2 . We make a living with what we get, but we make a life with what we give.

—Winston Churchill

I believe this saying. I have been _______ at the Boston Children’s Hospital every year since I was thirteen. At the beginning, I only wanted to go because I would make fun with children at the hospital. After giving my time for 40 months, my life has been changed _______.

When I first _______ into the waiting room on the ground floor, I was very _______ that I would be spending my whole summer with kids. I was afraid that I couldn’t stand. But as I got used to showing up every day at 8 a.m., many kids began to like me. To my surprise, I began looking forward to seeing their happy faces as well. They were always excited about _______. My heart warmed every time I heard their excited voices, asking me for a story or an answer to a question. I felt _______ and no one could take my place.

I look back. I see the influence that these special children have had on me. It is because of them that I have _______ a strong wish to become a psychologist, a person who studies the science of children’s mind. Recently, I have been asked to help out on many different floors in the waiting room where I started. The kids on the floors above are usually there for a longer time. With their worries and wishes to get better and go home, they always offer me a bright smile. I feel all the _______ has gone after spending a day with them because I realize that there is much more to life than money. It is much more important to love and to be loved.

Tobey always likes zoos. It is great to see animals around his house such as cows, horses and all different kinds of birds. For Tobey, going to the zoo was a great and wonderful way to spend his weekend learning about animals. Today, he was trying to go to somewhere a little _________.

There was an animal shelter (收容所) near his house. It wasn’t a common place to adopt (收养) dogs and cats, but a place with lions, tigers and bears.

As he arrived, he was _________, because he heard lions even from the parking lot. The place was small, but clean. And the volunteers (志愿者) there were very helpful. Tobey and his family _________ the place at their own pace (节奏), looking at the cages and places the animals lived in.

Tobey _________ understood the differences between this place and a zoo. Zoos had beautiful habitats set up for each animal, but you could not get near the animals at all. At this shelter, he was almost close enough to reach out and touch the animals, even if there were two fences between him and the animals. There weren’t as many people, either, so it seemed like a more personal _________. The paths were covered with trees and it made the animals feel more at home.

It was interesting to look into the eyes of a lion when you could almost reach out and touch it. It was _________ to watch the bears walking slowly in front of you. Then there were lions lying lazily in the midday heat and monkeys cleaning themselves. It was a very special experience.

The best part about the place was the stories. Each animal had a story posted on the side of their cage. People _________ them from abuse (虐待) or took them to the shelter when they were no longer wanted. These were hard luck stories with a happy ending.

When it was finally time to go, they all _________ the volunteers and made a donation. Shelters always needed money, food for animals, and help. It made them feel good to do something they could. It was a great place, and Tobey couldn’t wait to return.

5 . 假设你是李华，你所在的阳光小区正在进行“模范家庭”的评选活动，请根据所给图表的内容，给社区中心写一封英文推荐信，向他们推荐你的家庭。

I would like to recommend my family for “Model Family” in our neighbourhood this year.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hope we can get the award. I am looking forward to your answer.

Yours faithfully,

Li Hua

Sagarika Sriram was just 10 years old when she started reading newspaper stories about a planet in trouble. One story was about a whale that was washed up on the beach after an oil spill. Another was about turtles found with plastic (塑料) in their stomachs. Sagarika knew she needed to do something. So, she joined a group that organized (组织) cleanup activities in Dubai, her home city, in the United Arab Emirates. “The experience helped me understand what a person could do and how I could really make a difference,” she says.

But personal power is the strongest on a larger level. So, in 2016, Sagarika created Kids for a Better World. It’s a digital platform (数字平台) that has brought together nearly 10,000 kids from all over the world. Its goal is to fight climate change.

Sagarika is now 16. She’s part of a growing body of young climate activists who are working together in the name of a cleaner, healthier future. “We’re the group that is going to face the results if the climate crisis (气候危机) is not solved,” Sagarika says. As well as online activities, Sagarika organizes local cleanups on beaches and deserts in the United Arab Emirates, collecting litter. She believes even small personal actions can create a “ripple effect (连锁反应),” building energy in the right direction. “Change can be created on large levels with even small actions,” she says.

Kids for a Better World is for people aged from 8 to 16. The platform teaches them about what they can do at home and in their community to reverse (逆转) climate change. They can grow food or plant trees. They can collect recyclables (可回收物品) and avoid using plastic bags. These are lessons that Sagarika wants schools to teach. “This is the information which can help change our future,” she says.

Growing up in a desert city has made Sagarika know better about the need for action. Her city faces risks from rising temperatures and decreasing amounts of water. She believes those kids can bring attention to these environmental problems. “When children speak out a message, and they go door-to-door telling people about this, they can understand what’s going on,” she says.

Even if she’s all about small actions, Sagarika has big plans. She’d like to study at Stanford University, in California. And while she’s there, she’ll keep being an activist and running Kids for a Better World. Sagarika hopes to inspire (激励) others to fight for a greener planet, as others have inspired her. “We’re happy to see so many inspirational change-makers,” she says.

Mrs. Thompson was a primary school teacher. As she stood in front of 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told her students that she loved them all the same.

But that was impossible because Teddy Stoddard sat in the front row. Mrs. Thompson saw the little boy at school the year before. She noticed that he didn’t play well with other children. His clothes were always messy and he needed a bath. Teddy could be unpleasant.

So, she was surprised when she read Teddy’s first grade teacher’s record, “Teddy is a bright child with a cheerful laugh.” His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student. He is troubled because his mother is sick. Life at home may be hard.” His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him.” Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is lonely and doesn’t show much interest in school.”

By now, Mrs. Thompson saw the problem and felt bad for judging Teddy. That day, she didn’t teach reading, writing or math. Instead she started teaching her students how to be kind to each other.

Over the school year, Mrs. Thompson paid lots of attention to Teddy. His mind seemed to come alive and his grades improved. By the end of the year, Teddy was doing better in school. He also had more friends than before.

Years later, Teddy wrote to Mrs. Thompson. “Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.”

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, replied, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”