Every Wednesday, I go to Cantata Adult Life Services，a local retirement community in Brookfield, Illinois, US, with my classmates to do community service.

After my very first visit to Cantata，my life changed forever.  That may sound a bit dramatic, but volunteering with the elderly has changed my views on life.

Our visits last about an hour, and we bring 25­30 students every time. We play board games and cards with the residents while we're there.

You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life back then”， but nothing compares to talking to the people who were actually there. Just hearing their stories has touched me in a way I never thought possible.

Whether it was talking to 98­year­old “Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days as a roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor, I was completely attracted by every single memory the residents wanted to share with me.

Even the residents who don't have amazing memories make the experience satisfying.  I remember visiting Mrs. Robinson. She couldn't recall much about her past, but she told me she'd never forget how kind I was just to listen to her “rambling(漫谈)”. It made me realize that it's the little things that make life worth living. That's something I won't forget anytime soon.

If there's one thing I've realized in my three years of visiting Cantata, it's that presence—just being there—means more than anything to many of the residents. And despite how busy our lives are, there's always time to make someone's day.

For me, it feels great to be a source of happiness, a smile on a bad day or a listening ear for old memories. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

It's easy to feel like you don't have anything in common with the elderly—especially when you're a teenager. But that's not true at all.

I hate to be overly clichéd(陈词滥调的) here, but age really is just a number. As young adults, it's important for us to realize this sooner rather than later.We can learn a lot from the elderly, and they can often benefit from teenagers too.

1．What do the volunteers do according to the passage?

A．They share everything with the residents.

B．They play board games and cards with the residents.

C．They watch the residents play games.

D．They buy gifts for the residents.

2．According to the writer, what is the most important thing that volunteers can do for the elderly?

A．Playing with them.

B．Benefiting from them.

C．Helping them.

D．Being there with them.

3．What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage?

A．We don't have anything in common with the elderly.

B．Age is just a number.

C．It is important to help the elderly.

D．Young adults and the elderly can benefit from each other.

Announcements

Bret Harte vs. Calaveras alumni boys

The annual Bret Harte vs. CHS alumni boy basketball game will be held at 7 p．m.，Saturday, Nov. 30，at Calaveras High. All players must have played at least one year of varsity (校队) basketball. Cost to play is $30. Admission for audience is $5 for adults and $2 for kids. Kids 6 and under are admitted free. For more information, call Kraig Clifton at 743­0679 or Jeff Eltringham at 736­0162.

CHS girls basketball skills

The Calaveras High girls basketball program presents the Junior Redskins Winter Skills, a developmental basketball program for girls in fifth through eighth grades that will be held from 2 p．m. to 4：30 p．m. Sundays. Sign­ups are still being accepted for the second of two five­week sessions, which will be held for five Sundays in a row beginning Jan. 12，2014. Cost is $25 per session. Each competitor receives a T­shirt at the end of each session with recommended drills.For more information or to sign up, call Jeremy Malamed at 217­4563 or email sports.calent@gmail.com.

CHS swim/baseball coaching vacancies

Calaveras High School (CHS) is looking for a head boys/girls swim coach and a baseball coach for the 2014 spring season. Applications will be accepted and jobs will remain open until filled. Interview dates are to be set. Anyone interested can stop by the district office or the high school for an application.For more information, call Mike Koepp at 754­1811.

Foothills Little League sign­ups

Foothills Little League will hold sign­ups for  the 2014 season from 6 p．m. to 8 p．m.，Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Pizza Factory in Valley Springs. All players must provide proofs of citizenship and a birth certificate.For more information, call Shawn Threet at 304­7399 or leave a message at 772­1516.

Yoga in Rail Road Flat

Yoga is being offered at Rail Road Flat Elementary from 9.30 a．m. to 11 a．m. Fridays with instructor Kristine Louise. Cost is a $5 instructor fee and $2 donation to The Friends of Rail Road Flat School for each person. For more information，visit friendsofrrfschool.org.

4．If you enter for the girls basketball，program，________．

A．you can make a call to Kraig Clifton

B．you can visit friendsofrrfschool.org

C．you can realize your goal on Jan. 19，2014

D．you can buy a T­shirt with the girls' names

5．As an excellent baseball trainer, you will show interest in ________．

A．CHS swim/baseball coaching vacancies

B．Foothills Little League sign­ups

C．CHS girls basketball skills

D．Bret Harte vs. Calaveras alumni boys

6．If you take your wife and two children to practice yoga，you should pay ________．

A．20 dollars　　　　　                   B．8 dollars

C．28 dollars

D．14 dollars

7．Which of the following needs your identification?

A．Yoga in Rail Road Flat.

B．CHS girls basketball skills.

C．CHS swim/baseball coaching vacancies.

