【推荐1】My problems started after I went to a boarding school. I was only 14, and at first I missed my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school.

I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends—but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.

Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I’d already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn’t include me. I was sad.

Mr. Wang came to me and said, “Don’t be sad. I know you’re excellent! Maybe you’re a little distant from the girls in our class. They don’t know much about you, so some of them didn’t choose you. It doesn’t matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you’ll make it next time.”

【推荐2】Beaches have been around in many schools. But a group of school kids in Cork in the south of Ireland are trying to do something a bit different with them. They have created a special bench called Buddy or Friendship Bench.

The idea for the bench came about last year, when Regina Farrell, school counselor at Mclntyre Elementary, was conducting a leadership group to help students overcome shyness and gain confidence. Four fourth-grade students came up with the idea when working with him.

The concept of the Buddy Bench is simple:Students who want to take part in playground games and activities, but may feel hesitant, can take a seat, which suggests to other children on the playground that they may needed an extra boost to participate. It builds kid’s self-esteem(自尊) to ask others to play with them. Likewise, reaching out to a peer who is feeling left out makes a great difference.

But do children actually use the benches? It’s something Sinead Mcgilloway from Maynooth University has been looking at. “We found that 40% of the children had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child sitting on the bench.”

“Since it was installed on Nov.16, the bench has been effective,” he added. “The simple concept has gained applause from the students, and already has created a more inclusive environment within the school community.”

“Each day, I go and see the Buddy Bench working,”Farrell said. “The lessons they are learning mow will benefit them their entire lives. It is simply a beautiful example of kids wanting to be kind and continue to be kind every day.”

【推荐3】Ways to Help Your Teen Adjust to a New School

In an ideal world, a teen could start and finish their schooling at the same school.    1    .And while a move to a new city can be stressful for the entire family, it may be especially difficult for your teenager.Use these strategies to help your teen adjust to a new school.

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The adjustment period begins before your teen ever steps foot into the new school.Point out the new opportunities that'll be available.If you have confidence that you can make it in a new city or a new job, your teen will feel more confident about his ability to succeed in a new school.

Listen to your teen's concerns

If you don't have an open relationship with your teen currently, now it is time to build one.It's easiest to get him to open up when he's feeling unsure.    3    . Is he worried about new teachers? Does he doubt his ability to make the basketball team?

Talk about your reasons for moving

    4    . If you're preparing for a better career opportunity, or you need to find a new house because you can't afford to stay where you are, talk about it.

Learn about the new school ahead of time

Conduct as much research as possible about the new school before your teen starts attending.Get your teen to find out about the size of the school and the types of classes offered.    5    .Talking to a network guidance counselor ahead of time can also be helpful.

【推荐1】The color of food might affect just how much you want to eat them，but what about the birds in your neighborhood？Would they care what color their food is？Try this out for a science fair project，or just to learn something new while making your local birds happy.

Begin this experiment with the question“What color of birdseed（鸟食），if any，will birds like the most?”, and then make a hypothesis (假设) based on your question. An example might be“Birds will eat more green birdseed than other colors of birdseed.”

You should get several bird feeders. Purchase birdseed that is very light in color. To color the birdseed, pour it into a bowl and then add food coloring that you can purchase from the store. Mix them up well with a spoon and continue to add coloring until all the seed is colored. You should sample at least a few colors and have one feeder with seed that has not been colored—this is called the control and it will give you something to compare your results to. Now just hang them up outside in the same location，and wait for your feathered friends to show up. This works best in an area where birds are used to feeding from a feeder—it can take birds over a week to find new feeders.

Observe your bird feeders whenever possible，and keep track of how much seed is in each bird feeder each day. A ruler is helpful for this. You might also want to take pictures of the feeders and keep track of what kind of birds visit each feeder. Over time，you should be able to see if one color of seed gets eaten more than others.

Once your experiment is done，you will be able to go back to your hypothesis and see if it is correct. Remember, it’s not bad if your hypothesis was wrong. The main thing is that you’ve learned something from your experiment，and hopefully you had some fun doing it.

【推荐2】The summer vacation is coming. If you do not know where to go, here are some cities to visit in 2019 recommended by Lonely Planet.

With its modern design, 15 Michelin-starred restaurants and extremely bike-friendly culture, it is no surprise that Denmark' s capital has topped Lonely Planet's top 10 cities to visit in the 2019 list. Copenhagen' s street food scene is booming on Refshaleoen, a former industrial area with a food and craft market, Reffen. Copenhagen is also home to UNESCO-listed Roskilde Cathedral, where Denmark's queens and kings are buried, and the breathtaking Louisiana Museum.

The top 10 list offers a mix of well-known and a lesser -known locations. Those places include second place Shenzhen, China, Novi Sad, Serbia in third place, and Miami, Florida in fourth place. With its stunning beaches, the South Beach scene and art scene mixed with Cuban and other Caribbean and Latin American cultures, Miami is hopping with something for everyone.

While Novi Sad isn't nearly as well-known as the capital of Belgrade, it 's much more fashionable. Nicknamed the “Athens of Serbia”, it's home to the country 's annual EXIT Festival, a music festival, which is held each July at the 18th century Petrovaradin Fortress. Next year, Novi Sad will be 2019* a European Youth Capital. It may be a practice run for 2021, when the city will celebrate the title of European Capital of Culture.

Three years after it was hit by an earthquake, Kathmandu is welcoming visitors to a city that is much quieter, by design. It remains the doorstep to the Himalayas, with medieval (中世纪的) architecture, great food and nightlife. It is also much quieter than it has been in the past with cars banned from the historic center. It is also hosting the South Asia Games in 2019.

【推荐3】You might have heard a lot about ancient towns and ancient cities in China. Here, we list several of the most beautiful ancient villages in China.

Baoshan Stone City, Yunnan Province

Baoshan Stone City was built on a huge mushroom-shaped rock, and only has about one hundred houses. The houses are laid out in an orderly way, built on the rock, and linked by stone steps. The Naxi people there still lead an original life and grow crops in terraces(梯田); you can experience the colorful culture of the Naxi ethnic(民族的) group there.

Tuvas Village in Kanas, Xinjiang

Kanas Tuvas Village is near the mysterious Lake Kanas. The small village is located in a valley, and only has about 80 houses. These Swiss-style wooden houses are all surrounded by wooden fences. Tuvas is an ancient minority group. They traditionally lived as hunter-gathers. You can visit a local family, go herding(放牧) with the locals and experience the peaceful ancient village life.

Jiaju Tibetan Village, Danba, Sichuan Province

Jiaju Tibetan Village is known as the “Tibetan fairyland”. It stands on a mountain slope, and consists of about 140 houses. These unique houses are all built with crown-shaped roofs, red caves, and white walls, which make the houses look like little castles among the forest.

Xijiang Miao Village, Guizhou Province

If you’re interested in the Miao Minority, Xijiang Miao Village can be a great destionation for deepening your understanding of Miao history and culture. It’s the largest Miao village in China, and now has 1,432 households with a population of over 5,000, of which 99.5% are Miao ethnic group. It’s also famous for the houses built on poles of different heights.