【推荐1】I always dreamed of studying abroad, to learn at a world-class university while further exploring the grounds on which these nations achieved new milestones of development with each passing day.

To study abroad after my graduation, I could not stop seeking my dream. To take the first step, I did some brainstorming and explored opportunities on the Internet and finally decided to go for China. There were a number of reasons behind it - its advanced education system and thousands of centuries of rich culture inspired me to study there. The primary one was my curiosity how a nation has left many nations behind in a short time at its fast pace of development.

So just like that, I applied, along with some of my friends, for a master's degree program at Communication University of China. I was the only one who got selected in the said program and in addition, the Chinese Scholarship Council sponsored all of my expenses. This good news was welcomed by my family.

This is my seventh month in Beijing. In my experience so far, one thing that appeared to be missing was the internship (实习)which I tried to find because I want to work here after completion of my studies. After some struggles I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work as an intern with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG). It' s very exciting to work on their team as a researcher. Now I can proudly say that my decision to choose China as a study destination was the best decision I have ever made.

【推荐2】While most teenagers are simply hoping to get their driver’s license, 17-year-old Mack Rutherford has had far higher goals. The ambitious teen sought to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world. After five months and a day, Rutherford successfully achieved the incredible feat.

In March 2022, 16-year-old Rutherford took off on his adventure. He flew a Shark, a high-performance ultralight (超轻型的) aircraft. His journey around the world tested him in the skies through monsoons (季风) and extreme temperatures. Rutherford’s longest flight on this journey was from Japan to the U. S., which took him 10 hours over water. The highest altitude he had to face was 12, 500 feet over Mexico. He flew across four continents, 30 countries.

After everything, Rutherford landed safely in Sofia on August 24. He arrived home to discover he’d broken two Guinness world records: he is the youngest person ever to fly around the world solo, and also the youngest person to do it in an ultralight aircraft. But he surprised the world by becoming the youngest pilot ever at age 15, when he received his microlight pilot’s license.

This incredible achievement at such a young age is certainly worth celebrating and his family might be the perfect people to fully appreciate it. Rutherford’s father is a professional pilot. This sparked an interest in aviation (飞行) for the young Rutherford since he was 11. And Rutherford’s sister, Zara Rutherford, recently completed a similar solo journey and holds her own world record as the youngest female pilot to complete a solo flight around the world.

“I’m very happy to complete my five-month journey around the world,” Rutherford said. “It took a bit longer than it was supposed to, but everything is fine. I’m trying to show that young people can do something special and make a difference; just follow their dreams and they’ll eventually come true.”

【推荐3】The entire family was here recently –14 in all, including six kids under the age of 5. We had a joint birthday party for two of the grandkids.

The day after everyone cleared out I noticed that the drain stopper（排水塞）was missing from downstairs bathroom sink.

The last thing you want to do is accuse your own fresh and blood of stripping hardware from your bathroom, but a drain stopper doesn’t just wash itself down the drain.

So I sent out a carefully-worded e-mail saying what a wonderful time we had and asking if anyone had accidently tucked a drain stopper in a purse, pocket or suitcase. I even attached a picture of a drain stopper in case there was any doubt as to what the missing part looked like.

Our son responded that he thought his 10-month-old might have eaten it. He said he’d let us know if they found it in the next day of two.

Our youngest daughter responded that she thought she saw it in her husband’s lunchbox that morning, but she could be wrong.

Our oldest daughter replied that she had suspected her sister’s husband all along. He replied that he had been framed.

Our oldest daughter then checked the guilt of one of her twins with following exchange:

Mommy: “Do you know where Grandma’s drain stopper is?”

Three-year-old: “Yeah, let me show you.” (Heads to the bathroom.)

Mommy: “No, not ours, where is Grandma’s? Did you take it?”

Three-year-old: “I think she took it.” (She points at her 18-month-old baby sister). “She’s a naughty kid.”

Naturally, the 18-month-old defended herself by saying: “Bububbubnananabublalala!”

The next day, an email arrived from our daughter-in-law. “Guess what I found in my laundry this morning? I thought the dryer was louder last night.”

Our “perp” was short. He has a known history of building and disassembling, is mechanically inclined, determined and just turned 3.

It’s always good to know a child’s interests and talents. We have a valve（阀门）that occasionally drips under the kitchen sink. I may have him take a look at it the next time he’s here. But I’ll pat him down before he leaves.

【推荐3】Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his pen-name.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河), where he was nearly drowned(淹死) nine times.

After his father’s death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876 and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous and brought him a great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of their children passed away.

At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.