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.

    Are you suffering from FOMO—that is, Fear Of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are with worrying reasons for their sleep and schoolwork.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You aren't able to do your best unless you sleep well. Most experts agree that the optimum（最适宜）number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and know most of you get much less sleep than that.

    I read an interesting article in a teachers' magazine recently. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Worryingly, the results showed that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at appropriate times, but a growing number are waking up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack, but because of FOMO.

    According to the article, the number of students waking up during the night to check social media is growing. Afraid of missing a comment or opportunity to take part in a chat, teenagers are waking at all times of the night, going online and getting involved. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts are worried about this growing trend and the report reveals some worrying statistics: 23% of 12 to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One in third of the students are constantly tired and unable to function to their full capacity.

    So I'd like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Switch off your devices at night. The world won't end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But things are getting out of hand.

B. I give you my word that you won't have missed anything important.

C. Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason.

D. They did a study of 848 students in Wales.

E. FOMO is the fear that everyone else is having more fun and more excitement than you.

F. All happens when they should be sound asleep.

G. Everybody knows how important it is for students to get a good night's sleep every night.

How to listen in English exams

    Listening is an important but difficult part for middle school students in English exams. The following suggestions may benefit you a lot.

Relax yourself.

    Before listening, it's necessary to have a peaceful state of mind. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If that doesn't work, drinking some water or washing your face with cold water may help you to some extent.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    As soon as the listening starts, focus on it without thinking about anything else. While listening, you can also recall(回想）the related knowledge in common with the material concerned, such as the vocabulary about the subject or topic, which is beneficial to your better understanding.

    Grasp the main idea.

    Sometimes the monologue, dialogue or conversation you're listening to is a little bit longer than you expect. And it's normal that some unnecessary information is included. However, you don't need to understand it completely. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Ignore the new words.

    Without doubt, there usually exist unfamiliar words in listening materials. In fact, it's almost impossible for you to know or understand all the words in the listening material sometimes. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It's mistaken to waste much time on figuring them out while listening.

    Develop the habit of taking notes.

    In the course of listening, it's a good habit to write down the content and leave out the unimportant details. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By taking notes, we can remind ourselves of the key points.

A. Concentrate on listening.

B. The more words you memorize, the better it is.

C. Feeling nervous or worried is harmful and unnecessary.

D. What you need to do is turn a deaf ear to the new words.

E. Make a list of what you think is important while listening.

F. Instead, just pay attention to the key points and general ideas.

G. If you feel nervous or anxious, try taking a deep breath to calm yourself down.

    Tip 1： {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Many entrepreneurs agree that creating short-term and long-term goals is the key to success. Write down your goals for the next year or more. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But by writing them down， you will already be in a better position to achieve them.

    Tip 2：Find your passion quickly but cheaply.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Take part in a variety of activities to discover what you love， such as a free concert，a free class or just a cheap movie； meanwhile， try not to spend too much money in the process.

    Tip 3：Be a master at social media.

    Becoming an expert at social media may be the most important thing to better your entrepreneurial dreams. Using social media，you'll reach a global audience. By growing and managing your online presence， you will enlarge the influence of your brand. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Such additions to your daily life are lifestyle changes that will improve your chances of success. They may seem insignificant now， but when you're success, you'll appreciate the role they played. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Looking back，you'll be proud of your smart choices.

A. Create manageable goals.

B. Write down short-term goals.

C. And success is likely to follow.

D. Social media is essential to entrepreneurship.

E. It is important to learn what gets you excited.

F. It may take some time to tick off all the points on your list.

G. You'll be glad you took the time to win the game properly.

    If you need to interview someone for an article but you have never interviewed before, it can be frightening. Here are some tips for preparing for and conducting a successful interview.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If the person is a known author or speaker, take the time to read or listened to his/her work, or at least get familiar with his/her most recent or most important work. If the interview will cover events, review whatever is known publicly about those events.

    Prepare a recording device(录音设备). You can use your phone or an audio recorder. In this way you needn't struggle to write things down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And this will make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

    Remember to make it a conversation rather than a list of questions. Prepared questions are just a guideline. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can also try to ask your interviewee about his/her personal thoughts and reactions to events and people they deal with.

    Appropriate feedback(反馈) is also important. Feel free to say words that show you are listening, like "yeah" and "Mmmm". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also give more facial feedback like smiling.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another, lead them back to the area you are focusing on. Guide the interview but don't keep interrupting with many questions.

A. Politely ask if you can interview them.

B. Do your homework before you pick up the phone.

C. Then you can focus all your attention on the interview.

D. Consider how all the questions can be asked in a short time.

E. Nodding your head can be an encouragement to the interviewee.

F. In order to get the information you need, you should guide the interview.

G. You can try to ask questions based on what they have said to you in previous responses.

    Learning how to use new words well will make it easier to learn a language and make you more knowledgeable.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. If you are committed to building your vocabulary, set a goal for yourself. Try to learn three new words a day and use them in your speech and writing. With great efforts, you can learn several thousand new words that you will remember and use.

    Write more. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Actively exercising your writing muscles will keep your vocabulary strong. Write letters to old friends and use lots of specific details. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. If you typically avoid composing memos or writing group emails or participating in group discussions, change your habits and write more. You might as well get paid while you are building your vocabulary.

    Use flash cards or post-it notes around your house. If you're going to make a habit of learning new words, try some simple memorization techniques. Hang post-its with the definition of a particular word you hope to memorize above the coffee maker, so you can study it while making your morning cup. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Even if you're watching TV or doing other activities, keep some flash cards with you and study your new words.

    Use accurate adjectives and precise nouns. The best writers aim to keep it short and accurate. Get out the dictionaries and use the most accurate words possible in your sentences. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. A word is a useful addition to your vocabulary if it reduces the number of the words in a sentence.