Volunteers
①Volunteers are people who work without being paid. They do the work because they want to. We need volunteers because there are many things that need to be done in society which the Government can't afford to pay for.
②Volunteers are motivated by a desire to help others and to make the world a better place. Statistics suggest that more than one million people do voluntary work in New Zealand. Some volunteers do the kind of work that they are particularly interested in， but perhaps haven't had the chance to do during their working lives. Others make use of their professional skills and experience.
③Volunteers contribute to society in a number of ways. For example, some give' their time to help preserve the natural environment. While there are government-run projects to maintain national parks and forests，the projects would not succeed without volunteers. Some environmental organizations rely solely on voluntary labor.
④“Meals on Wheels”is a voluntary organization run by the Red Cross. It delivers meals to elderly people who are unable to cook for themselves. Every year volunteer drivers deliver a million meals. This enables elderly people to remain in their own houses.
⑤Volunteer Service Abroad was started in 1962. It sends volunteers to poor countries. To be a volunteer you should be between the ages of 25 and 77，of good health and have a skill or ability that is requested by the country. Volunteers spend two years helping the local people improve their lives. Two years is a long time, but when they return, many volunteers say: "It was the best two years of my life."