Helen Keller once wrote, “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The UN has set December 5 as Internatuional Volunteers Day to give recognition to these people.

    Nineteen-year-old Andrew Makhoul was a communications major at the University of Pennsylvania. It was coming up to spring break, but unlike his classmates, Makhoul wasn't planning on spending the break relaxing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    He traveled to Guatemala. He went to an orphanage（孤儿院）in one of the most violent and poor parts of Guatemala city.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Although he didn't speak much Spanish, he found communication wasn't a problem: “You communicated with love.” And what he gave out, he got back: “You could see love when you looked in their eyes.”

    Makhoul's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back in the future.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The UN highlighted the case of Palestinian women who are survivors of breast cancer. As part of the UN's Aid and Hope Programme for Patient Care, the women have been volunteering their time to create low-cost breast prosthetics（假体）to be distributed to women for free, among whom Shahd El-Swerki is a brilliant example.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} By the end of her time there, she admired these women who are “not only survivors but also volunteers”.

    About 2,400 years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “The essence（本质）of life is to serve others and do good.” Volunteers all around the world are making these words come true, each and every day.

A. It depends upon volunteers to stay open.

B. She worked with the women as part of the programme.

C. Here, we tell two volunteering stories from around the globe.

D. Sometimes, volunteers themselves live with huge challengers.

E. He decided to spend his time doing something useful for people.

F. Volunteers want to do their best to make the world warmer and more beautiful.

G. These words certainly prove true for the millions of volunteers all over the world.

Urbanization

    Until relatively recently, the vast majority of human being lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的) villages.

    It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history—a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.

    Britain was only the beginning.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The process of urbanization—the migration (迁徙) of people from the countryside to the city—was the result of modernization, which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.

    In 1900, fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas. Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized. Even in advanced agricultural societies, it took about ninety-five people on farms to feed five people in cities. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Until modern times, those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite ( 精英) and the servants, laborers and professionals who served them. Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus（过剩）food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.

    Over the past two centuries, the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Today, instead of needing ninety-five farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non-farmers.

A.That kept cities very small.

B.The rest live in small towns.

C.The effects of urban living on people should be considered

D.Soon many other industrial nations became urban societies.

E.But even 200 years ago, only a few people could live in cities.

F.Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.

G.Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.

Gardening 380 Kilometers above Earth

    Astronauts have to go through physical, psychological, and technical training. They also go through training in how to care for plants. These “astronaut gardeners” share their work and living space with plants.

    Taking seeds and plants along on a trip isn't a new idea. As space trips become longer, it will be necessary to grow food in space. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Because of this, it's not practical to send everything needed for a long journey, only to be used once and thrown away.

    Plants can serve many uses on a space journey. They can provide more fresh things. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Also, plants can help to make air quality better because they produce oxygen. They can improve the quality of the air inside the spacecraft—the only air the astronauts can breathe.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Due to the lack of gravity in space, the oxygen that the plants produce stays around the plants. This can actually kill them, so fans are needed to circulate the air. Without gravity, roots don't “know” to grow down, leaves don't “know” to grow up, and water doesn't easily travel up the roots to the leaves. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, soil is too heavy to send to space, and special liquid gels (胶) are used to help plant growth.

    Scientists are also working on the plants themselves. They are trying to make plants grow more rapidly and grow with less water and light in space, and they are looking for ways to make plants more resistant to disease. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Imagine that deserts may one day provide lots of fresh food for local people, saving transportation costs. Similarly, plants that are resistant to disease could provide an important food supply. With the world's population now at seven billion (十亿) people, our astronaut gardeners may help discover ways to feed those billions.

A. Every plant grown in space must have several uses.

B. However, there are challenges with growing plants in space.

C. Such methods may result in improvements back here on Earth.

D. The cost of taking anything into space is about $22,000 per kilogram.

E. Specialized containers are being developed to help the plants grow correctly.

F. Astronauts will welcome the addition of fruits and vegetables to their diet of dry foods.

G. Currently all oxygen is taken aboard in tanks and then caught again so it can be reused.

How to Be Healthy and Happy

    We all want to be healthy, happy, free of stress and more productive in life.

    ⑴Get enough sleep. It not only keeps you healthy but also you will be happier. It is said that "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⑵Drink plenty of water. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The benefits of water are amazing. Water helps keep your skin clear, leaving you feeling happier and better about your body. Water is just simply an amazing source in itself for your overall health. Try to drink 8 glasses a day.

    ⑶Smile and laugh. Don't get sad over small problems or take any joke seriously which hurt you. Instead, if you feel so hurt, you prefer to stay away from that friend. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Respect your friend from a good perspective. Smile and laugh all the time and you will be happy.

    ⑷{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Help your mom do the dishes, help out your dad in the kitchen, clean your room, or do anything that could help your family. It will not only make them love you more, but you will feel happy knowing you have done good even if you moved out twenty years ago and are a father yourself.

    ⑸Have goals. Always believe you can achieve. If you can dream it, you can achieve it, no matter what. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Organization plays a very important role in achieving goals, so organize yourself.

A. Help out your family.

B. Don't get in touch with him/her.

C. So make sure you go to sleep earlier.

D. Of course keep goals and dreams realistic.

E. Water is good for everything in your body.

F. The majority of our body is made up of water.

G. However, don't show him that you don't like him.

    Everybody hates the idea of cutting back financially(财政上) because it usually means living without things you like. But not always.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.They could reduce your costs by thousands of dollars a year.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    An increasing number of grocery chains are selling their own lines of food. Actually, these brands cost vastly less than the name brands, but taste the same. Switch and you could save 25 percent on your grocery bills.

    Make a list.

    Whether you're buying groceries or gifts, spur－of the－moment impulses(一时冲动)are your enemy.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. If you want to buy something on impulse, force yourself to go home and think about it.

    Carry snacks.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The same holds true for anything you eat out. So if you know you're going to be out for several hours and likely to get hungry, throw an apple in your car or carry a six-pack of soda or water in your bag.

    Use it up.

    Before you run to the store, make sure you check your fridge. There's a good chance that you've got lots of unused or partially used items that will go to waste while you waste your cash buying more.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Make a savings plan

B. Switch to store brands

C. There are many painless ways to save

D. Choose reliable brands of well-known companies

E. Write a to-do list before you go shopping and stick to it

F. Whether it's food or beauty care, use it up before you replace it

G. Buy a soda at a restaurant and you're likely to pay twice as much

Master Your Deadlines

The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to last-minute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to meet deadlines can easily get you fired. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few best practices.

▪Assign deadlines to what matters.

If the task isn't of high importance, don't set a specific deadline. In this way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will provide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done.

▪ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you're working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential follow-ups and the need for approvals.

▪ Keep communicating.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This means letting others know when something is taking longer than expected, when a delivery didn't come in, when a client is not providing the necessary information, etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule, being honest is much better for relieving your stress.

A. Plan for flexible hours.

B. Finish your project as early as possible.

C. But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately.

D. In this way, you'll never have to stay up late and feel stressed.

E. But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity.

F. Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate.

G. So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time.