【推荐1】A good book can teach you things beyond your class. It can open your eyes and clear your minds. If you want to get into a good reading habit there are a number of ways to develop it.

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You should give yourself at least thirty minutes in all for reading every day. When time is set, nothing can change it. For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast or lunch time.

Always carry a book

Wherever you go, take a book with you. When you leave the house, make sure that you always carry a good book as well as your school things.    2    

Find a quiet place

Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair.     3    There should be no television, computer, music or even noisy family members around you.

Have a library day

Have a library card, and     4     Make it weekly trip to the library, you can save a lot of money.

Blog it

One of the best ways to develop a good reading habit is to put it on your blog.     5     It's free. Ask your friends and family to go there to share your ideas and offer you suggestions.

【推荐2】Have you ever started to read a book in English, then stopped because it was too hard !Don’t worry! You’re on the right track. Books are an amazing tool for learning languages but some are easier to use than others.     1    

1. Read dual-language books

Dual-language books (or ‘parallel texts’) are the same story written in two languages. They have your native language on one page and your target language on the other, so you can quickly check what a word means.

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Learning a language is the perfect excuse to dive back into the magical land of fairy tales and unicorns or the exciting world of spies and secret agents.     3     Look for books with pictures, as they help you to follow the story.

3. Read your favorite childhood book in English

Do you have a beloved childhood book in your own language?     4     You know lots about the fictional world, the characters and the story already, So it is much easier to understand what is happening

4. Make notes!

If you are using a book to learn English, buy a cheap copy you can write in. Don’t be afraid to write translations and thoughts in the margins, as your notes can help you to remember.

Starting to read in a foreign language does not need to be scary. With the advice above, you will be reading in English in no time at all!     5     Try watching children’s television shows in English or turning on English subtitles when watching a film online.

【推荐2】Art is all around us. It can be found everywhere, including fancy galleries, people’s living rooms, and on the sides of buildings. So, why is art important?

It promotes expression and creativity. As humans, we’re naturally drawn to art as a form of expression and communication.     1     It’s a way for them to express themselves before they’re able to speak. In fact, participation in the arts may even assist kids with language, motor skills, and visual learning development.

    2    . When someone applies for a job, there are certain skills they need to have like data analysis or bookkeeping. However, many employers also understand the very important need for the skills which are hard to measure and often difficult to define. Some examples include a person’s ability to adapt to change, think creatively, or collaborate with team members.

It provides historical context.     3    . This is why people dedicate their lives to studying cave art, Shakespearean plays, and so much more. When we take the time to dive into art created in the past, we can learn about other generations and eras. We can study art to find out what those before us were facing and how they overcame it.     4    .

In therapy (疗法) settings, art also provides an opportunity for digging deeper and expressing emotions that are difficult to discuss.     5    . In one important study, children between 6 and 12 were asked to draw a house as a distraction after thinking about something upsetting. This group was able to improve their mood when compared with children who were instructed to draw the negative event or simply copy another drawing.

【推荐3】Scholarship Application Tips in 2019 for college students

1. Work hard to get good grades. Don’t sweat about one bad grade, but always try to do your best.

2. Get involved, and stay involved, in out-of-class activities. Sports, clubs, drama, bands and orchestras — these often count toward a student’s overall scholarship application evaluation. The same goes for paid (or unpaid) work experience.

3. Begin your scholarship research early — by your sophomore (大学二年级) or junior year of high school, if possible. Make special notes of application deadlines, as they can vary from late summer to late spring.

4. Apply for as many scholarships as you are eligible (符合条件的) for — several smaller scholarships can add up to a lot of money.

1. Read the supplementary (补充的) materials that come with scholarship application forms to better understand the program’s focus (community service, subject interest). Try to answer the questions with the focus area in mind.

2. Answer questions as they are asked. Don’t go off topic.

3. If there is a financial section to the application, make sure you get accurate and complete information from all appropriate sources to ensure your eligibility.

4. Take your time. Write down everything you can think of for each question, then set the application aside for a day so you can look everything over again before you send it off.

5. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your application, especially if you are applying online. Computer systems can get blocked with the large volume of applicants hoping to submit (上交) their qualifications during the last few days and hours before a deadline.

6. If a third party has to complete part of your application, such as providing a letter of recommendation, make sure you ask them early on and remind them as often as necessary to ensure they provide you with the necessary materials.

7. Last but not least, review your application with your parents to make sure you haven’t left out any important details.

Good luck to the students applying for the 2019 scholarship programs!

Charlotte’s Web

Wilbur lay resting after the excitement and strain of the ceremony. His medal still hung from his neck; by looking out of the comer of his eye he could see it.

“Charlotte,” said Wilbur after a while, “why are you so quiet?” “I like to sit still,” she said. “I’ve always been rather quiet.” “Yes, but you seem specially so today. Do you feel all right?” “A little tired, perhaps. But I feel peaceful. Your success in the ring this morning was, to a small degree, my success. Your future is assured. You will live, secure and safe, Wilbur. Nothing can harm you now… All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur—this lovely world, these precious days. Charlotte stopped. A moment later a tear came to wilbur’s eye. “Oh, Charlotte,” he said. “To think that when I first met you I thought you were cruel and bloodthirsty!” When he recovered from his emotion, he spoke again.

“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked. “I don’t deserve it I’ve never done anything for you.” “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all,what’s a life, anyway?… By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.” “Well,” said Wilbur. “I’m no good at making speeches. I haven’t got your gift for words. But you have saved me, Charlotte, and I would gladly give my life for you—I really would.” “I’m sure you would. And I thank you for your generous sentiments.” “Charlotte”, said Wilbur. “The Fair is almost over, Aren’t you anxious to get home?” For a moment Charlotte said nothing. Then she spoke in a voice so low that Wilbur could hardly hear the words.

“I will not be going back to the barn,” she said.

Wilbur leapt to his feet. “Not going back?” he cried. “Charlotte, what are you talking about?”

“I’m done for,” she replied. “In a day or two I’ll be dead. I haven’t even strength enough to climb down into the crate. I doubt if I have enough silk in my spinnerets to lower me to the ground.” Hearing this, Wilbur threw himself down in an agony of pain and sorrow. Great sobs racked his body. ... “I won’t leave you here alone to die. If you’re going to stay here I shall stay, too.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Charlotte. “You can’t stay here. Zuckerman and Lurvy and John Arable and the others will be back any minute now, and they’ll shove you into that crate and away you’ll go.”

Wilbur was in a panic. he raced round and round the pen. Suddenly he had an idea he thought of the egg sac and the five hundred and fourteen little spiders that would hatch in the spring. If Charlotte herself was unable to go home to the barn, at least he must take her children along.

【推荐3】On Monday, I stopped my car in front of my daughter Juliet’s middle school. She jumped in the front seat, feeling down. She asked me to help her study for her science test.

“Dad, I need to memorise a unit about the Reproductive Cycle of Plants. And I can hardly make it.”

“You know memorising seems like the best way to study, but in fact you can do better in tests if you work on trying to understand the material.”

Juliet was open to my advice. It was Monday afternoon and we had two nights to study before the test on Wednesday. I suggested a plan. “Tomorrow night, you are going to teach the material to me. Tonight, read the unit. Prepare to teach.”

Asking her to teach me was an unusual idea but I was determined to do it. Studies show teaching somebody else is a very useful way to learn. Even if you don’t do the teaching, the act of preparing to teach leads to more learning than just trying your best to memorise the material.

On Tuesday afternoon, Juliet sat down with her science book facing me and said, “Okay Dad, let’s study.” I wanted her to teach me. But false starts happened. I couldn’t be too hard on her. So instead we started with me asking her some simple questions. She knew some but not others. When she didn’t know the answers, I encouraged her to check the book.

She started checking things that didn’t make sense. And she was actively seeking to test her understanding. I was happy to see it. She wasn’t memorising; she was trying to make sense of things, which was exactly what I had hoped she would do.