He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit, his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours—and still the kids keep coming and coming, like ants at a picnic. As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商业化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santa Claus. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen.

    The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart­breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning？”

    Santa Claus; also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (骚扰). When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do. The Santa Claus were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don't see other children again.

Dear Li Hua,

    On behalf of the admissions committee, it is my honor and privilege to share with you that you have been admitted to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University (NYU).

    Albert Gallatin, Treasury Secretary to U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, rounded NYU in 1831. NYU has since grown to become the largest independent research university in America. I now have the pleasure of welcoming you to one of the most influential universities in the world. Congratulations!

    What Next?

    View your financial aid award (if applicable) and confirm your enrollment (注册) by January 8. Visit our website for very important instructions on how to view your financial aid estimate and confirm your enrollment.

    Withdraw (撤回) applications from other colleges or universities by January 8. As an Early Decision candidate, we expect that you will enroll at NYU if you are I financially able to do so. Once you confirm your enrollment, it is your duty to withdraw any applications you may have made to other colleges or universities. If finances prevent you from attending NYU, we will give up your space in our class on January 9.

    Keep performing. Your admission is contingent (取决于) on the successful completion of your existing academic program at the same performance level as the one presented in your application. Visit our website to review our expectations for admitted students.

    Connect with your classmates. Join the NYU Class of 2022 Facebook page to start connecting and communicating with your fellow NYU classmates.

    Your application was considered for any and all NYU programs and campuses for which you asked for consideration and it is our policy to only make a single offer of admission per student.

    Li Hua, you should be extremely proud of your achievements and I encourage you to celebrate with your family and friends who have supported you on your intellectual journey so far. We look forward to welcoming you to the NYU community.

Sincerely,

Shawn Abbott

Dean of Admissions

    When life takes you away from home, take technology to help guide and entertain you. APPs can help make your trip easier and more fun.

    Trip It

    Trip It is a helpful APP to organize travel plans. Sign up for a free account at the Trip It website and download the APP to have all of your travel plans handy in one place.

    Google Translate

    When traveling outside your home country, you may need some language assistance. Google Translate is an APP that can help you understand a language other than your native tongue. The Google Translate APP translates between 103 different languages. Copy and paste text into the APP to see a translation. You can also handwrite text onto the screen.

    Fotor

    The Fotor APP lets you edit your photos and add filers for special effects. The APP has been updated recently with new editing features so users can edit their photos more easily. Fotor has added a slider to give users greater control of the edits. Editing effets can be saved as favorites to use them easily later.

   Offline APPs

    Traveling often means you are offline and away from the Internet. When camping in the wild, flying on a plane, sailing on a boat or riding in the car, you may not have an Internet connection. If you are traveling outside your home country and away from Wi-Fi, you should use Offline APPs to avoid large bills for using international data.

    Eve was waiting in the corridor outside her class. She was feeling sick. She had two exams that day and physics was first. She really hated physics. It was her worst subject. Lisa looked back at her, and then looked away quickly. Eve thought she looked guilty. She didn't have a problem with physics. She didn't have a problem with anything... Miss Perfect!

    "Hi, Eve! So what's wrong with you and Lisa?" asked Tina, "I thought you were friends." "Yes, so did I," said Eve. "But she hasn't spoken to me for two weeks now. She promised to help me review for the physics exam too, but then she's ignored all my calls and texts."

    While in the exam, Eve found Lisa was holding her phone on her knee under the table and reading from it. Eve couldn't believe it! Is that how Lisa always got such good grades? She thought about telling the teacher, but she hesitated. The next exam was history. That was Eve's favorite subject but she couldn't concentrate. She didn't know what to do about Lisa. Just then, Mr. Reed, their teacher, walked past. "Mr. Reed…"

    Lisa was called to the teachers' office and there waited Mr. Reed…

    The history test was over. Eve was walking towards the school gate when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Lisa. Eve could see that she had been crying. "Listen," said Lisa. "I'm really sorry I haven't answered your calls, but my dad had a heart attack two weeks ago and he's in hospital. He had a big heart operation today and I was very worried about him. So I was reading texts from my mum, but Mr. Reed caught me. He thought I was cheating. He believes me now, but I have to take the exam again. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening. Will you forgive me?"

    Google is consistently rated the best place to work. So you need a degree from Harvard to in the door, right?

    Not really, according to Laszlo Bock, Google's Head of People Operations. When the company was small, Google cared a lot about getting kids from Harvard, Stanford, MIT and many other Ivy League schools.  But Bock said it was the "wrong" hiring strategy.  Experience has taught him there are exceptional kids at many other places, from state schools in California to New York.

    "What we find is the best people from places like that are just as good, if not better, as anybody you can get from any Ivy League school, "said Bock, who just authored a book titled "Work Rules!"

    Every year, 2 million people apply to get a job at Google.  Bock himself has seen some 25, 000 résumés.

    So what else does Google not care about:

    Grades: Google's data shows that grades predict performance for the first two years of a career, but do not matter after that.

    Brain-teasers: Gone are interview questions such as: Why are manhole covers（井盖)round? or How many golf balls can fit in a school bus? "Our research tells us those questions are a waste of time, "Bock said "They're a really coachable skill. The more you practice, you get better at it. "

    Here's what Google does care about:

    Problem solvers: Your cognitive ability(认知能力), or how well you solve problems.

    Leaders: The idea is not whether you were president of the student body or vice president of the bank, but rather:" When you see a problem do you step in, help solve it, "and then critically, "Are you willing to step out and let somebody else take over, and make room for somebody else? Are you willing to give up power?"

    Googleyness: That's what Google calls its cultural fit. It's not "Are you like us?" Bock said. "We actually look for people who are different, because diversity gives us great ideas."

    "What's most important is that people are intellectually humble, willing to admit when they're wrong, and care about the environment around them… because we want people who think like owners not employees, "Bock said.

    The least important thing? Knowing how to do the job.

    "We figure if you get the first three right you'll figure it out most of the time."

    A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens. The first 6,000 copies of the book were sold out in a week. And the book has inspired many plays and movies. The first play was put on in 1844. The first two movies were silent films made in 1901 and 1908. Since then, the story has been remade more than 60 times for television and cinema. What makes such a tale so attractive? Audiences have always loved a good plot, a villain(反面人物) who harms other people or breaks the law, and the ending of right over wrong. The book offers all three.

    The book tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. He is mean and cruel(残忍的) to his clerk and turns away his only living relative. One night, Scrooge is visited by three spirits. The first shows scenes from Scrooge's youth that led to this present state. The second takes him to the homes of his clerk and his nephew. Here Scrooge sees that people can be happy without lots of money. The spirit also shows him the desperate poor people of London. The third spirit shows Scrooge will die alone, and no one will care if he continues to live as he has. At last the message is understood, and Scrooge repents. He becomes generous and caring to all around him, especially to his clerk's sick son, Tiny Tim.

    Every year, thousands of people watch A Christmas Carol. Why? They may be touched by its lessons on the true meanings of wealth and happiness. They may enjoy the special effects and feelings or watching every year may be just a habit. Viewers never seem to grow tired of the old miser(守财奴), Scrooge, and his dramatic message of hope and change.