If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

    In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺点) of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

    Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

    As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

    Princeton University is a vibrant (充满生机的) university. It is the fourth oldest college in the United States and an independent institution that provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. As a well-known research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels in the discovery and spread of knowledge and understanding. At the same time, Princeton is different among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching.

    Academics

    Faculty (教员), including full time, part time and visiting: 1,238 (spring 2016)

Undergraduate student-to-faculty rate: 5:1

    Departments: 36

    Schools within the University: School of Architecture, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

    Library

    Princeton University Library consists of the Firestone Library and nine buildings across campus. The library's collections include more than 8 million books and impressive rare books, prints and other materials that require special handling. The library's extensive electronic resources include databases and journals, images and digital maps. Exhibitions of the library are free and open to the general public.

    Campus Life

    A vast range of cultural9 educational, athletic and social activities are available to Princeton students. Getting involved in campus life is the quickest way to become a part of the University community, and to create one's own Princeton experience. Campus life activities are built around the concepts of encouraging each community member to display his or her talents and to learn to respect all members of our community.

    Aid Program

    Our aid program is designed to encourage all qualified students—regardless of financial circumstances-to consider applying for admission to Princeton. Any family who feels they may need help to pay for a Princeton education is welcome to apply for aid.

    For more information, please visit: http://www. Princeton.edu.

    Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Feb 8 this year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity(神) who oversees the moral character of each household. Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.

    ⒈Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God

    One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, who will report on the family's conduct over the past year. The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig's head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat. Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God's mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to heaven to make his report.

    ⒉House cleaning

    According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities' timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their houses, down to every last drawer and cupboard.

    ⒊Eat Guandong candy

    Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.

    ⒋Paste paper-cuts to windows

    In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year's posters, and auspicious(吉利的) decorations are pasted up.

    ⒌Bath and hair-cut

    As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they're rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.

    ⒍Preparations for Spring Festival

    People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.

                                                                                          Educational Programs for Kids

    Are you interested in helping your child continue his or her education beyond the typical school day? If so, then educational programs for kids may be what you're looking for.

    Where to Find Educational Programs?

    Many kids who are struggling in school may benefit from an after-school tutoring session or homework club. Check with your child's school, your local library or the park district for a list of available programs. You can also check with the local Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, church or youth center. Depending on your child's interests and strengths, consider art, community service, drama, music, creative writing, sports, cooking or environmental programs.

    What Educational Programs Are Provided by Organizations?

    The organizations mentioned above provide educational programs for kids, such as a community your child can be a part of and programs that focus on education, health, leadership, recreation and fitness.

   Another possibility is the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts. These are two separate organizations that can potentially provide your child with a sense of accomplishment, self-confidence and belonging. Both organizations will provide your child with many learning experiences and activities both indoors and outdoors.

    What Kind of Program Is Best for My Child?

    The type of educational program that's best for your child is subjective and based on many factors, including your child's age. If your child is in primary school, educational programs can help him or her develop as a person and gain leadership skills, a sense of self-worth and the ability to cooperate with others. By the time your child is in high school, his or her involvement with educational programs and other extracurricular activates can be key elements when your child is applying to college.

    When you help your child to pick an educational program, carefully consider what your child needs and what every option offers.

    While elephants born without tusks (长牙)are not unheard of，they normally form just 2 to 6 percent of the population. However, that is not the case at Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, where an astonishing 33 percent of female elephants born after the country's civil war ended in 1992 are tuskless. While that may appear to be just a coincidence, Joyce Poole, an elephant behavior expert, has another theory. The researcher thinks we may be witnessing unnatural evolution of the species due to the constant hunting of elephants for valuable ivory.

    Poole says before the country's 15-year-long civil war, the 100,000-acre park was home to over 4,000 elephants. However, by the time the conflict ended in 1992, about 90 percent of them had been killed for ivory to help finance weapons (武器)and meat to feed the soldiers. Of the less than 200 survivors, over 50 percent of adult females had no tusks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the park's tuskless elephant population has grown greatly.

    This is not the first time researchers have observed a great change in the population of elephants. At Zambia's South Luangwa National Park and Lupande Game Management Area， areas which were heavily hunted in the 1970s and 1980s, 35% of elephants 25 years or older and 13% of those younger than 25 are now without tusks. A 2008 study published found that the number of tuskless females at the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania went from 10.5 percent in 1969 to almost 40 percent in 1989, largely due to illegal hunting for ivory.

    The recent ban on ivory in both the US and China should help get rid of, or at least reduce, elephant hunting. However, scientists are not sure how long it will take for elephants with a higher rate of tuskless females, to change the trend.

    Marathon fever is sweeping this country. In recent years, China's ever-growing passion for marathons has been triggered by its economic development and health-conscious middle class. A large number of marathon runners are white-collar workers, civil servants and business people that are keen on leading a healthy lifestyle. Government support, social participation and strong marketing by the sports industry have gradually led to the rapid development of the marathon industry, which is currently valued at 70 billion yuan ($10. 77 billion). Due to its large participation and nationwide media report, marathons are considered by local governments an important part of marketing their cities. Thus, many cities list unique routes across local scenic spots and historical attractions, not only to boost people's fitness, but also to promote local tourism.

    For many runners, marathons are a way of life." As we get older, the places and opportunities to meet new people decrease. I find that participating in marathons is a simple way to make friends," said Wu, who made many friends in the Xstop Running Community, a running club with 48, 000 members established by Xtep, one of the leading distributors of sports merchandise in China.

    "The sense of belonging and the mutual encouragement that exists within the running community are very attractive to many people. We easily befriend one another, since we have the same goal: to keep running and never stop," Wu said. Besides, a marathon can be a great way to explore new places. For a runner who also loves traveling, marathons are a solid choice. "Competing in an international marathon is a chance to experience a city or a country you've never visited before," said Meng, an experienced runner from north China's Tianjin Municipality, who often runs in London, New York and Melbourne.

    There's a unique perspective that people get running through the streets of a city, distinct ancient buildings or amazing natural settings, he explained, things that somehow just can't be seen by rushing in a car. In addition, during a race, streets are often closed off so you don't have to battle traffic.