【推荐1】I can’t count how many times people have complained, while shaking their heads in obvious disappointment,“just don’t know what is with teenagers today.”

The other day I was in my car on my way to the farmers market when I passed two teens standing by the side of the road with a car washing sign. My car wasfilthyand my heart was full, so I pulled over. There was a group directing the cars and another group spraying them down. As sponges(海绵) were wiped over every square inch of my dirty car, I sat enjoying the little water bottles. I was amazed at why forty to fifty teenagers had devoted their Saturday to washing cars.

After I handed them a twenty-dollar bill I asked what they were raising money for. They explained to me that a friend of theirs, C.T.Schmitz, had recently died of cancer. He was only fifteen years old. He had gone to school with a lot of the teenagers who were there that day and each of them had memories of a boy sweeter than any they had known. His friend Kevin had decided to put this car wash together because he wanted to honor his friend and also bring together his classmates with his boy scout troop(童子军). He told me that they wanted to plant a tree in front of their school and if they raised enough money they would put a plaque(纪念匾) there also. Both would be in memory of their friend C.T.

They handed me a bag of homemade cookies with my receipt(收据) saying“Thanks for helping us plant a tree of C.T.”

Yeah! I don’t know what is with teenagers today!

【推荐2】A modern phone can put the world at the user’s fingertips. Calls, messaging, photos and information access, all make for a better lifestyle. But sometimes, these phones are of little practical use. Leku Wuniure’s 63-year-old mother communicates in the Yi language, because she can’t read Chinese or speak Mandarin and is even unable to read numbers. As a result, a very simple, taken-for-granted feature of any modern phone like finding someone, can prove to be difficult. Whenever she wants to call her son, she has to ask someone to help her to dial his number.

Leku, 25, a young man of the Yi ethnic (彝族) group, naturally, wanted to help. So he created an app that responds to his mother’s request to “call my son” in the Yi language. Once this is said, the app will automatically dial his number. The app is called Yayou. It turned out to be a fantastic aid for his mother and has also benefited many among the more than 8 million Yi people in China.

“With the app, I wanted to help my mom, as well as the Yi people,” says Leku, a college student at Chongqing University. “Besides my mother’s plight, I’ve also witnessed some villagers, who left to make a living as workers in cities, suffering financial losses or misunderstanding due to the obstacles (障碍) in communication.”

The dream is becoming bigger-after more than two years’ development, Leku and his partner Mise Achang are ready to launch an updated version of their app in May. The 2.0 version of Yayou will have several new functions, providing news and entertainment content, as well as online shopping services, in both the Yi and Chinese languages. What’s more exciting, some users will be able to test the new voice assistant function and interact with their smartphone in the Yi language, before its final release.

With the app, users could listen to more songs, watch videos and read news presented on the app in the Yi language. The app, apart from bringing greater convenience, can also serve as an important cultural tool. It can be used as a database to collect oral and written records of Yi culture and help keep it.

【推荐3】I was new to this high school, and to the students it served. I settled into my seat at the front of the classroom. Of the thirty students, I counted just 10 in their seats. The students didn’t seem to want to be there. They sat in their chairs, staring out of the window.

The back door opened heavily. After Mike came Belinda. No apologies, no explanations. “Things will get better, ” I told myself, and began the first lesson. Perhaps because I was nervous, I ran through the material more quickly than I should have. “Wait, ” interrupted Mike. “I didn’t pay good money to come to a school where the teacher doesn’t explain things clearly.” It was forty-five minutes before class ended, but I couldn’t go any further. In all my years of teaching, I’d never had a class like this.

The next day I got to school early as usual. This time the students showed up on time, but half the students didn’t take notes. They acted as if they were sitting there to meet a requirement.

Why couldn’t I reach them?

“You try picturing them being happy and successful,” my husband advised.

The next day, I pictured each student listening, taking notes, raising their hands and learning. Then at school, my eyes moved from chair to chair. I thought about how hard they worked during the day, studying late into the night or whenever they had a spare moment.

Things started to change. During the break, Mark even volunteered to help me set up my materials. Belinda stayed focused, quietly taking notes.

At our last class Mike handed me a thank-you card signed by every student. One comment stood out: “It took me a while, but I found I enjoyed your class. Nothing could take away the joy I got from my experience. Thank you, Belinda.” My eyes were filled with tears.

【推荐2】The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the branches of an old tree， with good reason to frown， for the world was intended to drag me down． At this time， a boy approached me． He stood right before me， and said with great excitement， "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower， and what a pitiful sight， with its petals （花瓣） all worn． Wanting him to take his flower and go off to play， I faked a small smile and then turned to the other side．

But instead of leaving， he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared， "It really smells pretty and it's beautiful， too． That's why I picked it． Here， it's for you．"

The flower before me was dying or dead． But I knew I must take it， or he might never leave． So I reached for the flower， and replied， "Just what I need．"

But instead of placing the flower in my hand， he held it in mid-air． It was then that I noticed that the boy was blind．

I heard my voice quiver （轻微颤抖）， and at the same time my tears shone like the sun． As I thanked him for picking the very best one， he smiled and said， "You're welcome．" And then he ran off to play， unaware of the impact he'd had on me．

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old tree． Perhaps from his heart， he'd been blessed with true sight．

Through the eyes of the blind boy， I could see the problem was not with the world； the problem was me． And for all of those times I had been blind． From now on I vowed to see beauty and appreciate every second that's mine． Then I held the flower up to my nose and breathed its fragrance and smiled as that young boy．

【推荐3】Professional rock climber Emily Harrington has made history after successfully free climbing Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan on 4 November 2020.

Harrington, 34, became the fourth person — and the first woman — to ever scale the 3,000-foot El Capitan without the help of a rope or other equipment. “The people before me who have achieved this are kind of like some of my heroes in rock climbing,” she said, “so it feels pretty special to join that group.”

But Harrington’s climb was not without injury — at one point, she slid and was left with a serious wound on her forehead that required her to take a break. “I took a fall and I couldn’t get my feet out and my head actually hit the wall,” she recalled, “I got this wound on my forehead. I rested a little bit longer, bandaged (包扎) it up, and then tried again,” Harrington said, adding that although she “kind of didn’t really want to try again,” she powered through because “ I felt like I should try again.”

After 21 hours and 13 minutes, Harrington scaled all of El Capitan, achieving a feat (壮举) she failed to finish twice last year. “That was my life dream. I achieved it,” she said.

Harrington said she’s hopeful that her journey has inspired others. “I hope that as a result of my story more people will get to experience climbing, or at least try.”

Harrington previously scaled Mt. Qomolangma, the tallest mountain in the world. As a former member of the USA climbing team, Harrington has competed in five U.S. sport climbing championships and two North American championships.