Volunteering is fun and rewarding(有益的), but if you want to be a good volunteer, you need to learn more.

    Be well-trained. Know what you're doing as a volunteer. If you need to learn about your job. If you're good at your job, it will be easier to help others.

    Work as part of a team and make sure everyone works together and shares the work. If someone asked for help, just give a hand. If you need some help, ask politely for it.

    Be understanding.

    Be friendly. To be a volunteer, you might meet new people who want to make friends with. You might just meet someone who becomes a friend for the rest of your life.

    It is a great thing to help others. First, you can learn new things. Second, it can also make you feel good.

    How can you do it? Helping through charities (慈善团体) is a good idea. Charities are organizations (组织) that help others. September 5 is the International Day of Charity.

    You can help charities by giving your time, giving money or giving things that you own.

    Volunteering

    Volunteering is to give time to help others without pay. Some ways of volunteering are:

☆visiting old people to talk to them or help them

    ☆walking dogs at an animal shelter (收容所)

    ☆cleaning up a park

    ☆helping some children. You can teach the children without life skills how to take care of themselves.

● Fundraising

    Fundraising is to collect or produce money to a charity to help others. Some ways of fundraising are:

    ☆making cakes or biscuits to sell

    ☆ doing sponsored (有赞助的) activities. For example, families and friends give you money if you finish a long walk.

    Donating

    Donating is to give your things to a charity to help others. Some ways of donating are:

    ☆giving your old toys or clothes to a charity that helps sick children or poor people

    ☆giving your old books to a library.

    So, what can you do to help others?

The Inside of the World

    When I was a very little boy, I was always asking questions.

    One day when I was walking with my nurse along the city street, I asked, "Jane, what's under the street?" "Oh, just dirt (尘土) ," she replied. "And what is under the dirt?" "Oh, more dirt," she replied.

   . So I asked again, "Well, what's under that?" "Oh, nothing-I don't know-why are you always asking so many questions?" she asked

    I knew there must be something under that. . I also heard that Chinese lived on the other side of the world, head down. I wanted to find out if that was true.

    , down, down, down, till I came through on the other side, and then I would know. I was a very little boy, you see. With a small shovel (铁锹) , I started a hole in the back yard behind the grapevines (葡萄藤). No one knew what I was doing. .

    Then one evening my father asked, "What's that hole in the back yard?" .

He didn't laugh when I told him, but he asked me if I knew how far I would have to dig.

    I hadn't dug through the world, but I did know how far it was.

    It's normal for you to feel shy and nervous when you are in the new environment. It's natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. If you think you are too shy and want to be a little more active, try the following advice.

    There is no need to hide it. When people get to know you are a shy person, they may understand you better. It will also help you feel easier in talks.

    When you smile, people will think you're friendly and want to talk with you. Remember that all people have feelings and most people will stay away from an angry-looking face.

You shouldn't keep quiet at a party all the time. If you find it hard to start a talk, you can say something nice about people around you. It must be very helpful for you to start a talk! And after you begin to talk to someone or smile at someone for the first time, remember to say "I did it!" to yourself.

    Think about more ways to enjoy the party and have fun. Don't waste time worrying about your look or whether all people like you or not.

    If you keep trying the advice, you may not be shy in the new environment one day.

    Dinosaurs(恐龙)once lived on the earth for a long time. They suddenly disappeared millions of years ago. What happened to them? That's still a mystery. People never stop searching for the answer.

    Some US scientists say it is because there were not enough male(雄性的)dinosaurs. They got this idea after researching crocodiles(鳄鱼).

    Mother crocodiles lay eggs and later baby crocodiles come out. The local temperature decides the sex(性别)of the baby crocodile. When the eggs are at a temperature of 26℃ to 30℃,the babies are all girls; when the temperature is 30℃ to 34℃,there are both boys and girls; when it is 34℃ to 36℃, only boys are born.

    Dinosaurs' babies also came from eggs. So scientists have given us a new picture: millions of years ago, it suddenly became very cold. Almost all dinosaur babies were girls. There were fewer and fewer male dinosaurs. Mother dinosaurs could not give birth to more babies. Finally, these powerful animals disappeared.

    Leonardo da Vinci (莱奥纳多·达多奇) was a famous artist who was born in Italy. He was also a great inventor. Many of his inventions have become important in modern life. Although Leonardo hated war, he invented many different machines used for war. His most special invention was the machine gun, which was produced and used in war. Besides, Leonardo spent days thinking about how to save time. He developed ideas for something like cutting machines.

    Leonard was a strange man. He never ate meat. That was very unusual in those times ( 时代). He never published (发表) scientific discoveries. He usually used mirror writing, which looks like usual writing in a mirror, starting from the right side of the page and moving to the left side.

    Only a few of his paintings are left today. Many paintings were not finished because he thought they were not perfect.

