1 . Fu Lei’s Family Letters is a book of letters written by Chinese translator and writer Fu Lei to his elder son Fu Cong, who is a famous pianist. Between 1954 and 1966, Fu Cong spent a lot of time away from home training as a piano player. As a result, writing letters became Fu Lei’s usual way of communicating with his elder son. Fu Min, Fu Lei’s younger son edited the letters and the book came out in 1981.

The book shows Fu Lei’s family tradition and value. To Fu Lei, the purpose of education of a person, is to make that person useful to the society. Fu Lei praised his son Fu Cong after winning a piano competition. Fu Lei wrote, “We are happy because you make your country proud. I am so excited when I think about your future. You will make great progress and serve more people, encourage them and heal them.”

In the family letters, Fu Cong was also advised to read famous Chinese texts. When reading these books, Fu Cong was told to connect ideas and feelings together, for that would help him become a better person. To Fu Lei, learning to be a good person comes before any academic training.

Fu Lei’s Family Letters has a great impact on people in China because it helps many young students understand how they should live their lives.

2 . The holidays can be a difficult time to stay on track with your fitness goals.     1    . Even the most disciplined people can find it difficult to stick to their fitness routines during the holiday season. Here are some expert-recommended tips that can help you stay on track.

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Planning is the best way to make sure you don’t lose track of your goals. Plan your workouts for the week and mark them in your schedule to assure they are a part of your day.

Exercise early.

    3    . Make sure workouts are in the morning and you’ll set yourself up for a productive day. Then you can enjoy holiday activities and time with family without worrying about when you’ll have time to exercise.

Keep moving.

Research shows that getting up for just five minutes every 30 to 60 minutes and performing light activities reduces the risk of heart disease risk factors. Small efforts to get moving can help your overall health during the holidays. In addition to staying active, try to avoid sitting for long periods of time, such as when watching football games or eating.     4    .

Think out of the box.

The holidays are busy, but do your best to avoid the “all or nothing” mentality when it comes to physical activity.     5     — like taking a family walk around the neighborhood before opening Christmas presents.

3 . If you’re in search of some botanical inspiration for the summer, just look to the following!

Sky Garden — London

Situated on the 35th floor of the iconic “Walkie-Talkie” building in central London, this stunning garden consists of over three stories, combining Mediterranean and South African plantings. The garden temperature here is monitored around the clock to mirror the conditions these plants would experience in a warm temperate climate.

Bambalan — Bristol

Bristol’s Bambalan restaurant appeared in 2016. Known for its leisurely atmosphere, it’s located right in the middle of the city centre. Hidden in plain sight above Bristol’s busy and noisy city centre, the roof terrace is a true hidden garden. With Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food on the menu, this is the ideal place to bring a group, and enjoy the views and tasty treats.

Library of Birmingham — Birmingham

Hidden away on the seventh floor of Birmingham’s public library is a scenic rooftop garden offering an extremely quiet spot to enjoy a good book in the sun. Created entirely by volunteers and reached via glass elevator, the bright garden offers visitors spectacular views over the city. 3, 500 varieties of plants in this garden have been carefully selected to ensure the terrace will offer blooms all year round, so that visitors to this unique library can enjoy the inspiring views.

New Lanark Roof Garden — New Lanark

With impressive views from the roof of an old mill (磨坊) building in the heart of the New Lanark World Heritage Site, this garden isn’t one to miss. Created on the 9, 000 square feet roof of our historic mill, the New Lanark Roof Garden is the largest of its kind in Scotland. Imaginatively designed, the garden contains decorative planting with over 70 different plants and shrubs, a water feature and animal sculptures.

4 . As Teachers’ Day approached, I received an interview assignment to talk with a very special figure about teaching. President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam talked with me about life’s toughest lessons and his mission of being a teacher to the Indian youth. He was now a leader and a wise old man. There was still a child in him though, and he was still curious about learning new things. To this day, he still remembered his first lesson in life and how it had changed his life.

“I was studying in fifth grade and must have been 10 years old. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramanialyer was telling us how birds flew. He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, drawing the wings, the tail, the body and the head and then explained how birds flew into the sky. At the end of the class, I said I didn’t understand. Then he asked the other students if they had understood, but nobody had understood how birds flew.” he recalled.

“That evening, the entire class was taken to Rameshwaram shore by our teacher,” the President continued. “My teacher showed us sea birds. We saw wonderful formations of them flying and how their wings waved. Then my teacher asked us, ‘Where is the bird’s engine and how is it powered?’ I knew then that birds are powered by their own life and motivation. I understood all about birds’ dynamics. At last, he said to us with relief that we were very good.”

“That day from not understanding to the final understanding, as well as the gratitude to the teacher, has always impressed me. A proper education would help develop a sense of dignity (尊严) and self-respect among our youth,” said President Kalam.

5 . Given that cancer is one of the deadliest diseases out there, any new development in our fight against it is highly praiseworthy. The latest breakthrough was made by Heman Bekele in 2023, a 14-year-old student from Virginia. The student has created a bar soap to treat skin cancer. Now, his findings have earned him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist.

Bekele remembers he always saw people who were constantly hit by the glaring sun as a child. As he grew up and began to realize the risks like skin cancer were associated with sun exposure, the boy decided to come up with solutions.

While similar treatments are available, Bekele hoped to work on a more affordable alternative, especially for those in developing countries. “I wanted to make my idea something that not only was great in terms of science but also could benefit as many people as possible,” Bekele says. It is often the simple solutions that are the most effective because soap is a daily routine for most people.

With the guidance of Deborah Isabelle, a product engineering specialist, Bekele made his soap by mixing regular soap with compounds (化合物) that slowly reactivate dendritic (枝状的) cells. When the soap is applied, it releases toll-like receptors into our skin. These receptors attach onto dendritic cells which reactivate them. The reactivated dendritic cells then join with TN io12 cells to fight cancer cells. Rather than a cure, Bekele’s soap aims to help people’s immune cells stay active while fighting skin cancer.

For now, the young scientist hopes to improve his invention and create a non-profit to distribute the soap among those who need it most. “I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world,” Bekele said. “I have a strong desire to know how the physical world works and how to improve the lives of its inhabitants, and this challenge gives me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas.”

10 . NIH Summer Internship (实习生) Program in Biomedical Research (SIP)

This program is to provide a developmental training experience for promising high school students who have expressed a strong interest in or are studying disciplines related to biomedical sciences.

Applicants must be:

* 17 years of age or older

* high school seniors at the time of application

* able to pass the Federal background check

* within 40 miles of the NIH campus on which they will intern if they are 17 years of age (this requirement does not apply to applicants who are 18 and older)

* having American citizenship or permanent residency

For minors under 18 years of age, if required by state or local government law, work permits must be obtained. A written agreement of a parent or guardian is also required.

Complete your application

You must use the NIH Application Center to apply for this program:

1. After you complete the required sections of your profile, you will be asked to select a preferred program. Choose “Summer internships for high school students”.

2. You must select “Apply” next to “High School Summer Internship Program” for your application to be considered for this program.

3. To complete your application, import any relevant information from your profile.

You must also submit:

* Coursework & Exams—a list of coursework and grades

* CV/Resume (简历)—a list of your education, experience, and other relevant history

* Letter/Statement—a cover letter broadly describing your prior research experience, your current interests and career goals

* References—letters containing the names and contact information of two referees