My doorbell rings at 11 am. On the step, I find an elderly Chinese lady holding the hand of a little boy. In her other hand {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) a paper bag. She is the little boy's grandmother, and her daughter, Nicole, bought {#blank#}2{#/blank#} house next door last October. Nicole has {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (obvious) told her mother that I am having a heart operation shortly, and the result is that her mother has decided {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (supply) me with meals.

    I know what is inside the paper bag — a bottle of hot soup and a {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (contain) with a meal of rice, vegetables and meat. It's become a daily occurrence.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#} us is somewhat difficult because she doesn't speak English and all I can say in Chinese is hello. Once, she brought an iPad as well as the food. She pointed to the screen, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} showed at message from her daughter telling me that her mother wanted to know {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the food was all right for me.

    So here we are, two grandmothers, neither of {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (we) able to speak the other's language but communicating one way or another (with some help from technology). The doorbell keeps {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (ring) and there is the familiar brown paper bag, handed smilingly to me.

    I have finally been able to become an active volunteer(n.志愿者) with the Free Meal Program in the city {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I live. I will volunteer(v.做自愿者) at weekends and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (hopeful), I will help feed less fortunate people at the Rescue Center every week. At the thought of this, I can't feel {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (happy)!

    I have applied at several other places {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (volunteer), like SPCA and my local hospital. There is a great sense of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (accomplish) and pure joy in giving back to the community, helping others and in showing kindness. This is one of the things I live {#blank#}6{#/blank#}! I want to do what I can for society and help make a difference. I wish that many {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (inspire) to devote a bit of their time to local organizations in the future. There's always {#blank#}8{#/blank#} strong need for people to come together and help out fellow humans and animals too! When {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (do) voluntary work, we do our part in helping others. Meanwhile, volunteering {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (promote) our social awareness. We all believe volunteering is rewarding and look forward to more of it.

    Anyone who has had a long-term disease knows that recovering at home can be lonely. This can be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(especial) true of children. They may feel {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (leave) out. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help fed less alone. A small robot may help children who are recovering from long-term illnesses. The robot like human beings takes their place at school. And their school friends must help carry the robot between classes and place the robot on their desks.

    Through the robot, a child can hear his or her teachers and friends. He or she can also attend classes from wherever they are recovering—whether at home{#blank#}3{#/blank#}from a hospital bed. Dolva, one of the scientists who {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(be) concentrating on developing the robot, explains{#blank#}5{#/blank#}the robot AVI works. She says from home, the child uses a tablet or phone to start the robot,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (use) the same device, he or she can control the robot's movements. Inside the robots there is a small computer linked{#blank#}7{#/blank#}a 4G network. The robot is {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(equip) with speakers, microphones and cameras,{#blank#}9{#/blank#}makes communicating{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(easy). So it's the eyes and the cars and the voices at school. Hopefully AVI will help some children feel less lonely while they are absent from class.

    Buying books on the Internet is a great way {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (save) time and money. Online bookstores offer not only new books but also used books. What's more, they are far better {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (compare) to traditional bookstores as they offer much broader kinds of books. Another advantage of shopping online is that you can also read the book reviews as well as readers' reviews to get an idea {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the book is worth buying. Online bookstores often offer great discounts to{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (attraction) book lovers with a tight budget.

    For book lovers, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is important to get books in time, in which case they need to find a {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (rely) online bookstore that is able to provide fast deliveries.

    Here are some {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (advise) for reference when you are selecting an online bookstore. Some online bookstores are popular {#blank#}8{#/blank#} fiction books; some are for non-fiction books or novels, etc. Understanding their specialization will help you to get the right kinds of books in time. Never choose stores that offer {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (believe) cheap prices, as books that {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (sell) at such low prices could be in very bad condition.

    A few years ago, famous writer and editor Tom became very ill. His body ached and he felt constantly tired. It was difficult for him to even move around. His doctor told him that he would lose the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(able) to move and eventually die from the disease. He {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(tell) he had only a 1 in 500 chance of survival.

    Despite the diagnosis(诊断), Tom was determined to overcome {#blank#}3{#/blank#} disease and survive. He was always getting help from medicine books and some doctors {#blank#}4{#/blank#} gave the ideas of curing his disease. The ideas made Tom {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(think) about the possible benefit of several positive {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(emotion).

    He decided {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(concentrate) on positive emotions as a way to treat some of the symptoms of his disease. "Laugh therapy" became part of his treatment. He arranged time each day {#blank#}8{#/blank#} watching comedy films, reading humorous books, and{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(do) other activities that would draw out positive emotions. Within eight days of starting his ''laugh therapy" program, his pain began to decrease and he was able to sleep more {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(easy). He was able to return to work in a few months' time and actually reached complete recovery after a few years.