team of researchers in Melbourne may have the solution.
They’ve discovered that adding millions of discarded face masks to road-paving (铺路) mixtures would actually lower the cost of the road, while preventing billions of them from landfills. Just one kilometer of road would need three million masks, and the polypropylene (聚丙烯) plastic used to make single-use surgical face masks also increased the flexibility and durability of the road.
The new material is a mixture of about 2% torn masks, with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA)—a material obtained from waste concrete and other minerals from destroyed buildings. This recycled material was found in the study to be ideal for two of the four layers generally required to create roadways. Paving a kilometer of two-way road with the RCA and three million face masks would result in a change of 93 tons of waste from landfills.
The final product then is more resistant to wear than asphalt (沥青), as well as being cheaper too, provided there was a method for collecting masks. The research team did a cost-analysis and found that, at $26 per ton, the RCA was about half the cost of mining raw materials, and as much as a third of the cost of shipping the used masks to a landfill.
The widespread application would be ideal for large infrastructure (基础设施) projects. For example, Washington has the 11th worst roads in terms of unaddressed repairs in the U.S. If the damaged roads in Washington state were repaired with the RCA/mask mixture, it would reuse nearly 10 billion masks, sparing American landfills hundreds of millions of tons of trash.
It’s said that the team is looking for private industry partners or governments willing to give their plastic mask road an opportunity for a large-scale test.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” mean in paragraph 2?A.Recycled. | B.Produced. |
C.Mixed. | D.Abandoned. |
A.2% torn masks, concrete and tons of trash. |
B.Polypropylene plastic and building materials. |
C.Single-use surgical masks and recycled concrete aggregate. |
D.Waste concrete and other minerals from destroyed buildings. |
A.To tell us what the team has found. |
B.To prove this material is cost-effective in paving roads. |
C.To explain repairing roads costs a lot of materials. |
D.To praise the hard work the team has done. |
A.The material used to pave roads is made of masks. |
B.Generally speaking, it requires two layers to create roadways. |
C.It remains to be tested whether the solution is practical. |
D.The damaged roads in Washington were repaired with the RCA. |
【推荐2】An antibacterial drug obtained from the liquid of an Australian tree has shown promise for treating chronic (慢性的) wounds in animal tests.
Chronic wounds are common in people with diabetes (糖尿病), because poor circulation and other symptoms slow down healing. Such wounds are painful and have a high risk of infection.
Doctors increasingly want to control the use of antibiotics (抗生素) in order to minimize the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To look for alternatives, David Thomas at Cardiff University in the UK and his colleagues investigated chemicals obtained from the liquid of the blush wood tree, which grows in Australia.
They tested a gel containing a promising chemical called EBC-1013 in two animals: mice used to model diabetes, with chronic wounds, and milk cows. All milk cows have their horns taken off, so the researchers applied the treatment to this wound.
In the cows treated with EBC-1013, 75 percent of the wounds were recovered after 28 days, compared with just 25 percent of untreated wounds. In the mice, complete wound recovery was observed in five of the seven animals studied, whereas none of the seven wounds was recovered in the control group.
Bacteria in chronic wounds are more likely to form a sticky material called a biofilm. They are resistant to antibiotics, making such wounds difficult to treat. The new drug appears to disrupt the structure of biofilms and cause the production of cells and proteins that promote recovery.
“The next challenge will be to show that these preclinical findings translate into the clinic and that they can be developed into a safe and cost-effective treatment for chronic wounds,” says Matthew Hardman the at University of Hull, UK.
1. What’s the purpose of the research on the tree liquid?A.To increase the use of antibiotics. | B.To find replacements for antibiotics. |
C.To reduce the growth of the bacteria. | D.To strengthen the circulation of patients. |
A.Treat. | B.Destroy. | C.Improve. | D.Arrange. |
A.They cause safety concern. | B.They enjoy praise from doctors. |
C.They remain to be further developed. | D.They have offered affordable treatment. |
A.People with diabetes are sure to recover |
B.Tree liquid attracts researchers’ attention |
C.Antibiotics lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria |
D.Drug from the liquid could treat chronic wounds |
【推荐3】As people try to keep social engagement during self-isolation, citizen science offers a unique opportunity.
Defined as "public participation and collaboration in scientific research", citizen science allows people to use technology to unite towards a common goal —from the comfort of their homes. And it is now offering a chance to contribute to research on the coronavirus pandemic.
With so many of us staying home, this could help build a sense of community where we may otherwise feel helpless, or struggle with isolation.
Anyone is welcome to contribute. You don't need expertise, just time and interest. Projects exist in many forms, catering to people of diverse ages, backgrounds and circumstances. Many projects offer resources and guides to help you get started, and opportunities to collaborate via online discussion forums.
Scientists worldwide are racing to find effective treatments and vaccines to halt the coronavirus pandemic. As a citizen scientist, you can join the effort to help tackle COVID-19, and other infectious diseases.
Foldit is an online game that challenges players to fold proteins to better understand their structure and function. The Foldit team is now challenging citizen scientists to design antiviral proteins that can bind with the coronavirus.
The highest scoring designs will be manufactured and tested in real life. In this way, Foldit offers a creative outlet that could eventually contribute to a future vaccine for the virus.
Another similar project is Folding@home. This is a distributed computing project that, rather than using you to find proteins, uses your computer's processing power to run calculations in the background. Your computer becomes one of thousands running calculations, all working together.
1. Where does a citizen scientist work?A.In the office. | B.At research center. |
C.In the factory. | D.At home. |
A.Anyone who has time and interest. | B.The expert who is interested. |
C.People who are well educated. | D.Doctors who are experienced. |
A.He can play Foldit an online game and get the highest scores. |
B.He can do experiments about COVID-19. |
C.He can design a new game about COVID-19. |
D.He can help build a sense of community. |
A.It is the same project as Foldit. |
B.It is a computer project using you to run calculations by computer. |
C.It is a project using you to find proteins. |
D.It is done by experts. |
【推荐1】CAMBODIA—The “world’s loneliest elephant” has been resettled at a nature reserve (保护区) in the Oddar Meanchey Province after receiving some help from singer Cher recently.
Kaavan, a 36-year-old, 9,000-pound elephant, was given the nickname after he suffered from emotional and physical problems while living in a zoo in Pakistan for 35 years. During that time, Kaavan was mostly tied in his enclosure (圈用地), and when his partner died in 2012, her body lay next to him for several days before it was removed. Doctors said Kaavan was overweight, malnourished (营养不良的) and suffering from behavioral problems due to loneliness.
Cher, who has been advocating Kaavan’s resettlement, met with Pakistani Prime Minister on Friday and later visited Kaavan in the zoo. Kaavan was tested for COVID-19 before his seven-hour journey, during which 440 pounds of food were prepared. A doctor took care of him on the flight and worked with Four Paws, the animal rescue group that organized the move. He said Kaavan did not seem stressed and even slept during the flight. Very few elephants have been relocated by plane, according to Four Paws.
On Monday, Kaavan arrived in Cambodia and made his way north by truck to his new home. Once he feels settled, he will be set free from his enclosure and allowed to wander around the reserve, which houses about 600 Asian elephants. Experts say Kaavan will get a long term of psychological and physical treatment. Years of living in an enclosure with poor flooring has caused his nail to crack and overgrow and he has developed a habit of shaking his head back and forth for hours, which is believed to be out of boredom.
The elephant has lost half a ton since his diet was changed to fruit and vegetables. The zoo where he spent much of his life has been ordered to shut down.
1. What do we know about the elephant?A.It had a weight problem. |
B.It was kept free in the zoo. |
C.It was all alone in his enclosure. |
D.It lived in a reserve for 35 years. |
A.Dangerous. | B.Uncomfortable. | C.Well-organized. | D.Wide-spread. |
A.The introduction to his new home. |
B.The further arrangements for Kaavan. |
C.The cause of Kaavan’s health problems. |
D.The medical treatment Kaavan will receive. |
A.A news report. |
B.A short story of an elephant. |
C.A research article. |
D.An advertisement to a nature reserve. |
【推荐2】An illegal (非法的) building project is threatening (威胁) one of North America’s greatest treasures: the ancient pyramids in central Mexico. The project may harm the remains of temples and about 24 other ancient buildings. The illegal project is next to the Teotihuacan archeological area. Building anything new there is illegal. The owner of the land, however, has refused orders from Mexico’s antiquities organization INAH to slop for the past two months. Many Mexicans are angry that officials are failing to protect the ruins of Teotihuacan, a place visited every year by large numbers of people.
In late April, the INAH brought a report to the government. Federal officials charged the owner with “damage to archeological relics”. In recent weeks, the INAH recorded ongoing building in the area by 60 workers. That information came from Mexico’s Cultural Ministry.
