Like many, I felt pressure from my parents and teachers to go to university and study something academic. With top grades I received at the end of high school, I was almost able to enter any course of my pick. Yet the thought of spending the next few years facing the four walls of a classroom caused a lump (肿块) in my throat.

After a year majoring in photography at university, which was not just what I expected, I made the decision to take a break and go on a gap year. In fact, I gained more knowledge in the real world in four months than I did from my entire schooling, but most importantly, I learnt so much about myself.

One day, my posted photos were noticed by Topdeck Travel, and they asked if they could use some of my travel pictures for their posters. This really was the beginning of my career. I began developing my relationship with Topdeck Travel, and before long, I got my first pay travel overseas to take photographs.

Soon I reached the point where I had to make a decision— either to play it safe, go back to university and settle down like everyone else, or to follow my heart and go my own way— a path with an uncertain future. I chose the latter, and it was the scariest and best decision I have ever made.

Five years after leaving school, I might not have a university degree, a well-paid job, a husband or a house with a white fence. Instead, I’m sitting at my office, with a cafe by a beach at Goa, India. As I stare past my laptop screen at the sun setting beyond the waves, a salty breeze touches my face.

To me, success is about pursuing my dreams and creating my own path instead of trying to follow someone else’s. Somehow, I feel like my life is exactly where it is meant to be.

In Britain, business leaders are becoming increasingly concerned that growing numbers of new employees are unable to divide a real pie into eight equal slices.

There are so many examples of the shortage of basic literacy and numeration (读写和计算) skills among many school and university leavers.

A report from the Confederation of British Industry says the problem is so bad that one in three employers has to send staff for training to learn the English and maths they did not learn at school.

“Employers’ views on numeration and literacy are clear — people must read and write fluently and must be able to carry out basic mental arithmetic (算术).” Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, said.

The CBI report, Working on the Three R’s, which was sponsored by the Department for Education, found that poor literacy was a problem in all fields, while poor numeration was of particular concern in the manufacturing and construction field.

One company manager complained of a “total lack of knowledge of timetables” among staff, which meant many were unable to carry out simple calculations.

A personnel manager for a construction firm said that many applicants were unable to construct a sentence and that grammar, and their handwriting and spelling were often “awful”. He also mentioned the case of an employee who became very expert at hiding his lack of literacy by getting his wife to write his reports for him. The problems are not limited to school leavers, but extend to higher levels of the education system, the CBI said.

Fruit farmers in Okayama, Japan, have managed to make peeling (去皮) a banana optional by developing a special variety with eatable skin. The peel of their “Mongee bananas” isn’t particularly tasty, but it’s much thinner and far less bitter than that of regular bananas, making it 100% eatable.

Scientists at D&T Farm in the country’s Okayama Prefecture released the social media-ready news following months of experimenting with a freezing-and-thawing (解冻) method, which keeps the banana tree at extremely cold temperatures followed by a dramatic heat increase. The result is soft and thin skin that hasn’t fully developed. They froze young banana trees to -60 degrees Celsius, planting them again as they began to thaw. This apparently activated an ancient part of their DNA, which not only allows the plant to grow in Japan’s cool climate, but also speeds up its development. While tropical varieties of bananas require two years to grow large enough for consumption (消费), the Mongee banana needs just four months.

The first bunch of Mongee bananas hit department stores’ shelves in the November of last year, but getting your hand on one of these incredible fruits remains a huge challenge. D&T Farm only produces 10 bananas per week, and they only deliver them to the Fruit Corner of Tenmanya Okayama, a local department store. But even if you happen to find one available, you’d probably be a bit put off by the price – 648 yen ($5.70) per fruit.

Banana peel is an excellent ingredient that can contain vitamin B6 and magnesium related to the production of serotonin (血清素). At the same time, it has a positive effect on both brain and sleep. Research results that ripe fruit peels have a good effect on treating prostatic hypertrophy (前列腺肥大) have also been published.

John Guterman, a botanist, says, “And what about shipping? For most of the fruit’s history, the peel has provided protection, allowing it to travel long distances. A softer, more bruise-prone banana would be a step back from hardy banana varieties that travel thousands of miles. In this sense, the day we all stop peeling bananas and instead bite straight through their skin may still be a long way away.

Avoid Internet Addiction

    11    Many people suffer from addition to the Internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them．How can we prevent ourselves from going online too much？

Admit you have an addition．    12    Realize more and more people in the world are becoming addicted．You are not the only one with this problem．Do not be embarrassed；find others with the same problem and help each other beat it．

Limit your computer time．Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week．Before using your computer，decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes．Set the clock and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up．    13    

Try using the computer at the library．You won't be as attracted to look at certain websites and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online．    14    ．So you won't be as attracted to be on the Internet as at home．

    15    Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way．Keep up with the local events in your neighborhood．There may be talks，films，concerts and sports events etc．Find some，as long as it is not on the Internet，and get involved．

Grandma lived on Sugar Creek Mountain with a lake. I still remember the day when Grandpa _______ in the lake. My parents tried to talk Grandma into moving into town, but she wouldn’t _________. Today I was going to visit Grandma, and the excitement grew inside me _________ the thought of it. _________, it had been ten years since I had last seen Grandma. As I _________ the top of the mountain, I _________ see Grandma staring out the window of her house. Grandma _________ me with a big hug, saying she would give me a special surprise. _________ did Grandma know that I had a very special surprise for her as well.

When we baked cookies in the kitchen, Grandma told me how she used to bake _________ for Grandpa, which were his ____________. Listening to her talking about him was a ____________ experience. I could ____________ her love for him. After dark, Grandma handed me the special present. It was a quilt made out of my dresses that I had ____________ as a little girl. I would value it forever. When I asked Grandma ____________ special gift for Christmas she wanted, without ____________ thinking, she would like to see my Grandpa just one more time.

Just then, Grandma’s face ____________ up. ____________ slowly towards her, with an apple pie in his hand, was Grandpa! Tears of joy were ____________ down Grandma’s cheeks as she ____________ her arms around Grandpa.“We thought you had drowned” Grandma cried. “How can I ever thank you for bringing Grandpa home to me?” asked Grandma. I replied, “Seeing the ____________ and the love you have for each other is all the thanks I need.”

In the USA, the importance of a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) cannot be underestimated (低估). This measure of a student’s academic performance is     36     important factor when he or she decides to apply to a university. It is, however, not the only     37    (consider). One of the most important factors universities look at is the student’s extracurricular (课外的) activities, which are     38     (simple) the work students do outside his or her academic studies.

One of the     39     (easy) ways to get involved in extracurricular activities is to join a campus club. There are many clubs     40     campus that might interest students.     41     (find) a list of the clubs your high school or college offers, you can go to the Student Union. Additionally, nearly every department has a club which is     42     (connect) with it . For example, the Psychology Department probably has a psychology club.

Community involvement is another good way to show university officials your extracurricular activities. There     43     (be) countless volunteer opportunities students can engage in,     44            help both the community and the student. Working with the homeless or disabled people in the community            45     (look) good on a college application. The more a student is involved in extracurricular activities, the better.