1 . How to Volunteer Abroad and Actually Help People

Fear of “voluntourism” shouldn’t stop you from doing something great. We’ve all heard it. Those “voluntourists” going to Africa think they’re helping, but they’re actually going for a holiday, wasting money, and strengthening dangerous stereotypes (刻板印象). I am, though, against the idea that we shouldn’t volunteer abroad at all. How would the world be a better place without people devoting their time and resources to help others who need it?

I chose my organization well. As a student, there are so many options for volunteering abroad. I travelled with Cambridge Development Initiative, a student-run project that works on sustainable development projects in Tanzania. There were four branches and I was on the business team. We were trained on the dangers of voluntourism and on best volunteer practices. We learned about the culture and even learned some basic Swahili, the local language, before travelling. When we were in Tanzania, we stayed in the same accommodation alongside our Tanzanian team members, ate the same food, and spent our free time in the same places.

When I told my friend I was travelling to Tanzania to volunteer for the summer, he said, “Oh, you’re going to have one of those summers where you go away for a couple of months and it totally changes your profile (头像) picture.”

I didn’t change my profile picture, but I did help 23 young people start their own companies. They brainstormed ideas, surveyed target communities, improved their designs, came up with business plans, and collected seed capital for their startups. They came up with creative ideas, such as a “mini-grid” (微型电网) providing electricity to an off-grid village and a plastic-waste recycling company.

Before I went to Tanzania, I was “this close” to taking an internship in a company instead because I worried I would be contributing to the negative practice of voluntourism. Here’s how I made sure that didn’t happen, and why I think the benefits of volunteering abroad far outweigh the benefits of taking some questionable moral high reasons back home.

1. What is voluntourism?

A．A study in a developing country.

B．A trip to a developing country to help out.

C．A cultural exchange in a developing country.

D．A traveling to a developing country to help out, but doing more harm.

2. How did the writer ensure not contributing to the negative side of voluntourism?

A．By not trusting any organization.

B．By learning about the local culture and language.

C．By providing electricity to an off-grid village.

D．By making trade with the team members.

3. Which one was NOT done by the writer?

A．The writer came up with ideas to solve off-grid problems.

B．The writer helped establish young people’s own start-ups.

C．The writer gave up a corporate internship.

D．The writer went to Tanzania as a volunteer.

4. What did the writer’s friend imply?

A．The writer would have a moral high experience worth showing off.

B．The writer was able to change the profile picture after the trip.

C．The writer should help the locals as much as possible.

D．The writer should volunteer because it would be life-changing.

2 . Here is a checklist for whether you can do the following things to live a better life. Tick if you can.

Talk about your emotions and difficulties. We tend to have difficulty expressing our emotions, yet they drive so much of what we do. Worse, we compensate with drugs and alcohol to mask our feelings of not being successful. Talking about how we feel, honestly, can free us. Don’t be afraid of not being successful. We think being loved is equal to being successful, but as Vanier said, “You are beautiful as you are.” The true measure of a person is not defined by the size of his/her bank account. It’s defined by their emotional bank account, how kind they are and how they treat others. We might envy (忌妒) Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth, but admire people like Mother Teresa more. In a relationship, take the time to ask: “How are you?” You’re married to your spouse, not success. Yes, work is important to provide for our families. But being there for our families is even more important. Take the time to check in. Ask how your spouse and kids are doing. They’ll remember your thoughtfulness and love much more than your career success. Stop looking at your phone. Be present! The digital age has brought us instant communication, but are we really talking to one another? Listen to your deepest desire and follow it. Unlike animals, human beings have moral and spiritual needs. Beyond eating, procreating and existing, we search for the unknown. All of us have an inner voice that guides us. Our hearts often tell us when we are off course. Learn to trust your heart. Remember that you will die one day. Jean Vanier noted that “We’re all here, but we are just local people. Passengers on a journey. We get on and off the train and the world will continue.” Remembering that you will die one day can help guide our actions today. It can reshape the kind of person we want to be.

1. According to the passage, how can we feel relieved?

A．By fearing success.

B．By communicating your feelings.

C．By inquiring people.

D．By leaving your phone behind.

2. What does the 4^th rule tell us?

A．You are married to your husband/wife.

B．You must work for your family.

C．You should pay more attention to people around you than your work.

D．You have to ask your family’s daily routine.

3. These are the rules all about ______.

A．keeping you fit

B．improving your life attitude

C．interacting with people

D．having a relationship

3 . My Life Without Money

At the age of 54, Heidemarie Schwermer, a German woman, gave up her job as a psychotherapist, gave away all her money and her flat and threw away her credit cards. Today, apart from a few clothes and a few personal belongings, she doesn’t own anything.