D．Foothills Little League sign­ups

Many people in high school cannot wait to go to college and leave their hometown behind.Questions arise, though, when it comes to all of the decisions involved in choosing a college.

One of the first considerations may be finance. State and public colleges are often the least expensive. Often, though, the better colleges are private and more expensive. It is sad when gifted students cannot attend a college of their choice just for financial reasons.

Another major factor is location. Whether the college is in a small town or large city can have a major impact on its activities. A water lover probably will be more comfortable spending four years near an ocean or a lake.  Those who cannot tolerate heat will probably be more comfortable at a northern college. Distance from home may also come into consideration.  If family is a top priority, that person should stay close to home; on the other hand, if independence is desired, a campus farther from home would be more appropriate.

School size also plays a major role in the decision process. If you want to get to know your teachers, a small college is suitable. For those of you who consider yourself a “people_person” and want a wide range of activities, a large college is more fitting. Your area of interest is another factor to consider in the decision­making process if you want to get the most from your education. The whole point of college is to learn what is of interest to you.

Crucially(至关重要地), one must take into consideration the colleges by which you can realistically be accepted. An Ivy League school for an average student would probably not be a good match. Similarly, an average school for an above­average student would not work well. The college should provide enough of a challenge for the student to work hard.Although there may not be the perfect college out there, there probably will be one that is close.Those who cannot find a suitable college are probably not looking hard enough.

8．When it comes to going to college the author thinks ________．

A．students will become homesick

B．students are unwilling to leave their home

C．financial situation is the first to consider

D．students are eager to attend their ideal university

9．What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The location of the college is a main factor.

B．A long distance will make students upset.

C．Students can be independent at college.

D．The climate must be taken into consideration.

10．What does the underlined part “people person” in the passage mean?

A．A very sociable person.

B．A very particular person.

C．A person of great capacity.

D．A person of great importance.

11．Which is the most important factor when choosing a college?

A．The location of a college.

B．The coming challenges.

C．School size.

D．The examination result.

No one would much like the idea of eating 61 pounds of tomatoes a day. But if their goodness was put into an easy­to­swallow pill that you were told might prevent strokes(中风) and heart attacks you would probably be putting in an order tomorrow.

Researchers believe they may have come up with just that after trials. The daily pill contains a chemical called lycopene which makes tomatoes red and is known to break down fat in the vessels(血管)．A Cambridge University study found taking the pills improved blood flow and the lining of vessels in patients with pre­existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility(灵活性) of their vessels by 50 percent. The scientists believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease—responsible for 180，000 deaths a year—and help cut the 49，000 deaths a year from strokes. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis(关节炎), diabetes(糖尿病) and even slow the progress of cancer.

Each pill is equal to eating around 61 pounds of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating a Mediterranean­style diet rich in tomatoes, fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol(胆固醇) and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Preliminary results from a two­month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. It was shown to improve the function of the endothelium—the layer of cells lining blood vessels. It also improved their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which causes the enlargement of the vessels in response to exercise.

Ian Wilkinson, head of Cambridge University's clinical trials unit, said，“These results are potentially very significant and it meets the goal, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes.”

Further studies are planned, with researchers hoping it could offer a choice  for heart disease sufferers who can not take the cholesterol­lowing drugs.

Mike Knapton, head of the British Heart Foundation, said, “Although this showed lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that's a long way from demonstrating that taking it could improve outcomes for people with heart disease. The best way to get the benefits of a good diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

12．What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．We can eat too much tomato food.

B．Tomatoes are helpful to strokes and heart attacks.

C．Tomatoes will lose healthy elements if they are put into pills.

D．We had better not eat tomatoes.

13．We can learn from the passage that the pills ________．

A．are at the experiment stage

B．can cure all the disease

C．are widely used among patients

D．cost patients so little money

14．Who were the volunteers by taking part in the trial?

A．Children.

B．Youth.

C．Working people.

D．Old healthy people.

15．What was Ian Wilkinson's opinion on the trial?

A．Disappointing.

B．Surprising.

C．Satisfactory.

D．Terrible.

How to Love Your Parents

Even if you think that your parents are mean­spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you，and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.

__16__ A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world. Without your parents, you might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.

Respect them more and cherish these moments.You can use these moments to learn from them for when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.__17__ Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean.However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining，snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.__18__Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.__19__ Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in this way or another.

Some people simply may not be able to love their parents.__20__ Seek help if you are being abused in any way. Parents do not have a right to harm you.

A．Forgiveness is the key.

B．Tell them you love them every morning.

 C．Parents will in turn express their love to you.

 D．After this, share your feelings with your parents.

 E．Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.

 F．Please remember parents are as important as friends.

 G．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example.