The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services.” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像) about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”
【小题1】According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.

根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

What is your favourite colour? Do you like yellow, orange, red?   1  . Do you prefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist(悲观主义者). At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colour preference, as well as the effect that colours have on human beings.  2   . If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

   3   . A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.   4  . A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area---until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

  5  . It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favourite colour as grow up --- we are born with our preference.

C．The rooms are painted in different colours as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist(乐观主义者), a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colours make people not only happier but more active.

F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colours.

G. Colours do influence our moods---there is no doubt about it

The young boy and his father sat quietly watching the snow fall on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

“Dad, my friend told me that every snowflake is      . But they look all the same to me. How can we tell?” the child asked.

Dad felt it was his     to give a more satisfying answer. “Son, snowflakes are like people. We are each      in a very special way. We can test it right now,” he said.

The child stood up, put out his hands, and     as snowflakes landed on his gloves. “These snowflakes are all different on my gloves, but those in the yard look the same. Together they are even more_    and striking. Then if people are like snowflakes, why don't they       well?”

“Choice,”Dad said. "Their choices     them what they are.”

“     choice is a bad thing?” the boy asked.

“Oh, no. Only when we choose the     things.”

“How do we tell right from wrong?" the child asked.

Dad was given the chance to build upon the foundation of his son's     . He reached down and began to     with the snow. He     the snow into two sides, three large snowballs on one side and several smaller ones on the other.

“Which side did the right thing?” he asked the boy.

The child looked at both sides but      answer. Then Dad placed the three larger snowballs on top of each other.

“It’ s a snowman! The side     made me snowman!” the boy replied with    

Yes, all these people came together and recognized how special each of them was, so they joined in a(n)      to build up mankind,” Dad said.                    

The child then stood up and     an arm full of the smaller snowballs. One by one he began to throw them at the other small piles of snow. He said,”This is what happens when people can't work together. They have a(n)     .”

Dad was shocked. He stood up, lifted the boy and     him tightly, whispering to him, “I hope that your world will learn to work and live together. I hope you will make the right      

and learn to build the best snowman ever.”

1.A. different             B. similar                               C. freezing                            D. special

2.A. challenge            B. responsibility                  C. trouble                             D. position

3.A. private                          B. associated                        C. unique                              D. isolated

4.A. inspected            B. watched                           C. glanced                            D. glared

5.A. beautiful             B. effective                          C. comfortable                    D. significant

6.A. cheer up             B. take care                          C. get along                          D. break up

7.A. remain                          B. appear                              C. become                            D. make

8.A. Though                B. However                          C. So                             D. While

9.A. exact                    B.  Wrong                           C. fortunate                         D. coincident

10.A. interest                      B. concern                           C. worry                                D. faith

11.A. communicate   B. mix                                    C. work                                 D. relate

12.A. separated                  B. divided                    C. distinguished                   D. parted

13.A. couldn' t           B. shouldn' t                         C. wouldn' t                          D. needn' t

14.A. that                    B. what                                  C. how                                   D. when

15.A. disappointment        B. frustration                       C. enthusiasm                      D. humour

16.A. power                         B. effort                                C. organization           D. attempt

17.A. gathered           B. sorted                               C. threw                                D. formed

18.A.agreement        B. debate                              C. war                                    D. negotiation

19.A. trembled          B. swung                               C. pulled                               D. held

20.A. steps                           B. turns                                 C. choices                   D. points

For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.
【小题1】 The author felt depressed because she __________.

Japanese couples，too busy for a normal social life，are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．

Several agencies have sprung up (涌现) offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．

Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai —— which means “I want to cheer you up” —— charge around ￡100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．

The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制) a thing of the past，couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and stressed out，many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．

??? When they marry，however，they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．Office Agents，the largest provider of pretend friends，makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．

??? Hiroshi Mizutani，the company’s founder，said the fake friends he provides must look happy，be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．

1.Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?

A．Because of social and economic changes．

B．Because of lifetime employment．

C．Because of normal social life．

D．Because of work pressure．．

2.Pretend friends will be present on the following occasions except __________ ．

A．weddings????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．funerals

C．work????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．family gathering

3.The agents make sure that fake friends __________ ．

A．have done their housework

B．have good jobs

C．must look happy and be well dressed

D．feel uncomfortable

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married．

B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan started．

C．Japanese couples’ social life is boring．

D. Japanese couples rely on fake friends．