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My First Marathon（马拉松）

    A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

    I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.

    The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!

    The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

    Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!

    At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂

    By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

    By mile 21, I was starving!

    As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.

    I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

    Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.

    China's college graduates are leaving first-tier cities（一线城市）for second-tier ones, according to the annual College Graduates' Employment Report issued on Monday.

    The report said that 22.3 percent of college graduates last year chose to work in first-tier cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen—down 1.3 percentage points from 2016 and 5.9 percentage points from 2013. In 2017, 21.7 percent of college graduates chose to leave first-tier cities after working there for three years, up 2.5 percentage points from 2016 and 8 percentage points from 2015.

    The report also found that leading second-tier cities are attracting more recent graduates. Around 35.6 percent of college graduates who chose to work in the top 10 second-tier cities such as Hangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan, were from other regions in 2017, up 3.6 percentage points from the previous year.

    The report was based on a survey of 306,000 graduates from 30 provinces and regions. It was released by MyCOS, an education consulting and research institute in Beijing.

    Wang Boqing, founder of MyCOS, said large populations, traffic jam, smog, increasing property prices and great difficulty in obtaining permanent residence（居住）, or hukou in Chinese, have brought high pressure to life in first-tier cities for college graduates, which gives second-tier cities an opportunity to attract talented workers.

    Second-tier cities have rolled out a series of policies to attract university graduates, which include favorable treatment to obtain hukou, as well as housing and government subsidies（津贴）, he said. Wuhan, Hubei Province, has planned to build affordable housing for university graduates, and allow graduates to buy or rent apartments at a discount of at least 20 percent of the market price.

    Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, however, said that the governments of such cities should notice that welfare（福利）, housing and money can attract people in a short time. “Professionals aim mainly at prospects（前景）for career development rather than just benefits,” Chu said, adding that those cities should maintain their advantages, such as low cost of living and nicer environments, to keep their appeal. The cities should provide more opportunities for employment that are similar to those in first-tier cities, he said.

    Alaska Airlines has the cheapest fares around, but you receive superb service unequal to its price. In case you don't know, Alaska Airlines does not just go to Alaska, but includes states such as Washington, California, and Hawaii. Our prices are reasonable and we offer great service.

    Alaska Airlines is generous. For each bag you check in, it must weigh 50 pounds or less, which is extremely generous for domestic flights. Your baggage is allowed to be up to 62 inches in length. You're also allowed one carry-on bag in addition to one personal item which can be a purse, a laptop computer, or a briefcase.

    Not only do we give you the cheapest airfare, but we offer you a visa card which you can earn plenty of miles on. Upon approval, you will receive 25,000 Bonus Miles. From then on, for each dollar you charge to this card, you will receive 3 miles and there's no limit to the amount of miles you can earn. You also receive a $99 round-trip discount code for a Companion Ticket each year for using this card. This is a sweet deal and very generous. Think about all of your purchases you make during the month. Now multiply that by three. You're talking about a free trip cross country in just a few short months. Wow!

    Alaska Airlines receives great reviews for its performance, punctuality, and professional service. In addition to its great reviews from customers, Alaska Airlines has received lots of awards and recognitions. Network Carriers in North America has rated Alaska Airlines for the highest in customer satisfaction for the past 4 years. We have also received the Executive Travel's leading edge Award. We were also named on the 2011 Washington Green 50 list.

    Alaska Airlines is quickly gaining the recognition it deserves. We're adding higher expectations to the flying experience. Try it out.

    When introducing American universities, some of the first institutions to mention are the Ivy League schools. Originally, the Ivy League was an athletic conference made up of 8 private institutes of higher learning in northeastern United States. However, as time went on, these schools also became known for their excellence in academics besides athletics. Included in the Ivy League schools are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Harvard University. These 8 schools have been recognized as some of the best colleges and universities in the United States.

    Harvard University is a private institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The university includes a number of graduate and professional schools, as well as a college for undergraduates. In 2012, Harvard ranked number one in US News' ranking of national universities again. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institute of higher education in the United States. It can be said that first there was Harvard, then the United States of America. Also, Harvard's library contains the oldest collection of books in the United States as well as the largest private collection in the world. Harvard has also been described by Forbes Magazine as one of the “billionaire universities” as of their recent list of 469 billionaires, 50 received a degree from Harvard.

