Most people don’t take first aid training because they are busy. Some even think only doctors need to learn first aid. But in fact it is useful. Here are the good sides of learning first aid.

Save lives

First aid helps save lives. Giving someone first aid can help him or her get better fast. First aid training teaches how to keep calm in emergencies.

Help someone feel better

Not every accident or injury needs a visit to the hospital. But it doesn’t mean you should not try to help someone injured, even though the injury isn’t very serious. You can use first aid to help anyone in need, for example, a person who doesn’t feel well because of a fever.

Keep a situation from getting worse

Sometimes, if a person doesn’t get first aid in time, his or her situation will get worse soon. If you give him or her simple care, you will help him or her feel better and keep things from getting worse.

Stephen used to work in a company. Unfortunately (不幸地), he got serious heart disease (疾病). He couldn’t work for a long time. Thinking he could still do something for others, he decided to be a volunteer at a Children’s Hospital. Stephen loved children very much. With his love, he did his job well. Sometimes some children died of illness. At that time, he would tell these sad parents that he would soon be with their children in heaven and he would take care of them. His words seemed to help those parents.

There was a girl who could not walk because of a disease. She couldn’t do anything and she was very sad. What was worse, the doctors said that they could do little for her. Stephen decided to try to help her. He started visiting her, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He put the brush in his mouth and began to draw. He didn’t use his hands at all. Only his head would move. He always told her that she could do anything she wanted.

At last she began to draw with her mouth. She and Stephen became friends. By and by, the little girl was getting better and better. She was allowed to leave the hospital. One day, to Stephen’s great surprise, she walked to see him on her own feet! She gave him a picture she had drawn. At the top, it read: “Thank you for helping me walk. It’s all because of your love.”

Love can sometimes be more powerful than doctors and medicines. Love makes our world more beautiful and colorful. Stephen died a few days after the girl gave him the picture.

Many parents make their children do chores around the house. For some families, teaching children what to do and how to do chores is easy. But in other families, getting children to do some housework can be a very big problem.

It is a good idea for parents to teach their children at an early age that all family members must work together to make the house clean and each person must do his or her share (份) of the work. We can do this by starting a plan of chores and responsibilities when children are young.

Chores are good for children—even very young ones. Doing chores teaches children many important skills (技能), such as working together and being responsible. Jobs also teach children what is fair (公平的) and doing things for others. The skills and values (价值) from doing chores will do good to children all their lives.

Dear Anna Peterson,

▲ I ever did well in my study before. But now I find it difficult to concentrate on it. Even when I’m in school, in the quiet classroom and when the teacher is speaking in class, I can’t concentrate. I don’t think about anything. My mind goes nothing. And sometimes I think about something. It could be anything, a movie ... And then I act like one of the characters, and do this everywhere. I don’t even realize what I’m doing till something gets my attention and pulls me back to my real life.

I can’t always write down the important things my teacher says, because I write too slowly. I’m not good at writing and I usually hand in my homework late because I put off doing it until the last minute. So I often have to find different excuses to tell my teacher why I didn’t do my homework. I’m sure I’m going to fail my final exam in late January. I’m now so far behind other students that I don’t know how to catch up with them. But there is only one month left, you know. I am worried all day, and I know this won’t be of any help to me. I get distracted really easily.

My life has changed a lot. Can you help me?

Yours,

Mel Barnes

We all know that getting the flu is not fun. There are headaches, coughs, fevers, and other terrible feelings. To help us get better, we take some medicine and get much rest. We also drink lots of water and eat healthy food to make us feel better.

However, some people don’t want to get sick at all. So they get a flu shot before the flu season starts. The flu shot is in fact, a vaccine (疫苗), not usual cold medicine. It will protect them from the flu.

The vaccine introduces some of the flu into the body. But don’t worry. The flu is dead and won’t make you sick. It will teach your body to know it and fight it off in the future, though.

Vaccines not only protect you but also protect others. That’s because they help stop diseases (疾病) from spreading (扩散) from person to person. When fewer people have the diseases, the chances of getting them go down. Sometimes, the diseases completely go away.

Even though vaccines are quite safe, some adults are afraid of them. Their worry is that the vaccines will cause serious side effects (副作用). Vaccines might cause side effects, but they are usually not as terrible as people imagine. For most people, vaccines are ▲ and make them better.

So, they are believable and people want them in their bodies. These days, people are in line for the COVID-19 vaccines and hope they can protect them well!

Nevado Del Ruiz is a mountain in Colombia. It is 5,425 meters high and it is popular with climbers. It is beautiful, but it is ________, too. The weather can change ________ on the mountain. One minute it is sunny, and the next minute it is cloudy. One minute it is warm and the next minute it is cold. On a sunny morning in June, Leonardo Diaz began climbing Neva do Del Ruiz with some friends. On the second day of their climb, there was a snowstorm. It was difficult to walk in the ________, and it was difficult to see. The climbers decided to ________ and walk down the mountain. Leonardo stopped for a minute to get something out of his backpack. When he looked up, his friends were gone. He couldn’t see them or their footprints in the snow. Wait! Leonardo shouted. But his friends couldn’t ________ him in the storm.

All day Leonardo continued down the mountain alone. That night he ________ his tent, crawled inside, and slept. He was in big trouble when he woke up the next morning. His clothes were not ________ enough, so he was very cold. He was hungry, too, ________ he had no food left. He decided to ________ for help. He opened his backpack and took out his cell phone. It didn’t work. Leonardo had no more prepaid minutes on his phone.

All morning Leonardo stayed in his tent and the cell phone didn’t ________.

He began to think, “Maybe I’ll ________ on this mountain.” Then his cell phone ________.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Good afternoon,” a woman said. “I’m calling from Bell South Phone Company. You have no minutes left on your cell phone. Would you like to buy more minutes?”

“Yes, but not now!” Leonardo said. “I need help. I’m ________ on a mountain.”

“Stay where you are,” the woman said. “I’ll ________ help.”

Late that night, a rescue team arrived and helped Leonardo down the mountain. Leonardo says he will probably try again to climb Nevado Del Ruiz. But the next time, he will bring plenty of warm clothes and plenty of food. He will also bring a ________ with plenty of prepaid minutes.

36. To tell the ________ (true), I don’t think you are right.

37. He didn’t come here ________ (recent).

38. We saw many ________ (fall) trees in the forest.

39. It’s relaxing ________ (hang) out with friends.

40. He kept on ________ (ask) the same question.

41. She offered ________ (carry) the heavy box for her mother.