【推荐1】When I received my admission decision for Middlebury, my mouth dropped open in genuine (真的) shock.     1     Feeling unprepared, I was considering taking a gap year.

However, in processing this, I could only think about the negative points of taking a break between high school and college. I would fall behind my peers. I would forget everything I learned in high school with seven months of no learning.     2    

Upon arriving at Middlebury for the admitted student days, I was amazed at the beauty of the town and the campus. While speaking with Midd kids (as students are called), they all appeared happy and generally stress-free.

    3     In August, a few Midd kids I had met and befriended during the admitted student days suggested going to Newburyport, MA for a week. For the first time, I went on a road trip with someone I had only known for a few months. Yet, this trip showed me the freedom of being an independent adult in a way I had not felt at home.

    4     My gap semester was the best beginning to adulthood because it helped me become mature in an unexpected and enriching manner,     5    

To students reflecting on a gap year, be brave and do things that are outside your comfort zone. Talk to people: the world has so much to teach.

【推荐2】 In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we should share happiness and sorrow.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!

【推荐3】Friends are important to children．Research shows that children who have no friends can suffer from difficulties later in life．Friendship provides children with more than just fun．In making friends，children learn how to get in touch with others and solve problems．Having friends even does good to children for they can help each other during class.

If the parents are concerned about whether their children make many friends，what matters is that the child is comfortable and happy with his friends．Parents need to understand the steps children take in building friendships．First of all，be a friend to your child．Good friendships start at home．Children begin to develop the necessary ability to go out and meet others through getting along with their parents. Greet the child warmly and let him know you are glad to see him．Children learn a lot from how their parents stay with them and other people.

Teach children how to solve conflicts(争端)．Being able to work out conflicts is an important skill in getting along with others．If parents know the children have a conflict，let them work it out on their own．Only step in if it is really necessary，for example，an argument is getting physical.

Give children chances to practice staying together．Have children play games that require cooperation. For example，races are fun and provide plenty of practice in teamwork．“In what ways didn’t you work well together? What might you do differently next time?” For these ideas，see books such as Games Book by Telly Orlick and Team—Building by Alanna Jones.

Encourage children to show thanks to others．The parents can encourage children to do this by setting the example for them．

【推荐2】Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students

Are you a high school student aged 15 to 18? Then consider spending your summer at Harvard, where you can explore a variety of college-level courses, live and learn alongside a diverse set of peers, thus paving the way for a successful college experience you desire before your real college life. It is also an opportunity to expand your worldview, meet new people from all over the globe, and gain valuable knowledge and skills.

Pre-College Program

A two-week experience featuring noncredit courses

Join other curious high school students on campus at Harvard, and explore topics as wide ranging as American law, philosophy, public speaking, the sciences, and writing. The program features:

★On-campus housing with fellow pre-college students.

★Structured days with weekday class meetings and pre-college activities.

During your two weeks at Harvard, you attend class for three hours a day and participate in college readiness workshops or team-building events. In the evenings, you eat in the dining hall, finish homework in your room, and attend social activities.

Secondary School Program

College courses for credit in a seven-week session

This is your test-drive of college. At Harvard, you are fully involved in college life— balancing time between classes, homework, and after-school activities.

The program features：

★College courses you attend alongside current college students from around the world.

★Credit you can transfer to a college in the future.

★The choice to live on campus, commute, or study online.

★The freedom to schedule your days.

You may choose to enroll in one or two courses. Outside the classroom, you can attend workshops, take trips to nearby colleges, and join in activities like sports and musical pursuits. A healthy balance of organized events and free time allows you the independence you will find in college.

【推荐3】My school appeared on the news last week because we had made an important change in our local area. Our class had planted a large garden in what was once only a vacant lot. It was a lot of work but it was all worth it. I got blisters (水疱) from digging, and we all got insect bites, too.

I learned a lot about gardening and collaboration (合作), and then I learned about the media. Our teacher telephoned the TV station and informed them of what we had accomplished. She spoke with the producer. The producer checked with the directors, but they said there were plenty of stories similar to ours. They wanted to know what was special about our particular garden, since many schools plant them.

The teacher explained that, after going on the Internet to learn about the prairie (大草原), we had made a prairie garden. We had been to a prairie and gotten seeds from the plants, and then we planted them. We did not water the garden, but we did weed it. We decided to let nature water it with rain, since that was how prairies grew in the past. We sent a picture of the garden to the news station. In the picture, the grass was so high that it stood taller than the fourth grade students.

As a result, the producer sent a reporter to our school. The reporter interviewed the headmaster and asked him many questions about the garden. After that, he interviewed us, and we explained to him what we had learned through this project.

That night, we watched the news, and there we were. The news reporter told our story. It was only two minutes long, but it was us. We were famous. All that work, all those blisters, it was worth it. We knew that when we saw the garden every day, but now we knew that the whole city thought so, too.