Steve visits the nursing home near his house two afternoons each week. On one of those days, he reads to his friend Martin. On the other afternoon, he plays cards and talks with Mrs. Johnson. Steve enjoys spending his extra time this way. He is a volunteer. A volunteer is a person who helps another person or has a job for which he or she does not get paid. A volunteer donates his or her time for free.

    Everyone else in Steve's family is also a volunteer. Steve's mother Mary volunteers one afternoon each week at the local hospital. She talks to patients, delivers flowers, and helps the nurses with odd jobs. Steve's sister Gina volunteers two afternoons at the museum. She welcomes visitors and answers their questions. Steve's father David also is a volunteer. He is a volunteer fire fighter for the town in which they live.

    Steve's family thinks volunteering is very important. Steve's parents think being a volunteer helps to teach values. Steve and his sister learn how to be kind and respect other people.

    Steve's family does volunteer work to give something back to the community. They want to help people who are not as fortunate as they are.

    A family of volunteers

    John: I'm 15 years old and I love football. I also like reading, especially(尤其是) stories about people from other countries. I don't enjoy singing or playing computers. I think that rock music is terrible.

    Ann: Hi, I'm Ann. I'm 16 and I like dancing and computers. I also like rock music. I hate hiking and I'm not interested in classical music. I don't enjoy reading too much.

    Steve: I'm 14 years old and I love skiing. Other favorite hobbies are reading and singing. I don't like hiking. I think that rock music is too noisy and I think that football is boring.

    Peter: I'm from Australia. I'm 15 and I am fond of singing. I sing a lot, and when I'm not singing, I listen to rock music or use my computer. I don't like football and I think that classical music is terrible. I hate dancing!

    Sarah：My name is Sarah and I'm 14 years old. My interests are reading novels, playing football and singing songs. I think that rock music is terrible, and I don't like dancing. I don't enjoy computers, either.

    Joe：Hi, I'm Joe. I really like computers. I surf the Internet all the time and I like playing computer games. I don't enjoy football and I hate hiking. Rock music is OK, and so is skiing.

    Jack is a schoolboy. He likes sleeping(睡觉) very much. So he is often late for school. His mother often asks him to get up early in the morning. But Jack just says, "Wait a moment (等一会), Mom." And he sleeps for half an hour. ①他总是没有时间吃早饭. His mother worries about (担心) it.

    It's six o'clock in the morning. Jack doesn't get up. "Jack, it's time to get up," his mother says.

    "Wait a moment, Mom. I don't want to get up now. Let me sleep for a moment."

    Half an hour later, his mother says again, "Get up, Jack! It's time to have breakfast."

    "I don't want to have breakfast. l only want to sleep."

    "But your father gets up now." Jack gets up quickly, "Oh,no! I have English at eight o'clock. ②I don't want to be late for his class."

    When Abraham Lincoln was just a boy, he had to help his father to manage their farm. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Abraham wanted to go to school, but there was no school there, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Mrs. Lincoln loved the boy very much. She tried her best to make Abraham happy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It was a long way, so it took her a long time to get there. She bought something there and went back. It was dark in the evening when she got home.

    The next morning Mrs. Lincoln said to Abraham, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}."She put some food on the table, and then brought out a present. "A book!" Abraham cried. It was an old book, but he liked it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.He looked up at Mrs. Lincoln and said, "Thank you, Mom."

    Jack was seven years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} One day, their mother took them to their aunt's house to play when she wanted to go to the big city to buy some gifts. It was the holiday season.

    The children had a good time at their aunt's. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then, at half past four their aunt took Jack into the kitchen (厨房). She gave him a delicious cake and a knife and said to him, " {#blank#}3{#/blank#}and give one of the pieces（块）to your sister, but remember to do it like a gentleman(绅士)."

    "Like a gentleman?" Jack asked. " {#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

    "They always give the bigger piece to the other person." said his aunt at once.

    "Oh," said Jack. He thought about this for a few seconds(秒). Then he took the cake to his sister and said to her, " {#blank#}5{#/blank#}".

    Mind maps are a great way of showing a picture of information. They work very well in all kinds of learning. Here is an example to show us how to draw a mind map.

    To make the mind map even better, use color to show important ideas or parts of the map.