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　　To Lauder Exchange Program：

　　Gaia Filicori was a student in my Humanities class for the 2002-2003 year．From the first week of classes it was obvious that Gaia was an excellent student and a very sociable young lady．She was always eager to join in class discussion．Gaia's ability to communicate her own ideas is a skill that many of us work for a very long time to achieve．

　　Gaia also has a deep curiosity about the world around her．The simple fact that she desires to spend a year in another country is proof enough．I have also seen her show this curiosity in class．She asked some of the most interesting and thoughtful questions of any of the students in her class．When others were content to accept a point, Gaia would see from a new angle(角度)that none of us had tried．

　　As a student in Humanities, Gaia was required to complete a group project．The project was to write a page for a Humanities textbook using text and multi-midia．It was a chanllenging task and Gaia's group was experiencing some difficulties．Yet, they had an easier time of it because they did not hesitate to come to me with their problems and try to work them out．As a result Gaia and her group had one of the more successful projects．The ability needed to recognize a problem and ask for help to solve it will be of great value if she is selected to be a Lauder Exchange student．

　　Gaia's interest in the world around her will serve her well as a Lauder Exchange student．The ease with which she get along with others and the ease with which she makes new friends will also help her as she tries to learn in a foreign setting．I have no doubt that Gaia would be a wonderful representative of the Lauder Program, Stuyvesant High School, and the United States．

　　Perry Jones

　　Social Studies

　　Stuyvesant High School

　　**If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me．

　　212-312-4800; pjones @stuy.edu

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阅读理解

　　It was the afternoon of December 24, the day before Christmas; and as the newest doctor in our office, I had to work．The only thing that brightened my day was the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in our waiting room and a gift sent to me by a fellow I was dating－a dozen long-stemmed red roses．

　　As I was cleaning my office, our receptionist came and said there was a lady in the front office that urgently needed to speak with me．As I stepped out, I noticed a young, tired-looking woman with a baby in her arms．Nervously, she explained that her husband－a prisoner in a nearby prison－was my next patient．The guards were scheduled to bring him to the office that afternoon．She told me she wasn't allowed to visit her husband in prison and that he had never seen his son．Her request was for me to let the boy's father sit in the waiting room with her as long as possible before I called him for his appointment．Since my schedule wasn't full, I agreed．After all, it was Christmas Eve．

　　A short time later, her husband arrived－with chains on his feet and hands, and two armed guards as bodyguards．The woman's tired face lit up like our little Christmas tree when her husband took a seat beside her．I kept glancing out to watch them laugh, cry, and share their child．After almost an hour, I called the prisoner back to my office．While I worked, the guards stood just outside my door．The patient seemed like a gentle and modest man．I wondered what he possibly could have done to be held under such conditions．I tried to make him as comfortable as possible．

　　At the end of the appointment, I wished him a Merry Christmas－a difficult thing to say to a man headed back to prison．He smiled and thanked me．He also said he felt saddened by the fact he hadn't been able to get his wife anything for Christmas．On hearing this, I was inspired with a wonderful idea．

　　I'll never forget the look on both their faces as the prisoner gave his wife the beautiful, long-stemmed roses．I'm not sure who experienced the most joy－the husband in giving, the wife in receiving, or myself in having the opportunity to share in this special moment．

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