Teotihuacan is about 50 kilometers northeast of Mexico City. It once was home to about 100,000 people who mostly lived in colorful stone houses.
People lived in that city at about the same time that Mayan culture had reached a high level to the south. But Teotihuacan is known for its own art and architecture. It grew rich for a period of 600 years until about 550 because of trading with other cities. It had an economy built on creating goods such as clothing and metal knives.
Officials have worked hard for years to stop illegal building. The building is often done at night and local government officials often arrive too late.
A tall wall surrounds the illegal building area. It is in what is believed to be one of the ancient city’ s oldest parts. A past archeological report said the area held at least three temples and 25 other ancient buildings.
Teotihuacan was named a world heritage (遗产) site by the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, in 1987. The naming requires government protection of the area.
1. What did the INAH do with the illegal building?A.It stopped the building quickly. |
B.It hired lawyers to deal with the building. |
C.It reported the building to the government. |
D.It helped the owner to work on the building. |
A.Unknown. | B.Common. |
C.Small-sized. | D.Well-developed. |
A.It is done secretly. | B.It is done behind a tall wall. |
C.It is ignored by officials. | D.It is supported by officials. |
A.A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico |
B.Difficulties Mexico Meets to Keep Relics Well |
C.Ancient Mexican City Threatened by New Building |
D.Action Taken by Mexican Officials to Protect Remains |
【推荐3】Where is the line between art and advertising? A large painting in Conway, New Hampshire, has led to a zoning (分区) conflict, a First Amendment legal action and a local vote.
It started with a high school art project to paint a picture on a building in the town. The building houses a store called Leavitt’s Country Bakery. The picture shows the sun shining over mountains of cakes found in bakeries.
This leads to the town zoning board getting involved. It decided that the painting was more advertising than art. Officials said that, as an advertisement, the sign was too big. Its size broke town rules. The board ordered the sign be removed or changed. Bakery owner Sean Young faced possible fines if he did not follow the order. So, he decided to fight it in court. Young’s legal action charges the town of Conway of violating his right to free speech, guaranteed in the U. S. Constitution (宪法).
“They said it would be art elsewhere,” Young told The Associated Press. “It’s just not art here.”
Many, including the zoning board members, liked the students’ work. But they said rules must be followed. At about 8.6 square meters, the mural (壁画) is four times bigger than zoning rules permit for advertising signs.
Then, last week, residents voted against changes to the rules. The lawsuit (诉讼) argues that the town’s definition of “sign” is very general and its zoning rules do not include the word “mural”.
Board member Luigi Bartolomeo said he thinks the painting at the bakery is art, not advertising. “I think it’s a very badly written piece of code here,” said Bartolomeo. But Board Chairperson John Colbath said the board has to work with the rule, which was approved by voters. He argues that the mural would likely be seen-as art, and not advertising, if its subject did not represent the products found at Leavitt’s.
1. Why did the zoning board view the picture as an advertisement?A.It was bigger than the permitted size in the town rules. |
B.The shining sun made it more eye-catching in the town. |
C.Cakes sold in the store were painted on the large sign. |
D.The Bakery owner desired it would help him earn money. |
A.He was seeking financial freedom. | B.He wanted to bring attention to a larger issue. |
C.He was personally threatened by the town’s actions. | D.He believed his rights had been unfairly denied. |
A.The mural is an advertisement rather than art. |
B.The mural should be displayed regardless of the rule. |
C.The subject didn’t show the products at Leavitt’s. |
D.The piece of code here is badly written. |
A.Will the Court Regard the Picture as Art? | B.Is the Picture Mural Art or Advertising? |
C.Should the Right to Freedom Violate Rules? | D.How to Solve the Conflict between Art and Ads? |
【推荐1】Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians(行人)Are Real Danger
We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers:
★Yes, many cyclists believe dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worst offenders.
People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让)them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision (碰撞).
The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.
—Mechael Horan
★ I loved the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists ( (Viewpoints, May 29)). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.
I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.
The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.
The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!
The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的)jackets and lights at night and in the morning. They should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.
—Carol Harvey
★Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.
I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.
Other road users, including horse rides, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?
It's about time they were registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim compensation.
