My grandparents believed that you were either honest or you were not. They had a simple saying hanging on their living-room wall: “Life is like a field of newly fallen snow. Where I choose to walk every step will show.” They didn't have to talk about it; they showed this truth by the way they lived.

    They understood that honesty is an inner(内部的) standard for judging your behavior. Unfortunately, honesty is in short supply today. But it is the real bottom line in every area of society and a discipline (自制能力) we must demand of ourselves.

    There's a story told about a surgical nurse's first day on the medical team at a well-known hospital. She was responsible(负责) for all surgical instruments and materials during an operation. At the end of the operation, the nurse said to the doctor, “ You've only removed 11 sponges（海绵）, and we used 12. We need to find the last one.”

     “I removed them all,” the doctor assured her. “ No, you didn't , sir,” insisted the nurse. “ Think of the patient.”

    Smiling, the doctor lifted his foot and showed the nurse the twelfth sponge.

    So when you know you're right, you can't yield. Don't be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be more intelligent than you are.

    Self-respect and a clear awareness (意识)of right and wrong are powerful parts of honesty and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others. Honesty means you do what you do because it's right and not just fashionable or politically correct. A life of principle, of not easily yielding, will always take you forward. My grandparents taught me that.

    For Suilasaikhan, a man living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(IMAR)(内蒙古自治区), life was hard years ago. When the wind blew, the sand made it almost impossible for him to see anything. He had to find his way back home by following the barking of dogs.

    Thankfully, things are much better today. About one third of the desert is now covered with trees, and sandstorms are less common. Ian Teh, who comes from Malaysia, came to China last year and was amazed to see people planting trees in the several deserts in northern China. "To be honest, it was hard to imagine it was ever a desert at all," he said.

    These are the results of Chinas years-long efforts to deal with desertification (沙漠化). In the 1950s, this widespread problem affected the life of about 400 million people in 18 provinces and autonomous regions in China. So China started several programs to deal with it. For example, the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, saw thousands of trees planted in northern China.

    In 1994, China joined the United Nations' convention (公约) against desertification and created the world's first law on sand prevention in 2001. With these efforts, the past five years have seen the area of desert in China decrease by 242,400 hectares.

    Desertification isn't the problem only in China. With china's success in dealing with desertification, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) believes the country is a good example for other countries to follow. "China is one of the most successful countries in greening the desert and has lessons to share with the world." UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim told Xinhua.

    Science is always advancing over time. A self-driving car from the Google may be coming to a street near you. However, you won't be able to buy it now. “We're working to build the world's most experienced driver,” Kraft, director of the project, said. “Everything that we learn in one of our cars gets passed to all of our cars. But you may need to get over the idea of traditional car ownership along the way.”

    Google's software has already driven 5 million miles in U.S. cities, including an “early rider” test in Phoenix last April. Since then Google has grown confident enough to remove the “auxiliary wheel”: a human “safety driver”. Powering the vehicle's self-driving functions is a series of cameras, radars and sensors on the car's roof, which detect everything nearby from other vehicles and passers-by to cyclists.

    Kraft stressed that Google's cars aren't connected—they don't need a 5G wireless link to go anywhere. “The car has everything it needs to drive on the car itself.” He said, “There are no signals coming from outer space or something telling it to turn right.” The resulting ride may not be too exciting but safe. Kraft added. “We can see three football fields down the road, we would come to a stop before we ran into these crowds.”

    Google's system has a major advantage over the semi-autonomous（半自主的）systems of Tesla and Cadillac, both of which need continued human attention. Kraft said Google plans to have service in every major city by 2028 with thousands of cars driving themselves.

    Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia on August 27th, 1910. She attended the government school near her home until she was eighteen. At that time, some doctors and nurses from Yugoslavia were working in India, and they often wrote to school about their work. She decided to join them one day.

    When she finished school, she went first to Britain. Then a year later she went to India, where she began to train to be a teacher. After training, she was sent to Calcutta, where she taught geography at a school and soon after she became headmistress. (女校长)

    However, although she loved teaching, in 1946 Mother Teresa left school and went to work in the poor parts of Calcutta. Later she trained to become a nurse in Panta, and then began her work helping the poor and comforting the dying in the streets of the city. Slowly others came to help her, and her work spread to other parts of India.

    Mother Teresa is now a well-known person. Many photos have been taken of her as she traveled the world to open new schools and hospitals in poor countries. In 1979, she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the lifetime of love and service she has given to the poor.

    Many high school students consider a college education useless. Therefore, they choose not to go to college. If you're one of them, think again. Here are some reasons why you should go to college and receive a good education there.

    Schools and universities are the first sources of knowledge. We take that knowledge later on to build our careers after graduation. More knowledge will be gained after you start working, but without an education, that job will not be within easy reach. Knowledge leads to knowledge.

    While limited within the walls of the educational institutions, we openly explore other cultures of the world. We come to know that ours is not the only culture. Other cultures have valuable insights to share, enriching our own Education also makes us want to travel and interact with various cultures, broadening our horizons.

    When there's a downturn in the economy, those who attended college will be more likely to find a new job than those who only finished grade school and have a limited skills set. The more education you have, the more chances you will get to improve the quality of your life as you have a better job and earn a higher salary.

    When you're skillful and knowledgeable, you get to "rub knees" with people of similar backgrounds and tastes. It means a good education leads to excellent networking. Good networking can benefit you a lot in your later life.

    A good education makes you a more interesting person. You can talk about ideas and events instead of just other people and what's on sale in stores. An educated person doesn't gossip, having a preference to discuss ideas and listen to what other people have to say.

    If you fancy a break over the festive season, then why not join Solos Holidays on one of their special Christmas or New Year breaks. These social events are a great opportunity to mix and associate.

    Stratford Christmas Market

    A wonderful way to start getting into the festive spirit on this 2-night Christmas market break. Wander under the twinkling lights while shopping for homemade gifts and tasting warming wine, roast chestnuts or luxury(奢侈的) chocolates. Explore historical Stratford-upon-Avon and enjoy dinner on both evenings where you can relax, join in the hotel's party night and hit the dance-floor with other single guests.

    Departure: 7th December

    Price: £380, Breakfast Dinner

    New Year in Brighton

    Head to the south coast and the busy town of Brighton for a 3-night break this New Year. Celebrations begin with a Solos welcome drink before joining other single guests for dinner and musical entertainment. The next morning we take the fun ‘Only in Brighton Tour' showcasing all things special about Brighton, before New Year's Eve kicks off with a Gala dinner and party to take us into 2019.

    Departure: 30th December

    Price: £555, Breakfast & Dinner

    To find out more about Solos Holidays Black Tie Balls, Party Nights, Dances & Festive Breaks that take place at venues(场所)across the UK throughout December: call 0844826 8515 or visit solosholidays.co.uk