Helen Keller once wrote, “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”The UN has set December 5 as Internatuional Volunteers Day to give recognition to these people.
Nineteen-year-old Andrew Makhoul was a communications major at the University of Pennsylvania. It was coming up to spring break, but unlike his classmates, Makhoul wasn't planning on spending the break relaxing.
He traveled to Guatemala. He went to an orphanage（孤儿院）in one of the most violent and poor parts of Guatemala city. Although he didn't speak much Spanish, he found communication wasn't a problem: “You communicated with love.” And what he gave out, he got back: “You could see love when you looked in their eyes.”
Makhoul's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back in the future.
The UN highlighted the case of Palestinian women who are survivors of breast cancer. As part of the UN's Aid and Hope Programme for Patient Care, the women have been volunteering their time to create low-cost breast prosthetics（假体）to be distributed to women for free, among whom Shahd El-Swerki is a brilliant example. By the end of her time there, she admired these women who are “not only survivors but also volunteers”.
About 2,400 years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “The essence（本质）of life is to serve others and do good.” Volunteers all around the world are making these words come true, each and every day.
A. It depends upon volunteers to stay open.
B. She worked with the women as part of the programme.
C. Here, we tell two volunteering stories from around the globe.
D. Sometimes, volunteers themselves live with huge challengers.
E. He decided to spend his time doing something useful for people.
F. Volunteers want to do their best to make the world warmer and more beautiful.
G. These words certainly prove true for the millions of volunteers all over the world.
