It is not easy getting the attention of tourists away from the well-known white sandy beaches of Byron Bay. But in this relying Australian surf town, a solar (太阳能的)-powered train might just do a good job.

    Opening to the public in December 2017 along a 1.9-mile-long stretch (一段) of track that sat abandoned for more than a decade, the Byron Bay Rail Company has breathed new life into a pair of disused railcars dating back to the 1940s. They're now used to transport passengers between Byron Bay's central business district and the North Beach area. After remaining in service as part of a regional passenger rail network until the early 1990s, the aging railcars were out of service and sat uncared for — almost destroyed by time and unpleasant Aussie climate — in a railyard for more than 20 years. You'd never know it by looking at these nearly 70-year-old workhorses today, though: they've been decorated, equipped, topped with custom-made photovoltaic panels (定制的光电池板) and rearranged to accommodate up to 100 seated beach goers.

    It's those train-top PV panels that truly set the Byron Bay Rail Company's flagship train apart from other heritage rail restoration projects.

    Drawing additional power from a 30-kilowatt solar array (阵列) located atop the train's storage building, the tain is said to be the first in the world to be completely powered by the sun. Solar energy caught by the 6.5-kilowatt train-top solar panels is stored directly in an onboard battery system that powers motors, lighting and the like. When stopped at its home platform, the train pushes into chargers for quick battery top-offs with electricity produced by the storage building's rooftop solar array. The 77 kilowatt-hour battery can hold enough juice for 12 to 15 runs on a single charge. During long periods of cloudiness when the solar arrays don't get enough sun, the train uses the main electric network, supply using renewable energy sold by community-based service Enova Energy.

    The Byron Bay Rail Company's first-in-the-world folly solar-powered train is a good example of historic rail preservation with a 21^st century development. Operating as a not-for-profit company, the Byron Bay Rail Company also expected the AU$4 million line to be a way to relieve traffic jam between downtown Byron Bay and the rapidly growing North Beach area. Really, there's no bigger unpleasant thing than sitting in bad traffic for 40 minutes trying to get to the beach.

    Princess quiz time! How did Snow White survive? How did Cinderella (《灰姑娘》) leave her evil stepmother? How did Sleeping Beauty finally wake up?

    A kind-hearted person always comes to save the princess, like a prince or a godmother. Princesses cannot protect themselves, though they are very pretty and nice. They always need the help of others.

    However, in fact, women can't put their life in the hands of a prince-like man. They need to work and even fight for their own happiness. The traditional image(形象) of a princess is getting out of date.

    Recently, Disney, a company famous for its princess movies, posted the “top 10 rules for being a modern princess”. You will not find any rules related to beauty or looks. The rules focus on loyalty, honesty and other moral values. The rules say princesses need to believe in themselves and try their best to get out of trouble, instead of waiting for a prince's help.

    It's not the first time Disney princesses have caught up with society's development. In 1950, when people's hearts were broken by World War II, Disney created Cinderella. In 1990, Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast (《美女与野兽》) loved reading when education was a man's special right in the past. Belle showed the improvement of women's position in society. Now is Elsa from the film Frozen (《冰雪奇缘》), a symbol of modern princess.

    “This is brilliant – 'The top 10 rules of being a modern princess' – (it's) about time,” a group named Confidently Mom said on social media website Twitter. Princesses are still very beautiful, but inner character is the key to being a princess.

    We were silently waiting on the platform in the late afternoon. There he was, my 80-year-old grandfather with his silvery hair. And there I was, a teenage girl in my jeans and T-shirt. His aged but still clear blue eyes were taking in the scene as I wondered how I was going to get through the next two days. Why did I ever agree to accompany my cranky grandpa on a train ride from New York to Georgia?

    No one else wanted to be the fellow traveler since my grandfather refused to fly. In contrast, I loved to fly since I wanted to get to the destination as quickly as possible. No matter what anyone told my grandfather about the comfort and safety of flying, he refused to book a flight, saying, "It's not just the trip; it's the adventure of getting there."

    With my first step onto the train, the journey was already different from what I expected. The train was modem and filled with friendly travelers. We settled into the club car, where we could enjoy food and drinks while watching the scenery pass. Instead of listening to my music, I became a willing audience and learned family history that I had never had the time or patience to learn. With teary eyes, he told me that going to family events was hard for him since my grandmother died. It always made him think about those who were no longer with us. For the first time I felt I understood him. I gained a new appreciation for our time together.

    In this fast-paced world, we often miss important moments. There is great significance in listening to elders who offer a piece of their history and experience. I may be more open to opportunities to stay with my grandpa. Life isn't just about the destination; it's about the journey.

    Qingming Festival, which falls on April 5 this year, is known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. The festival always appears about the beginning of April when spring has come. Not only is it a period for commemorating the dead, it is also a time for people to go out and enjoy nature.Where is the best place to go during the festival? Here are 3 popular tourist attractions.

    Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

    In the spring, the sight of the Jiuzhaigou Valley is refreshing and touching. The ice and snow begin to melt, water and streams begin to flow and mountain flowers blossom. The air is filled with the fragrance of spring. The soft and lazy spring sun kisses the surface of the lake and new growth.

