I have two sons. They are as different as night and day. My youngest is sweet, loveable, easy-going, and finds joy in everything. My oldest we've nicknamed the “Evil Genius” is ambitious, self-confident, and suffers no fools. Whenever we mentioned Santa my husband and I were rewarded with major eye rolling and deep sighs from my oldest. At first we both tried to ignore it.

    We both knew that our eldest had figured out the big secret. But I'd be damned(指责) if he was going to ruin it for his six-year-old brother who had plenty of Santa-loving years ahead of him. I looked at my husband in the eye and said, “I'll handle this.” to which he responded “Okay just be careful because I'm not sure he knows - he might just be acting like it.” But I knew. And I had it in my mind that he was about to break his younger brothers spirit and break the news to him. I was afraid he was going to take the Christmas spirit away from my sweet innocent youngest and stamp all over it. I had to protect him. I needed to control this now before it got out of control. I rushed into the play room where my oldest was playing alone. I looked him dead in the eyes and said: “Well you know Santa isn't real, right?” And as I stared at my eight-year-old son for what seemed like a long time of silence, his eyes started to fill with tears. And a tear dropped down his cheek when he screamed out, “He's not?” “Um well it's not that he's not real (shut up you idiot- stop saying he's not real), but he doesn't really make and deliver all the toys. Dad and I get some of them for you. So he's real. He's just got a little help from us.”

    The Evil Genius wasn't buying it. He just sat there looking at me with an expression of doubt. You know when you make a terrible mistake but you can't stop yourself from making it worse? That was me because I just had to know. I had to know why he had seemed to be over Santa. So I asked him why he rolled his eyes and sighed every time his father and I mentioned Santa, to which he replied that kids at school had been saying Santa wasn't real but that he still thought he was.

    You don't have to be a superhero to help the environment. Even small, simple actions can add up to big change. People around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22. But anyone – including kids – can work to help the earth at any time. TFK (Time for Kids) talked to a few kids about how they are protecting the planet. Let them inspire you!

    Mari, 10, lives in Flint, Michigan, where people have been without clean drinking water since 2014. That is when the water became polluted with lead（铅）. Children in Flint have suffered from health problems due to lead poisoning. Mari has worked hard to spread awareness of Flint's water crisis by organizing fundraisers and other events.

    At age 3, Ryan went with his dad to recycling center near his home, in Orange County, California. The next day, Ryan began collecting recyclables from neighbors. Soon, Ryan's Recycling Company was born. “Recycling keeps bottles and cans out of the ocean,” Ryan, now 8, told TFK, “so animals don't get sick from them and die.” So far, Ryan has helped customers recycle 320,000 bottles and cans. He has also donated nearly $6,000 to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

    Joris, 11, has always loved cheetahs. When he learned that the big cats might disappear in his lifetime, he set out to help protect them. Joris began raising money. So far, Joris has raised more than $14,000. The money goes to a wildlife sanctuary（避难所）in Namibia, a country in Africa. This helps prevent the animals from being killed. Jorin has spent three summers volunteering at the sanctuary.

    Researchers continue to show the power behind our sense of smell. Recent studies have found, among other things, that the smell of foods like pizza can cause uncontrollable anger in drivers on roads.

    The review explains that smell is unique in its effects on the brain. According to Conrad King, the researcher who carried out the review, "more than any other senses, the sense of smell goes through the logical part of the brain and acts on the systems concerned with feelings. This is why the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter."

    Smell, which dictates(决定) the unbelievable complexity of food tastes, has always been the least understood of our senses. Our noses are able to detect up to 10,000 distinct smells. Our ability to smell and taste this extremely large range of smells is controlled by something like 1,000 genes (基因), which make up an amazing 3% of the human genome. Researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck were together awarded a Nobel Prize in 2004 for their ground-breaking research on the nature of this extraordinary sense. These two scientists were the first to describe the family of 1,000 olfactory (嗅觉) genes and to explain how our olfactory system works.

