It’s often said that it’s better to give than to receive. You may feel too stressed and busy to help others with their burdens in your daily life. However, altruism (利他主义) is its own reward and can actually help you relieve stress.
Altruism is good for emotional well-being. For example, one study on patients showed that those who offered other patients peer support actually experienced great benefits, including more pronounced improvement of confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression and daily functioning.
The positive effects of altruism often go beyond just you and that other person, influencing your whole community.
| A．It can improve your quality of life in various ways. |
| B．It can help you gain a more positive view on your life. |
| C．Studies show acts of altruism can be a great form of stress relief. |
| D．Altruism can improve physical and mental health in a variety of ways. |
| E．When it comes to altruistic acts, what goes around generally comes around. |
| F．They generally found that their lives were dramatically changed for the better. |
| G．When you do nice things for others, they may do the same and the kindness grows. |
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【推荐1】Chongqing, a city of more than 32 million people, faced an unheard-of test this summer with a heat wave and drought causing a series of large wildfires since Aug 17.
Local residents have safeguarded their hometown in every way possible, with thousands of volunteers from all walks of life fighting the fires with professionals.
Under a very hot sun, some residents used chain saws(锯) to fell trees to make fire barriers. Others rode motorcycles on newly formed paths to take firefighters and supplies up a mountain, while some volunteers carried food and drinks on their backs by foot. Women and children helped organize supplies and clear the ground, and performed other essential tasks.
On Thursday night, as wildfires approached a man-made barrier on Jinyun Mountain in Beibei district, a total of more than 1000 firefighters and volunteers stood alongside the barrier with fire extinguishers. Seen from overhead, their lights formed a silver wall against the raging fire.
The residents’ stories have touched many people.
“Chongqing people are really amazing.“ said Du Hailang, head of the Beijing Emergency Rescue Association, an NGO founded in 2007 that has taken part in many overseas rescue operations. Du and 10 other members of the association joined the fire rescue team in Chongqing last week.
“The man-made wall was unbelievable, but shocking. It really showed Chinese people’s determination to defend their homeland.” Du said.
The outstanding work of the volunteers and the hospitality of local residents impressed the firefighters, too···
Bai Xueguang, from Gansu Forest Fire Brigade, said, “I never imagined that I would have ice cream and cold drinks at a fire rescue site.”
Zhou Hongyu, from Yunnan Forest Fire Brigade, said every volunteer he met at the scene asked him if he needed anything “It was the first time I had taken a motorcycle to reach a fire scene. We really appreciate the locals’ hospitality. Their support has been wonderful.” Zhou said.
1. What test that never had happened before did Chongqing face this summer?| A．A heat wave. | B．Drought. | C．Wildfires | D．Flood. |
| A．To show their enthusiasm. | B．To impress professional firefighters. |
| C．To get paid from it. | D．To protect their homeland. |
| A．Responsible and helpful | B．Enthusiastic and faithful |
| C．Reliable and honest | D．Ambitious and determined |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Hard work pays off. |
| C．Love breaks down barriers. | D．Many hands make light work. |
【推荐2】When someone is homeless or trying to recover from a natural disaster, they are in great need of everyday goods. While people are often encouraged to donate (捐赠) canned goods, not everyone is thinking about things like shoes.
Of course, you can’t go looking for a new job or a home, if you have no shoes to walk in. One woman in Hays, Kansas took this into consideration, and found a great way to help hundreds of people.
Payless stores were going out of business, and shoes were selling for as little as $1 per pair, so a woman named Addy Tritt bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store — more than 200 pairs — and donated them to flood victims (灾民) in Nebraska.
Those shoes were then sent to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State University. Tritt, who recently graduated from FHSU, wanted to “pay it forward”.
“I have been so lucky,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many terrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down. They influenced me so much that I want to help if I can.”
Tritt has a history of kind acts. She has donated more than 60 bags of school supplies to Hays students, and organised a baby clothes drive and two supply drives for the animal shelter.
