It is impossible to find out exactly how many volunteers are at work today in the United S

tates. Thirty-seven million or so are known to belong to【C1】______like the Pink Ladies, Travelers' Aid, or Big Brothers', but those who work【C2】______or in small informal groups cannot be【C3】______. The total number of men and women who give their time to help others appears to be between fifty and sixty-eight million.

They do almost anything: they sew, clean,【C4】______, paint, cook, repair things,【C5】______books for the blind,【C6】______sick children in hospitals, or【C7】______senior citizens who do not want to go out alone. They give their blood; they work in libraries and schools; they【C8】______documents for new citizens with a language problem or【C9】______money to support local symphony orchestras; they answer the telephone calls of the【C10】______who are thinking of killing themselves, and who need a friendly【C11】______.

Volunteers start community projects too small to attract the attention of organized agencies, or work at jobs【C12】______no funds are available. A(n)【C13】______of city folk will turn an empty【C14】______into a playground for the children of their neighborhood; others decide to repair and paint a few dilapidated houses in their street.【C15】______Women cook and【C16】______two hot meals a day to elderly people【C17】______alone, and too sick or too tired to prepare their own food.【C18】______group calls lonely old people once a day to chat a little and【C19】______if they are all right. Some college students teach English, mathematics, or drawing to the inmates of a local jail. Anywhere one looks, the【C20】______of volunteers is hard at work--not only in the United States, but in many other countries where "volunteerism" is spreading.

【C1】

A．institutions

B．organizations

C．divisions

D．unions