HELPING OTHERS My name is Ian and I’ve been doing voluntary work for two years now I often gardening, or painting or decorating I’ve got a car, so sometimes I help people who are moving house I did some decorating for an old lady in her eighties I did the work with other three other volunteers We went to talk to her about it first, and she chose the colour of the paint and the wallpaper It’s important that people feel that you are really helping them, not interfering in their lives It took six weeks to decorate the old lady’s house, working in the evenings and at weekends She was really pleased with the results I still visit her for a chat and a cup of tea Most people I have the job for are old people, living alone They need help with particular jobs which they can’t themselves anymore But they often need someone to talk to as well Sometimes we are the only people they meet for days They tell us all their troubles and look forward to our visits But why so many old people live alone? You may wonder Well, you may wonder Well, usually it’s because their husband or wife has died Their sons and daughters got married and have moved to another part of the country Old people often not want to leave their homes or the area and the community they know Although most of them still have a family, they don’t see each other very often Perhaps the only time they meet is at Christmas I like what I’m doing I feel proud at times I like meeting people I’ve really liked many of the old people I’ve done the job for They are often very interesting to talk to The main thing is that you feel that you are doing something very useful with your free time I have quite a lot of free time and I’ve never felt that I’m wasting it I find that lending a hand is really enjoyable and most people we help are grateful… Are the following statements true or false? Justify/ correct a Ian helps old people only Choose the correct option b Ian helps others without asking their permission -Dana Miller is a bus driver She (is driving - drives – drove) the bus thepeople city ofcan’t Philadelphia She works the c inOld everything themselves night shift That means she starts (working – work – work s) at 10 pm and gets (up – on – off) in the morning d Ian is a hard working volunteer Dana is a good driver She’s careful all the time She Old people help andMost someone never drives e (careless – fastneed – carelessly) of theto talk to as well -time Dana loves (its – his – her) job She gets to see the beautiful city from her (sit – seat – sat) and she can meet all kind of people The bus is (rarely – sometimes – always) crowded in the evening so, she doesn’t talk much Dana’s job is hard when bad things happen One time, a young woman (leaves – left – is leaving) her sleeping baby on the bus There (is – was – were) a note on the baby’s blanket (asking – offering –refusing) for help Dana was scared (but – and – because) she had to call the police Answer the following questions: a) How long did it take to decorate the old lady’s house? b) Do old people enjoy the volunteers’ company? c) Do they still keep in touch with their relatives? How often they meet? _ d) Name tasks performed by the volunteers _, and Complete the following sentence using words from the text 300 Ian enjoys doing voluntary work In fact, he feels _ Besides, in his opinion, helping others is since he is doing something very Find words in the text having the same as: Thankful = _ They can’t wait = _