1 . Many teenagers want to look cool. But not everyone can afford to keep up with the changing fashion trends (潮流). Chloe Murray, an eighth-grader at Jefferson Middle School in the US, realized this problem and started a charitable clothes closet (慈善衣橱) to help her peers.

Her school was for the idea too. The school let her use a room for the project. Murray’s classmates joined her as well. When the charitable clothes closet, Chloe’s Closet, opened, it was filled with trendy clothes for girls and boys to help students look their best. “Confidence is a real problem in middle school, especially when it comes to clothing,” Murray told the Chicago Tribune, a daily newspaper in Chicago, US.

Where are the clothes from? Many people from the school’s community and neighboring schools gave away used and new clothes. The clothes closet is only open after school. Students can “buy” these clothes by earning “money” when they turn in their schoolwork on time, make corrections on homework, take part in a school activity or express helpfulness to their peers and teachers. Since the first week in March, about 100 items have been “sold” to students.

“If you provide children with basic needs, such as clothing, they will be better able to focus on the learning material rather than pay too much attention to what they are wearing,” said Shannon Arko, a language teacher at the school, about the closet. “Feeling good about yourself translates into a better learning experience overall.”

2 . Volunteering in your community helps you learn a lot. You’ll feel great when you are volunteering your time for your community. If you want to start volunteering, find an organization that ________ you, and then decide what to help with.

Use a(n) ________  website to find a good match. Much ________ job search websites, you can use volunteer websites like Volunteer Match or Serve. gov to help you find volunteering jobs in your area.

Talk to your friends and family. If you ________ can’t decide where to volunteer, start asking people you know where they do. You may find one of them to offer you a ________, and it can make it easier to volunteer with someone you know for the first time. Volunteering with friends can make it more ________ because you are with people you know.

Pick an organization that will teach you something new. Volunteer chances can be really good for you. They can give you the experience you don’t have. Some organizations will also give you training and career (职业) development. For example, volunteering at a ________ can teach you something about the healthcare system (医疗体制), ________ volunteering at a library can teach you about community programs and library organizations. If you volunteer with the park system, you’ll learn about ________ to run a park.

You could also choose organizations to develop the ________ you already have. For example, if you are good at another language, you could offer your skills as a translator to community organizations, improving your skills along the way.

3 . Two years ago, Daniel decided to take part in volunteer work. He ________ to work as a barber (理发师). He spent Saturdays giving free haircuts to ________ kids so that they’d look cool on their first day of classes. But he had a game time. “The kids should receive their free haircut by ________ a book to me,” Daniel said.

The idea was so ________ that he continued it for the next two years. Five-to-ten-year-old kids would sit in the barber chair with a book, and read loudly. If they had difficulty in reading it, Daniel was there to ________.

“These poor kids are excited to learn. They want to open their minds.” Said Daniel. He believes that not every ________ has enough time to read with their kids. “You are working on your jobs, and you have to clean the house or cook dinner.________ maybe you don’t have time to listen to them reading. That’s why I say bring your kids in and let them read to ________.” Daniel said to those parents.

“There was a seven-year-old boy who had trouble in reading ________.” Said Daniel. He let the boy take the book home and practice. “When the child came back a few days later, he read it with no problem. That ________ me,” He said.

The barbershop is a wonderful place for the kids. They can not only read books but also get help from free reading.

5 . Lee Newton was sitting at a train station under an old blanket (毯子) when he saw two young men talking. They missed that last train, and they seemed upset. It was a cold night in January, and they were really cold. Lee asked them to share his blanket. The three of them started talking, and Lee learned that their names were Jimmy and Tony, and they were brothers.

Lee told them that he had lost his job and then he couldn’t pay the rent (租金) for his apartment. He had no family to help him, and nowhere to go. He had to sleep at the train station. Jimmy and Tony felt sorry for him. As they spent their night at the station talking to Lee, they learned that anyone might meet with the same problems. They felt lucky to have jobs and a home.

When morning came, they bought a train ticket for Lee and invited him to live with them. Lee accepted. Lee soon found a job in a factory. He made money to buy a small motorbike and then delivered pizzas in the evening. After several months, Lee has enough money to rent a small apartment. “When times get difficult, you need friends and family,” said Lee. “Jimmy and Tony became that for me.”

6 . If you want to work as a ________ in an old people’s home, try the following ways.

Know more about old people’s homes through different ways. At first, know which old people’s homes need volunteers. Then you can make sure which is ________ for you to choose. Next, you need to ask for their agreement to volunteer there. Finally, you must ________ all the rules.

Choose the old people’s home which isn’t ________ from your home in order not to spend much time on the way. It’s a good idea to ________ some information about the old people’s homes online. Then you can know how to get there easily. Read all the rules ________. Different old people’s homes have different rules. For example, an old people’s home asks you to work 4 days each week, ________ you are only free on weekends. Some old people’s homes ________ the volunteers aged above (在……之上) 16 years old. If you can’t reach the age, they won’t change ________ rules for you. Your volunteer work should depend ________ your interest. Doing the volunteer work you like can make you enjoyable. For example, if you like doing chores, you can volunteer to help the old wash the clothes, sweep the floor and so on.

7 . “Chinese medical teams are spreading warmth and love in Africa. I hope one day I can help others like them,” said Appiah Priscilla, an international student from Africa. She said this after learning about the great work of Chinese medical teams.

The first Chinese medical team was set up in 1962 and sent to Africa the next year. Since then, China has sent over 23 thousand team members to over 45 African countries, treating over 240 million patients. Today, Chinese medical teams are in many parts of Africa. They’re trying hard to save lives and help Africans keep healthy.

Their work is hard but meaningful. The working conditions are poor. For example, during operations, the power sometimes may go out, but the members don’t give up working. They take out their smartphones and turn on the flashlights (手电筒) to make sure the operations go on. Many places are short of doctors and nurses. Chinese medical teams not only save patients’ lives but also help train doctors and nurses. Africans are so thankful to the medical team members that they call the members “angels (天使) in white”.

With its 62-year non-stop medical help to Africa, China has helped ameliorate the health and happiness of Africans. As China and Africa work hard to build a community with a shared future, Chinese medical teams play an important role in making it.