First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia shows what a great well-rounded student you are. Your academic, artistic, and social skills have truly blossomed（开花）in the last few years. You have become a talented and accomplished young woman. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.

    College will be the most important years in your life. It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about. I want to tell you: “education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten”. What I mean by that is the materials taught isn't as important as you gaining the ability to learn a new subject, and the ability to analyze a new problem. That is really what learning in college is about—this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner.

    Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Steve Jobs says when you are in college, your passion will create many dots, and later in your life you will connect them. In his great speech given at Stanford, he gave the great example where he took calligraphy（书法）, and a decade later, it became the basis of the beautiful letters in Microsoft Word. So don't worry too much about what job you will have, and don't be too utilitarian（功利的）, and if you like Japanese or Korean, go for it! Enjoy picking your dots, and be assured one day you will find your calling, and connect a beautiful curve through the dots.

    Most importantly, make friends and be happy. College friends are often the best in life, because during college you are closer to them physically than to your mom and I. Pick a few friends and become really close to them-pick the ones who are honest and sincere to you. Don't worry about their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities. You have developed some real friendships in high school in your last two years, so trust your instinct, and make new friends.

    College is the four years where you have the greatest amount of free time, the first chance to be independent, the most possibilities to change and the lowest risk for making mistakes. So please treasure your college years! May Columbia become the happiest four years in your life, and may you blossom into just what you dream to be.

    If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

    According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes(处理) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles(肌肉).

    The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(双语使用者) ” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans(扫描) showed that grey matter density(密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals who learnt a second language at an early age. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference. “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.

    It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn. Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

    The findings had the same result in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, wiring, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they stared to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.

    Many of the world's most successful people were once successful failures. Here are the stories of a few of them.

    Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

    Abraham Lincoln was one of America's greatest leaders, taking the country through the Civil War (from 1860 to 1865). However, his life was never easy. He started numerous businesses that failed, he went bankrupt twice, and was defeated in 26 campaigns for public office. He later said, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content and satisfied with your failure.”

    Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

    Van Gogh is one of the most famous and influential painters in the history of Western Art. He's famous for paintings such as The Starry Night, The potato Eaters and Sunflowers. However, during his lifetime, Van Gogh sold only one painting for a very small amount of money. Despite this, he carried on painting, sometimes even going without food so he could complete his collection of over 800 known works.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

    Albert Einstein won the Noble Prize in Physics in 1921. However, he wasn't always considered a genius. He didn't speak until he was four, and couldn't read until he was seven. His teachers and parents thought he was slow, so he was driven from school and couldn't get into the Zurich Polytechnic School. He later famously said, “Success is failure in progress.”

    Stephen King (1947-2018)

    Stephen King is one of the best-selling authors of all time, but his first book, Carrie, was rejected by about 30 publishers. Finally, Stephen threw it into the bin, but his wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it, which he did and succeeded this time!

    In the winter months the temperature in most of Canada usually stays below 0℃. However, in some parts of Canada, such as southern British Columbia, the temperature rarely goes below 0℃. In most areas where people live, snow will be on the ground from mid-December to mid-March. Though Canada's winter may be much colder and longer than you are used to, it can be very enjoyable. For many Canadians, being active in winter is an important part of enjoying life. There are many outdoor winter activities, including skiing, ice fishing, walking, and skating. Joining in one of these activities may help you appreciate winter and enjoy your time outside in the snow.

    Dressing for winter

    During winter in Canada, you will need warm clothing. If possible, arrive with these items or be prepared to buy them soon after your arrival. You will need:

    a warm waterproof boots   ☆ a scarf for your neck

    a hat that covers your ears  ☆ gloves for your hands

    thick winter coats, pants and sweaters

    Layers keep you warm

    It's a good idea to layer your clothing by, for example, wearing a T-shirt and a sweater underneath a jacket. If you become too hot, it's always easier to remove a piece of clothing than to add another. On the West Coast, prepare to dress for cool rainy or snowy weather. You will need:

    a warm waterproof coat   ☆ waterproof hats

    an umbrella    ☆ rain boots or snow boots

    Learn more about weather and seasons across Canada. You can also contact Related Links, for example, an immigrant-serving organization in the community where you live for more information about dressing for winter.

    Finding a mountain goat resting high on a cliff(悬崖) might thrill many of the millions of tourists who visit Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park every year, but park officials say it might be time for the bearded animals to go.

    The problem, according to the park, is that Grand Teton's 100 or so mountain goats threaten about 80 bighorn sheep. The bighorn sheep numbered as many as 125 just a few years ago. The strong goats spread disease and compete with bighorn sheep for food. Unlike small-sized bighorn sheep, Grand Teton's mountain goats aren't native to the park. They were introduced to the park in the 1960s.

    Grand Teton spokeswoman Denise Germann said, “We've got a management responsibility to protect the native species. After hearing from the public on the proposal (建议) in January, park officials expect to decide as soon as mid-February on what to do about the mountain goats.”

    The goats are reproducing rapidly. Now might be the best time to reduce the animals before they're too many to bring under control, according to the Park Service.

    One wildlife biologist who studies bighorn sheep praised the proposal. Mountain goats' original habitat is nowhere close to where they've been introduced in the U.S. to provide hunting opportunities, said Rob Roy Ramey II, with Nederland, Colorado-based Wildlife Science International, Inc.

    Wildlife managers should get rid of mountain goats not only in Grand Teton but elsewhere to help struggling bighorn sheep, Ramey said. “Unfortunately, state wildlife agencies sell nonnative wildlife viewing opportunities to the public,” Ramey said. “This is not a zoo in the wilderness. It should really be for native wildlife.”

    John George, 60, remembers that he lived a wonderful life in the Detroit neighborhood where he grew up. "We knew all our neighbors." George told Detroit's Metro Times. "On Christmas Eve, we'd all go to midnight Mass, and there'd be 300 people in our house at one o'clock to about five in the morning. The folks were just really good, hardworking people."

    By the'80s, however, the old neighborhood changed. Due in part to economic downturns and drug abuse, well -kept homes had been abandoned and kindly neighbors had fled to the suburbs(郊区). But not George. "Living in any city, it's like being in a relationship," he told Reader's Digest. "Some days are better than others. But it was my home. And when I saw it becoming worse, I had two choices: I could leave, or I could stay and fight. I chose the latter."

    When the abandoned home behind his turned into a worn-out place, the father of two grabbed some boards and nails and began boarding up the house. After two neighbors stopped to ask what he was doing, they decided to help, with great results.

    That's how it all got started. In the 30 years since that first home rescue, an army of approximately 182,000 volunteers, along with private donors, has helped George pull down around 300 abandoned homes, mainly in die poorer Northwest area of Detroit. They've also secured 400 - some homes by boarding them up. They've painted and repaired nearly 900 homes and built over 100 from scratch. According to Forbes, more than 1,000 Detroiters have been housed as a result of their work.

    And there's Halloween. In Detroit, October 30 was known as Devil's Night, a period when all hell break loose in the form of crime and vandalism (破坏公物). In response, George created a citizens' patrol(巡逻)that would take to the streets, keeping an eye on illegal behavior. He named it Angels' Night What began with 12 neighbors on patrol in 1990 has grown to more than 60,000 citywide.

    George's inspired ideas have not gone unnoticed by the city he loves. Others are buying into it. There's a trend of younger homeowners coming in.