【推荐2】Last day in Faro, I went for a walk along the mountainside of the little farming town. During my days up in the hills, I ________ saw another person. It’s such a ________ to my days in Los Angeles, where the streets are ________, and the air is filled with smog and pollution. I ________ past another little farm and heard cows mooing. I stood up as high as possible to see their cute faces. I started to ________ having a farm one day. I often thought about getting away from the ________ and learning how to Live off the land, which would bring me a lot of ________.

As I walked next to the road on my way back, I ________ several orange trees off to the side. The abundance of oranges in rural areas was a ________ sight. It ________ me of how much better the world would be if we let the ________ do its thing and grow abundantly.

To end the day at sunset, I sat on a chair in front of the house and ________ the hillside again. I tried to take a picture in my mind so I’d always ________. I must ________ I took out my phone and took a few photos as well. Maybe I’m not as “off the grid” as many environmentalists are; my phone is often ________.

【推荐3】The Negative Impacts of Volunteer Tourism

Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is an increasingly popular form of altruistic travel. Its appeal lies in being an experience that allows visitors to feel good by being a part of some kind of meaningful change. But despite good intentions from participants, volunteering abroad has been the target of heavy criticism over the past few years.

Voluntourists only have a limited amount of time, and the ability to change the systems and provide support for the places they visit. Being volunteers, they also simply don’t have the skills to do so. And they can sometimes inadvertently perpetuate unhelpful and even patronizing(自视高人一等的)ideas about the places they visit. A number of studies have shown that volunteer tourism can have negative impacts, ___________benefiting the local communities.

*Unskilled labor creates more work

Previously, volunteering opportunities were often___________to skilled professionals, but this is not the___________of volunteer tourism. Anyone can become a voluntourist, which brings a series of problems. Though___________, they are often unskilled, especially when it comes to work such as construction and digging. This can often lead to locals being forced to take on the added responsibility for rebuilding homes and schools that would have been___________inadequate.

*Volunteers take local jobs

In the meantime, this takes jobs away from locals who would have been paid to do the same work. It also prevents them from learning or being taught the skills that could then be used to___________the community. As a famous proverb says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The time and efforts of volunteers could be better___________making local communities more economically independent and self-sufficient, allowing them to improve___________even after they depart.

*There is no long-term commitment

Lots of communities do need the help and assistance of volunteers, but what are they able to address in the few short weeks of their “___________”? Most places tend to benefit more from long-term engagement, and often the largest number of meaningful volunteers come from the communities themselves, rather than from____________eager to fix things. While short-term volunteers can do a lot of good, it is often so only when they have skills and training that____________the specific needs, such as medical aid, construction, conservation, teaching, or even religious work; as well as having experience doing the required work and with different cultures.

* There is a lot of focus on__________the volunteer

Voluntourism tends to place a lot of emphasis on the volunteers, sometimes even at the expense of the community they are looking to help. Travel companies attract individuals with promises of____________but immediately-rewarding experiences. This, in turn, can lead to large numbers of volunteers who, instead of helping create a change, can actually____________local communities from becoming more economically independent due to their very presence.

What Can We Do Instead?

Short-term volunteers, especially students, also need to be given the opportunity to explore various different cultures and destinations. But they should take the time to learn about the socio-cultural backgrounds of the places they visit. Short-term placements thus become more about experiences and____________exchange, where they may gain knowledge and respect other cultures, rather than go on trips that “help the poor”.

This kind of cross-cultural engagement can do a lot of good in a world that is increasingly leaning towards violence and xenophobia.

【推荐1】About a month ago, while in the drive through at Starbucks，I noticed a woman in a car behind me who appeared to be having a bad day. There were two kids in the back who seemed to have too much _____at 8 am on a Sunday morning, because they were shouting loudly. The _____ moved slowly and at one point while I was pulling the car forward, the sad woman behind me _____my car. I could tell this _____ her. The entire time that I waited in line for my coffee this woman didn’t _____．

Looking back at her I could tell she was wondering “Why me? Why today?” When I _____ up and paid for my coffee I requested that the barista(咖啡吧员) of Starbucks give the woman behind me a smile card and paid for her coffee.

Just 30 minutes ago I was again _____ in line at Starbucks. I heard a slam of a car door but thought nothing of it. I was _____when the same woman came up to my driver’s side window. She _____ me a twenty­dollar bill and the same smile card I had given to her. She smiled and said,“These are for you. You are the ______ one who gave these to me ______, right? All I need you to do is ask the barista to give the ______ back to me. ”It was amazing！It was as if this woman had been waiting to show her ______ for what I had done!

When she got back into her ______today she was all smiles. I could tell she had the same feeling as I had on that early Sunday morning. It was nice to have my coffee paid for, but what made me feel even better was seeing the happiness and smile on her face.

As I pulled out of the drive­thru，she waved and yelled out，“Have a ______ day！”I yelled back “You too！”and waved her goodbye.

【推荐3】Rodney Smith Jr. drove home from school. For some reason, he took a different ______ than usual. That's where Rodney saw an elderly man ______ to mow (修剪) his lawn. He would take a couple of unsteady steps，using the handle to ______ himself, paused, then ______ pushed the mower again. Something inside Rodney said, “You've got to ______ help to him.”

Rodney got out and ______ himself. The elderly man, Mr Brown, said he was retired with low income, so he wasn't able to ______ anyone to help keep his lawn ______. Rodney promised that it was on him and he got the ______ done in 20 minutes. Mr Brown expressed heartfelt thanks to him, and Rodney went home feeling ______.

Sitting at his computer, Rodney couldn't get Mr Brown out of his ______. He went on social media and ______ that he would mow lawns for free for senior citizens. Messages ______ his in - box. His only ______: He couldn't help folks who didn't have their own mowers. He searched the Internet and found a guy who sold used mowers. ______ Rodney told what he needed, the guy let him have some for free.

Later, Rodney got a message from a grandmother in Ohio, saying he'd ______ her 12 - year - old grandson to mow lawns too, which gave Rodney a(n) ______. Maybe he could make this a national movement for young people. He ______ a name - Raising Men Lawn Care Service, Rodney feels glad to see that kids learn the ______ of giving back to the society and make good life choices and ______ self - confidence.

【推荐2】As an assistant manager at a restaurant, I encountered a heart-warming experience. One day, a father and his young son _________ the restaurant and spent a very long time looking through the menu. _________ , the father came up and started asking me about _________ because his son was allergic(过敏的)to some food.

At some point, the boy, who was probably six or seven, _________ me a laminated(覆膜的) card that listed all his allergies. They were a lot. It was _________ for me to remember them, and I didn’t know what the seasoning mixtures were, so I asked to borrow the _________ so I could go check. He _________ , and off I went.

It _________ that many of our seasoning and sauces contained allergens for the boy. After much effort, I found a _________ option for him and took extra precautions due to his meat allergy. The father was grateful and explained they had __________ to find suitable dining options. This __________ the beginning of a special connection, as they became __________ customers, visiting at least once a week.

The positive __________ I received was a heartening reminder that through genuine care and understanding, we can make a __________ . It reinforces my commitment to ensure that each guest’s experience is memorable and that they can __________ their unique needs.