She said helping others changed her life.

Section 1 Before You Read

PAIRWORK Think of people who need help. Write some ideas and discuss them with your partner.

People who need help Something we can do for them

old people We can clean their home.

disabled people We can buy things they need from stores.

children We can help them cross the streets.

strangersWe can tell them how to get to the place where they want.

残疾人

Section 2 While You Read

Put these words into the correct space as you read.

a) world b) brothers

c) changed d) agreed

e) mountains f) different

世界 兄弟

改变 同意

大山 不同的

She said helping others changed her life.

Teaching high school students in a poor mountain village in Gansu Province may not sound like fun to you. However, it the life of Yang Lei from Beijing. The Peking University graduate first went there as a volunteer on a one-year program. The program was started by the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Young pioneers. Every year they send 100 volunteers to teach in China’s rural areas.

village 乡村 Peking University 北京大学graduate ( 大学 ) 毕业生 volunteer 志愿者the Ministry of Education 教育部Chinese Young Pioneer 中国少年先锋队rural 乡下的；乡村的 area 地区；地域

changed

Life in the was a new experience for Yang Lei. Her village was 2,000 meters above sea level, and at first the thin air made her feel sick. The food was very simple----teachers ate porridge three times a day. Fortunately, Yang Lei’s mother with her. She said that both she and her husband thought this was a good idea. “Young people today need to experience things,” she said.

meter 米；公尺 sea level 海平面thin 稀薄的eat--ate fortunately 幸运地husband 丈夫

mountains

agreed

different

make sb. do sth. 使某人做某事

Most of the pupils live in school dormitories. They

work very hard. They get up at 5am and read books

until 11pm. They love having the volunteer teachers

there. “There is no difference between you and

them,” says yang Lei. “They say that we are like big

or sisters to them, and they feel lucky.”

dormitory 宿舍

brothers

love having 喜欢有

between…and… 在…两者之间

Some of the students may not be able to go to senior high school or college. Families are poor and there often isn’t money for education. “I can’t do anything about that,” says Yang lei, “but I can open up my students’ eyes to the outside and give them a good start in life.” She said she likes being a good influence in the children’s lives.

senior high school 高中 college 学院；大学open up 打开 open up one’s eyes 使…开眼界，使认识start 开始；开端 influence 影响

world

Yang Lei enjoyed her time as a volunteer very

much. When her year was over, she said that she

would return to the area after finishing her studies.

She now works as a math teacher at a high school in

the city of Pingliang, Gansu Province.

enjoy 享受…的乐趣；喜欢

enjoy oneself 过得快乐 enjoy doing sth. 喜欢做某事

Section 3 After You Read

3a What is life like for you and Yang lei’s students? Complete the chart. Discuss the similarities and differences with your partner.

Yang Lei’s students You

hometown

food

teachers

time to get up

time to finish studying

mountain village in Gansu Province家乡；故乡

a city in Guangdong

porridge three times a day

different kinds of delicious food

almost no good teachers some good teachers

5 a.m. 6 a.m.

11 p.m. 9 p.m.

3b Ask and answer these questions.

1. What did Yang Lei’s mother say about her daughter’s volunteer work?

2. What did the children say about their volunteer teachers?

3. How did Yang Lei say she could help?

4. What did Yang Lei say about her time as a volunteer?

She said that both she and her husband thought this was a good idea. Young people today needed to experience different things.

The children said that the teachers were like big brothers or sisters to them and they felt lucky.

Yang Lei said she would open up her students’ eyes to the outside world and gave them a good start in life.

Yang Lei said she enjoyed her time as a volunteer very much.

Section 4 Go for it!

Many people of all ages do volunteer work. The groups in the chart below help people or animals all around the world. Which one would you like to work for? Explain your reasons to the class.

Groups The work they do

Greenpeace Cares for “Mother Earth”

Doctors Without Borders

Helps sick people in poor countries

UNICEF Helps children in poor countries

WWF Cares for wild animals in danger

和平 照料；照顾

边界；边境

UNICEF 联合国儿童基金WWF 世界野生动物基金

危险