UNIT 1 READING

Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Date:

__________________________

Does volunteering 1 run in the family ?

The benefits of volunteering are

well known: studies have shown
that working as a volunteer and
personal well-being 2go hand in
hand. That’s perhaps why more
than 21 million people in the UK
volunteer at least once each year.
For many people though,
3
volunteering is not a one-off
activity. In fact, in some families,
volunteering is a kind of tradition that’s passed down from one generation to the next. Studies suggest that
having a parent who volunteers on a regular basis increases a young person’s likelihood of becoming a
volunteer by more than 50%. While investigating this trend, we spoke to volunteers around the country. Here’s
what they said.

Kadeen, 31

Growing up, I didn’t always have a positive attitude about volunteering. Like music practice and doing my
homework, I saw it as a kind of chore: just one more thing I was expected to do. However, as I got older, I had 4a
change of heart. That was mostly thanks to my dad. When I was in my early twenties, he started volunteering
for an organization called Meals on Wheels. It provides hot meals for elderly people who aren’t able to go out
and purchase food for themselves, so he used to drive all over town doing deliveries and chatting with people. I
know Dad felt pleased that he could give something back to the local community, and he got a lot out of
volunteering, too. He was always talking about people he’d met during his latest shift or entertaining us with a
funny story that someone had told him. Even though I had resented volunteering in the past, I began to see how
beneficial it can be for everyone involved. That was what persuaded me to start volunteering with my local
Meals on Wheels service once I graduated from college.

Isabel, 23

1
Personal Best C1  Richmond 2018
 UNIT 1 READING
It was definitely my parents who inspired me to get into volunteering. Both of them were very active in the
community – my mum mom in particular. She’s a really creative person and a great photographer, so she’s used
her skills to run art and photography classes for disadvantaged people in our area. I’ve been volunteering for a
few years now. The experience has made me a more positive, motivated person, and I’m more confident now,
too. Volunteering has also helped to 5open my eyes to opportunities that I wouldn’t have considered, or even
known about, otherwise. Two years ago, I travelled traveled to Costa Rica to run a community project there, and
that experience helped me to get a job at an environmental organization. I’ve always admired their work, but I
never thought I’d end up working there!

Stefan, 47

Both my parents and my grandparents volunteered when I was young. They helped to organize 6scores of
events – beach clean-ups, fundraising days, that sort of thing. They would just expect me to come along, too –
not taking part was never an option! And I’ve continued to be active in my local community ever since. Now I
work as a sports coach at a local youth club. I certainly think it’s true that seeing your relatives volunteer creates
this 7spill-over effect and gets you interested in doing it, too. For me, this kind of tradition – of being active in the
community – is far more important than the physical things we inherit from past generations. Continuing to do
these activities is a way to keep the memory of our loved ones alive. I’ve gotten my own kids into volunteering
now, too!

Many smaller organizations rely on help from volunteers in order to keep operating. That’s why it’s essential to
promote this transfer of enthusiasm for volunteering from one generation to the next – it’s one of the ways we
can help to preserve and protect the groups that do so much good work in our communities.

1 Read the text about volunteering. What is the main topic?

a one of the reasons people volunteer ☐

b the various benefits of volunteering ☐
c how to encourage young people to volunteer ☐
(1 point)

2
Personal Best C1  Richmond 2018
 UNIT 1 READING

2 Read the text about volunteering. Then answer the questions. Write K (Kadeen), I (Isabel), or S
(Stefan).
1 says that volunteering has benefited his/her career? _______
2 volunteers at the same organization as one of his/her parents? _______
3 didn’t always have an interest in being a volunteer? _______
4 says that more than one generation of his/her family has volunteered? _______
5 says that he/she has developed as a person as a result of volunteering? _______
6 believes his/her parent really enjoyed volunteering? _______
7 believes volunteering can help us to remember people who have passed away? _______
8 has a parent who used his/her artistic abilities to help others? _______

(8 points)

3 Read the text about volunteering. Look at the words and expressions underlined in the text. Match
them with the correct definitions.

1 run in the family
9 go hand in hand
10 one-off
11 a change of heart
12 open my eyes to
13 scores of
14 spill-over
a when two or more things are connected to each other
b when the results of something spread and cause changes in other areas
c when something is a common behavior or characteristic among relatives
d used to mean “many” or “a lot”
e when your feelings about something alter over time
f used to describe something that happens only once
g when something makes you realize, or become aware of, something

(7 points)

3
Personal Best C1  Richmond 2018
 UNIT 1 READING

4 Read the text about volunteering. Check () the extracts from the text which refer to past habits.

1 … volunteering is a kind of tradition that’s passed down from one generation to the next. ☐
2 … so he used to drive all over town doing deliveries and chatting with people. ☐
3 He was always talking about people he’d met during his latest shift … ☐
4 That was what persuaded me to start volunteering with my local Meals on Wheels service … ☐
5 I’ve always admired their work, but I never thought I’d end up working there! ☐
6 They would just expect me to come along, too – not taking part was never an option! ☐
(6 points)

(Total possible score: 22)

4
Personal Best C1  Richmond 2018