Will My Donation Actually Help?
When we donate money to one of the countless charities, we give it to an unknown person over the phone or through the Internet. We have absolutely no idea about where that money goes to, what it buys or who it helps. At least that is the case for most of the charities. Perhaps you should start to take a greater interest in where your donations go, because many of them may lead to dead ends.
You really should ask the question: will my donation actually help the people? Sometimes it makes matter worse. For example, many charities help African people set up water pumps (水泵) to deliver clean water to their communities. Money has been invested over the past 20 years to set up a total of 60,000 pumps across sub-Saharan Africa. However, today 40% of those have failed to work at some point. Because the community does not have the resources or know how to fix the problem, they have been left there, like expensive but useless decorations.
For underdeveloped nations, sending endless containers full of material goods from charity will hurt the local economy. For instance, Hand-Me-Down charities and others will ship used clothes and other goods to Africa. Kenya alone receives more than 100.000 tons of clothes from Global Charities each year. The problem is that these mountains of imported clothes have completely destroyed local textile (纺织品) industries, which have previously supported local economies. In the 1980s, 500,000 people were employed by Kenya’s textile industry. Today the number falls to less than 20.000.
Basically, to whom and how much you give is your choice. But it is important to provide highly specialized services instead of material goods. In general, the more your donation matches the need of the receivers, the better it will be for the long-term growth of those you want to help.
1. Why do the water pumps across sub-Saharan Africa become useless?2. What advice does the author give in the last paragraph?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The economy in Kenya becomes better because of the imported clothes from Global Charities.
4. In your daily life, what will you do to make your donation really helpful? (In about 40 words)
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【推荐1】Many people feel stressed out about buying and giving gifts around holidays．But have the holidays become too materialistic and more about the gifts than the feelings behind them?
Throughout the world，many cultures mark holidays with gifts and food．Holiday traditions bring people together and allow us to feel a part of family and community．The gifts and food that we share are all about expressing a sense of appreciation and joy．The gifts of a few generations ago were probably more common and homemade．Even the people who could afford expensive presents probably didn’t do as much buying and spending as we do today．
But with our culture growing more commercial，sometimes the original meaning behind the tradition gets lost．Not only is the pressure on spending money on the right present，but many people also find that when gifts become the focus of a holiday，it puts too much emphasis on receiving．It’s too easy to have high expectations of what’s in that beautifully wrapped box—and that can set anyone up for disappointment．No wonder we often hear about people having the“holiday blues”—feeling sad or empty．
Not all people think the holidays are too materialistic，of course．Most appreciate the traditional aspects of the holidays．And some love shopping and are just fine with a11 the giving and receiving．But if you’re feeling a little empty about the holidays，what can you do? One key to a relaxing and meaningful holiday is finding what works best for you，both in terms of gift giving and other holiday traditions．Putting some thought into what the holidays mean to you and then focusing your energies on those aspects that leave you feeling most satisfied can help you let go of the stuff that may be stressing you out．
1. What can we learn about the holiday gifts generations ago?
| A．They were valueless． |
| B．They were highly valued． |
| C．They were given little attention． |
| D．They were more about expressing feelings． |
| A．Receivers are often disappointed． |
| B．Gifts become the focus of holidays． |
| C．Our culture grows more commercial． |
| D．Much more money was spent on gifts． |
| A．Avoiding giving and receiving gifts． |
| B．Figuring out your real expectations． |
| C．Doing some shopping in the holidays． |
| D．Putting more thought into the gifts to give． |
| A．The Changes in Giving Gifts |
| B．What Stresses You out on Holidays? |
| C．Are the Holidays Too Materialistic? |
| D．The Development of Holiday Traditions |
【推荐2】Hey，you—look up! Our iPhone addictions(瘾)are destroying public space and damaging the normal social communication. The host collects phones at the door of the dinner party. At a law firm，partners keep a“no-mobile phone”policy at meetings. Each day，a good number of people gather outside NewYork’s high schools, offering, for a small price, to store students’ mobile phones during the day. In public, it’s hard to think of a place beyond the darkness of the movie theater where phone use isn’t allowed. In truly public space-on sidewalks，in parks，on buses and on trains—we move with the face down, our phones shine like flashlights，
Consider the case of a recent murder on a San Francisco train. On Sept.23，in a crowded car， a man pulled a gun from his jacket. He raised the gun，pointing it across the aisle. He drew it out several more times, once using the hand holding the gun to wipe his nose. Dozens of passengers stood and sat just feet away—but none reacted. Their eyes，focused on smartphones, didn’t lift until the gunman fired a bulletin into the back of a San Francisco State student getting off the train.
