VOA标准英语2010年-US Volunteer Travels Cross Country to

President Barack Obama has been stressing the importance of public service and volunteering.  Drew Johnson is doing that in 48 U.S. states over 48 weeks.  He has done everything from building homes and delivering meals, to cleaning up after a flood.

Drew Johnson, a web designer, considers helping¹ others his passion.  He says it occurred to him one day that he should make a road trip to help the needy².

"And volunteer as you go, really help people, and then use your knowledge and ability with technology to connect people, to motivate them to go out and serve their communities," he said.

Inspiration³ and documentary⁴
He began his journey last October and is documenting his experiences on a blog and on Facebook.  He is encouraging people to make volunteering a part of their lives.  "I wanted to invite people along with me, and I think some of the best ways to do that is through pictures, video and writing," he explained. "But the blog to me is kind of that mixture of everything and allows people to follow along."

Johnson lives simply and relies on donations.  Sometimes people feed him and offer a place to stay.  Otherwise, he sleeps in a tent, or in his car.  He says he tries to set up volunteer work in advance, but sometimes he just arrives in a town and asks where he can serve.

When Nashville, Tennessee, was devastated⁵ by flooding this year, he helped people remove debris⁶ from their homes. He also lent a hand to refugees⁷, including people from Burundi in East Africa.

Making a difference
Today he is delivering free meals to the elderly in Maryland through a program called Meals on Wheels.

Peggy Toole of Meals on Wheels says Johnson was a wonderful surprise. "I wish there were more people like him putting a spotlight⁸ on how important it is to volunteer, to just help one another, try to put yourself in somebody else's position," she stated.

Johnson does the dirty jobs some volunteers don't want to do like cleaning up after horses.  At a location in Pennsylvania, where horses were rescued from certain slaughter⁹ he places covering on their heads to protect them from flies.

Kindness begets¹⁰ kindness
Johnson believes kindness begets kindness. The owner of this auto¹¹ shop in Maryland fixes Johnson's car brakes after hearing he volunteered for Meals on Wheels. "I think it's great," the mechanic said. "I think it's cool, and we're going to help him out."

"You can use your talents, your abilities in so many different areas out there to actually help people to make this world a better place," Johnson said. He will continue his travels through October.  But he says his journey to help others will never end.
 

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

3 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

4 documentary   

adj.文献的；n.纪录片

参考例句：

• This case lacked documentary proof.本案缺少书面证据。
• I watched a documentary on the Civil War.我看了一部关于内战的纪录片。

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

8 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

9 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

10 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

11 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。