【推荐2】Peter Kline has run over 100 marathons — a huge feat in itself. But what makes him so remarkable is that he has finished 45 of those marathons while pushing young people with disabilities in front of him. Kline wants them to know the joy of running too.

Kline started hitting the pavement when he was in his early 50s after running a 10K with his nephew. Eventually, he began running marathons — with the goal of qualifying for Boston’s famous race. And, years later, he did.

His friend Scott Patrick was diagnosed (诊断) with glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, and asked Kline to run the race to raise money for cancer research. Kline helped Patrick and other volunteers raise about $60,000. Patrick passed away the same year, but not before Kline gifted him the finisher’s medal.

Being able to help others through his beloved sport made an impression. Kline, now 66, told CBS News he knew of a father-son duo (二人组) who would run races together — the father pushing his son with disabilities as he completed the course. But, he wondered, “What about kids who don’t have a dad to do that?”

After being connected to a woman with two daughters who have cerebral palsy (脑瘫), he decided to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon in 2012 with one of the girls. The little girl loved it, and Kline said his mission to share his love of the sport “just started rolling”. He has named the mission, “Marathons with Meaning”.

The young people he pushes have ranged in ages from 8 to 32 and have many types of disabilities, from cerebral palsy to traumatic brain injuries. “They love it. It’s like their Super Bowl,” Kline gushed. “They absolutely love the sounds, the noises, the feelings. As for the other runners, they’re always very generous. They give them high-fives.”

【推荐3】The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are among the most famous awards for student achievement in the literary and visual arts. Past winners include such short story masters as Donald Barthelme, Joyce Carol Oates, and Stephen King.

The contest offers several categories connected with short story writers: short story, flash fiction, science fiction, humor, and writing portfolio (档案袋) (graduating seniors only).

Who can enter? The contest is open to students in grades 7-12 (including homeschoolers) in the U.S., Canada, or American schools abroad.

What do winners receive? The contest offers a variety of scholarships (some as high as $10, 000) and cash awards (some as high as $1, 000) at both the regional level and the national level. Winners may also receive certificates of recognition and opportunities for publication.

How are entries judged? The awards cite three judging criteria: “Originality, technical skill, and the emergence (呈现) of a personal vision or voice.” Be sure to read past winners to get an idea of what’s been successful. The judges change every year, but they always include people who are highly accomplished in their field.

When is the deadline? Competition guidelines are updated in September, and submissions are usually accepted from September through early January. Regional Gold Key winners will automatically advance to the national competition.

How do I enter? All students begin by entering a regional competition based on their ZIP code. See the guidelines for additional information.

【推荐1】A canal has to be built on a level, otherwise the water drains out of it and the canal becomes useless. This was the great problem facing the early canal builders, and they overcame it in different ways. The early engineers like James Brindley simply followed the outlines of the countryside and kept their canals level even though it often meant choosing very roundabout routes.

Later engineers, such as Thomas Telford, developed a new technique known as “cut and fill” in which they fixed a level through very accurate surveying. This allowed them to fill in the hollows on a route with the exact amount of soil they took from the higher ground. By this method, very direct routes could be taken, which cut down the time of a journey very considerably. A good example of this type of canal is Telford’s Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, which he began in 1825 to provide a direct route from the Midlands to the River Mersey.

It was seldom possible to build a completely level canal, of course, whichever method was used, and most canals were provided with locks in which barges (驳船) were raised or lowered to new levels. If you look at the diagram below, you can see a barge being raised in a lock by means of water which was allowed into the lock basin, or pound, from the upper level of the canal. When a barge had to be lowered, water was allowed out of the pound into the lower level of the canal.

【推荐2】People from Britain and Ireland first came to live in Australia in 1788. They brought different dialects(方言) of English with them. These different kinds of English began to mix and change. The newcomers soon began to speak wi)th their own typical accent(口音) and vocabulary. More and more people came to Australia during the Gold Rush in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some came from Britain and Ireland; others came from non-English speaking countries. Australian English continued to grow and change.

Australian English has also been influenced by American English. During the Second World War, there were many American soldiers staying in Australia. More importantly, American television shows and music have been popular in Australia since the 1950s.

