【推荐1】Everything was put neatly into my suitcase. I’m a flight attendant. I’m so organized, my half of the closet could be a display at The Container Store. My husband’s half of the closet? Just thinking about it made my head ache. I carried my suitcase downstairs. Bill was in the kitchen cooking. Looking at the messy kitchen, I shouted, “Why do you have to be so messy?” Bill looked hurt, “What?” I sighed and left for the airport.

On my last flight, an elderly couple had the seats in my section. They held hands during takeoff. Later I caught them looking into each other’s eyes. Something about that look was familiar. Then I realized: it was the look Bill and I had worn in our wedding photographs. I couldn’t resist asking them about the secret of their long-lasting marriage. “Have fun together” the man said, “and never take each other for granted.”

His words circled in my head long after we landed. Bill wasn’t perfect. But then, was I? I kept complaining about his messiness and forgot his kindness, his ability to see the bright side of every situation-qualities that ran so much deeper, the reasons I had married him in the first place

I took out my cell phone and called Bill. “I miss you already.” I said. “I miss you too, Kim,” he said. As soon as my flights were over, I rushed home. Bill met me at the door. “I have a surprise for you.” he said and led me into the kitchen. I glanced around the room. He really had worked hard. In spite of the fingerprints on that microwave floor, I could see our reflection in it: my husband and I, our smiles glowing with love for each other, just like in our wedding photos.

After I attended your summer camp about health and lifestyle choices, I realised I hardly ever felt well, either physically or mentally. I often felt sleepy and dizzy, and lacked passion. Most worrying, though, I got the flu easily and experienced many toothaches, too.

At the end of the camp I heard, "Change the world by changing yourself." This stimulated my motivation. A dentist once examined me and told me that too much sugar in my meals had damaged my teeth and health. I made up my mind to change two things in my life: to eat nothing with sugar and to exercise regularly.

After that I stopped buying all the sweets, biscuits, and sugary drinks that I used to have every day. Whenever I went out with friends. I brought snacks from home, things that didn't have any added sugar: fruit, nuts, dried meat, etc.

My exercise was very simple: I went outside every day for at least 30 minutes and did something active. Sometimes I played table tennis or badminton with my cousins. Other times I jumped on my skateboard and rode around my neighbourhood, or just took a long walk.

The results have been fantastic. I feel more dynamic and stronger than ever, in both body and mind.I sleep soundly at night now. I no longer suffer from a flu virus or toothaches either. Best of all, in my opinion, is how I feel about myself. I feel like I'm in control of my own life. To make choices about myself is within my own power. I CAN change myself. I just need to try.

Yours truly,

Wang Lu

As I took part in the summer camp about personal life choices, I started to analyse my choices, especially what I did to relax and how it was affecting my whole life.

After starting high school, I felt stressed out and always relaxed by playing computer games. I got so absorbed that I played the games day and night. Playing was fun, but I felt even more worn out afterwards! So after the camp, I realised that it was very, very important to adjust my lifestyle. I decided to take control of my life and find other ways to relax.

It was a big struggle not to join my friends in playing online games as I'm mad for them. However, I realised that to succeed in quitting, I had to replace it with something else. So I thought about what to try. Rock climbing, bowling, watching comedies, and playing basketball were the things I thought of doing instead.

Now my dad and I go rock climbing together monthly! It has enhanced the quality of my life, improving my health and increasing my happiness. I get refreshed through climbing, spend more time with my dad, and get to meet new friends.

After six months of trying out new ways of relaxing, I feel much more energetic. I feel that I can change myself for the better. And if that's true for me, then it might truly be possible to change the world for the better. As Gandhi said," Be the change you want to see in the world."

These are two _________ from _______and_________, who attended_________ and wrote to the editor to inform the editor of their_________, _________, ___________and___________.

【推荐3】My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.

“Sure, honey, that sounds great,” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile. I knew we would be best friends forever.

In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. That was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon,” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. I got depressed for a long time. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.

The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Loggia,” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she flashed me a big smile, “My name is Laura.”

My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece.

【推荐1】Life in the Internet age is lonely-or is it? That’s what experts in human interaction are debating after a new Stanford University survey has been published.

According to the study, the more time people spend online, the less they can spare for real-life relationships with family and friends. The researchers asked 113 people about the Web’s influence on daily activities, 36% of those people are online for more than five hours a week. “As Internet use becomes more widespread, it will have an increasingly isolating (孤立的) effect on society, ” says Robert Kraut, one of the researchers.

Scholars and Web lovers criticized the study for stretching its data to make the “isolating” point. While 13% of regular Web users admitted the loss of time with loved ones, 60% reported watching less TV. The survey also shows that E-mail is the most popular online activity, If some of webheads (网虫) spend what was once passive TV time keeping company with friends via E-mails, “that’s a move toward greater connectedness,” says Paul Resnick, a professor at the University of Michigan.

This isn’t the first claim that the Web should be criticized. A 1998 report monitored 73 Pittsburgh-area families’ net use for a year. “People who used the Internet more talked less to family members and reported being lonelier and more depressed,” says Robert Kraut.

“It’s true that there have been big declines in social connectedness over the past decades, but those declines began before the Internet was invented,” says Thomas Putnam.

As Amitay Etzioni says, the Internet gives us a different kind of social life-not better or worse than before, but just different.

【推荐2】Growing up, we are constantly reminded that young people are heavily affected by technology. We are the “antisocial club”, those who prefer to text our friends in the same room rather than make eye contact with them. And even though never-ending studies reveal to us the extent of our social media addiction, we should at least consider that it’s not only our young people’s problem any more.

There’s the rise of the Instagram mums, who like to post an abundance of cute baby pictures, share their mom feelings along the way and show their wonderful lifestyles. They are the so-called “Facebook mum generation”, a growing group of parents that like to overshare.

While all of this might be fine, and even a little humorous, new research suggests that parents’ technology addiction is negatively affecting their children’s behavior. According to the study, 40% of mothers and 32% of fathers have admitted having some sort of phone addiction. This has led to a significant fall in verbal interactions within families and even a decline in mothers’ encouraging their children.

There is no denying that I get annoyed when receiving the words “I’ll be with you soon” from a parent, when all I want to do is ask one question. But, at the same time, every day leaving the room to wait until my father is finished with his “serious business” (Farmville), has now become the norm. Whether you want to escape your disturbing children for a bit, or want to stay up late flicking through Twitter, know that wanting to do all of these is normal. We, your children, know how addictive it can be and how difficult it is to switch off. But before telling us to put our phones away at the table or even worse, listing statistics of how damaging social media can be for us, maybe lead by example, considering how much time you spend on the phone and how this is impacting your children and your relationship with us. Maybe in this way we can work on our addiction together.