    Huanghuacheng Great Wall

    Huanghuacheng is the only lakeside part of the Great Wall in Beijing. It is one of the most popular destinations for a Great Wall hiking tour. It is a hit because of the "train for spring", namely a train that travels through fields full of cherry blossoms.It is extremely romantic to take this train in spring with someone you love.

    Mount Huangshan

    Of all the notable mountains in China, Mount Huangshan is probably the most famous and is found in the southern part of East China's Anhui province. It is known for its breathtaking natural scenery.In the spring, Mount Huangshan is fresh, tender and full of wild flowers, and the sound of birdsong also is pleasant in the quietness

    Partway through Wonder, Fifth-grader Auggie Pullman finds himself seated across from a new friend in the school cafeteria. "Have you ever thought about having plastic surgery?" the friend asks.

    "Dude, this is after plastic surgery. It takes a lot of work to look this good," Auggie says, running a hand through his hair. In other words, what could be painfully depressing turns out to hold lurking (潜藏的) reserves of humour, which is pretty much the story of Wonder.

    Auggie, played by Jacob Tremblay, was born with a facial difference, and even after multiple operations, his looks shock his classmates. As he adapts from homeschooling to a new school community, he encounters far worse than that lunchtime scene—one nasty bully (横行霸道者) says he'd kill himself if he looked like Auggie—but he never fully loses heart.

    The movie is an adaptation of the 2012 novel by R.J.Palacio, which has sold 6 million copies in North America and launched an antibullying campaign, Choose Kind. Palacio has said she got the idea for the story when her young son began crying at the sight of a girl with a facial difference in an ice cream shop. She took her kids out of the shop, but later regretted her reaction. "What I should have done is simply turned to the little girl and started up a conversation and shown my kids that there was nothing to be afraid of," she said.

    Tremblay, 11, who broke out opposite Brie Larson in the 2015 drama Room, has more than a few things in common with Auggie. "We both love Star Wars, we have awesome families, and we love our dogs." But Tremblay thinks we all can find something in common with the boy. "Everyone's like Auggie in one very important way: we want to be accepted and treated equally and with kindness."

    Julia Roberts, who plays Auggie's mother, became interested in the part because of her own children, "I read it with my kids and fell so in love with it," she says of the novel. "This book is such a beautiful and gentle introduction into all kinds of topics, including bullying and intolerance and fear, and what fear makes young people do sometimes."

    Both actors have some familiarity with the subject. "I was picked on quite a bit as a young person," Roberts says, though she won't say what for. "Even as a 50-year-old mother of three, it's not a path I like to go up and down." Tremblay reveals a bit more. "I have been picked on," he says, "because I'm kind of short for me age. I told my parents, and that's one of the best things you can do, because my mom said would never want me to carry negative thoughts on my shoulders alone."

    The most challenging parts of filming, says Tremblay, were moments in which he had to cry. Tenderhearted audience members will likely shed tears of their own—especially during scenes between Auggie and his mom, who repeatedly reassures her son that he is worthy of love. But the movie also has its fair share of hijinks (喧闹): for every tear-filled moment, there is a lightsaber battle or silly science project to lighten the mood. This mixture of pity and humor, says Roberts, "was intrinsic (固有的) in the writing in the novel." But she credits writer-director Stephen Chbosky with translating that balance into visual terms.

    As much as the movie impresses the viewer with compassion for the underdogs, it also finds a way to sympathize with the bullies. "I would say to try to take a moment to be conscious of why a person that is bullying somebody is behaving that way," says Roberts, "After all", she adds, "There's no child that's born bully."

    Traveling by subway can sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during rush hour. There are the times when you have to avoid cups of coffee that could spill (溅) on you. The smells of some passengers' food are very strong, too. According to the Beijing subway passenger regulations, which went into effect on May 15th, passengers except babies and the sick are no longer allowed to eat or drink on the subway. Violators (违反者) who do not stop after being asked to will be asked to get off. The violation will also be recorded in the violators' credit record.

    Some support the rule. The reason is that the smell of food and drink can annoy other passengers. "The smell of food fills the carriage, causing people discomfort, especially in the hot summer. Besides, eating on the subway produces rubbish. And on subway trains, people often spill their drinks," said Zheng Yiou, 17, a student from Hefei.

    However, others question this rule. "Some citizens live so far from their work places that they have limited time to have breakfast before they go to work. Eating while they travel saves them time and decreases the chance that they will be late for work," He Songlin, a 17­year­old student from Chengdu said, "And some people, like those with low­ blood sugar levels, get sick if they can't eat when they must."

    Other Chinese cities like Nanjing and Chengdu have similar regulations. Some foreign cities also ban eating and drinking on the subway. For example, eating and drinking have long been banned on the subway in Washington DC. Singapore fines people who eat or drink on the subway up to 500 Singapore dollars, which is RMB 2,417 yuan.

    Chen Yanyan, a professor from Beijing University of Technology, believed we should consider the need of some people to eat or drink on the subway. "Commuters (上班族) and travelers are sometimes too busy to eat. Maybe we could learn from Tokyo, where there are many subway stations equipped with services, allowing passengers to eat and drink," she said.