“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”
1. How did Tritt help flood victims?| A．By buying shoes for them. | B．By sending some food to them. |
| C．By helping them find new jobs. | D．By selling shoes to raise money for them. |
| A．Get extra support. | B．Share news with others. |
| C．Pass on kindness. | D．Put forward the plan. |
| A．The victims needed shoes most. | B．She was influenced by kind people. |
| C．The shoes were sold at a low price. | D．She wanted to help the Payless stores. |
| A．Brave. | B．Easy-going. | C．Clever. | D．Caring. |
【推荐3】Rain was beating down on my car as I drove slowly down a less-traveled road. Suddenly the steering wheel jumped in my hands as one of the tires (轮胎) burst with a bang. It was impossible for me to change that tire! A thought that a passing motorist might stop disappeared at once. Why would anyone? I knew I wouldn’t. Then I remembered that a short distance up a little side road was a house. I started the engine and drove slowly until I came to that house.
I honked the horn (鸣笛). Then the door opened and a little girl about eight stood there. I rolled down the window and called out that I needed someone to change the flat tire because I was disabled and couldn’t do it myself. A moment later, the girl came out with raincoat and hat, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting. I sat there comfortably and dryly, and felt sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm. Well, I would pay them for it. The rain seemed to be little now, and I rolled down the window to watch. It seemed to me that they were awfully slow and I was beginning to become impatient. Finally, it was done and then they were standing at my car window.
He said, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all set now.” “Thanks,” I said. “How much do I owe you?” He shook his head. “Nothing. Cynthia told me you were on crutches (腋杖). Glad to be of help. There’s no charge.” I held out a five-dollar bill, but he made no effort to take it and the little girl stepped closer to me and said, “Grandpa can’t see it.”
A blind old man and a child! They were just working with cold, wet fingers for tools in the dark—a darkness that for him would probably never end until death. I don’t remember how long I sat there after they said good night, but it was long enough for me to search deep within myself. I realized that I was filled with self-pity, selfishness, indifference to the needs of others.
Helping others is a way of life, one that I am trying to follow. It isn’t always easy, but the value is there. I am trying now not only to climb 14 steps each day, but in my small way to help others.
1. The writer didn’t expect others to stop to help him as he thought they would _____.| A．not notice him in the rain | B．not know he was disabled |
| C．be unlikely to travel on that road | D．ignore the needs of others |
| A．sorry for the man and the girl | B．dissatisfied with the man and the girl |
| C．unwilling to pay the man and the girl | D．grateful to the man and the girl |
| A．the darkness | B．the heavy rain |
| C．his blindness | D．his old age |
| A．He should learn how to do things for himself. |
| B．Disabled people should know how to drive on rainy days. |
| C．Age doesn’t matter when it comes to giving a helping hand. |
| D．He should not be selfish and should try to help others if possible. |
【推荐1】Imagine you’re a farmer in India with a crop of potatoes to sell. Typically, you go to a marketplace called a mandi and get the best price you can from a local middleman, who will then sell them to another middleman.
Sanjay Agarwalla learned about Indian farmers’ lack of access to buyers even when he was a student decades ago. After talking the problem over with his son Aditya, then a computer science major at Princeton University, the two decided to form an online marketplace they called the Kisan Network in late 2015.
“Anything that deals with agriculture in India is pretty large. So, if it’s a problem, the problem can affect millions of people, and the impact of the solution could be enormous,” Sanjay says. After all, some 70 percent of rural households in the country depend on agriculture as a main source of income.
Kisan Network’s app lets farmers advertise their produce and see potential buyers beyond the local mandi. Once the deal is completed online, Kisan runs the produce from the farmer direct to the buyer, each side staying put.
Kisan’s fee ranges from 5 to 15 percent of the sale, and farmers get to keep more than they would under the traditional system, where middleman after middleman raises the price of the produce before it reaches a final buyer. “Even with low-profit crops like potatoes, we have been able to offer 10 percent more than physical market rates. That’s what our entire goal is,” says Aditya. “As for higher-profit crops, the improvement goes up.”
