“Don't you have any toys you want to share?” I asked my son during our church's Christmas toy drive. “What about all those things in your closet you haven't used in years?”

    "I don't have anything,” he said. “We're so poor.”

    We're only “poor” because we refuse to buy him the phone he wants for Christmas, which would also require a monthly texting charge.

    “You're not so poor you have nothing to give,” I found myself saying to him, a phrase my mother often used on me.

    At work the next day, one of my students said, “I didn't spell your name right,” as she handed me a Christmas gift—a box of chocolates. No wonder she hadn't spelled it right—I had only worked at the center for a couple of months, and my name is not easy to pronounce, even in English, which is this woman's second language.

    I hadn't expected a gift—I worked at an adult education center, where we dealt with people who struggle economically. When I was hired, my boss told me she tries to keep snacks around the center and cooks “stone soup” once a week, where whoever can bring something in does, because “You will hear growling bellies here. They give their food to the children before they themselves eat.”

    And yet these people, so grateful for a second chance at getting an education, unable to sometimes even afford the gas money to come in, manage to do something for us nearly every week. Some bring in food; others do chores around the center. They help and encourage one another, and us. They give what they are able to give.

Africa's Most Amazing Places to Visit

    Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

    The most famous of the structures at Giza, near Cairo, the Pyramid of King Khufu was built around 2650 BC from 2.5 million blocks of stone. Its sides face north, south, east and west.

    Sahara Dunes, Morocco

    The most user-friendly part of the Sahara is accessible from the northern edge of Morocco. You can camp out in Tazzarine, where runners from all over the world complete the weeklong Marathon every spring. The foot of the Merzouga Dunes is the best location for gazing at stars, totally free of light pollution.

    Lake Retba (Lac Rose), Senegal

    There are few pink lakes in the world and one of them, Lake Retba, also called Lac Rose by locals is in the Cap-Vert peninsula in Senegal. The best times to see the lake at its pinkest is during Senegal's dry season, between November and June.

    Nyika Plateau National Park, Malawi

    With a plateau cut by numerous rivers that reach Lake Malawi by way of waterfalls off the eastern edge of the mountains, Nyika, the largest national park in Malawi, is one of the most beautiful in Africa. The eastern border of the plateau forms the wall of the Great Rift Valley. The great domes of hills have gentle slopes, making Nyika perfect for both hiking and mountain biking as well as Jeep exploration.

Kajal moved to the United States in February 2017. Having previously volunteered for two years as an assistant yoga teacher in her home country, Kajal was enthusiastic about volunteering and began looking for volunteer opportunities that match her interests on VolunteerMatch. "I enjoy volunteering and it's a way to make an impact in my new community," says Kajal.

Kajal was drawn to a volunteer opportunity with the Meridian International Center to review applications on behalf of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). Kajal had previous experience, and the position also afforded her the opportunity to work remotely. After connecting with the opportunity on VolunteerMatch and successfully completing the application process, Kajal got to work. Her role involved reviewing applications from potential candidates for a four-week fellowship in the U.S. She was responsible for describing the business ideas presented by these candidates, assessing the social impact of their businesses, and determining the strength of candidates to carry out their plans.

With almost 4,000 applicants in 2017, Meridian International Center considers volunteers like Kajal to be integral (必要的) members of the team. With help from volunteers, 250 candidates have now been selected to take part in the program and will travel to the U.S. this fall.

Kajal says that this volunteer opportunity super-charged her existing skills, while helping her build new ones such as time management, business analysis, decision-making, planning, and presenting.

She is now looking for her next volunteer opportunity and reflects positively on her experience with Meridian International Center, "A new country brings in a lot of new experiences and volunteering helped me to settle into a new environment," adds Kajal. "By helping others, I felt needed in society. Not only did it improve my self-esteem (自尊), other people benefited too. Volunteering is a great opportunity to improve yourself, others, and the whole society".

In a study of 33 years of trends in Body Mass Index (体重指数) across 200 countries, the scientists found that people worldwide are getting heavier {#blank#}1{#/blank#}that most of the rise is due to gains in BMI in rural areas. 

BMI is an internationally recognized measurement tool {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

gives an indication of whether someone is a healthy weight. It is calculated by dividing a {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (person) weight in kg by their height in metres squared, and a BMI of between 19 and 25{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (consider) healthy. 

The study found that between 1985 and 2017, average rural BMI increased {#blank#}5{#/blank#}2.1 in women and men. In cities, however, the gain {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be)1.3 in women and 1.6 in men. The researchers described "striking changes" in the geography of BMI. In 1985, urban men and women in more than three quarters of the countries{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (study) had higher BMIs than men and women in rural areas. But 30 years later, the BMI difference between urban and rural people in many countries had narrowed {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (sharp). 

This may be due to some disadvantages for people {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (live) in the countryside, including {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (low) levels of income and education, higher costs of healthy foods, and fewer sports facilities. 

How Did Poetry Begin?

Poems can make you feel emotions, like anger or sadness, depending on the words and how they are put together. That is the 1 of poetry. 

Poetry 2 even before humans knew how to read and write, dating back to around 3000 BCE. Some of the earliest poetry was 

3 or sung, and was used as a way to record and pass down historical and religious stories and cultural traditions from one generation to the next. Since writing was not practised then, certain sounds and rhymes were used to make these stories 4 and therefore, memorable. 

There are 5 three types of ancient poetry. The first was an epic(史诗) or long narrative(叙事的) poetry usually about a 6

event. The second type was lyric(抒情的) poetry or poetry that 7

personal feelings. Finally there was drama or stories written in verse and usually 8 like Greek tragedies and Shakespeare's plays. 

The invention of the printing press(印刷机) in the 15th century brought poetry to the common people. This was followed by several major literary periods, during which poetry 9 dramatic changes. They started with Europe's Renaissance period from the 14th to the 16th century, which first helped poetry and poets like Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh become popular. 

The Romantic period saw 10 poems that expressed a poet's joys, hopes, and sorrows in a conversational tone. Then came the Victorian era, which saw the 11 of structured poems and the birth of modern "12 verse" poetry. American poet Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is 13 to be the first example of free verse poetry. 

Modern poetry is a 14 of all of these styles. We still see rhymes in children's poems and in the popular African-American styles of hip hop and rap music, which are a 15 of rhymed poetry put to a musical beat. 

It is amazing how many of the things in science fiction and movies have become reality.For instance,in the movie Star Trek,the workers could go to a replicator(复制器) and order food,drinks or anything they could program into the computer.Before long,the item would appear.This is possible today,in a way,with technology we have had for years.

Several manufacturers(制造商) have created 3D printers.One company,MakerBot,has created a printer that the average person can afford.It is called The Replicator.You can download a lot of design software from the Internet for use with The Replicator.In the near future,rather than going to a store to buy what you need,you may be able to download what you want from the Internet and print it out at home.

The process was first used with music.At the very beginning,music was recorded onto plastic disks with etching(蚀刻法).Music can now be copied without a physical product.____ Rather than having to buy a physical book or magazine,you can now download them from the Internet in digital form.

This technology is already used in engineering and architecture.Melissa Shoes,a Brazilian foot wear company,is using this technology to create shoes.Rather than having to go through the current process of product design and development,the company is able to design and print shoes for display to see how well they will sell before having lots of them made.