    According to one study in the research review, smelling fresh pizza or even the packaging of fast foods can be enough to make drivers feel impatient with other road users. They are then more likely to speed and experience uncontrollable anger on roads. The most reasonable explanation is that these can all make drivers feel hungry, and therefore desperate to satisfy their appetites.

    In contrast, the smells of peppermint and cinnamon were shown to improve concentration levels as well as reduce drivers' impatience. Similarly, the smells of lemon and coffee appeared to promote clear thinking and mental focus.

    However, the way genes regulate smell differs from person to person. A study by researchers in Israel has identified at least 50 olfactory genes which are switched on in some people and not in others. They believe this may explain why some of us love some smells and tastes while others hate them. The Israel researchers say their study shows that nearly every human being shows a different pattern of active and inactive smell-detecting receptors.

Open water swimming

    I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so I wasn't prepared for how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day. A swimmer told me the water felt colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to complete the challenge.

    Most of the people taking part were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. There seemed to be a mix of open-water enthusiasts alongside complete beginners—which is precisely the aim of the swims, to get as many people as possible completing their own challenge. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year had swum in every one-mile race.

    I had chosen the third one-mile race of the day. There were over 600 people in my race. We were taken through an acclimatization area  a children's paddling pool-sized part of the lake where we moved in to feel how cold the water was. "Not too bad" was everyone's thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.

    We'd been warned that the first 100 metres would be really rough. However, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm; it felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and technique, and just keep going. As I approached the 400m-to-go mark my lower right leg became painful. I recalled overhearing people talking about how they kept swimming through the pain, so I tried. But it didn't work. I began to feel the entire leg tight and painful. I didn't want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg.

    Finally I saw the finishing post, and I just concentrated on getting there—still one-legged. My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn't matter—the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time. I'm hooked, and want to give it another go. I've already signed up for my next open-water swim.

    Donald was not very good at math. He could not understand the teacher's explanations. Even when the teacher explained something a second time, Donald still could not understand it. "Never mind," Donald told himself, "I'm quite good at other subjects. I'll cheat in the math exam, and then I won't be in trouble."

    "I will sit next to the boy who's good at math,'' he thought, "and copy down his answers." The day of the exam came, and Donald sat next to Brian Smith, who was always at the top of the class in math. Donald carefully copied Brian's answers onto his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher collected the papers and graded them. Then she said, "Well, boys and girls. I've decided to give a prize to the student who got the highest grade. However, it's difficult for me to decide who to give the prize to, because two students, Donald and Brian, got the same grade."

    "Let them share it,'' one of the other students said.

    "I have thought about that,'' the teacher said, "but I have decided to give the prize to Brian." Donald was angry when he heard this. He stood up and said, "That is not fair. I got the same grade as Brian." "That is true," the teacher said. "However, Brian's answer to Question 18 was 'I don't know', while yours was 'Neither do I'."

    Do you still use a power button(开机键)to open your smart phones or computers? You are out of fashion! Now most smart phones are using facial-recognition system(面部识别系统), and we already have machines that can know you from your fingers and your voice too. But some companies are still willing to invent other systems to "break" these systems, for example, the eye-recognition system. As is reported, you'll just have to look at the computers and machines, and this system will be able to tell you who you are by looking at your eyes, even when you are wearing glasses.

    Do you wonder if this system will work well? The answer is YES. All you need is just look at your machines. The eye scanner(扫描仪)is put in the cameras of your machines. The eye-recognition system is safer and easier than other systems. This is because everyone's eyes are different. Since the system works easily, you won't have to remember a group of code when you want to open your computer or take money out of a bank in the future. Eye-recognition system is better than other kinds of systems because your eyes don't change as you get older, and don't get dirty like hands or fingers. Even twins' eyes are not the same. So the eye-recognition system can be up to 94 percent correct, but it depends on how good the technology is. Some systems may only 51% right. In Britain, it was found that 91 percent of the people who had tried it said that they liked the idea of eye-recognition. So scientists think it will become more popular than other systems.

    The eye-recognition system has already been tested in shops in the USA, Britain, Spain, Italy and Turkey Soon it will become a popular way among public. In the future, your computer will be opened by looking at your eyes.