【推荐1】As a little girl growing up in the early 1960s in a suburb of Pittsburgh, it was not always easy to find role models, But I was lucky. In my childhood, I knew smart, strong women who had accomplished much, one of whom invented the world’s first computer compiler (编译器).

Recently, though, I learned about a role model who was right under my nose—my own mother.

Growing up, I knew she had worked as a secretary before I was born. I knew that she had joined the WAVES—the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service branch of the U.S. Naval Reserve (海军预备队)—during World War Ⅱ. And I knew she’d worked in an office that was involved with codes (编码). But when she talked about it—rare, because she had been sworn to secrecy—she described her duties as ordinary, routine. I never questioned it. After all, the woman I knew was a reserved suburban mom.

Not long ago, a chance conversation with a colleague led me to the book, Code Girls. It tells the story of the WAVES, who decrypted (解码) and encrypted secret messages during the war. They worked around the clock, knowing that the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers—their brothers, husbands, fathers—were on the line.

Inspired, I began a journey to explore the mystery of my mother’s service that continues to this day. I got some of her working records about her unit, OP19. In two years, she was promoted three times. She was no secretary, and her duties were hardly ordinary.

My mother always encouraged my interest in science and insisted to my father that I go to college. “You’re going to grow up to be another Madame Curie,” she told me. She was always pointing at other women. She did not see herself as someone to model on. Neither did I. Now I see her differently.

【推荐3】Moments before I could lift my case to put it in the plane’s overhead locker ahead of our recent holiday to Europe, my father gently urged me to stop. He held the thick handles of the case and lifted it with his thin arms, pushing it into place with a sigh. “You should relax and be the lady, and let me do the heavy tasks,” he said seriously. “In the future, someone special will come into your life and take over such tasks from me, but that will never happen if you do everything yourself.”

I was stunned into silence. This was not the father I remembered from childhood, who trained me to study hard at school, asked me to earn my own pocket money as a teenager at a local coffee shop, and even taught me household chores so that my life alone in London wouldn’t turn into a mess. But then, eight years after I left home and started a new life in the UK, I realized for the first time that my dad still has expectations for me to be like a princess and to stay dependent and delicate, which were considered necessary qualities of women in traditional China.

Well, that came a little late, Little did Dad know that over the three years of my university life, I moved flats five times all by myself, dragging suitcases of books and clothes, and waiting for the taxi in the rain while holding tight onto cardboard boxes. Meanwhile, living in the UK – a country currently led by a female prime minister – I have never thought there is anything girls cannot do. Most of my female friends are professionals working in the City of London, and after work, we frequently go down to the pub for a drink, just like the guys do – something my mother never did.

I wondered how I might make Dad understand the new world his little girl has entered. Perhaps one day, he will realize the “someone special” in my life will appreciate my confidence and independence above dependence, and admit that times have changed.

【推荐1】On March 10, 2019, eight-year-old Tanitoluwa ''Tani'' Adewumi defeated 73 young competitors to win the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship in his age group — kindergarten to third grade — with five wins and one draw. While the achievement is remarkable in itself, what is even more so is that the youngster, who was homeless at the time, began learning the game less than a year ago.

Tani and his family arrived in New York City from Nigeria in 2017, seeking religious protection. A church pastor(牧师)helped find the family of four space in a homeless shelter in Manhattan and, soon after, Tani entered the local elementary school. It was here that the young talent was first introduced to the basics of chess by a part-time teacher. Attracted by the game, the then seven-year-old begged his mother, Oluwatoyin, to allow him to join the school's chess club. The family were concerned that they would be unable to afford the fees and expenses, which add up to thousands of dollars due to travel and chess competition admissions, Oluwatoyin emailed chess instructor Russell Makofsky, who ran the club. To her surprise and delight, Makofsky agreed to waive all costs for young Tani. The rest, as they say, is history. The young boy, who has got seven prizes in less than a year, currently ranks 27 in America in his age group.

Though the chess club certainly helps, Tani's success can be largely owed to the efforts he has put into the game. The chess talent practices the game for several hours a day either on the floor with his board, or online, using his dad’s laptop. Every Saturday, Tani and his mother head to Harlem for a free 3-hour class to help further sharpen his game skills.

Not surprisingly, Tani's incredible story, first reported by The New York Times, has resulted in an outpouring of support from the American public. Shortly after the young boy won the New York State Championship, Makofsky began a GoFundMe campaign for Tani and his family to ''secure a home where he can continue on his journey''.

And the heartwarming story gets even better! Since they now have a home, the family have decided to ''pay it forward'' and donate the over $200,000 collected on GoFundMe to African immigrants in America who are struggling the way the family was.

【推荐2】Looking back at my younger years,I am sometimes amazed at how life has turned out.    1    The only thing that stays the same is who I am,my values,and my interests.If I could go back in time and hang out with my younger self for a day,here's what I would tell her.

●Everything happens for a reason.

Without mistakes and failure,you would never have learned.Without pain,you would never have grown.Once you understand this,you will know that everything comes in to serve a purpose.So don't think that life is unfair, because everything happens for a reason.    2    

●Focus on one thing at a time.

It is not surprising that many of us are doing too many things at once.We need to make ends meet.But if you are working three jobs at a time,it is not likely that you will succeed at any of them.You have to keep your eyes on the big picture.You have to ask yourself: What exactly do you want to achieve for the next 10 years?Focus on one thing at a time.    3    

●    4    

You might be graduating or have hit a turning point with your career.You might feel a bit lost and unsure of where to go.It's okay.Go out there and try as many different things as you can.Don't ever feel like you're wasting your time.Enjoy the journey.Every little path will lead you somewhere.And looking back,you will be able to connect the dots.It will all make sense.

●Don't try too hard with people.

Don't worry if you feel like it's hard to make new friends.    5    It might take a while until you find new best friends and a mate for life,but when you do,you will know it.It's not hard work.So,just do your things and be yourself.