5 . Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It's a big event usually at the end of March every year. On this evening, people “go dark”.     1    

It's true that turning off lights for just one hour saves only a small amount of power.    2    On one level, joining in Earth Hour makes people think about the problem of climate change and what we can do in everyday life to protect nature.

But on another level, a large number of people’s acting together sends a powerful message to governments and companies.     3     They begin considering green issues when big decisions.

The logo(标识) of Earth Hour is “60+” .The number 60 is for the 60 minutes of Earth Hour.     4     In fact, people who join in Earth Hour say that taking part makes them want to do more for the environment.

    5     Musicians give concerts by playing acoustic(原声的) instruments instead of electric ones, and using candles instead of electric lights. Celebrity chefs have created special recipes for families to prepare and eat by candlelight. Tree-planting sessions, group walks and runs are also among the options.

Many     1     (music) meet and form a band because they like to write and play their own music. They may start     2     a group of high-school students, for     3     practicing their music in someone’s house is the first step to fame. Sometimes they may play to     4     (passer-by) in the street or subway so that they can earn some money for themselves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may give performances in pubs or clubs, for which they     5     (pay) in cash.

7 . Next week, as millions of families gather for their Thanksgiving feasts (大餐), many other Americans will go without. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 12 million households _________ enough food for everyone in their family at some time during the year — including _________.

Hunger is surprisingly widespread in our country — one of the world’s wealthiest — yet the government estimates that we waste almost 100 billion pounds of food each year, more than one-quarter of our total supply.

Reducing this improper distribution of _________ is a goal of America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Last year, it _________ nearly 2 billion pounds of food to more than 23 million people in need.

America’s Second Harvest is a network of 214 inter-connected food banks and other organizations that _________ food from growers, processors, grocery stores and restaurants. _________, the network distributes food to some 50,000 soup kitchens (施食处), homeless _________ and old people’s centers in every county of every state.

A great deal of work is involved in distributing tons of food from thousands of _________ to thousands of small, non-profit organizations. Until a few years ago, America’s Second Harvest lacked any _________ way to manage their inventory (存货). Without accurate and timely information, soup kitchens were sometimes empty while food was left to __________ in loading places.

In 2000, America’s Second Harvest began to use a new inventory and financial-management system — Ceres. It is a __________ designed specifically for hunger-relief operations. It is used by more than 100 America’s Second Harvest organizations to __________ food from donation to distribution.

Ceres has helped __________ the spoiling of food and improve distribution. An evaluation found that the software streamlined (精简) food banks’ operations by 23 percent in the first year alone.

With more accurate and timely reports, Ceres saves time, frees staff members to focus on finding new donors, and __________ more efficient use of donations.

Hunger in America remains a(n) __________ social problem. Technology alone cannot solve it. But in the hands of organizations such as America’s Second Harvest, it is a powerful tool that is helping to make a difference — and helping more Americans to join in the feast.

8 . 4 Best Basketball Camps in the USA

PGC Basketball Camps

For the last few decades, PGC (point guard college) basketball camps have helped thousands of players improve a variety of skills. While the name may have you believe it's for point guards only, that's not the case.PGC basketball camps operate in a number of different states and they have over 100 camps all over the country.While many of the PGC basketball camps are aimed at youth in high school and college athletes,there are also the Skills Academy camps for those as young as the 4th grade.

Nike Basketball Camps

Nike offers introductory camps, shooting camps, overnight camps, day camps and many more. There are even camps that let you work with former or current NBA and WNBA players. One of the best things about Nike camps are the quality of coaching and instruction you will get. They also operate in nearly every state,so no matter where you are, there is likely a Nike basketball camp close. These Nike camps are also great for all ages.

NBC Basketball Camps

Since the early 1970s, NBC(Northwest Basketball Camp) has been among the world leaders in the space.Whether you are in elementary school, junior high or high school, there is an NBC basketball camp for you. These camps are offered across the USA,as well as in Canada and even the UK. The camps they offer include clinics.team camps, overnight camps, and college prep camps, just to name a few. They aim to provide you all of the tools you need to succeed in basketball and in life.

The National Basketball Academy

The National Basketball Academy (also known as TNBA) partners with NBA teams like the Bucks and Pacers to provide camps, clinics, and training for basketball players of all ages. TNBA operates in Milwaukee,Orlando. Houston. Indiana, and Cleveland. It also operates in many other nations around the world such as Brazil, France, Argentina, and Spain. These camps and clinics range from a single day to multiple weeks. They also host various tournaments(锦标赛) so you can show off the skills you have learned.

9 . The Red Cross is known for carrying out some of the most heroic acts in the world. There are Red Cross societies in 190 countries all over the world. Their task is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of sudden serious situations by organizing volunteers and the people who want to donate(捐献).

In 1860, Swiss businessman and social activist, Jean Henri Dunant, saw the effects of war, and countries not prepared or able to deal with the suffering of those who had been injured in the Battle of Solferino during the second War of Italian Independence. Dunant organized a group of volunteers to help bring water and food to the injured, to help with medical treatment, or to write letters to the families of those who were dying. After that moment, he knew that more had to be done, and he wrote the book, A Memory of Solferino, which encouraged the public to create an organization which would help the wounded. His writing encouraged more people to support him in creating the International Federation of the Red Cross. And in 1863, International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.

The modern-day Red Cross does more than nursing soldiers during wartime. The group began to devote itself largely to disaster relief (灾难救援) and epidemic (流行病) treatment. It has achieved even greater service in humanitarian (人道主义的) programs that serve continuously in both peace and war.

One of the easiest ways you can help the Red Cross is to make sure you are able to donate blood and make an appointment at the Red Cross website. But, donating blood isn’t the only way you can help out —the Red Cross also encourages you to donate your time if you can, along with other things the modern-day Red Cross wants you to know.

10 . Meeting at a church on a Friday night is not usual for most college students, but it is for the members of an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) women’s group in my hometown, which is an organization for alcoholics who want to stop drinking alcohol.

AA is based upon a number of principles，including twelve steps and twelve traditions. The traditions state that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Members read aloud these steps and traditions, as well as a promise.

The AA meeting we attended was a speaker week, which meant that the majority of the time was spent listening to a particular member talk about her journey with alcohol. The speaker recounted her story with addiction. The group processed the story in a positive way. I noticed several times when members laughed, smiled, and made brief supporting comments while she spoke. Later, a member shared with me that “this is the kind of place where you can talk about things, and everyone just laughs...no judgment but support.” Being able to talk about her emotions and experiences, receiving support, and the lack of judgment was a large part of her decision to keep coming to meetings.

Years later, I look back on the meeting with fond memories. It changed the way I looked at addiction. It was no longer an evil faceless monster. I think it’s essential to have support when you’re struggling with addiction, as with any lifestyle change. AA is a prime example of how groups follow a program and commit (致力于) to changing their habits.

And it doesn’t hurt that sometimes after the meeting, everyone has a piece of cake.