English for Vietnam 11. Unit4: Volunteer work

[hokcoten]

Reading

1. Each afternoon after school, Mrs Pimon gets on a bus and makes her way across the city. The trip is long. She is heading for a slum area near the river.

2. After a day at the office, starting work again would be the last thing on most people’s mind, but Mrs Pimon has a mission – that mission is to provide community education for street children. This involves teaching kids basic healthcare, hygiene and literacy skills. By doing this, she hopes to improve their chances if being accepted into vocational training programs. This is the first step towards getting these children off the street.

3. Living on the street is dangerous, especially for a child. Drug users exploit the children’s vulnerability. They pay street kids to sell illegal drugs. In return, the children are rewarded with small amounts of the drugs. As a result, they often become addicted. Mrs Pimon wants to break this cycle and teach the children skills which they can use in order to get a job and regain their self-respect. She feels that if other street kids had been given such opportunities in the past, they would have started new lives.

4. The children look forward to her arrival six days a week. Sometimes she is exhausted and would like to go home after work and relax, but she knows that the children will be waiting for her. If she doesn’t come, they will be disappointed. She always tries to bring small presents for them such as toiletries, exercise books and pencils, even though her salary is low.

5. Mrs Pimon has tried to get her neighbors and colleagues interested in her work. Some of them give her money, but few are willing to go into the slums themselves. A couple of them, however, took up the challenge and joined Mrs Pimon. As Buddhists they said that if they helped the children, they would also help themselves. Their efforts would give them merit and therefore they would be rewarded in their next life.

6. Some of the children have now given up drugs, while the others have decided to return home. Unfortunately, many of the children cannot go home. They have no family other than their ‘family’ of the street kids, It is these children in particular that Mrs Pimon is trying to have placed in vocational training programs. Her work is not easy, but Mrs Pimon feels that seeing the children succeed is her greatest reward.

The words in Blue are phrases that contain important grammar points.
The words in Orange are new words

Comprehension:
a. Match the headings to the Paragraph.
Paragraphs:
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 6
Headings:
A. Other volunteers
B. A new life
C. A dangerous lifestyle
D. Avoiding disappointment
E. A long journey
F. Mrs Pimon’s main aim

b. Answer the questions.
1. Where does Mrs Pimon work during the day?
2. Why does she visit a slum area after working hours?
3. How does she help these children?
4. What are these particular children known as?
5. Why are other people reluctant to accompany Mrs Pimon?
6. Why do Buddhists help Mrs Pimon?
7. Do you think that these children have the chance of a new life? Why/Why not?
8. Have you ever done volunteer work? If you have, give details of the work you did. If you haven’t, would you like to? Why/Why not?

[rainbow84vn]

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