Australians use many words that other English speakers do not use. The famous Australian greeting, for example, is G'day! A native forest is called the bush and central Australia is called the outback. Many words were brought to Australia from Britain and Ireland. For example, mate means "friend",and it is still used in Britain. Some of these words have changed in meaning. Some words have come from Australian original languages, many of which are names for animals, plants and places, like dingo and kangaroo.

Australian spelling comes from British spelling. In words like organise and realise, -ise is the expected and taught spelling method. In words like colour, favourite, -our is the normal, but nouns such as the Labor Party and Victor Harbor are spelled with -or. Program, on the other hand, is more common than programme.

There are also differences in the definition(定义) of words Australians use in different parts of the country. For example, football means "rugby" in New South Wales and Queensland, but "Australian rules football" in everywhere else in Australia. In New South Wales, a swimming costume is called a cossie or swimmers, while in Queensland it is called togs and bathers in Victoria.

【推荐3】About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies like Australia, and Ireland. But Thailand, Indonesia and Japan have also developed this habit.

This strange quirk puzzles the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700s, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it is the sensible option for violent, feudal societies of mostly right-handed people. Soldiers with their swords under their right arms naturally passed on each other’s right, and if you passed a stranger on the road, you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between you and him.

Revolutionary France, however, did away with this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink, and thanks to Napoleon, this change was carried out all over continental Europe. Because he was left-handed, his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent. From then on, any country colonized by the French took to driving on the right.

After the American Revolutionary War (1775 — 1783), the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut all remaining links to its British colonial past. Once America became the center of the car industry, if you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought American right-hand-drive. From then on, many countries changed out of necessity.

Today, the EU would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this is no longer possible. It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round. The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. This ironically caused a reduction in car accidents because everyone drove carefully while getting used to the new system.

【推荐1】It isn’t often that zookeepers call on craftspeople for help. But cold weather at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in northern India was putting elephants at risk. So the center’s staff joined forces with locals to find a creative way to keep the animals warm. Now the elephants are stepping out in style, thanks to volunteers who take advantage of their crafting talents to knit enormous sweaters to protect the animals.

Wildlife SOS is a conservation group that has been taking action against animal cruelty and saving wildlife in pain since 1995. Their Elephant Conservation and Care Center is dedicated to rescuing the gentle giants from abuse and exploitation in circuses, illegal hunting, and other circumstances where they have been neglected or treated with extreme cruelty. There are currently 20 elephants living at the center, and the staff hope to take in 50 more of the creatures this year.

Because most of the elephants housed at the center are recovering from injuries or are elderly and weak, they are particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures. When the staff reported near-freezing nighttime temperatures this winter, volunteers from surrounding villages began knitting enormous sweaters to keep the elephants warm. The sweaters are large enough to cover the elephants’ backs, bellies, and legs.

Making the sweaters is a big undertaking — each one takes approximately four weeks to create, with volunteers working together on the huge garments. Still, the volunteers make sure that the knits are not only warm and comfortable, but they are also colorful, and even fashionable. Centered on a common, compassionate goal, the project helps promote a sense of community in all who participate.

【推荐3】We live in a world where new technologies and new methods are constantly being introduced. As humans，we are learning machines. We are most alive and functioning closest to our potential when we are learning，adapting，adjusting and finding new ways，approaches and techniques to improve our lives or the lives of others in some way.

Learning does not finish when we leave school. Learning can become a way of life that helps us to achieve our greatest potential. We shall never stop learning，as there is always something new and interesting to discover.

Lifelong learners never fail，because failure isn't in the vocabulary. Failure is just defined as “a failure to learn”．

When a project does not go according to the plan，lifelong learners ask themselves “What can I learn from this？” and follow up with “How can I do this differently and achieve my outcome？”．They do not say，“I did not get to my goal，so I must be a failure.”

There is a wonderful saying: “The only way to fail is to quit！” Robert Kiyosaki，author of Rich Dad，Poor Dad，said，“The only reason I am standing up here and you aren't is that I have failed more often than you have.”

It is sad but true that our greatest lessons come from our greatest failures.The important thing is the lesson. There is no such thing as failure as long as there is a lesson to be learned.

Learn something new every single day. Three very good reasons for becoming a lifelong learner include promoting your brain's health，giving your life a sense of purpose and promoting your financial security. Any one of these reasons should be enough，but all three combine to a powerful motivation to learn.