    Harvard College (the institute for undergraduate students) is one of the most famous schools in the United States. It offers over 40 undergraduate fields of study, including astrophysics(天体物理学), mathematics, neurobiology(神经生物学), etc. And the financial aid program there is amazing. Even though the tuition is about $ 37,576, and there are other expenses throughout the year, about 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. Out of those students, over 90% of them had their full need met. And the policies for international students are the same for U.S. citizens.

    Harvard College is very selective, as it only admits about 6% of their applicants. For admission into Harvard College, it is required that students take the SAT or the ACT, as well as SAT Subject Tests. Harvard will also look at other factors during admission such as your application essay, high school transcript, work experience, GPA (Grade Point Average), your interview, recommendations, and most importantly, your character and personal qualities.

    Chinese girl looking for language exchanger

    PostedAugust 10, 2018 16:25 by Sophia

    Tag:Seeking Language partners Guangzhou

    Sex:Female

    I am a Chinese girl in my 20's, can speak andwrite in English, but I'dlike to make some improvement. People always look for making it better, right?

    Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share.

    Andif you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you aroundin my spare time.

    Reply to happycora hotmail. com or call 15015704625

    Tianhe nice apartment for share

    PostedAugust 24, 2018 16:47 by Vivian

    Tag:Seeking roommates, Guangzhou Tianhe District

    I have a room available for rent in a sharedapartment in Central Tianhe district.

    The room has a big window with a nice view. The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new safe building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from subway stations on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses andother transportation methods very close.

    If you are interested, please feel free to phone me (Vivian)on 13145751201 (message preferred), or email me on vivian liu2006 hotmail. com.

    Business Guide

    PostedAugust 26, 2018 08:46 by Sony

    Tag:Business Services Guangzhou Baiyun District

    Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter (口语翻译), now looking for an interpreter job right now. Please readmy information as below:

    Name:Sony Song

    Sex:Male

    Age:22 years old

    Education:StudiedEnglish in Da Shan Foreign Language College

    Ability:Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc.

    Contact Detail:E-mail/ MSN:sonysong4 hotmail. com; cell phone:15112015812

    Looking for flat

    PostedAugust 11, 2018 14:03 by LucyTag:Apartments wanted, Guangzhou

    Hello!This is Lucy coming from Peru andlooking for a short term flat, from 15th August until 16th September 2018. If somebody can give some information, sendme pictures, price and address. Email:lucitamaron  hotmail. com; cell phone:13800013900

    Thanks a lot in advance!

Zach Conti, who is a student in Eastern Michigan University and joined the football team as a walk-on (临时队员) in 2020, has worked at several part-time jobs to pay for his education. Now he won't have to anymore.

"Football is something I really love, so ever since I got to school, I've had to do whatever it takes to stay here and stay in a good position with my studies and football," Conti said. "I have to do many jobs, but when you really want something, you won't feel bored."

While Conti's teammates would see him going to or coming back to work, they were very supportive. But Conti still had trouble paying for his education and his mother's medical bills. He was planning on leaving the university.

Brian Dooley, who would get a scholarship, couldn't see that happen and decided to help his teammate. He told head coach Chris Creighton about the thing. Creighton went to see if an additional scholarship could be given out. The school allowed the team to give out five scholarships and another one was not allowed. Then Dooley went to the coach with a special request.

"Brian Dooley comes into my office," Creighton said during a team meeting on August 3. "And he says, ‘Coach, Conti should get a scholarship. And I've talked this over with my family. And if there's a way to make this happen, I am willing to give up my scholarship as a gift to Conti.'" That's when Dooley walked over to Conti and handed him an envelope with the scholarship inside.

Dooley explained the reason for helping his teammate "I did it because I've seen Conti grow over the long time. It would be a great pity if he walked away from something that he loves. He works so hard. In my eyes, he should get it 100 percent."