【推荐1】I’m 62 now and always planned to volunteer with older people when I retired. I knew there was such a big gap in the care and support this generation receives and I found the thought heartbreaking-no one should have to feel lonely and stuck at home.

Since I started volunteering three years ago, my team of volunteers have set up seven groups in our town. We host tea parties for those aged 75 and older who live on their own and regularly provide support, friendship and companionship for the most isolated older people in the community.

Working with my older neighbors is rewarding. To hear their stories and the hardships they have overcome is inspiring. I feel like I’m making a positive difference to the lives of older people by sharing my time with them, helping them stay active and social and making it clear to them that they are valued by our community.

As an area coordinator (协调人), I also help recruit(招募) and manage volunteers, without whom none of the work would be possible. So many go above and beyond what’s asked, giving their time, energy and kindness, just because they care. I’ve found so much enthusiasm from people wanting to make the lives of our older neighbors better, and they are a constant source of inspiration for me.

I’ve met so many amazing people from all walks of life (各行各业). It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done and it has enriched my life so much. I will keep focusing on reducing loneliness and isolation among the elderly and helping older people enjoy the old age that they deserve.

1. What does the underlined word “isolated” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．friendly

B．lonely

C．helpless

D．supportive

2. What does the author think of her work as a volunteer?

A．It is meaningful.	B．It gives her confidence.
C．It is challenging.	D．It reduces her loneliness.

3. What quality of the other volunteers inspired the author?

A．Their skills.

B．Their creativity.

C．Their optimism.

D．Their passion.

【推荐2】Once a month, I volunteer at a meal center to help serve food to people who are in need. Despite the many other things that I need to do, I really look forward to meeting and serving these people, even if only briefly. Although my motivation begins with wanting to help others and be grateful for what I have been given, it is joy that helps bring me back when I am very busy. I first noticed this some time ago: at the end of our shift, after the kitchen and dining room have been cleaned up, I would experience a lightness of being.

A few years ago, as I was researching how kindness affected health, I came to learn that volunteerism was associated with a markedly lower risk of dying. One recent and large European study found that self-reported health scores were apparently better in volunteers than non-volunteers. Depending on the study, the decrease in death rates ranged between 20 to 60 percent or so.

How could volunteering decrease the risk of death? There are several factors at play. The first, and most primary, is decreased symptoms of stress and uplifted mood. Many studies have provided evidence that volunteering is good for depression, well-being, and social networking, among other effects. Secondly, people who volunteer regularly also make more effort to take care of themselves. They manage to pay visits to their doctor for preventive health care. Finally, people who volunteer may be more physically active. Volunteers have an obvious increase in walking each day compared to those who did not volunteer.

To try to tie this together, volunteering likely exerts its positive health effects by connecting people to others and to an activity that they find meaningful. Achieving connection, purpose, and meaning is critical to reducing stresses of life — particularly loneliness. Since stress is a major cause of disease, especially heart disease, the ability to satisfy the need for connection, purpose, and meaning can bring about beneficial changes for people. And when there is purpose and we are connected to others, we take care of ourselves.

1. How does the author feel about doing a volunteer job?

A．Pleased.	B．Tired.
C．Surprised.	D．Annoyed.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．A study on volunteerism.

B．The health scores of volunteers.

C．The relationship between kindness and health.

D．Volunteerism’s positive effect on volunteers’ health.

3. Volunteering decreases the risk of volunteers’ death mainly by ___________.

A．making them more physically active

B．making them visit doctors frequently

C．pushing them to take care of themselves

D．reducing their stress and uplifting their mood

4. What does the underlined word “critical” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Different.	B．Equal.
C．Important.	D．Contrary.

【推荐3】Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.

I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.

Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria?I had no idea. But I was about to find out.

After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.

Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, and returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.

1. What do we know about the author?

A．His university education focused on the theoretical knowledge.

B．His dream at university was to become a volunteer.

C．He took pride in having contributed to the world.

D．He felt honored to study English literature.

2. According to the Paragraph 2, it is most likely that the author ________ .

A．discussed his decision with his family

B．asked previous volunteers about voluntary work

C．attended special training to perform difficult tasks

D．felt sad about having to leave his family and friends

3. In his application for the volunteer job, the author ________.

A．participated in many discussions

B．went through challenging survival tests

C．wrote quite a few paper on voluntary work

D．faced strong competition from other candidates

4. On arrival at the village, the author was ________.

A．asked to lead a farming team

B．sent to teach in a schoolhouse

C．received warmly by local villagers

D．arranged to live in a separate house