History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries, Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.

               In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because“the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的) in human nature,”the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.

               Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.

    “Is there anything else you need, honey？” my dad asked  me as he put three twenty­dollar bills in my hand. I was traveling  back home from a family visit, and after treating me to breakfast  and filling my car with gas, it was obvious that my dad wanted  to make sure that I would be okay on the road.

    “No, Dad. You've done so much already. Thank you！” I was overwhelmed once again by his kind acts of providing  everything I needed, despite the fact I just turned 40. Yet I realize that in my father's eyes, I will always be his little girl. He takes deep pleasure in knowing his children are all right.  Now that he has enough money, he loves to give whenever he  sees a need.

    But this was not always the case.  Divorced from my mother when I was 11, my dad couldn't be around his kids as  often as he would have liked. Money was also tight; even weekend visits were rare. However, my dad stayed in constant  communication with us and made sure he was involved in our lives. Though he couldn't always be there in person, I knew  he was only a phone call away. I could always count on that.

    Even now, almost 30 years later, I treasure knowing that I can pick up the phone and call Dad, and he'll be there for me. I have a wonderful husband, but that hasn't changed how   Dad sees me. I'm still his child and he loves to see that my   needs are met.

    I remember a time when I was shopping in a hardware store(五金店)with Dad. I mentioned my plans to paint one wall in my house. Well, that's all it took for Dad to take   action. By the time I got to the checkout(结账) line, all the supplies I picked out were put out of my hands and placed with things he bought.

    Then there was the time when I took him with me to do some grocery shopping for just a few “ items”. By the time we  were finished, my shopping cart was full of groceries from  every shelf in the store! My sister and I joke that if you don't want Dad to buy it for you, avoid even mentioning you want something.

    As a new driver with little experience behind the wheel, having to turn into another lane（车道）to avoid a careless driver talking on a cellphone is not something that I am prepared for. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, an accident is four times more likely to happen than normal while you are talking on the phone. Therefore, I hold the view that using a cellphone while driving should be outlawed（宣布……不合法）.

    Cars are two-ton weapons and should be treated as such. When drivers put a key in the engine, they are taking on the responsibility of being a driver. Answer the phone while driving is like taking the safety off a gun ― at any moment something could go wrong and change a life forever.

    A few countries, including Australia, Great Britain, Spain and Israel, have recognized the damage that cellphone use can cause. According to Tom Alex of The Des Moines Register, people who talk on cellphones while driving are just like drunk drivers. They are likely to make a deadly mistake, causing them to hurt themselves or someone else.

    Some may think that cellphone are helpful when you need directions or are in an emergency situation. Although I agree, I believe the safest way to use your phone is to pull over to the side of the road first. Some may think that hands-free phones are less dangerous, but studies have shown that the danger remains the same with these.

    Using a cellphone while driving should be outlawed. One small mistake could change your whole life. Please don't let that happen ― stay off your cellphone while driving.

    Art museums are places where people can learn about various cultures. The increasingly popular “design museums” that are opening today, however, perform quite a different role. Unlike most art museums, the design museums show objects that are easily found by the general public. These museums sometimes even place things like fridges and washing machines in the centre of the hall.

    People have argued that design museums are often made use of as advertisements for new industrial technology. But their role is not simply a matter of sales—it's the honouring of excellently invented products. The difference between the window of a department store and the showcase in a design museum is that the first tries to sell you something, while the second tells you the success of a sale.

    One advantage of design museums is that they are places where people feel familiar with the exhibits. Unlike the average art museum visitors, design museum visitors seldom feel frightened or puzzled. This is partly because design museums clearly show how and why mass－produced products work and look as they do, and how design has improved the quality of our lives. Art museum exhibits, on the other hand, would most probably fill visitors with a feeling that there is something beyond their understanding.

    In recent years, several new design museums have opened their doors. Each of these museums has tried to satisfy the public's growing interest in the field with new ideas. London's Design Museum, for example, shows a collection of mass－produced objects from Zippo lighters to electric typewriters to a group of Italian fish－tins. The choices open to design museums seem far less strict than those to art museums, and visitors may also sense the humorous part of our society while walking around the exhibits.

    Halloween is a holiday full of tricks and treats and all things frightening and fun. But what happens when you trade your sweets for a scare? The result is always healthier than candy.

    Being frightened can be good for you. Think about your favorite scary books or movies. You are scared but you just can't resist reading or watching them. Being frightened makes your brain flood with healthy chemical substances that excite your mood and release feelings of great excitement.

    When you're frightened, your body also produces a chemical called oxytocin, which helps people bond with one another. So, if you're at a haunted(闹鬼的) house with some pals, that experience can help strengthen your friendship. “Watch people walking out of a haunted house, and you'll see lots of smiles and high fives,” says Dr. Margee Kerr, a sociologist who studies fear.

    There is also some evidence that being scared can help a person manage stressful situations. Things like giving a presentation in front of your class or performing in a school play can make us fearful and anxious. But these experiences help build a sort of endurance to fear that makes us more confident. “You become more comfortable with the physical experience of fear, and so you're better able to work through it during tense situations,” Kerr explains.

    Though some haunting may be healthy, it's important to remember that people experience fear in different ways. What may be fun for one person could be too scary for another. And Kerr notes that kids younger than six and or seven can't separate real and make-believe, so seeing something frightening could have lasting, negative effects.

I first came across the concept of pay­what­you­can cafés last summer in Boone, N. C. , where I ate at F. A. R. M (Feed All Regardless of Means) Café. You can volunteer to earn your meal, pay the suggested price ($10) or less, or you can overpay—paying it forward for a future customer's meal. My only regret after eating there was not having a chance to give my time. So as soon as Healthy World Café opened in York in April, I signed up for a volunteer shift(轮班).

F. A. R. M and Healthy World are part of a growing trend of community cafés. In 2003, Denise Cerreta opened the first in Salt Lake City. Cerreta now runs the One World Everybody Eats Foundation, helping others copy her pay­what­you­can model.

"I think the community café is truly a hand up, not a handout," Cerreta said. She acknowledged that soup kitchens(施粥所) have a place in society, but people typically don't feel good about going there.

"One of the values of the community café is that we have another approach," she said. "Everyone eats here, no one needs to know whether you volunteered, overpaid or underpaid. "

The successful cafés not only address hunger and food insecurity but also become necessary parts of their neighborhood—whether it's a place to learn skills or hear live music. Some teach cooking to seniors; some offer free used books. Eating or working there is a reminder that we are all in this world together.

My 10 am～1pm shift at World Healthy Café began with the café manager—one of the two paid staff members. Our volunteer crew wasn't the most orderly, but we managed to prepare and serve meals with a lot of laughs in between. At the end of my shift, I ordered my earned meal at the counter, together with other volunteers. After lunch, I walked out the door, with a handful of new friends, music in my head and a satisfied belly and heart.