【推荐3】Some American states are making money available for high school graduates so they can learn skills to help them get technology jobs without a college degree.

One example is the northeastern state of Connecticut. It has invested $70 million to put young people and adults through short-term training programs that can lead to good paying technology jobs.

The programs are known as “non-degree skills training.” They have helped people like Mohameth Seck, who left college after two years. Seck said he wanted to work in technology but the classes he was offered in a traditional college program “weren’t really interesting”to him. He also said traditional college takes too long to finish.

So Seck decided to enter a one-year computer training program run by a nonprofit organization. Today, the 25-year-old teaches computer coding at a skills training center, or academy, in Stamford, Connecticut. Eck said friends who finished the program also have good jobs.

Research carried out by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce showed that people who do get a college degree earn about 84 percent more over their lifetimes. But not everyone can get into, pay for or do well in college.

David Soo leads an organization called Jobs for the Future. He said the college model that has been in place for the last 40 years does not work for everyone. And this is especially true for students who are Black, Hispanic (拉美裔美国人) or whose families do not make a lot of money. “We need to find a better way to serve those students.” Soo said.

Anthony Carnevale is the leader of Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. He said that while job training is good, it is not 100 percent correct to tell people they cannot benefit from a college degree.

One reason companies might hire college graduates is because they think they might have better communication and teamwork skills.

【推荐1】What country does English belong to? The answer seems obvious: Britain. But there are about 18 million or 40% of people in the European Union speaking English— much more than the combine population of those core English-speaking countries, such as Britain, Canada and Australia.

To make things more complex, the number of English-speakers born outside the tradition English-speaking countries grows every day and it is becoming not just a useful second language, but native one there. Already it is easy to find children in northern Europe who speak as though they come from America because they have been watching Hollywood films and TV programs, along with music gaming and social media.

Today, many learners still aim for an American or British standard. Textbooks instruct India English-speakers to avoid Indianisms such as “What is your good name?” for “What is your first name?”, or “I am working here for years.” instead of “I have been working here for years.” A guide to avoiding Europeanisms has long existed in European Union institutions to keep German-speakers from using “actual” to mean “current”, as it does in their language.

Given enough time, new generations of foreign language speakers contribute not just words but their own grammar to the language they learn. “I am working here for years.” is a mistake today, but it is not hard to imagine it becoming standard in the future in India. If this disturbs you, remember that this text is written in a language that was a mixture of French, Latin and others until it became an unrecognizably different tongue.

No language has ever reached more speakers than English. It is hard to predict how they will change it, but it is easy to rule out the possibility that they will not change it at all. But you can take comfort in the fact that such changes usually happen too slowly to affect comprehension in a single lifetime.

【推荐2】Have you ever felt that you want more friends? Have you found that you don’t know how to make friends? Don’t worry. It is easier than it looks.

Start with small actions. If you’re uncomfortable or embarrassed (尴尬的) with long conversations with people, start by just saying “hi” and asking what the person is doing. Even if you do more listening than talking in the beginning, people will usually still like you. When it comes to conversations, remember “F. O. R”. It stands for family, occupation (职业) and recreation (休闲). These are the three topics that you may be asked about when you meet someone new. Most people feel comfortable talking about these three topics. The great thing is that these are also three areas in which you can talk with someone new.

Honesty is the best policy. In friendship, “honesty” is the fundamental quality that one must have. One should always be honest with his or her friends. Don’t laugh at people’s faults. Praise them honestly and openly. Say you’re sorry if you hurt your friends.

Give more than you take. Be there when they need you. Encourage them. We all often need encouragement. Encourage their dreams. Life seems to have no meaning without dreams. Wish your friends luck. Examine your purposes before you “help out”. Love them and never forget them.