Members of an international organization are called the Global Greeters. They offer travelers the chance to get to know a city as well as local people do.

    Unlike the professional guides(专业导游), the volunteer greeters act more like neighbours. They take visitors to visit the city–either on foot or public traffic—to discover favourite neighbourhoods, cafes and parks.

    All the programs work a little differently, but the basics(基本项目) are the same. The tours are free and last anywhere for two or four hours. Volunteers can be all ages, and their ages and interests try to match the travelers.

    New York City(USA)

    Big Apple Greeter is the pioneer “welcome visitor” program founded in 1992 by New Yorker Lynn Brooks. More than 300 volunteers now can welcome guests from all over the world in 22 languages. Greeters explain the New York City subway and bus systems and show guests around one or more of their favourite neighbourhoods. Like many greeter organizations, Big Apple accepts online donations to help with its daily costs.

    Houston(USA)

    Houston Greeters will organize activities such as golf, biking or an outing to an Astros game(太空人队的比赛). Another activity is to arrange a tour in need of a particular interest.

    Chicago(USA)

    Chicago Greeters help visitors visit one of the city's many famous neighbourhoods. The group organizes walks through Ukrainian Village on the Near North Side and Andersonville, home to Scandinavian restaurants and shops and Middle Eastern bakeries. Guides will also organize tours around themes such as fashion, film or public art.

    France

    In France, English speaking volunteers for Parisien d'un Jour lead visitors through hidden corners of Paris, often ending with a lively discussion on a café balcony. Guides in Lyon organize walks around themes such as shopping, markets and sports.

    We need animals. Every animal has its place in the balance(平衡) of nature. We should try to help save the animals.

    Some people think zoos are good places. The zoos give the animals the comfortable and safe living places. If the animals get hurt or ill, people will take care of them. The zoo is a good place to know the rules in the wild world. We can be much closer to nature. We can know more about the animals in the zoos by watching, listening even smelling instead of just looking at the pictures in books.

    Some people don't think animals feel happy in the zoos. Animals like pandas, wolves and bears usually live in the wild. They play and find food by themselves. They are free and happy in the wild. If they are in the zoos, food is enough and rooms are comfortable. They do not need to do their best to find food to eat or places to stay in. They just walk around, sleep day and night, but they are not free at all.

    I think we should build national parks as wild life nature reserves to protect animals. If we do nothing, animals will get fewer and fewer.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}between people of different countries. The super star Jay Chou has cooperated with the American NBA star Kobe Bryant to create a song named The Heaven and Earth Challenge.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It expresses the love for basketball.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Jay Chou has learned much from Kobe's sports spirit. In the song,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} People can download the ring tone(铃声) of the song from the Internet.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} which aims to improve educational environment in poor areas in China

A. And it encourages young people to be more confident.

B. Music touches our hearts and shortens(缩短) the distance

C. Jay Chou does most of the singing part while Kobe plays a part of a rapper(说唱者).

D. All the money from the downloads will go to Project Hope.

E. That's a song written by Jay Chou whose favorite sport is basketball.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    More and more British people are deciding not to eat meat and animal products. As a result, vegetarianism(素食主义) is increasing in the UK. According to the Vegetarian Society, 2000 people are giving up meat and “going veggie(素食)” in Britain every week. There's even a National Vegetarian Week organized every year to encourage people to try a meat-free lifestyle.

Vegetarians and vegans

    Vegetarians are people who don't eat or use any animal products. They are becoming more and more common in the UK culture. A recent survey showed that 3 million people (5.7 percent of the country's population) were vegetarians.

A healthy diet

    So why are British people cutting out meat? Many are unhappy about the poor treatment of animals and the effects of meat and fish production on the environment. Worries about food safety, for example mad cow disease, also play a part. Others choose to change their eating habits to get healthier. According to the Vegetarian Society, a meat-free diet could help prevent the certain cancers, as well as heart disease and high blood pressure(压力).

Organic(有机的) farming

    Another rising trend appears in the UK's food production. They want their food to be organically produced. Organic farmers use very few or no chemicals. Organic meat is produced without the use of drugs. Organically farmed animals also have more living space and more good food. According to the Soil Association, three out of every four UK families now buy some type of organic food.

    Andy was still traveling in Spain when he realized he had to confirm (确认) his     home with the airline company. He was visiting Spain in order to improve his Spanish. When he was speaking to people face to face, he had no difficulty understanding what they said. However, when he was speaking on the phone, he still had a problem. Andy called the airline. And the clerk confirmed that his plane was leaving at nine o'clock three days from that day. She also told Andy to be at the airport a little earlier in order to check in his luggage and get a seat.

    Since he was leaving in three days, Andy didn't lose any time. He visited as many places as he could. He thought that it would probably be a while before he had enough money again. He wished he could come back and spend a year in Spain.

    Too quickly, the final day arrived. Andy left early for the airport before take-off. He hated to rush. When he went to the clerk to show his ticket, the clerk looked at the ticket in surprise, "Why, sir, but your flight was at nine o'clock in the morning, and now it is eight in the evening." "But I confirmed my flight," insisted Andy. "Will I have to pay for another ticket?"

    "No, Sir. However, the next flight out will be three days from now."

    Andy's      of shock turned to smile as he realized that now he could go on with his vacation.

    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?