英语短文：Peer Support(互助的意义)

 　　Peer Support

　　(Part 1)

　　Anna really wanted to do something significant for her school before she went to college. But she couldn't think of anything meaningful that would influence the lives of her schoolmates.

　　One day, Anna saw a girl sitting by the school pond crying. Anna went up to her and said, "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?" Anna found out that the girl was in her first year and was having trouble coping with her schoolwork. Then, Anna had an idea. She would start a tutoring group where seniors could help juniors who were struggling in their subjects.

　　Before long, many seniors volunteered to join Anna's tutoring group. Soon, Anna also started other support groups like "I'm not Alone" which provided counseling for students whose parents had been divorced and "Crime Fighters" where students helped prevent theft. Anna was happy that she made a difference in her peers' lives. She was showered with flowers of appreciation¹ from her friends at her graduation!

　　(Part 2)

　　Maybe YOU could start a peer support group too? Here's a list of peer support groups that you can start: You can start a group that

　　(1)Helps students quit smoking

　　(2)Helps students quit drinking and gambling²

　　(3)Counsels students with health problems

　　(4)Helps new students adjust to school life

　　(5)Provides graduating students with information on further studies

　　(6)Helps students who have abusive parents

　　(7)Helps students who are emotionally unstable³

　　(8)Helps students who come from low-income families

　　significant adj. 意义重大的

　　tutor v. 辅导

　　counseling n.咨询服务

　　appreciation n. 感激，欣赏

　　gambling n.赌博

　　abusive adj. 辱骂的

　　互助的意义

　　安娜十分想在高中毕业前为母校做点贡献，但她想不出能做些什么有意义的事。

　　一天，安娜看见一个女孩坐在学校池塘边上哭。她便上前问道：“你还好吗？有什么我能帮你的？” 安娜得知女孩上一年级，在学习上遇到些麻烦。安娜突然有了主意。她要创办一个辅导小组，让高年级学生有机会帮助学习有困难的低年级同学。

　　不久，许多高年级同学都自愿加入这个小组。很快地，安娜还开办了其他小组，比如为父母离异的学生提供心理辅导的“我不孤单”小组和防止犯罪的“罪恶克星”小组。能给大家的生活带来改变，安娜觉得十分高兴。在毕业典礼上，她收到许多朋友赠送的鲜花。

　　也许你也可以创建一个互助小组。你可以有以下几个选择：

　　1)帮助同学戒烟

　　2)帮助同学戒酒、戒赌

　　3)提供健康咨询

　　4)帮助新生适应学校生活

　　5)为应届毕业生提供升学信息

　　6)帮助遭遇家庭暴力的同学

　　7)帮助受情绪困扰的同学

　　8)帮助贫困生

1 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

2 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

3 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。