When friends and family heard what I was planning,
they wondered if I had gone crazy. But here I was in New Mexico, working at a
youth farm as a volunteer. I wanted to give back to society. The farm is one of
the nonprofit (非盈利的) camps in New Mexico. Founded in 1998, it
provides a free camp for the kids whose families are poor. My main
responsibility was to look after them.
More than anything, I was excited. I had the
opportunity to influence these kids’ lives. I could help them have fun. At the
beginning, I couldn’t help feeling nervous. By the end of the first week, I had
felt completely at ease. Each child listened to me and enjoyed the games we
played. This farm was their heaven, and each child truly felt beatific.
Harrison was probably the most troubled child I saw
all summer. He couldn’t deal with anger. As soon as I met him, it was clear
that he’d never been shown kindness or patience. His temper would unexpectedly
fly out of control. He refused to play games with us and hit other kids at the
very start. He was always worried that I would shout at him or hit him. I told
him that I would never do that. And I simply educated him to be a kind and
patient boy. After Harrison’s going home, his mother wrote to tell me how
differently her son reacted to others and how much gentler he had become.
The kid was not the only one that changed. I changed,
too. I grew to appreciate my caring family. I became more patient, too. My eyes
were also opened to the different situations people live in. Giving myself to
show them love was the most meaningful part of my service. As the saying goes,
love is, above all, the gift of oneself.
1.For what purpose did the author work at the youth
farm? (no more than 6 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
2.What kind of kids could come to the camp? (no more
than 6 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
3.What does the underlined word “beatific” mean? (1
word)
___________________________________________________________________________
4.How did the author change Harrison’s character? (no
more than 12 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
5.Do you want to be a volunteer like the author? Why?
(no more than 20 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
