Are you stuck in a rut（车辙）and looking for a change? Fed up of seeing hungry, poor faces on your TV screen and want to do something to help? Perhaps you’ve considered volunteering overseas but ruled it out because you thought you were too old, couldn’t commit enough time, or have a family. If so, think again.
“Over the past five years it has become far safer --- and more professionally acceptable --- to take up a job volunteering overseas,” says David Stitt, managing director of Gap Year for Grown Ups, a company catering for volunteers in their late 20s and upwards. “While 10 years ago intrepid souls took financial and personal risks in volunteering abroad, now several organizations exist to make the experience safe and well-organized.
Nowadays, universities and business encourage overseas volunteering among students and employees. Entire families can volunteer abroad, and agencies are employing more disabled and retired people. A prosperous “humanitarian tourism” industry has sprung up; thousands of UK citizens will do some form of overseas volunteering this year.
“Some volunteering jobs are easier to find than others,” explains Kevin Cusack, from a volunteer advice agency. “If you can speak English, it’s not too hard to land a job teaching English, even without a qualification, and those who enjoy working with children should be able to find child care work.” zxxk
Whether your interest is rainforests or women’s rights, you can find a volunteer position to suit you. But be warned: unless you have relevant skills or existing overseas development experience, it’s going to cost. Just how much depends on the location and length of the position, but you should budget for somewhere between £1,500 and £6,000.
“Having to pay to volunteer may sound paradoxical (矛盾的), but it’s the best way to ensure you get a position that benefits the local community while matching your interests and skills,” explains Cusack. “You can also discuss the time you want to commit to a project --- many positions can fit into a holiday or even a weekend.”
1.The underlined words “intrepid souls” in Paragraph 2 most probably refers to ___________.
A．companies B．volunteers C．fighters D．students
2.In Kevin Cusack’s opinion, paying to volunteer overseas ___________.
A．must be incredible and unrealistic
B．can help volunteers learn more about another culture
C．may benefit both volunteers and the community they work in
D．needs confidence, courage and determination
3.What can we learn from the text?
A．Disabled people can also take up a job volunteering overseas.
B．In the past no one could take up a job volunteering overseas.
C．“Humanitarian tourism” industry is in its beginning stage.
D．Taking up a job volunteering overseas needs at least £1,500.
4.Where can we most probably read this article?
A．In a job guidebook.
B．In a celebrity biography.
C．In a guidebook to work overseas.
D．In a report on volunteer work.
5.What is the writer’s attitude towards volunteer work?
A．Critical. B．Unfavorable. C．Supportive. D．Disagreeable.
I recently ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for a long while．Our conversation was lively and full of news from both sides．Before we parted she said，“You'll have to drop in sometime.” I immediately sensed that if I simply “dropped in’’ I would take my friend by surprise，and I would be discouraged by the image of her standing in her doorway，staring at me，and asking，“Oh，err …what brings you here?”
Whatever happened to the unannounced drop-in visit? When I was growing up in the 1960s, it seemed that people - mostly relatives, but also friends - were always popping in. My parents would put coffee on，and my mom would find something in the kitchen to serve along with it．Then the conversation would begin…The neighbor lady，a worrier，was unloading her sadness while my mom quietly listened．The Irish man next door had such an accent that I remember asking what language he spoke．My Polish relatives arrived in packs…But I never heard my parents say anything like “We weren’t expecting you’’ or “This isn’t a good time．”Drop-in visitors had a certain right of way and became No．1．
What happened to such visits? Actually I know the answer．Times have changed．Everybody gets busy with work．There is no longer a stay-at-home mom keeping a pot of hot coffee or tea ready throughout the day for a surprise guest．Exploding malls and stores are now replacing homes as a central form of entertainment．
Just the other day a former student of mine showed up．“I'm sorry for the surprise visit．”my student began．“I just wanted to see if you still lived here．I'll only stay a minute．”My response was immediate.“ No, you won’t,” I said.“Just come in, sit, have coffee, and we’ll talk.’’
I had nothing in the kitchen but we ordered pizza．And we had a lovely time．I have tried to keep the drop-in tradition alive though it takes some effort．
1.The author thought of his friend’s invitation --- “You’ll have to drop in sometime”--- as _______.
A．a nice way of refusal
B．an excuse of leaving
C．a kind of politeness
D．an expression of surprise
2.The underlined phrase “ pop in” in the second paragraph means _________.
A．make many friends
B．make a special date
C．have a good time
D．pay a sudden visit
3.The woman from the neighborhood used to visit the author’s home to ________.
