An only child is a person with no siblings (兄弟姐妹). Some people think only children are selfish, lonely, or unhappy. They say     1    is difficult for an only child to play or work with others. This     2     (call) the “Only-Chld Syndrome (综合征).”

It is true that parents expect a lot from their only child-similar     3     the oldest child in other families. Only children are often very responsible (有责任心的). They are better at     4    (communicate) well with people because they speak mostly with adults (成年人) at home.

Like middle children, only children are more likely to make     5     (friend) outside the home. This is     6    (nature). They need to play with other kids.

Like the youngest children, only children may be a little spoiled by their parents. They get 100 percent of their parents’ time and attention.

Polly Hollingsworth is my next-door neighbor. We     7     (be) also born on the same day. She is an only child. Polly says that she is neither lonely     8    unhappy. She doesn’t fit the description of an only child. She can talk to people     9     (easy) and she is not afraid of anything.

In fact, there is no big     10     (different) between only children and people with siblings. Only children are just like other children.

2 . Bus driver Sondra Artis had just picked up the last student on her route. As she headed towards Surry County Schools, the driver _______ a burning smell in the air. When a student asked her what was wrong, she did her best to _______ her growing worry.

“I wiped the window and I said, ‘Is that steam or smoke?’ I said calmly,” Sondra recalled. “As I pressed on the gas, more came out. I just had to get them off that _______ . ” Sondra pulled into a church parking lot and turned to _______ the 20 students on board. She reminded them of the evacuation drills (疏散演习) they _______ at the beginning of the year and directed older _______ to leave by the backdoor and younger students through the _______ .

“I told the kids that,” You know, we _______ in the beginning of the year, but this is going to be _______ , so I need you to be calm,” said Sondra.

The students hurried to the ________ as smoke began to fill the bus. They were ________ , but Sondra remained calm throughout the evacuation. When they were out, she went back onto the bus to make sure everyone escaped ________ .

Seconds after they all disembarked (下车) , the bus ________ fire. Another bus came to the ________ to take the children to school, and Sondra was happy that everything ________ okay.

4 . When you hear the word “recycling”, what comes to your mind? The color green or global warming?

What if I were to tell you there is a dark side of recycling? A type of recycling that does more harm than good. The dark side of recycling has nothing to do with the environment but rather has a lot to do with the recycling of ideas.

Environmental unrest isn’t the only trouble we must face. Idea pollution is quickly becoming widespread across the online world.

Think about it. When was the last time you read an original blog post? I’m guessing it has been quite a while. Why do you think top bloggers (博主) of today win so much respect? Do you think they recycle their ideas? With each recycled idea, the online world becomes much more polluted. Used content contributes to the ever­increasing mass of digital smog (烟雾).

The first step to reduce pollution is simple: stop recycling. When you stop recycling, you will then be forced to take up the task of creating your own ideas. When you recycle an excellent idea, it soon becomes good. When you recycle a good idea, it soon becomes just OK. The chain continues until the key part of what used to make the idea good is saturated (饱和的) , leaving you nothing but a pile of mess.

In order not to pollute, your ideas must go beyond “just recycled”. Your ideas must stand out from the pollution of the Web. For your voice and talent to be heard and seen, you must go far beyond the standard copy of your neighbours’ ideas.

For the next step, make a promise not to recycle. Let your ideas flourish and flow. Believe in your ability to create, because the death of recycling starts with YOU.

6 . Volunteering jobs from 4 organizations

Ageing Well

The aim of this organization is to improve the health of older people by encouraging and supporting them to be more active—particularly those who join little or no physical activity. Ageing Well is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to come forward with new ideas for activities of the program.

Availability:from Monday to Friday/Morning or Afternoon

Minimum（最低的)age:50

G64 COVID Help

During the COVID-19 pandemic(流行病), the role of volunteers within our community has never been more important. These job chances include helping with shopping,driving and check-in calls for those who can't leave their houses.There are also many other activities you can get involved in to help make a difference in your local community. In addition,personal protective equipment will be supplied.

Availability:from Monday to Saturday/Morning or Afternoon

Minimum age:16

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland（CHSS)supports people across Scotland with heart or brain conditions. When knowing such diseases, many people experience fear and loneliness and struggle with the influence on their lives. CHSS helps deal with that. The care and support they deliver every day make sure that people can live the life they want.

Availability:from Monday to Friday/Morning or Afternoon

Minimum age:16

Give Blood 4 Good

Give Blood 4 Good is looking for students at the University of Edinburgh to raise awareness of blood donation（献血)in Scotland. We also focus on educating young people （aged17-24) about blood donation because the regular donation is the lowest among this age group in Scotland. We want to raise awareness and educate people about blood donation.

Availability:from Monday to Sunday（24 hours day/night)

Minimum age:17

7 . Have you ever thought of quitting your job when you feel exhausted? Maybe most of you would say “yes”. After a particularly busy period at work, I decided to get away from it all by going on a hike in the mountains in southern France.

Before I left, I read an interesting story in a magazine. It read, “Once, while I was riding on a crowded bus, the man sitting next to me threw his cell phone out of the window when his phone rang. I was surprised. He looked at me, shrugged (耸耸肩) and looked away. I had no idea whether it was his or stolen or whether he even knew what a cell phone was or not, but he clearly wanted to be free of it, because it clearly troubled him.”

Billions of people across the world use cell phones. Though cell phones are a wonderful way for communication, they often do the exact opposite. Using cell phones can increase stress within families and friends.

So when I recently returned home, I got rid of my cell phone. Now I go outside without taking my phone with me. I’ve noticed things in my neighborhood I never noticed before, such as gardens. I’ve met new people, started conversations with neighbors I didn’t speak to before and talked with some of my friends face to face instead of chatting over the phone.

Instead of keeping me off from the world, stopping using my cell phone has helped me get even closer to my family and friends.