    Leonardo was talented and creative. He was regarded as one of the most intelligent men in the world.

The seed vault(种子地窖)

    A lot of countries need different kinds of seeds so that they can plant them again. There is an important reason for this, Sometimes plants can't grow in a country because of bad weather or disease, so farmers need new seeds.

    You can keep seeds in a" seed vault". It's a place at a special temperature. The seeds don't grow, but they can live for a long time. Norway has the biggest seed vault in the world ﹣the Svalbard Global Seed Vault﹣and it has seeds from a lot of different countries.

    The vault is on the island of Spitsbergen. The island is about one thousand kilometers from the North Pole. It's a very cold place so it's good for seeds. Above the ground, the doorway is small, but inside, the building is huge. You walk down a long corridor (走廊), which is one hundred and thirty meters inside a mountain. At the end of it, there are three large areas with seeds.

    There are about half a million kinds of seeds inside the vault. For example, there are kinds of seeds for rice from Asia and Africa, 32 kinds of seeds for potatoes from Ireland and seeds for different tomatoes from the USA.

    The seed vault has space for a lot more seeds. You can put about 2.2 billion(十亿)seeds inside. The seeds can live here for thousands of years because of the cold temperature of ﹣18℃. So in the future, humans can grow any seed they want. In other words, the seed vault is the difference between life and death.

    China and Westen countries may have different ideas about certain animals, but when it comes to pigs, we have somehow reached an agreement﹣that pigs are ugly, lazy, stupid and shameless.

    But the truth is that pigs do have some finer qualities(品质). Science long ago proved that pigs aren′t stupid at all. A research shows pigs are" mentally and socially similar to dogs". They like to play. They have good long﹣term memories. And they know the difference between those who treat them well and those who don't.

    There are lovable pig characters in cartoons too. Peppa Pig(小猪佩奇), for example, a UK television series (连续剧)that began in 2004, has now become one of the most popular cartoons in 180 countries and regions. The four members in the cartoons pig family teach children from all around the world about love, friendship, and the value of family, And in China, McDull, a young pig who works hard toward his dreams even though he keeps failing, have been a popular cartoon character since 2001.

    Perhaps these are the qualities of pigs to keep in mind﹣intelligence, cuteness and patience.

    The Grand Canyon(科罗拉多大峡谷) is a large river canyon in Arizona. It is over220 miles long and over a mile deep in some places. Its widest point is 18 miles wide. The canyon is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

    Over millions of years, the Colorado River wore away rocks as it passed through the area. Slowly, the river made the path deeper and deeper. Now, the canyon is surrounded by steep walls on either side, while the river continues to flow at the bottom of the canyon.

    Besides its large size, the Grand Canyon is also known for its magnificent colors. The canyon is made of layers of rock(岩层), and each layer of rock has a different depth and color. Geologists have identified almost 40 different layers of rock exposed by the rivers erosion.

    The climate in canyon area is primarily desert, with both high and low temperatures. The upper rims of the canyon often receive snowfall. The air quality is usually very high, although dust storms and smoke from fires can change the air.

    The Grand Canyon is home to a variety of plants and animals. Plants range from various species of cactuto pine forests. Many types of animals live in the area, including the bald eagle, bobcats, bats and gila monsters. Six different kinds of rattlesnakes have been found in the area.

    Today, the canyon is part of the Grand Canyon National Park. About five million tourists visit the park each year.

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    [1] In today's world, the most successful companies are the ones who understand how important it is to make contacts（联系）around the world. However, doing business in different countries isn't simple. It is important to know the local customs and traditions of the people you are dealing with, which is the best way to impress(使…印象深刻)your hosts.

    [2] One example that comes to mind is of a German company that has recently tried to gain (获得)a new contract in South Korea. The German visitors arrived at the Korean company's office early in the morning and spent the whole day in long meetings. By the evening, the Germans were so tired that they politely turned down the Korean's invitation to go out for dinner and drinks, since they wanted to return to their hotel and get some rest. The Germans did not understand that in South Korea business talks often continue into the evening. The Germans only came to realize that they offended(冒犯)their hosts after they had lost the contract.

    [3] In Europe or the USA, business is seldom discussed into the evening. However, it is important to be on time for a meeting. If you are ①__________, your hosts may think you do not care. In fact, it is better to arrive at least ten minutes before the meeting starts. This way, you can show how keen(强烈的) you are to do business with them. You will also have time to talk with your hosts before you sit down to discuss business.

    [4] However, in many countries meetings may not start on time. There are many ②_____________for this, such as transport difficulties, unusual weather and the breakdown of cars.

    Sometimes the time of day is also important. In South America and many countries in southern Europe, people have a short sleep after lunch. Therefore, if you try to arrange(安排) a meeting for the early afternoon, you may find that not many people will③__________, or that your hosts will be unhappy.