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.

    Beginning life at college naturally develops both excitement and anxiety for many reasons. Fors ome, this feeling is quickly overcome as they adapt to a new environment; for others the change takes longer and sometimes appears as homesickness.

    If you are homesick, you might notice an increase in:

    Low energy or motivation.

    Trouble sleeping.

    Increases/decreases in appetite.

    Having difficulty with school.

    Increased use of drugs or alcohol.

    Lack of interest or involvement in new surroundings.

    CAUSES

    The distance from home—the farther you go, the worse it may be.

    Unhappiness when things are different from your expectations of student life.

    You have finally arrived at college after working toward it for so long.

    A heavy workload.

    Students who are homesick often feel they have no control over their environment.

    WHAT MIGHT HELP?

    Keep in good contact with the people you have left behind, but also give yourself time within the university to begin to get involved here.

    Be realistic about what to expect from student life and from yourself. Set up a balance between work and leisure.

    If work is proving too difficult, you may need to improve your study skills or your organization of time.

    Remember to get enough food and sleep! These affect you emotionally as well as physically.

    Make contacts and friends through shared activities such as sports or other interests.

    If you stop being able to do normal social and academic things, seek professional help either from your advisor or dean or the counseling service.

    A Song of Ice and Fire is a seven-part series of fantasy written for adults. George R. R. Martin writes each chapter from the perspective of a specific character, providing a limited point of view for each section. The reader is able to understand the inner workings of the individual, but the reader is barred from a whole understanding of the text. The world he has created has magic, but there is much more than that. While magic exists, it exists on the edge, and the inner unrest of the characters is much more important.

    His work also has a level of realness that is astonishing in a work of fantasy. Characters are imperfect, and many make questionable moral choices. In the end, however, Martin shows that both good and bad happen to both the people of high moral standard and the corrupt. He has made it clear that any character can die at any point, which has led to a lot of heartbreak from readers.

    In 2011, A Song of Ice and Fire became a television series titled Game of Thrones. Martin has been closely involved with the production. It has currently run for seven seasons, and viewers anxiously await the eighth season to answer their questions from the season seven finale.

    His fans are also waiting for The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the next books in the series, to answer the questions Martin and the television show have not yet addressed. Martin, however, has no plans to rush. He has made it clear that he will continue to write the books while working on the television show and writing other novels.

    But how will the story continue? What is going to happen in Westeros, and more importantly: when are we going to find out? Martinis skill as a writer has kept readers and viewers spellbound. Many hope he will finish the next book before the next season of the show begins, but no one knows with Martin. He always keeps his readers guessing.

Cobb Theatres are showing kids' movies this summer at 10 am every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Doors open at 9: 30 am, and many of the theaters fill quickly with summer campers, so arrive early if you want a seat.

The films will be at three MiamiDade theaters:

◆ Dolphin 19, 11471NW 12th St., Miami;

Tel: 3055910785.

Ticket Pricing: $12.00 (adult); $9.00 (child under the age of 12)

◆ Cobb Grand 18, 17355 NW 59th Ave., Miami Lakes;

Tel: 30523135252.

Ticket Pricing: $13.00 (adult); $10.00 (child under the age of 12)

◆ Miami Lakes 17, 6711 Main St., Miami Lakes;

Tel: 3055583810.

Ticket Pricing: $11.00 (adult), $8.00 (child under the age of 12)

The schedule is as follows:

★June 14, 15 and 16: Norm of the North (all three theaters) and Shaun the Sheep (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★June 21, 22 and 23: Minions (all three theaters) and The Spongebob Movie; Sponge out of Water (Dolphin and Miami Lakes);

★June 28, 29 and 30: Penguins of Madagascar (all three theaters) and Dr.Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★July 5, 6 and 7: Alvin & The Chipmunks; The Road Chip (all three theaters) and Shark Tale (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★July 12, 13 and 14: Home (all three theaters) and The Peanuts Movie (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★July 19, 20 and 21: The Peanuts Movie (Cobb Grand); Hotel Transylvania and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★July 26, 27 and 28: Dr.Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (Cobb Grand); Goosebumps and Smurfs 2 (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

★Aug.2, 3 and 4: HotelTransylvania (Cobb Grand); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007) and Happy Feet (Dolphin and Miami Lakes)

    It is reported that a record-breaking high-speed rail will connect Inner Mongolia in the north to Hainan in the south. According to the Shaanxi Development and Reform Commission, the proposed line will operate at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour(217 mph).

    Beginning in Inner Mongolia's Baotou city and running through southern Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong, its final stop would be in Haikou city on Hainan Island, China's southernmost province.

    Though the exact length of the proposed route has not been released, it will likely become the world's longest high-speed rail line as the journey by road between Baotou and Haikou is approximately 3, 000 kilometers(1, 864 miles) long. Currently, the world's longest high-speed rail line is almost 2, 300 kilometers long (1, 429 miles), running from Beijing to Guangzhou.

    The proposed rail is part of China's aim to create another "Silk Road of the 21st Century" and improve the country's transportation network while driving land development and urbanization(城市化) in some provincial areas.

    Many of the provinces through which the high-speed trains will travel are near major bodies of water, such as the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi province, the Yangtzi River in Hubei and the South China Sea, where the line would end. It will also take passengers to popular tourist attractions including Zhangjiajie, Xi'an, Guilin and minority areas in western Hunan and Hubei.

    "The country is now shifting its focus and investing in the western regions and economically underdeveloped areas, making up for China's long debt to these areas, " Tan yuzhi, professor of the School of Economics and Management at Hubei University for Nationalities, told local media. " The project will significantly narrow regional disparities(差异) and solve minority issues."

    However, Deng Hongbing, director of China University of Geosciences' Center for Regional Economic and Investment Center, said that if the north-to-south railway is to go ahead, there needs to be a sound ecological program in place to ensure the protection of these underdeveloped and ecologically sensitive areas.

    Scientists in New Zealand have found fossilized (化石的) leg bones from a penguin believed to have been about the size of an adult human. The previously undiscovered giant penguin species likely stood about 1.6 meters tall and weighed up to 80 kilograms.

    The penguin existed about 60 million years ago. The bones are believed to be from the oldest of several species of giant penguins that lived after dinosaurs died out. A fossil hunter found the bones last year in the Waipara River bed near the city of Christchurch. The bones are from the animal's legs and feet. Scientists confirmed that the bones came from a newly discovered species.

    Paul Scofield is senior curator (馆长) at New Zealand's Canterbury Museum. He co-wrote a paper on the discovery. He said that the bones are an important find. They show that the species is similar to another giant penguin found in Antarctica in 2000. The latest discovery, he said, helps show a clear connection between the two areas during the Paleocene period. This period lasted from 66 million to 56 million years ago.

    Scofield said the penguins were able to grow larger after entering a new development period following the extinction of dinosaurs, sea reptiles and huge fish. Scofield added that the giant penguins became extinct within 30 million years, as large mammals began to rule the waters.

    John Cockrem is a penguin expert at the country's Massey University who was also not involved in the research. He said the discovery helps add to what we know about giant penguins. He said it also confirmed New Zealand as the penguin center of the world.

    New Zealand is believed to have been home to many giant bird species that later disappeared. These included the world's largest parrot, a giant eagle and an emu-like bird called the moa. Recently, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of an unusually large parrot believed to have lived about 19 million years ago. Scientists say the bird stood about one meter tall.