Building products for this new set of technology consumers brings its own challenges. “All of our engineers are from urban backgrounds,” says Aditya Agarwalla. “It’s not like you’re building something you would use on your own.” To be effective, Kisan’s platform must work with inexpensive smartphones on slower networks and be able to support regional languages.
Today, farmers feel it’s better selling to someone who is at their doors. They do not have to typically travel miles to a mandi, staying overnight without a place to sleep.
1. How does the writer begin the passage?| A．By telling a story. | B．By creating a scene. |
| C．By discussing a topic. | D．By introducing a place. |
| A．To get rid of middlemen. | B．To promote high-profit crops. |
| C．To improve the Kisan Network. | D．To help Indian growers earn more. |
| A．The platform needs improving. |
| B．The network company does not help. |
| C．The app’s consumers are in less developed areas. |
| D．The engineers are not well equipped with knowledge. |
【推荐2】I was in the Santa Cruz Mountains not long ago, speaking and singing at a women’s conference. We were focusing on the theme of loving others in practical ways through our gifts, and something in particular happened during one of the sessions will remain imprinted in my memory.
A young Syrian woman (Lilith) was invited to the conference at the last minute, and everyone seemed surprised and delighted that she’d actually come. Just a few days earlier, Lilith had fled her country and found refuge with one of the women attending the conference. As an Orthodox Christian in Syria, she and her loved ones had become attacked targets of violent terrorist groups in the country’s ongoing civil war.
Lilith had witnessed horrors no one of her young age should ever see. Despite the further danger it presented, she’d decided to leave her home and her family to find safety here in America. Knowing some of her story, and seeing her sitting through the sessions at the retreat — head, covered in a scarf, bowed toward the floor — broke my heart.
Lilith’s story touched all of us, including Pam, who was a quilt maker. Pam had just finished a beautiful quilt, and had brought it with her. She, along with a few of the leaders, decided to give it to Lilith as a symbol of their comfort and love. Lilith had left her own mother behind in her homeland, and I can’t imagine how frightened and alone she felt. But I could see there were lots of ＂mamas＂ in this community of women who were more than ready to love her.
During our last session, Lilith was called forward and prayed over, hugged, and wrapped up in that beautiful quilt. I thought of the many hours Pam undoubtedly spent working on it, and the terrible events that led Lilith to this moment — surrounded by the beauty and love the quilt embodied. I wept. When they told her it was for her, she wept.
1. What is the purpose of the women’s conference?| A．To help others in a practical way. |
| B．To win equal rights for women. |
| C．To get together to dance and sing. |
| D．To exchange gifts with each other. |
| A．To attend the women’s conference. | B．To find safety. |
| C．To find her family. | D．To find a better job. |
| A．hang back | B．hide from others |
| C．bravely enough | D．full of sadness |
| A．enthusiastic | B．sympathetic |
| C．intelligent | D．talented |
【推荐3】Spreading kindness not only helps others feel better about themselves but also boosts the giver’s health and happiness, according to a study.
Giving seems to lower our blood pressure.
A recent study found that people who said they would donate money to help orphans were less sensitive to an electric shock than those who declined to give. According to the study, regions of the brain that react to painful stimulation appear to be instantly out of operation by the experience of giving.
Being kind seems to boost happiness.
Another study assigned people to three groups: the first group had to do an act of kindness each day; the second group tried a new activity each day; and the third group did nothing. The first two groups saw a significant boost in happiness.
“When doing an act of kindness, you’re making the world a better place,” said the Random Acts of Kindness foundation, which promotes kindness all year.
| A．It’s a win-win for all |
| B．Giving seems to lessen our pain |
| C．You’ll experience even greater joy |
| D．But consider being kind to yourself |
| E．Being kind seems to contribute to our sense of community |
| F．Giving donations to others has been shown to have that effect |
| G．However, any kindness you give to others is also a gift to yourself |
