Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.
I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.
Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria? I had no idea. But I was about to find out.
After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.
Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local language, and returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.
What do we know about the author?
A.His university education focused on the theoretical knowledge. |
B.His dream at university was to become a volunteer. |
C.He took pride in having contributed to the world. |
D.He felt honored to study English literature. |
According to the Paragraph 2, it is most likely that the author
A.discussed his decision with his family. |
B.asked previous volunteers about voluntary work |
C.attended special training to perform difficult tasks |
D.felt sad about having to leave his family and friends |
In his application for the volunteer job, the author
A.participated in many discussions |
B.went through challenging survival tests |
C.wrote quite a few paper on voluntary work |
D.faced strong competition from other candidates |
On arrival at the village, the author was
A.asked to lead a farming team |
B.sent to teach in a schoolhouse |
C.received warmly by local villagers |
D.arranged to live in a separate house. |
What can we infer from the author’s experiences in Nigeria?
A.He found some difficulty adapting to the local culture |
B.He had learned to communicate in the local language. |
C.He had overcome all his weaknesses before he left for home. |
D.He was chosen as the most respectable teacher by his students. |