It all began as a one-year experiment. In her home city of Dortmund she set up an “exchanging circle” where people exchange services without using money, for example, a haircut for a mathematics class.     1     But when the year ended she continued and has not used money since then.

At first she house-sat for friends who were on holiday. She stayed in their houses in return for watering the plants and looking after their animals. At the moment she is staying in a student residence where she can sleep, have a shower, or use a computer in return for cooking for the young people who live there. She also “works” as a psychotherapist. “    2     Sometimes they give me something in return, but not always,” Heidemarie says. “I can live thanks to my contacts. A lot of people who know me understand what I’m doing and want to help me. When I need a bus ticket, for example, or a new tube of toothpaste, I think, ‘Who can I ask?     3    ’ If I want to go to the cinema, I might offer to look after somebody’s children for the afternoon.

It is one of the mistakes of our society that most people do something they don’t like just to earn money and spend it on things they don’t need. Many people judge you according to how much you earn. In my opinion, all jobs are equally important.     4     That’s my message.”

A．What can I give them in return?

B．I have never given up my dream although I don’t have a job now.

C．To prove that this could work, she decided to give up using money for a year.

D．You may not earn a lot of money, but you may be worth a lot as a person.

E．So what did I do with all my savings?

F．Before I treated very wealthy people, but now I help anyone who needs it.

4 . For most people, the longest relationship they will have is with their sibling (兄弟姐妹). It’s a shame, then, that we can’t choose them. As children, my younger sister and I were always _________ with each other. I was jealous of her looks and she felt threatened by my academic success. But our rivalry (竞争) was _________ compared to that of some famous siblings.

Take 1940s movie star Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine as an example. The competitive relationship between these sisters is famous in Hollywood. “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did. And if I die first, she’ll _________ be angry because I beat her to it,” Joan wrote in her autobiography (自传). Their rivalry became very _________ in 1946 when Olivia won an Oscar. Joan was asked to present the award but Olivia refused to even shake her hand. “They just don’t have much in common,” said one person at the time.

But it’s not just in _________ business where siblings fall out. Businessman Rudolf and Adolf Dassler started making sports shoes in the small German town of Herzogenaurach in the 1920s. Their factory south of the river became very successful but they were always very _________. Adolf, or Adi, was a quiet craftsman while Rudolf was “a loud-mouthed salesman”. _________, in 1948, the brothers fell out permanently. Rudolf moved across the river and set up a rival sports-shoe company, which he called Puma. _________, Adi used the first letters of his name and surname to create his brand—Adidas.

The brothers never spoke to each other again and their rivalry _________ the town. The residents wore either Adidas or Puma and would sometimes refuse to __________ each other. It became a place where you always looked at the __________ someone was wearing before starting a conversation. The brothers died in the 1970s and were buried in the same cemetery—at opposite ends.

But not all successful siblings __________ each other. Top tennis players Serena and Venus Williams have played each other in over major tennis tournament finals, but have always remained the best friends. They played doubles together, lived together, and even had breakfast together before these big matches. “We leave everything on the __________,” Serena once said. “We’re sisters the moment we shake hands at the net.”

So, now that we’re adults, have my sister and I learnt to be more like the William sisters and less like the Dasslers? Well, I’d love to say “yes” but the __________ answer is “not always”. I still hate seeing photos of us together because I still feel inferior (次的) to her. But our rivalry is not as bad as it used to be, and if I feel really jealous, I remind myself: __________ disappears but a sister is for life!

1.

A．competing

B．dealing

C．communicating

D．agreeing

2.

A．anything

B．something

C．everything

D．nothing

3.

A．sadly

B．undoubtedly

C．unequally

D．negatively

4.

A．passionate

B．public

C．unreasonable

D．fierce

5.

A．show

B．family

C．manufacture

D．trade

6.

A．familiar

B．friendly

C．different

D．positive

7.

A．Otherwise

B．Meanwhile

C．Additionally

D．Eventually

8.

A．After all

B．By comparison

C．In response

D．On the whole

9.

A．livened

B．enlarged

C．divided

D．widen

10.

A．mix with

B．take on

C．look after

D．set up

11.

A．shoes

B．clothes

C．glasses

D．watches

12.

A．like

B．hate

C．ignore

D．value

13.

A．way

B．surface

C．side

D．court

14.

A．designed

B．easy

C．truthful

D．acceptable

15.

A．reputation

B．beauty

C．difference

D．dream