Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship. It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since March 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. "I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by "providing different feedback(反馈) about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth. ”
Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program. "I paid close attention to it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it’s all work and no play. ”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!
1.What is the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters?
A. To offer students public services.
B. To provide partnership and fun for young people.
C. To organize sport activities for young people.
D. To help students improve their grades.
2.A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least .
A.24 hours B. 72 hours C.48 hours D. 36 hours
3.According to Emily’s mother, this program may provide Emily with .
A. a new way to assess herself
B. advice from her teachers
C. a new way to judge her schoolmates
D. more comments from her schoolmates
4.Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?
A. She used to be a volunteer.
B. She felt a bit bored with her life.
C. She needed a part-time job.
D. She wanted to get a challenging job.
5.According to the passage, ‘vulnerable young people’ underlined in Paragraph1 are probably those who are .
A. popular at school
B. rather weak physically
C. easily hurt emotionally
D. confident in themselves
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo—a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the middle of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
1.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be _____.
A. a writer B. a teacher
C. a judge D. a doctor
2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A. She wanted to study by herself.
B. She fell in love and got married.
C. She suffered from a serious illness.
D. She decided to look after her grandma.
3.What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A. She was busy yet happy with her family life.
B. She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
D. She was too confused to make a correct choice.
4.What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Little by little, one goes far.
C. Every coin has two sides.
D. Well begun, half done.
5.Which of the following can best describe the author?
A. Caring and determined.
B. Honest and responsible.
C. Ambitious and sensitive.
D. Innocent and single-minded.
Being able to learn to relax can be very important, especially if you have a stressful life. When you build up too much tension without being able to control or release it, over time, 1. can develop some serious health problems.
If you want to learn 2. to relax, one simple way is to remind yourself that most of the things that we worry about never even happen. It is good to think ahead to make sure that future problems don’t show up, 3. many people spend a lot of time worrying about things that are totally out of their control. Learn to relax by only focusing on things you 4. control. Relaxing doesn’t always mean sitting back and 5. doing anything. If you have things to do, you can do them in a relaxed manner.
You can still relax and do all the things you need to do. Just 6. you have demands and responsibilities, it doesn’t mean you have to do everything in 7. stressed manner. The key is to simplify your life. Just relax by focusing 8. the moment.
My family suffered a lot three years ago when my father died in a car accident. It my mother, two younger brothers and me alone.
At that time, I was in a senior high school. As the eldest son, I had no choice but to of school and work in a factory. Life went on without any wonder. I dared not ask for more and just thought about my two brothers. However, it wasn’t easy, for I couldn’t their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without rest. I also had to look after my sick mother. I wanted to go back to school, but it seemed to be an impractical idea, since I needed to work to support my family.
A thread of appeared during those gloomy (阴暗的) days. It was a rainy dusk when I went outside into the rain and walked in the street. Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head, and found that “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I heard a deep voice say, “Why not without an umbrella?” It was a one-legged man, “If you run, you won’t get so wet.” His words me deeply. Without my father’s protection, was I only a slave to fate﹙命运﹚?
While walking with him in the rain, I knew that his dream was once by an accident. He was glad that he didn’t lose and still “ran” on the road of life. Facing this guy, I had no pity, but admiration.
Inspired by his , I went to a city in the south and became an insurance representative. After two years’ “running”, I got somewhere and my family situation became better . I went back to school and eventually succeeded in being admitted to a university.
Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the season of your life, there will be a bright sky ahead of you.
1.A.left B. carried C. had D. forced
2.A. take out B. drop out C. make out D. jump out
3.A.bringing in B. taking away C. bringing up D. taking over
4.A. receive B. realize C. manage D. afford
5.A. chance B. need C. hope D. money
6.A. drive B. walk C. travel D. run
7.A.shocked B. puzzled C. discouraged D. hurt
8.A. burnt B. accepted C. ruined D. discovered
9.A. face B. heart C. sight D. control
10.A.images B. achievements C. signs D. remarks
11.A.simply B. gradually C. normally D. immediately
12.A. rainy B. cloudy C. sunny D. windy
______yourself with positive people and you will keep focused on what you can do instead of what you can’t.
A. Surrounding B. Surrounded
C. Surround D. Having surrounded
It is not doing the things we like, but liking the things we have to do ______ makes life happy.
A. which B. that C. what D. who