—JML
Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
1. Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that ______.A.drivers should be polite to cyclists |
B.road accidents can actually be avoided |
C.walking while using phones hurts one's eyes |
D.some pedestrians are a threat to road safety |
A.be asked to ride on their own lanes |
B.be made to pay less tax for cycling |
C.be fined for laughing at policemen |
D.be provided with enough roads |
A.Very few drivers are insured. |
B.Cyclists ride fast on pavements. |
C.Pedestrians go through red traffic lights. |
D.Horse riders disrespect other road users. |
A.ways to improve road facilities |
B.the real source of road danger |
C.measures to punish road offences |
D.increased awareness of road rules |
【推荐2】Bermuda, the island known for its pink-sand beaches, blue .waters, and year-round warm weather, has been announced the Official Sponsor of the U.S.Open.It's a fitting collaboration (协作), given the island's reputation as a destination for travelers in search of perfect adventures 一just a ninety-minute flight from New York City.Lesser known, however, is that the long history of American tennis was introduced by this attractive Atlantic island.
Nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, the New York celebrity Mary Ewing Outerbridge sailed for days to vacation on this quiet island.She watched, fascinated, as some British soldiers stationed there played tennis, although a' version different from one we know today.The courts in Bermuda were shaped like hourglasses, the net was also higher, and a number of the rules were different.
Mary became fascinated watching the ball flying back and forth, and ended up purchasing a kit containing all the materials needed to bring the sport home to Staten Island.Using a hand-drawn diagram, she laid out a court at her brother's cricket club, where the sport caught on among members.From there, the game's popularity quickly grew, leading to standardized rules and regulations--and then, in 1880, to the first U.S.tennis championship.
In only a few years, Mary' s unexpected souvenir from her Bermuda trip helped set a national tradition: today, nearly eighteen million people in the US play the sport, from the public-tennis-court games in many cities to the annual U.S.Open, in NYC.Mary s role in bringing tennis from Bermuda to America has earned her a place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
It only serves to enhance the sport's appeal to learn that every swing of the racket in the US can be trace back to Bermuda, where island adventures still wait for all travelers--tennis lovers included.You' re welcome!
1. What can we learn about Bermuda?A.It is distant from New York City. |
B.It is friendly to adventure seekers. |
C.It is unfit to sponsor the U.S.Open.. |
D.It is better known for being the origin of tennis. |
A.She held the first U.S.tennis championship. |
B.She made the game become world famous. |
C.She designed the first tennis court in the US. |
D.She set standard rules and regulations of the game. |
A.To introduce the founder of American tennis. |
B.To introduce the history of American tennis. |
C.To attract more people to enjoy the sport. |
D.To attract more people to tour Bermuda. |
【推荐3】Kajal moved to the United States in February 2017. Having previously volunteered for two years as an assistant yoga teacher in her home country, Kajal was enthusiastic about volunteering and began looking for volunteer opportunities that match her interests on VolunteerMatch. “I enjoy volunteering and it’s a way to make an impact in my new community,” says Kajal.
Kajal was drawn to a volunteer opportunity with the Meridian International Center to review applications on behalf of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). Kajal had previous experience, and the position also afforded her the opportunity to work remotely. After connecting with the opportunity on VolunteerMatch and successfully completing the application process, Kajal got to work. Her role involved reviewing applications from potential candidates for a four-week fellowship in the U.S. She was responsible for describing the business ideas presented by these candidates, assessing the social impact of their businesses, and determining the strength of candidates to carry out their plans.
With almost 4,000 applicants in 2017, Meridian International Center considers volunteers like Kajal to be integral (必要的) members of the team. With help from volunteers, 250 candidates have now been selected to take part in the program and will travel to the U.S. this fall.
Kajal says that this volunteer opportunity super-charged her existing skills, while helping her build new ones such as time management, business analysis, decision-making, planning, and presenting.
She is now looking for her next volunteer opportunity and reflects positively on her experience with Meridian International Center, “A new country brings in a lot of new experiences and volunteering helped me to settle into a new environment,” adds Kajal. “By helping others, I felt needed in society. Not only did it improve my self-esteem (自尊), other people benefited too. Volunteering is a great opportunity to improve yourself, others, and the whole society”.
1. Why did Kajal look for a volunteering opportunity in the U.S.?A.She wanted to do something for her new community. |
B.She needed a chance to meet new people. |
C.She wanted to remember her yoga class. |
D.She needed to improve her social skills. |
A.raising the candidates’ self-esteem |
B.building the candidates’ existing skills |
C.helping the candidates do some volunteer work |
D.judging the social impact of candidates’ businesses |
A.Rewarding. | B.Tiring. | C.Relaxing. | D.Challenging. |