There are thousands of similar stories that together sound the alarm for a new understanding of public space. In Japan，more than a dozen people fall off railway platforms while looking at their phones each year. Some experts there have called for bans on texting. Besides，many train station notices remind people to look where they are going，and even mobile phone companies have begun to educate users about the dangers of looking at a phone while walking.
The development of information technology is separating us from our surroundings. The urban theorist Malcolm McCullough writes“Closed in cars, often in headphones，seldom in places where they can communicate in person seldom choosing face-to-face meetings，moden citzens escaped from public life.
1. The author wrote Paragraph2 to_______.| A．explain how the mobile phone destroyed public places |
| B．list the examples of using mobile phones |
| C．tell us to use mobile phones in public places |
| D．make us believe the great changes of using mobil ephones |
| A．The murder didn’t shoot the passengers on the train. |
| B．Many people were aware of the murderer before he shot. |
| C．It is no good ignoring other people around when taking trains. |
| D．Smartphone addictions have changed the normal social communication. |
| A．Giving examples. |
| B．Listing numbers. |
| C．Comparing facts. |
| D．Making conclusions. |
| A．smartphones have taken little people’s attention |
| B．the development of information technology has a good effect on people |
| C．too much use of smartphones may do harm to people’s communication |
| D．smartphones may change modern people’s life completely |
【推荐3】For students feeling the pinch from the pandemic, how to fund academic efforts has been a tough nut to crack—but an Indonesian college has a refreshing new idea.
A hospitality college in Bali, Indonesia, has begun accepting coconuts as payment when students face economic hardship as a result of the coronavirus disease.
When students at the Venus Tourism Academy pay their fees with coconuts, the college will use them to harvest natural coconut oil, UPI reported.
Alternatively, students can pay using leaves from moringa and gotu kola plants, which can be transformed into herbal soap and sold to raise money for the academy, Food & Wine added.
The program has been running since March, after the college received a permit to allow it to operate on this basis, according to The Bali Sun.
Venus Tourism Academy’s director, Wayan PasekAdi Putra, told local news outlet Balipuspa News: “Initially, the students who face economic hardship can pay for their fees by divided payments in three times, with the first installment at 50%, the second 20%, and the third 30%. Because of this Covid pandemic, we have adapted a flexible policy. We produce coconut oil, so students can pay their tuition by bringing coconuts.”
He added: “We have to educate them to optimize the natural resources in their surroundings. When the pandemic is over, they will enter the world of hospitality with different skills.”
Students staying in areas with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases are not allowed to attend lectures in person. Those from less-affected areas are divided into three groups and must take their classes by turns, according to Food & Wine.
Bali is a major international tourist destination but in August, the Balinese government closed the island to non-Indonesian visitors until 2021, BBC News reported.
1. According to the media, what can we know about the college?| A．The college will use coconuts to make chocolates. |
| B．Other produce can also be accepted as payments. |
| C．Since March the program has been running without permission. |
| D．Herbal soap can be made of coconuts. |
| A．Divided payments arose before coconuts payments |
| B．Compared with coconuts payments, divided payments is more flexible. |
| C．By producing coconut oil, students paid their fees. |
| D．Natural resources are limited, so students should save them. |
| A．Take an online class | B．By shortening learning hours |
| C．By attending small classes | D．Learn by oneself |
| A．Accepting coconuts as gifts | B．Coconuts-a special payment in a college |
| C．Sufferings of COVID-19 | D．A special college in Indonesia |
