In some countries，open campus (校园) is widely accepted. For example, French students have a two-hour lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. During their lunch break, they can eat at home or at a restaurant. But students in the Philippines have a tougher schedule. They have only two 15-minute breaks and an hour for lunch.

    What Schedule would be best for American schools?

    Having breaks between classes is great, but having breaks off campus is even better. There are several advantages to open campus, including simple conveniences such as being able to eat different meals during lunchtime, rather than having the cafeteria (自助食堂) dishes, as well as having the chance to take a break at home.

    However, there are more reasons I disagree with allowing high school students the right to have an open campus. Sure, it's great being able to escape school during the day for a while, but soon enough that may easily become the rest of the day.

    If open campus is allowed, it is very possible that such freedom will make it all too easy for students to skip their afternoon classes. Of course, there will be students responsible enough to come back to school.

    But unexpected problems such as heavy traffic, city bus delays (延迟) or cars breaking down may prevent them from returning to school. It benefits the students to stay in school during lunch hours to avoid transportation issues.

    Depending on how close the school is to restaurants and students' homes, open campus could be a great idea. Unfortunately, though, most public schools in America are not located close enough to restaurants or students' homes, thus causing the negative results to outweigh (超过) the positives in the end.

    A German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.

    The paper, published this March in Psychology and Aging, examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96. The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.

    Survey respondents (受访者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, among other questions.

    The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction, while middle-aged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future. Adults of 65 and older, however, were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction. Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would, the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.

     “We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade,” wrote Frieder R. Lang, a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

    Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.

     “Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (预防措施),” the authors wrote.

    Surprisingly, compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes, respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline. Also, the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.

    The authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions. Illness, medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes.

    However, the researchers said a pattern was clear. “We found that from early to late adulthood, individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic, to accurate, to pessimistic,” the authors concluded.

    Palema Malhotra and her husband Anil Malhotra have spent the last 25 years buying the waste agricultural land and reforesting it, to return the land to a bio – diverse rainforest for elephants, birds and other creatures.

    The couple owns 300 acres of land in Brahmagiri, India. They have spotted more than 300 kinds of birds as well as many rare and threatened animal species. But, this was not the scene in 1991 when Anil and Pamela came to this part of the country. “When I came here, it was a wasteland. The owner wanted to sell because he couldn't grow coffee or anything else,” says Anil who worked in the real estate（房地产）and restaurant business in the US before moving to India. “For me and Pamela, this was what we were looking for all our life.”

    The couple had a love for nature from their childhood. When the Malhotras came to India, the pollution horrified them. “That was when we decided to do something to reclaim（开垦）the forest in India,” says Anil. “We were not looking for money. Early on, we realized that shortage of fresh water will be a concern for India and the rest of the world. Acquisition, protection and reclamation of forested lands and wildlife habitat, where vital water sources have their origin, is the only way to save ourselves,” explains Anil.

    They sold what they owned in America, bought the first 55 acres and began to grow a forest. Soon they bought the land nearby as well. “Many of the farmers considered their holdings 'wasteland' as very little grew on it and were happy to get money,” says Anil.

    Hunting and poaching（偷猎）was a challenge and often the locals did not understand what this couple was doing, so it required a lot of talking to create awareness. They worked with the forest department to set up camera traps and keep poachers away. “There are times I have fought with poachers,” says Pamela.

    Day tripping: discover the Thames Valley by train this summer

    Footloose and fancy-free fun is what summer is all about and there's no better way to go on a stress-free day trip than by train. Here's our pick of festivals and events that are an easy hop from London Paddington.

    May 26-28

    Blenheim Palace Food Festival        Nearest station: Hanborough

    Sink your teeth into local cheeses, slurp local ales（麦芽酒）and get inspired to cook with Oxfordshire produce at live demonstrations during this annual food festival, Better still, gather some goodies and go for a picnic within its beautiful parklands. Flowers more your thing? The Blenheim Palace Flower Show also takes place here, from June 22 to 24.

    June17

    Marlow Dragon Boat Festival                Nearest station: Marlow

    Head down to the banks of the Thames early to bag a good spot to see the teams go head-to-head at this colourful dragon boat racing spectacle in Marlow. The free event, which is part of the wider ticketed Marlow Town Regatta（划船比赛）and Festival, promises to be a lively day out. There will be food stalls and free entertainment, too, to keep the cheering crowds amused.

    August 24-26

    Wokingham Festival            Nearest station: Wokingham

    Hop on the free shuttle bus from Wokingham train station to join in the good-old-fashioned fun at this charming community festival in Berkshire. Centering around Cantley Event Field, it promises a beer festival, live music, food stalls, and plenty to keep the little ones happy, from face painting to circus（马戏团）skills. Kids go free.

    In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.

    But in the big cities of Europe like London or Pads, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.

    So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities, other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.

    Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.

    As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. "

    It's wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights," they say.

Fine Arts Students Deliver Magical Performances

As the winter holidays approach, Brookhaven School students presented an array of extraordinary performances showcasing immense talent within our fine arts community. From the band concert to the choral concerts, each event highlighted the dedication and exceptional gifts of our students. 

The December 12 Eagles Band Concert filled Woodruff Auditorium with melodies that captured the festive spirit. On December 14, the Foundations Christmas Choral Concert featured spirited performances by our 7th graders. The finale of seasonal fine arts showcases occurred on December 18 in Brady Theater with the Senior Chior Concert, spotlighting high school singers. 

A highly anticipated tradition, the school-wide Holiday Assembly on December 19, hosted by esteemed (受人尊敬的) Fine Arts Department Chair Mr. Kaminer, embodied (包含) the true essence of the holiday season. Angelic songs filled Young Gym, followed by joyous laughter and cheers as the "best costume" winners received their awards. Even the youngest War Eagles, the children in the Brookhaven Early Learning Center, attended the celebrations. Following the event, students merrily left school for the holiday break. 

Looking toward 2024, anticipation builds for the Brookhaven theater spring productions. "Something Rotten! promises high-energy comedic performances by theater students, while "Tuck Everlasting" assures a moving portrayal by talented Foundations students. Furthermore, the Brookhaven Dance Company will hold their showcase April 11-12 in Woodruff Auditorium. Tickets will soon be available for purchase.