Children's lives have changed greatly over the last 50 years. But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did?

    It's difficult to look back on one's own childhood without some element of nostalgia (怀旧的). I have four brothers and sisters, and my memories are all about being with them. Playing board games on the living room floor, or spending days in the street with the other neighborhood children, racing up and down on our bikes, or exploring the nearby woods. My parents scarcely appear in these memories, except as providers either of meals or of severe blame after some particularly risky adventure.

    These days, in the UK at least, the nature of childhood has changed dramatically. Firstly, families are smaller, and there are far more only children. It is common for both parents to work outside the home and there is the feeling that there just isn't time to bring up a large family, or that no one could possibly afford to have more than one child. As a result, today's boys and girls spend much of their time alone. Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home, inside. More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers, so they wouldn't dream of letting their children play outside by themselves.

    Finally, the kind of toys children have and the way they play is totally different. Computer and video games have replaced the board games and more interesting activities of my childhood. The irony (令人啼笑皆非的事情) is that so many ways of playing games are called “interactive”. The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today.

    Do these changes mean that children today have a less relaxing childhood than I had? I personally believe that they do, but perhaps every generation feels exactly the same.

    Whatever life threw at us each year, our family had one tradition at Christmas: our dog Pepper opened our presents for us.

    Last year, everyone made it home for a Christmas get-together. However, it couldn't feel perfect because Pepper's health was becoming worse. Her life had already been longer than we expected-she was fourteen-and yet her mind was still sharp. Her love for life made us feel better. But her body could not keep up with her mind.

    Probably it was Pepper's last Christmas, so we decided to make sure she would enjoy it. On Christmas Eve, we each prepared presents for her.

    Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas gift. She turned the present, just as she was a young dog once more. She pulled the paper off the dog treat before she chewed (咀嚼) it slowly. Our family was so happy.

    Pepper saw the remaining three presents, and then turned to Mom as if asking, “May I open another?”

    “Go ahead, girl!” Mom encouraged.

    For the next few minutes, Pepper opened each of her Christmas presents. While she did, she reminded us of the joy of being together. Our family felt as a whole-not because we were in the same room or city, but because our love brought us together.

    Pepper passed away after Christmas. Her peaceful passing made us tearful. Her passing was also a celebration of life, because she gave my family so much love and laughter.

    I still treasure Pepper's final Christmas gift. She taught me that no matter where we each spend the holidays, the smallest act of sincere giving can unite our family through our love. For me, that knowledge is the longest-lasting gift of all.

French lessons in France

    Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.

    You will be taught by native (本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French on the first day both inside and outside the classroom.

    Learners

    Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced (高级的)

    Over 18 years old

    Class Schedule (课表)

    Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.

    Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.

    Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.

    Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.

    You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.

    You will have a short break between classes.

    Free Time and Tours

    The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visits to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.

    You will have plenty of free time to explore (探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.

    Other Information

    You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.

    Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.

    A university in southwest China's Chongqing City set up a reading room as part of a campaign(活动)that stops students from taking their mobile phones with them in case the device distracts(使分心)them from focusing on their studies.

    Reportedly a student named Hu Xiaopeng taking part in the campaign studied 530 minutes without using his mobile phone. Unlike Hu, another one picked up his mobile phone in less than 20 minutes. "Having seen many students use their mobile phones in the library, a habit that shortens their study time and negatively affects their learning, we decided to open this reading room," said Zhang Shuran, the person responsible for the project at the university.

    Zhang added that students can keep their phones in appointed bags with numbers on them. The bags are placed on a desk near the door of the reading room. "Staff members at the reading room will check the phones when there's a call," said Zhang, adding that they will inform students when their parents or teachers call them, but will not tell students if an unknown person is calling or when there is a text message. Based on the time students hand in their phones when they come to the reading room and the time they get them back when they leave the room, Hu Xiaopeng from College of Animal Science and Technology of the university set a record of the longest time. Hu spent 530 minutes studying without using his phone. Though feeling somewhat surprised, Hu said, "It's bad to keep mobile phone with you when you are reading or studying."

    The campaign has attracted nearly 200 students since it was started a week ago. Some Internet users praised the campaign. One user named Liu Jingchang said, "It's good. I don't bring my phone when going to the library in case I get distracted."

    I'd done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip. As always, I'd bring back nothing more some mud on my boots. A hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.

    The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home's dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family's temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen, she yelled, "Ma, Ma, they really came!" I didn't know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she'd say another word near me.

    Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair — her grandmother, we'd soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire-damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Grabbing our tools, we went to work. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times, I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.

    By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change.

    Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room — so much, in fact, that she'd begged to sleep in it the previous night, even though it wasn't quite ready. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn't seen before — Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother.

    Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. I wanted so much to hug her, but respecting her shyness, I kept my distance.

    Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn't until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she'd made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls — one much taller than the other — and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her, and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn't control myself anymore — I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither of us could let go.

    By early afternoon, we finished Dakota's bedroom, and so I gladly used the rare free time to get to know my newest friend. Sitting under a tree away from the others, we shared a few apples while she told me about her life. As I listened to her stories about the struggles she and her family went through daily, I began to realize how boring various aspects of my own life were.

    I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my Jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too-a greater appreciation for all or the blessings of my life. I'll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she'll never forget me either.

Within the cinematic universe of "The Martian," Matt Damon embodies the role of an astronaut who cultivates sustenance on the Martian terrain, a testament to human ingenuity in the face of isolation on the crimson celestial sphere.

Following their cinematic enlightenment, Michael Allen, a physicist hailing from Washington State University, and Helen Joyner, a food scientist from the University of Idaho, resolved to initiate a pedagogical exploration. They devised an instructive scenario aimed at guiding students through the complex process of agricultural endeavor on the Martian surface. Envisioning themselves as interplanetary miners, students are tasked with devising a strategy for sustenance prior to embarking on their extraterrestrial expedition. Allen and Joyner proffer a proposal outlining the selection of crops and the enduring trials of cultivating them in the Martian environment over extended periods. Utilizing a scoring mechanism, students are challenged to identify and propagate three varieties of nourishment on the Martian terrain.

Allen encountered a remarkable diversity in outcomes: among a cohort of thirty students, "there has not been a single instance of identical responses," he remarked.

Future Martian voyagers will, in all likelihood, be compelled to harness the native resources of the planet rather than transporting all necessities aboard a spacecraft. This implies the necessity of cultivating their own nourishment on an extraterrestrial sphere, one that boasts an ecosystem markedly divergent from that of Earth.

One formidable impediment for prospective Martian habitués is the absence of agricultural implements. In congruence with actual astronauts, student participants in the study are precluded from amassing an extensive array of farming tools. As Joyner articulated to his student space explorers, "You commence your journey with a vacuum of resources."

Furthermore, students are confronted with the predicament of a severely restricted dietary selection. "Could I endure a diet confined to a single sustenance for the entirety of my existence?" posed Joyner.

Nevertheless, Allen perceives the case study as transcending the realms of agriculture and nutrition on the Red Planet.

"I am not imparting knowledge solely on the cultivation of food on Mars," Allen declared. "I am imparting knowledge on coexistence with choices. I am imparting knowledge on the resolution of complex issues."