A．seek comfort from my parents
B．make new friends
C．1isten to my parents’ story
D．taste nice dishes
4.From the third paragraph of the passage，we can infer that __________．
A．the author misses the lost good days
B．unexpected visitors are still welcome now
C．modern people prefer outdoor activities
D．there are more jobs for the housewives now
5.The author writes the passage intending to __________.
A．encourage people to be drop-in visitors
B．explain how to deal with unexpected visitors
C．share his feelings about the drop-in tradition
D．show the importance of making friends
Lots of folks don't think about what they eat over the holiday season until January, when they stare sadly at the number on the scale and then hurry off to hit the gym, join Weight Watchers or pick up the latest diet book.
It doesn't have to be that way. Health experts say you can still enjoy the holidays.
"It's OK to indulge（沉溺）, but it doesn't mean you have to gain weight," said Karen Ansel, a New York-based registered dietitian and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian from Denver who's also an ADA spokeswoman, added that gaining weight during the holidays and then working hard to lose it again is not good for a person's body.
For starters, people interested in maintaining their weight during the holidays should keep eating on a regular schedule, the two dietitians said. Research has shown that people who skip meals -- particularly breakfast -- end up eating more throughout the day. "Try and stick to consistent meal times so you can avoid being overly hungry," Crandall said. "When you're overly hungry, you can make some bad decisions regarding what you eat. Don't starve yourself during the day waiting for that party at night -- because you'll eat too much or overeat."
Ansel suggests that you think now about the foods you really enjoy and plan to focus on those while eating less of more common fare.
Be careful, too, about alcohol intake, for a couple of reasons. Alcoholic drinks, particularly the fancy ones handed out at holiday time, tend to come loaded with calories. "It's usually what you're adding to a drink that contains the calories," Crandall said. Also, if you're drunk, you might forget to watch what you're eating. "It totally lowers your inhibitions（压抑）," Ansel said.
Other holiday eating tips, suggested by Crandall and Ansel, include:
?Eat lots of vegetables, and eat them first before moving on to the other items on your plate.
?Recognize that many holiday extras, like cheese or cranberry sauce, come loaded with calories. "If those aren't your favorite foods, don't put them on your plate," Crandall said.
?If your favorite food has a lot of calories, be sure to minimize your portion. "Two bites cure the craving," Crandall said. "After that, you're just really feeding your old habits.
?After a big holiday meal, don't sink into a chair or couch. Go for a walk outdoors or participate in some other activities that help burn off some of the calories you've just eaten.
1.Both Karen Ansel and Jessica Crandall ________.
A．think highly of the latest popular diet book
B．like going to the gym often
C．think trying to lose weight isn’t good for a person’s body
D．are registered dietitians and work for ADA
2.Ansel asks people wishing to keep slim not to skip meals because _________.
A．it will do harm to their stomachs.
B．being overly hungry will make them feel not well
C．it may make them eat more
D．it might let them make bad decisions on important occasion
3.Why does Crandall advise people wanting to lose weight not to drink wine?
A．Because if they’re drunk, they can watch what they eat.
B．Because it will make it hard for their body to burn calories.
C．Because wine itself contains many calories.
D．Because it will make them feel more stressed.
4.Which of the following is the proper way to keep slim according to the passage?
A．Eating more vegetables than rice and other food.
B．Eating more cheese or cranberry sauce.
C．Never eat food with a lot of calories.
D．Sitting less and walking more after meals.
5.The passage mainly talks about __________.
A．some advice on holiday eating B．how to keep slim
C．the problems of fat people D．what to do in holidays
Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything is good. But the problem is that Jean’s family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous(匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good looking young man with big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean’s father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David’s door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
1.Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _________.
A．rich B．young C．lonely D．talkative
2.The reason why they even forgot their time is that they _________.
A．talked in delight on QQ
B．hated study
C．fell in love with each other
D．had similar hobbies
3.Why did Jean leave her home for San Francisco?
A．To amaze David.
B．To be on a business trip.
C．To be invited to Jim's birthday party.
D．To send some gifts to Jim.
4.The following states are true about Jean EXCEPT that _________ according to the passage.
A．she is a university student
B．she was born in a wealthy family
C．she made a friend named Jim younger than her
D．she uses her family name on her QQ
5.We could believe that Jean was _________ when seeing Jim himself instead of David at his door.
A．delighted B．disappointed C．regretful D．confused
--- The drought situation has been severe these days．
--- If it had rained even a drop, things would be much better now and many crops ____．
A．wouldn't die B．would die
C．wouldn't have died D．would have died
--- You’d better not buy a house these days.
--- ___________. I think it’s a good time.
A．What’s the matter? B．Probably you are right.
C．Sounds reasonable! D．What about you?
