4 . “Italy without Sicily does not leave an impression on your soul: here lies the key to everything.” This is what Goethe wrote during his voyage through Italy in 1787. In fact, Sicily is Italy’s largest island and at the same time a small world of its own. Typically Italian and yet completely different: contrasts (差别）characterize Sicily in many aspects --- scenic as well as cultural.

The sunny island has always been considered a blooming place. It is in spring that Italy’s southernmost point shows its best, when countless almond trees turn the island into a sea of flowers. Beautiful lemon trees are to be found all over the island, but most of all on the soil beneath Mount Etna, the landmark of Sicily and the largest volcano of Europe.

Windswept bushes and splendid sand dunes in the southeast attract you. Here you will find Sicily’s most beautiful sandy beaches --- extending for kilometers on end, wide and gentle.

In the thinly populated inland, the mountain area with its valleys, streams and plateaus creates an almost mysterious atmosphere; in the mountain villages time seems to have stood still.

The islands around Sicily are worth a visit, too: from Sicily you can easily reach the Lipari Islands, for example.

As various as the island’s landscape and sights are its people --- the Sicilians. The poet Angelo Fiore held that, there were “five million Sicilies”, just as many as there are people. In the Sicilian melting pot of cultures you will find elements contributed by the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the Spanish and the French. Southern Italian hospitality, celebrating colorful, lively festivals and keeping up religious customs are surely among the islanders’ characteristics.

7 . Do you know how children in other countries spend their schooldays and what kind of games they always play?

8 . Volunteering is a great way to support an organization and make a difference in your community. It can also be an opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills.     1     And what should we plan for? Here’s a guide for beginners.

Step 1:     2    

Do you want to help the world, or your community? Do you want to build your own skills, make new friends, and learn? Do you love what you do? Do you want to share your gifts with others or give something back? Think about these kinds of questions. That can help you to choose the right direction for your volunteer work.

Step 2: Choose an organization that is meaningful to you.

If you feel strongly about literacy (读写), for instance, volunteer at your local library or find out if there is an organization of volunteer tutors in your area. There are organizations doing all sorts of work.     3    

Step 3: Start small.

If you already have a busy school life, volunteer your time for an hour or two a week, or perhaps one day a month..    4     Then, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to do it, take on more time by time.

Step 4: Get training.

If there is a training course, attend it. If not, talk to the group leaders and other volunteers about their experiences.     5    

Step 5: Try not to give up.

Volunteer work sometimes involves unpleasant tasks, difficult fellow workers, busy days, or bad management. If you find your work difficult, however, try to work through it before you decide to quit.

9 . Many people enjoy taking trips by themselves. Unluckily, they do not always have the best_________. Instead, people should consider group tours. Taking a group tour is a wise choice for people to __________themselves.

First, group tours plan travelers’ routes, so people don’t have to_______where they are going next or how they are getting there. They can just_______and enjoy their trip._______, my family once took a group tour to China. The travel agency (旅行社)_______everything for us. We just looked at the schedule the travel agency had_______and followed it. Thanks to the travel agency, we had a _______trip. This made things _______on my father since he didn’t have to worry about where we would go next and ________at night.

Another________of group tours is that they allow people to communicate with one another while traveling. Travelers are able to develop________with people they would never have met________they are traveling together for a number of days. As I know, my parents ________Russia on a group tour for their honeymoon (蜜月). They________another couple on that trip, and everyone had a great time together. Even after many years, they still________together from time to time. If my parents had traveled by themselves, it would have been________for them to get to know this couple.

In short, there is ________better than a group tour when traveling. Group tours schedule everything on the trip, and they give us the________to meet others and make friends with them. Group tours are the ________way to travel when taking a trip.