【推荐1】Dr. Bhuvana, a special educator and therapist, once taught at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. During her classes, she observed that some students did not absorb the content as well as others or lacked understanding of specific topics. At times, they nodded their head but they did not actually grasp the meaning. She realized she needed to make a change instead of just sticking to the traditional teaching methods. Parents were impressed by the improvements in their slow pupils and suggested Dr. Bhuvana start a special school for such children.

Dr. Bhuvana came to the rescue of students with developmental disorders. In 1998, she opened Bridges Learning Vidyalaya to teach students with autism (自闭症) and other developmental disorders. There every child’s IQ is tested using Malin’s Intelligence Scale and classified into mild, moderate and severe groups. The school adopts unique teaching methods to impart (传授) knowledge and helps kids understand topics from a child’s perspective. The school has also trained teachers to teach the subjects in a friendly manner.

Over the past 25 years, the school has educated over 6,000 slow students, many of whom are now doctors, managers and engineers working in big companies or have important careers. Uthamanathan, the father of Suryanarayan, a student at the school, says, “My child was unwilling to go to a traditional school. His grades were low, and he failed to score beyond single-digit marks. We worried about his future. Fortunately, I learned about Dr. Bhuvana’s school and Suryanarayan was admitted into Class 4. Dr. Bhuvana chalked out a practical customized curriculum for him, which helped him develop an interest in studies. Now he is pursuing his MBA in a well-known university.

Dr. Bhuvana says, “Parents always feel they need someone like me for their children, and I feel glad that I can help them. On some occasions, the pressures at various levels make me feel upset and burdened. But when a child learns well and hugs me in return, it gives me satisfaction and confidence. I draw energy from children’s love and my passion for teaching.

【推荐1】Agatha Christie, the creator of one of the most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot, is the best-selling author of all time.

She was born on 15 September, 1890 in Torquay, South West England, into a comfortably well off middle-class family. Although her mother, Clara, an excellent storyteller, did not want her to learn to read too early, she taught herself to read by the age of five. Agatha read the children’s stories of the time, invented imaginary friends and began writing poems when she was very young. At the age of eleven there was a shock. Her father, not well after suffering financial difficulties, died after a series of heart attacks. There were more money worries and talks of selling their house, but Clara and her daughters managed to find a way forward.

By the age of 18 Agatha was amusing herself with writing short stories. But it was during the First World War that Agatha turned to writing detective stories. Her debut detective novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles took some time to finish and even longer to find a publisher. She started writing partly in response to a bet from her sister Madge that she couldn’t write a good detective story and partly to ease the tiredness of working in a Red Cross Hospital in Torquay. Her new knowledge in poisons was also put to good use. The murderer’s use of poison was so well described that when the book was eventually published Agatha received a special honour for a writer of fiction-a review in Pharmaceutical (药学) Journal.

The inspiration for Hercule Poirot came from Agatha’s own life experience. During the First World War there were Belgian refugees (难民) in most parts of the English countryside, Torquay being no exception. Although he was not based on any particular person, Agatha thought that a Belgian refugee, a former great Belgian policeman, would make an excellent detective for The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Hercule Poirot was born.

【推荐3】“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. ”

— Jack London

Jack London fought his way up out of the factories and waterfront dives (酒馆) of West Oakland to become the highest paid, most popular novelist and short story writer of his day. He wrote passionately about the great questions of life and death, the struggle to survive with honor and honesty, and he put these basic ideas into stories of high adventure with his own life at sea, or in Alaska, or in the fields and factories of California. As a result, his writing appealed not to the few.

Along with his books and stories, however, Jack London was widely known for his personal exploits. He was a celebrity who was often in the news. Generally fun-loving and playful, he could also be a soldier, and was always quick to help with the underdog against unfairness of any kind. He was a passionate public speaker, and much admired as a lecturer on socialism and other political topics. He was a man whose brilliant success was due not to special favor of any kind, but to a combination of unusual mental ability and great efforts.

On November 22, 1916, Jack London died at the age of 40 after suffering from a variety of illnesses, including a kidney (肾脏) condition that was extraordinarily painful at times. Nevertheless, right up to the last day of his life he was full of great plans and boundless enthusiasm for the future.

“No writer, unless it were Mark Twain, ever had a more romantic life than Jack London. The untimely death of this most popular American Fictionists deeply shocked a world that expected him to live and work for many years longer.” (Ernest J. Hopkins in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916 ).