More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighborhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car.

    You can bike to work and benefit from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way. Folding (折叠) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.

    Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.

    Bicycling is healthier than driving.

    Yesterday night, over a dinner with my elder brother's family, a topic of happiness came up. My wife, Marla, a psychologist, was sharing Csikszentmihalyi's concept of “flow” with us. Marla explained that according to the research on flow, people are happiest when they are absorbed in a task that is just challenging enough for them to experience a sense of mastery(熟练).

    A few moments later my brother, Yuri, offered the following opinion: “The first and only, necessary and sufficient factor for happiness is to stop associating happiness with pleasure. The two — happiness and pleasure — have nothing to do with each other.” This morning, with my cup of coffee, I searched through a pile of books on my bedside table and—at the bottom—found a book by Bertrand Russell, I started reading but didn't finish. In it, I found the following thought:

    “The human animal, like others, is adapted to a certain amount of struggle for life, and when by means of great wealth homo sapiens can gratify all his whims (突发奇想) without effort, the mere absence of effort from his life removes an essential ingredient of happiness.”

    The conversation came full circle: people are happiest when they are in a state of flow (Csikszentmihalyi's language )…which is the effortful devotion in a moment…which has nothing to do with pleasure.

    Indeed, as Yuri insisted : happiness–as–pleasure is a myth; the association between happiness and pleasure is nothing but a semantic(语义的) habit; psychologically, the two—happiness and pleasure—are arguably different; and breaking up this association between pleasure and happiness might, in fact, be a powerfully first step in pursuit of happiness.

    As I look back on that exchange, I recall that there was an effort, a struggle to find a common understanding about this seemingly difficult idea—a struggle that made me happy.

    When people reunite with their loved ones，it's usually all extremely happy moment. But what is their most common response to seeing them again? It may seem strange，but most of the time they break down in tears.

    Now a group of psychologists (心理学家) from Yale University say they have found the reason why，and that crying tears of joy may well be the body's way of keeping emotional(情感的) balance. “They seem to take place when people are overtaken by strong positive emotions，and people who do this seem to recover better from those strong emotions，” Oriana Aragon，the lead researcher said.

    Aragon and her fellow psychologists looked at hundreds of participants' emotional responses to different things，including happy reunions and cute babies. Many participants said they would react in a negative or aggressive way to the positive things—to cry at happy moments and want to pinch(捏) a cute baby's face or even tell them “I want to eat you up!” But then researchers found that these people were able to calm down from strong emotions more quickly.

    There are many other examples of times when people respond to a positive experience with a negative emotional reaction. At an exciting concert, fans scream at their idols(偶像). People who have just had a big lottery win are often in floods of tears. “These findings advance our understanding of how people express and control their emotions, which is importantly related to mental and physical health, the quality of relationships with others, and even how well people work together.” said Aragon.

    Christmas is a great time with family and friends. One of the best ways to bond with (团结)one another is through games. So why not play some great Christmas party games?

    Present pickup is a great game for both young and young at heart. It can be played inside or outside. To prepare for the game, you will need to have some small boxes and some small gift bags. This is a great way to use the paper from last year. There should be as many presents as players. You'll also need four or more candy canes(甘蔗). Two large boxes can be used to drop the presents in.

    Two ropes will be needed. Take one rope and make a starting line. The other rope will mark the finish line. Place the large boxes at the finish line. Equally divide the presents into two groups. It's best to have an equal number of boxes and bags on each side to make it fair.

    The first player on each team will take two candy canes. When it's time to start, they'll pick up the presents only using the candy canes. Each player must run his present to the box or finish line and drop it in. If it's dropped on the way, the player starts over. After they drop their presents, the players will run the candy canes to the next players. This continues until all the presents have been picked up. The first team to finish wins.

    To play kids against adults, you may want to put easier presents in a group for the kids and more difficult ones for the adults. There are many variations to the game, so have some fun and come up with your own.

    Their beautiful call suggests the arrival of spring, but the routes taken by cuckoos(杜鹃) during their annual migration(迁徙) have remained a mystery. Now, though, scientists from the British Trust for Omithology(BTO) have revealed the details of their remarkable 10,000-mile journey, with the help of tracking devices.

    Five male birds were caught in Norfolk last May and fitted with satellite-tagged "backpacks" before being released. The scientists then monitored their progress over 12 months as they flew to Africa in the autumn, and returned in the spring.

    The project was carried out to discover why every year fewer of the birds return to Britain. Between 1995 and 2010，the population of cuckoos spending summer here fell by almost half, and the number is continuing to decline. Previously, the lack of information about the cuckoos' long migration has hampered the understanding of how to help conserve the birds.

    Earlier this year, it was reported that cuckoos arrived in the UK much earlier than normal. Their call was recorded by ornithologists(鸟类专家) as early as February, a month ahead of their usual arrival.

    Like all migrating animals, cuckoos respond to the changing seasons. They depend on lush plants to provide the fruit and food for insects that they feed on. This reliance on seasonal patterns means that a changing climate could make an already challenging journey impossible for them.

The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding to serve another is that service expects no rewards. When you expect something in return, and are not serving out of the goodness of your heart, others will notice. Sure they'll thank you. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

When you give from your heart, the real power of service comes into play. Serving is a great opportunity to strengthen your trust and respect for another, and for them to do the same to you. Not only do you feel great about helping out, but you build your relationship with them, and they will feel more willing to help you in the future. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

However, why is service so rarely seen these days? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sure, living in this day and age does not leave us much time, and the last thing people want to do is more work. I'm too busy, there's too much work, or I don't have the time, " may run through your head when you hear the word service, but the truth is the benefits are worth the sacrifice. Gandhi once said that, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. " {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some ideas of places you can serve are volunteer centers, nursing homes, boys and girls clubs, and so on. You can serve people as long as you want to.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Although it does take some work, the benefits are more than worth the sacrifice. Not only do you feel better about making another's day a little less stressful, but you strengthen your relationship with them and they will be more willing to help you in the future.