【推荐2】One Thursday afternoon, when I was in Grade 9, a new boy came into my classroom. He was short and thin. He walked up to the teacher and told her, very seriously, that he was new. His name was Christian. He sat down, took a look at me, and then looked away. I didn’t think he was very nice and I was sure he wasn’t the type I would like to make friends with.

During that year, I didn’t talk to him much, but he smiled at me when our eyes met, always shyly. He never ate lunch with anybody, and he never talked to anybody but me.

But one day I joined those unkind kids who were making fun of him. We made fun of him though I thought it was wrong.

“Haven’t you got any friends?” a kid asked Christian, who had walked past us alone, with his head down.

“No, he hasn’t got any friends. He’s too stupid and shy” I said. Then Christian looked up at me with the saddest dog eyes I had ever seen. I felt very sorry at that moment.

That night, I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t get Christian’s face out of my mind. In the weeks that followed, he never met my eyes in class and never smiled at me. It was really hard for me to decide to write him a note asking him to forgive(原谅) me. But I thought I should.

The next day in class, I wrote him a note telling him how sorry I felt. About five minutes later, I turned and saw tears in his eyes. “You will never realize what your apology(道歉) has meant to me, Jimmy” he said to me. “I hope we can become friends.”

We had lunch together that noon and we had the best talk I had ever had. Over the years at high school, we were close friends.

When I think back, I realize that, if I had not apologized, I would never have known what a lovely person Christian was.

Apologies can really change your life, so never miss the chance to tell somebody you are sorry.

【推荐2】I’ve kept many of my childhood friendships so far. But as we grew up, some of them moved to other cities and those who remained in my city have jobs and families. Planning our schedules was challenging. I had to find a new way to make friends. So I asked relationship experts (专家) for their suggestions.

First, consider what’s keeping you from expanding (拓展) your friendships. “We can give it different names, like the fear of not being liked, or the fear of doing it wrong, or the fear of being judged,” says Shasta Nelson, a friendship expert. “Underneath all of that is the fear of being rejected (拒绝).”

When you know what’s holding you back, you can take steps to open yourself up to new friendships. If you’re looking for someone online who shares your interest like hiking, the app Meetup may be a perfect choice for you.

After hanging out online for some time, you may want to get together in person. But there’s always a risk of rejection. Still, someone needs to take the first step. Coffee or lunch is a good place to start. If you both own pets, meet at a dog park.

Make safety an important thing by meeting in a public space. Although you might think you know the person online, meeting face to face requires a different level of trust. Before you agree to meet someone in person, consider how much information they’ve shared with you. Do you know where they work and whether they have an online footprint? If you don’t think you know enough about them, keep your friendship online until you feel more comfortable getting together. Don’t let the rush of making a new friend cloud your better judgment.

After you’ve made the move from online friends to friends in real life, there’s no reason you can’t toggle (切换) between online and in-person friendships. Keep the momentum (势头) going and stay connected with your friends.

【推荐1】Being a pilot was first seen as a male occupation, however, these amazing female aviators proved that to be wrong.

Amy Johnson

On May 5, 1930, Amy Johnson, an English pilot, set out in her airplane, hoping to beat the record for the fastest flight between England and Australia: 15 days. Flying through sandstorms, monsoons, and terrible heat, she made several forced landings and landed in Australia 19 days later. She didn’t beat the record, but she was the first female to make the solo flight. Johnson set other solo records and eventually earned the nickname “Queen of the Air.”

Lee Ya-Ching

Lee Ya-Ching was China’s first woman pilot. When war broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Lee volunteered to be a combat pilot(空战飞行员)but the government declined that offer. Determined to do more to help her country, Lee set up a hospital and refugee(难民)camps. Then she bought a plane and set out a goodwill tour. She flew all over the United States, Canada, South America, and the Caribbean to raise money to help Chinese refugees by entertaining crowds with her flying.

Lotfia El Nadi

During the 1910s in Egypt, girls were expected to become housewives. Lotfia El Nadi, however, wanted a more exciting life. While attending the college, El Nadi secretly enrolled a flying school, working as the school’s secretary to pay for her lessons. In 1933, at the age of 26, she became the first female pilot in the Arab world. El Nadi’s fame inspired many other young Egyptian women to become pilots.

【推荐2】The 25-year-old African student in Cangzhou Technical College, north China’s Hebei Province, has practiced Tai Chi for two years. He is now a huge fan of the slow-speed martial art.

As a child in his own country, the Tanzanian was already a fan of kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. He understood Chinese kung Fu to be a fast-paced attack and defense art.

“Tai chi is different from the Chinese kung Fu that I knew. It is slow. But as I practice it, I have realized that the slow moments are far from being simple,” Abdi said.

The school provides a Tai Chi course for all foreign students. Abdi has already learned to practice Tai Chi moves with balance and deep rhythmic breathing, which allows him to feel the charm of the exercise. It brings peace and calmness to his mind, while building his muscles.

The International Exchange Center of the college has had more than 300 international students from more than 50 countries since 2016, mainly countries along “the Belt and Road.”

“My parents wish me to study international trade to better prepare me for my job in the booming trade between China and Tanzania. But it is my own dream to chase the Chinese martial arts,” said Abdi.

Practicing Tai Chi has led him to have a complete appreciation of Chinese culture. He now prefers people call him by his Chinese name Chen Yanzhi, as the name means talented and kind.

“Tai chi movements are quiet but full of power. It has inspired my understanding of China, which has the same spirit. My mother has felt the same way after she visited me here,” Abdi said.

He said his Rwandan classmate likes to post videos of them practicing Tai Chi on social media, and another Cameroonian classmate has learned from Tai Chi how to improve his boxing skills.

“When I return home, I will use my Chinese name to teach Tai Chi in my country, so that more people can benefit from this magical Kung Fu,” said Abdi. Enditem.