2 . Volunteering offers great help to people in need, but the benefits (好处) can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

    1    . Being a volunteer helps you make new friends and improve your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It develops your ties to the community, broadens your support network and offers you chances to know people with common interests and fun activities.

    2    , others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.     3    . Nothing reduces (减少) stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have found that older volunteers are likely to walk more and find it easier to sleep regularly.     4    .

If you’re considering a new job, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.     5     , volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork communication, problem solving and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching (伸展) your wings at work once you have improved these skills in a volunteer position first.

4 . “Your playful days are over,” my brother said to me when he knew I was going to be a Senior One student. Then he continued telling me that senior school life was boring because I had to do a large amount of homework every day. The subjects were much more difficult than those of junior school.

I stepped into the school gate with a nervous heart. However, I was surprised to find what I experienced there was completely different from what my brother had told me.

The teachers gave excellent lessons in their own special way. They talked with me in a natural and fair way, as if I was an adult. All of them are so knowledgeable (学识渊博) and they not only explained the contents of textbooks but also provided extra information from other sources. Every word they said in classes made me so excited and interested that I had a strong desire to take in as much as I could.

In fact, my playful days were not over at all in senior school. There were many kinds of activities I could take part in. For example, sports meetings, the art festival, English corner, outing and so on. Best of all, generally, students organized the activities rather than teachers. Through this process, I improved my leadership abilities and communication skills. I've become mature (成熟的). I am not a kid any more.

Now if anyone asks me: “Through your process of growing up, which part is most impressive up till now?” Well, the answer will absolutely be my “senior high school life”.