Last summer holiday, I took part in a teaching project and volunteered{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(teach) in a countryside primary school for two weeks.

    When we arrived at the school, though shocked by the poor living conditions, we quickly adapted {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to the life there. My good friend Tom and I were in charge of the third year students, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(consist) of just 18 boys and girls. We not only taught them English and maths, but also organized some after-school {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(activity) for them. Gradually, I found that many of the students were actually quite 6{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(talent). But some had to leave school early, which is{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(large) because their families were under heavy financial pressure, and they had to find a job to support the family.

    As well as giving lessons, we also helped set up a reading room in the school {#blank#}7{#/blank#} students hardly had any access{#blank#}8{#/blank#} good reading materials except textbooks. With the help of school staff and students, we cleaned out an abandoned classroom. When we placed the books students and teachers in my high school {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(donate) onto the shelves, I found the students were more than excited and {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(dive) into reading there.

    Two weeks quickly passed and we had to leave. I did not know how much we had actually taught them, but for me I learned a great deal—cherish what I possess and study harder.

    Senior citizens are the first to come to our mind when you think of hearing loss, but in a recent report, hearing professionals worry teenagers will soon outnumber aging adults {#blank#}1{#/blank#} it comes to living with hearing loss.

    The rise in popularity of personal audio devices from iPods to smart phones has had dangerous effect on the ears of those who use them most, teenagers! A research {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (conduct) by the World Health Organization finds that nearly 50% of teens {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (fall) into the habit of exposing themselves to unsafe levels of sound so far.

    A sound is considered unsafe when it goes beyond 85 decibels (分贝). At that level, it takes just 8 hours of listening over your lifetime to cause damage. The louder the sound is, the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (little) time it takes to cause damage. Because hearing loss is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (typical) considered a health problem for the elderly, it is difficult to convince already stubborn teenagers that they really are doing damage {#blank#}6{#/blank#} their ears.

    Young adults {#blank#}7{#/blank#} have been exposed to loud noise over a period of time may have some hearing loss symptoms. Their {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (able) to learn is compromised, and they may have difficulty developing social skills.

    In an effort to help teens better protect their hearing, we suggest {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (set) volume limits on personal audio devices. {#blank#}10{#/blank#} is also good to limit the amount of time exposed to noise and to take listening breaks to give the ears a rest.