1 . Hansen and his 10-year-old son Chase search the streets of Salt Lake City every weekend for the homeless to take to lunch. They started Project Empathy(共情)four years ago to ________a meal, listen to their stories and figured out how they could ________ help.

“Just start with a smile, a hello. It really just starts with that. If you do it, you can make a connection. A small gesture can have a ________ impact on others less fortunate,” Hansen ________ in an interview.

Some of these shared meals have turned into stronger ________ .Ward, a homeless, was ________ in a flat. He credited the Hansens with helping him ________the difficult process of moving off the streets. “It is great to have friends who make us feel ________ and I’m impressed with the pair,” Ward said.

Father and son’s ________have developed into a passion project that ________ faith and community, which emphasizes the ________ community members can have in uplifting the homeless. They know they can’t settle the homeless ________ alone. They’re hoping empathy will ________.

“My hope for the future is to ________ more connection across our country. We could and we will succeed ________ we have other people join in and help the homeless,” Chase said.

2 . The cost of living in countries like the US, Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed in recent years. However, if you’re willing to leave your country and explore life in other areas, there are many countries boasting an extremely cheap and low cost of living. Check out the following countries when planning your next move.

Ecuador is similar to the United States in many ways, and as a result has become a popular American getaway. They even use the US Dollar for their currency. In this country, it’s cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the US. You can even buy a building for around $ 50, 000 and hire someone to look after it while you’re away.

Although the country is known for its poverty ridden streets, there $are many wealthier areas that provide every facility you might need. You can live off a mere $ 700 to $ 800 a month in Mexico, and this includes rent for a nice place, facilities, food, and any sightseeing.

Argentina has been a popular tourist destination for many years. It has great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. Not to mention, it’s not very expensive to live here. A decent sized home can cost around $ 139, 000, which is relatively cheap in relation to homes in the United States.

Vietnam has also become a popular tourist destination in recent years. There are many million-dollar luxury homes by the beach, but you can find a modest flat or a small home for around $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 if you search in the right areas.

3 . Online, English has become a common language for users from around the world. In the process, the language itself is changing. There are now thought to be some 4.5 billion web pages worldwide. Some language experts predict that within 10 years English will occupy the internet — but in forms very different to what we accept and recognize as English today.

That’s because people who speak English as a second language already outnumber native speakers. And increasingly, they use it to communicate with other non-native speakers, particularly on the internet where less attention is paid to grammar and spelling and users don’t have to worry about their accent (口音).

Users of Facebook already socialize in a number of different “Englishes” including Indian English, Spanish English and Korean English. While these different styles have long existed within their cultures, they’re now expanding and coming online. Technology companies are introducing newly-developed English words with products aimed at enabling users to add words that are not already in the English dictionary. And most large companies have English websites, while smaller businesses are learning that they need a common language — English — to reach global customers.

The increasing popularity of the internet allows more languages to develop quickly. “Most people actually speak several languages — it’s less common to only speak one,” says Mr. Munro. “English has taken its place as the world’s common language, but it’s not pushing out other languages.” Instead, other languages are pushing their way into English, and in the process creating something new.

6 . One devoted man is helping to make sure that children with poor living conditions won’t go hungry during the school day.

Mary’s Meals, an organization founded in 2002 by Scottish farmer Magnus Macfarlane- Barrow, provides needy kids in 12 countries with free meals at school each weekday. The group’s aim is to ensure that students have food in their stomachs so they can better fix their attention on the study in class.

Macfarlane-Barrow, who runs Mary’s Meals on his father’s farm, told CNN that the entire operation started with a conversation he had with a teen living in a poor state. He said, “In 2002, I was in Malawi during a year of terribly short of food, and I met this family—the father had died, and the mother was dying with her six children around her. I began talking to her oldest child, Edward, who was about 14, and asked him, ‘What are your hopes?’ And he said, ‘I’d like to have enough food to eat, and I’d like to go to school one day’” And that was it.

In its first year, the group fed 200 children in need. Since that time, it has made rapid progress. Last month, Mary’s Meals fed more than one million children every school day. That was 5 million meals every week. “The million is amazingly important, but we are far from satisfied. Our work’s just beginning. We’ve proved that this works, and now we’ve just thinking about the next child,” said Macfarlane-Barrow.

He and the group recently celebrated the achievement in Malawi, where the program began. So far, the program has had very good results. In Malawi, schools that carried out the Mary’s Meals program saw a 24 percent increase in the number of new students within the first six months.

Wrinkles of confusion spread across Holly’s forehead as she unwrapped the gift from her best friend, Susan. “I...I thought you could use it for something.” Susan’s explanation did nothing to help us understand why a carpet remnant（零料，布头）was being presented as a birthday gift.

My heart went out to my daughter. Starting over at a new school had been a difficult adjustment. Until she met Susan, Holly had experienced little success making new friends.

The whispered “thanks” was barely audible（听得见的）as Holly tried not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the carpet on the kitchen counter, and they headed outside to play. The extent of Holly’s disappointment didn’t become evident until the following evening when she came downstairs to say good night. “Well, I guess we know how much my best friend thinks of me, huh, Mom?” she said in tears. “I’m so sorry, honey” was all I could manage to say.

The next morning, I carried the kitchen rubbish outside. My heart sank as I lifted the lid of the trash can and saw Susan’s carpet lying there. Hesitating only for a moment, I took it out and brought it into the house.

“Susan invited me to come over to her house tomorrow,”Holly announced a week later. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation. Susan had visited us many times, but our invitations were never returned and it would be the first time for Holly to go.

The next day I drove Holly to the destination. A tall woman stood in the doorway to greet us. The house was shabby but neatly decorated with used furniture. From the chat with the woman we knew Susan had long been separated from her parents and that she was Susan’s stepmother.I came to respect this generous-hearted woman who had opened her home to a young girl.

As daylight began to fade, I picked Holly up from Susan’s home.

I placed the carpet on the table in front of her.

NOTICE

English Club