More student than ever before are taking a gap-year (间隔年)before going to university.It used to be called the “year off” between school and university.The gap-year phenomenon originated(起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

    This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) .

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student had ship – young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to ￡15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and More students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree.NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,”he said.

    New Zealand will create one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, spanning an area of 620,000 sq km.

    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary (保护区) will be one of the world's most significant fully protected ecosystems, the prime minister of New Zealand, John Key, told the UN General Assembly in New York.

    The sanctuary is in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 km north-east of New Zealand, and expands a marine reserve that surrounds some small islands. The area is considered important in terms of biodiversity, featuring nearly 35 species of whales and dolphins, 150 types of fish and three of the world's seven sea turtle species. It is also geologically significant, including the world's longest chain of underwater volcanoes and the second deepest ocean trench, into 10 km underwater — deeper than Mount Everest's height. The scale of the sanctuary will dwarf (矮化) any previous New Zealand's protected area, spanning twice the size of the country's mainland. It will cover 15% of New Zealand's economic zone.

    Commercial and recreational fishing will be completely banned, as will oil, gas and mineral prospecting (勘探), exploration and mining. Key's government aims to pass legislation establishing the sanctuary next year.

    "The sanctuary is a world-class, unspoiled marine environment and New Zealand is proud to protect it for future generations,"Key said."New Zealanders value our coasts and oceans, which are an important part of our culture, economy and environment and we are committed to managing them sustainably. Creating protected areas will support not only our own fisheries, but those of our Pacific neighbors, adding to New Zealand's efforts to help grow Pacific economies through the responsible management of their ocean resources."

    Nick Smith, New Zealand's environment minister, said the sanctuary might impose a cost upon the mining industry but that it is important to protect the ocean before exploration takes place."New Zealand needs to use its vast ocean resources for jobs and exports in industries like fishing, aquaculture, minerals and energy, but we also need to set aside special areas where nature comes first and marine life is fully protected,"Smith said.

    New Zealand will monitor the area via its navy and satellite technology. The Kermadec region will join three other key areas in the Pacific protected by the US, the UK and Australia.

    Matt Rand, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts' Global Ocean Legacy (遗产) campaign, welcomed Key's announcement."New Zealand will create the gold standard of conservation areas in the sanctuary, preserving one of the few ly unspoiled areas of ocean on Earth,"he said."This commitment is an exciting step toward meeting global goals to safeguard at least 30% of the ocean through fully protected marine reserves."

    Before coming to France, I always thought that French people wear formal clothes. But, when I arrived in Paris, I came to know why France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers (设计师) from all over the world to come.

    On the boulevard of Champs-elysees, there are many fashion shops of famous brands, such as Chanel, Dior, Pierre Cardin. In daily life, however, most of Parisians never wear clothes like those on the super models. On the opposite (相反), I found people in Paris often dress in very simple designs and usually in dark.

    Such situation doesn't affect French designers to create more and more new styles. But I would say people in Paris dress more formally than those in the rest of France. In other French cities, what people wear are usually casual (休闲) dresses, such as T-shirts and jeans.

    French people act as the fashion leaders, but they accept other clothes styles as well. Montpellier, the city I live in, is in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. Here are many immigrants (移民) from Algeria, Morocco and other African countries. The Arabian and African cultures are influential (有影响的) in this city. Therefore, you can find a lot of young people dress in the North African style.

    Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden's owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn't stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree's shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.

    The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree's branches were drying up.

    Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow... He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.

    They should really learn how to live in harmony）with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, and help each other instead of fighting, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.

    People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times. You've made friends since childhood, but you still don't know who your true friends are. Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend：

Always honest

    Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive. A true friend always tells you the truth. It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship. It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.

    _________________

    There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. He or she may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/she can never make time for you when you are in trouble. You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can't always listen immediately to your problems.

    Always respectful (尊敬的)

    A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not. Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.

    Always understanding

    It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend. A true friend will always be forgiving (体谅的) and understanding，even if it isn't his/her fault. We are all different people and we all make mistakes. A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn't want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend.