A 17-year-old helps to feed 12,000 homeless people

江西赣州三中 赖丽霞

images/BZ_11_190_1294_1997_1484.png

难词探意

1.tutor/'tjuːtə(r)/n.家庭教师

2.relief/rɪ'liːf/n. 减轻

3.recruit/rɪ'kruːt/v.吸收(新成员)

4.attach/ə'tætʃ/v.贴上；系；附上

5.approach/ə'prəʊtʃ/v.接近

6.perspective/pə'spektɪv/n.观点；远景

In her 17 years on this earth,Shreyaa Venkat has done more to help the planet and the people living on it than many adults.The non-profit organization she founded,NEST4US,has helped tens of thousands of people in the United States.Through NEST Nurtures,they've served over 12,000 homeless people in the Washington,D.C.area by providing food and other supplies.NESTTutorsis a free tutoring program designed to help low-income kids in 19 local schools.NEST Kares collects school supplies for at-risk kids,makes blessing bags for the homeless,and provides disasterreliefassistance.NEST Buddies provides a “birthday in a box”for low-income children and families.Yes,she runs four different volunteer programs in all her spare time as a high-school senior.

Venkat's passion for helping others started as soon as she could walk,as her parents,active volunteers themselves,brought her along on their various projects,like these creative ways to volunteer.NEST4US was born when she realized how much food waste there was,how many hungry people there were,and how simple it would be to use the former to help the latter.“There was a homeless man standing on a corner in D.C.and he was holding a sign that said ‘Hungry Need Food',”she remembers.“So I gave him my lunch—it was just a banana,a granola bar,and a bottle of water—and his whole face just lit up.I found out he hadn't eaten in a week!It was so easy;it only took me 30 seconds,and it really helped him.”

The ease of this small act inspired her to find a way to get food for the people who need it the most.What's more,sherecruitedvolunteers aged 4 to 70 to write the messages which are thenattachedto the donations because she knew they needed more than just food.They needed care and inspiration.

Recently a homeless man at a shelterapproachedher to say that he had kept every single one of the notes he'd gotten,saying,“They really help lift me up,and I know people care about me.” The notes may be a small“extra”but they provide that human touch.“To everyone who says they don't know how to help,I tell them to write notes of encouragement and it really does mean a lot,”she says.

As much as she has helped others,they've helped her,too,she says.Not only does she get a lot of joy and personal satisfaction from her volunteer work but she says running NEST has taught her important life skills like time management,public speaking,writing,and leadership.“What it's really given me is thisperspectiveof putting other people first,”she says.

Reading Check

1.Which program provides disaster relief help?

A.NEST Nurtures. B.NEST Tutors.

C.NEST Buddies. D.NEST Kares.

2.What does the underlined word in paragraph 3 refer to?

A.The homeless. B.The foreigners.

C.The immigrants. D.The college students.

Language Study

Complete the following phrases according to the text.

1.在某人的业余时间里 ___________one's spare time

2.鼓舞某人去做…… inspire sb___________

3.而且 what's___________

4.附在……上 be attached___________

5.不仅仅 ___________than