Staying positive through the cold season could be your best defense against getting ill,a new American study suggests.

    In an experiment that exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus,researchers found that people with a generally sunny character were less likely to fail ill.The findings,published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help ward off the common cold and other illness.

    Researchers believe the reasons may be both objective―as in happiness improving immune function―and subjective―as in happy people being less troubled by a sore throat or runny nose.“People with a positive emotional style may have different immune responses to the virus,” explained lead study author Dr Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.“And when they do get a cold,they may interpret their illness as being less severe.”

    Cohen and his colleagues has found in a previous study that happier people seemed less likely to catch a cold, but some questions remained as to whether the emotional quality itself had the effect.

    For the new study,the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality qualities, physicals health,and emotional “style”.Those who tended to be happy,energetic and easy –going were judged as having a positive emotional style,while those who were often unhappy,tense,and hostile had a negative style.

    Afterwards,the researchers gave them nose drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus.Over the next six days,the volunteers reported on any aches,pains,sneezing they had,while the researchers collected objective data.Cohen and his colleagues found that happy people were less likely to develop a cold.

    What's more,when happy folks did develop a cold,their symptoms were less severe than expected based on objective measures.

    On the contrary,people with negative characters were not at increased risk of developing a cold based on objective measures,though they did tend to get down about their symptoms.

    “We find that it's really positive emotions that have the big effect,” Cohen said,“not the negative ones.”

    So can a bad-tempered person fight a cold by deciding to be happy?

    If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can't hear what their teachers are saying. And it's not because these students are goofing off. Often, it's the room's fault. Building architecture and building design can create echo(回声)-filled classrooms that make hearing difficult.

    Children with hearing impairments（损伤）suffer most from noisy classrooms. They sometimes can't hear questions that other students ask in class. Compared with kids with healthy hearing, they have a harder time picking up new vocabulary words by hearing them in talking.

    Even kids with normal hearing have a harder time in the classroom when there's too much noise. Younger children in particular have trouble separating important sounds – like a teacher's voice – from background noise. Kids with learning disabilities and speech impediments（障碍）and kids for whom English is a second language also have a harder time learning in noisy situations.

    In recent years, scientists who study sound have been asking schools to reduce background noise, which may include loud air-conditioners and pipes. They're also targeting outdoor noises, such as highway traffic. Noise reduction is a big deal. Why? Because quieter classrooms might make you smarter by letting you hear your lessons better.

    “It's so obvious that we should have quiet rooms that allow for access to the lesson,” says Dan Ostergren, a hearing scientist. “Sometimes it surprises me that we spend so much time discussing this topic. I just want to go. Why is this hard for anyone to grasp?”

    Everyday Food—--by Martha Stewart

    No matter how busy you are, at the end of the day you want meals that are easy to prepare. And you want lots of choices and variations. You'll find all of that in this book: 250 simple recipes for delicious meals that bring freshness and nutrition.

    Paperback, published by Random House, $ 16.79

    Zeroes —--by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti

    New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld teams up with Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti in the book about six teenagers with amazing abilities. These teenagers have powers that set them apart. They can do things ordinary people can't.

    Paperback, published by Simon & Schuster, $12.99

    Mighty Jack —--by Ben Hatke

Jack dislikes summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to wa tch his sister, Maddy. It's lots of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. But one day, at the market, Maddy does talk—to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made.

    Hardcover, published by First Second, $ 14.15

    Only Daughter —--by Anna Snoekstra

    She's caught stealing. She's homeless and on the run. But she happens to look the same as a girl who went missing a decade ago, Rebecca Winter. She assumes (冒充) Rebacca's identity, using it as a way out.  She doesn't know anything about her new life as Rebecca is itself a prison and it looks like a killer might be after her.

    Kindle edition, published by Harlequin Enterprises, $8.88

    I always experienced guilt when I passed by without giving a coin or two to a beggar.

    My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side café. Outside the café was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the crowds drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman.

    A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman's cup. He did this rather ostentatiously(炫耀地), just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman's cup.

    The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer (同伴) pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, “I hope that helps a bit.”

    I don't know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman's cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an act of caring.

    I study English literature at university and have always been proud of Britain's literary heritage(文学遗产). Some British authors that you may have heard of are Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. These writers are famous all over the world because their books have been translated into many different languages. In the UK, their novels are celebrated as some of the best that have ever been written. We say that these novels are "classic" because they are still read and enjoyed years after their publication.

    I read classic novels because they are part of my university lessons but also because I enjoy them. They can teach you a lot about how people used to live and what society was like in the past. Novels like Hard Times by Charles Dickens remind us of the poverty in London during the Industrial Revolution while Jane Austen's fiction shows us what family life was like in the 18th century.

    Classic novels usually have memorable stories land interesting characters. One of my favourite books is Charles Dickens Great Expectations. It is about a boy called Pip who suddenly receives a lot of money from a mysterious supporter. As he grows up, his character changes: he becomes quite selfish and mean. Another important character is Miss Havisham. When she was young, her fiancé ran away on their wedding day. She lives in a dark house and still wears her wedding dress. She is a fascinating character, both sad and scary.

    Reading classic novels enriches my knowledge and life experience. And it has become part of life.

    Theater Listing Guide

    Check out the latest shows in London theaters with our handy theater listing guide! You can either purchase tickets at the theatre or online at https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/whats-on.

    Chicago, Phoenix Theatre

    Chicago, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, has delighted audiences around the world. The main characters are two female criminals. You must be 18 or older to purchase a ticket.

    Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre

    Based on the successful 2005 British film by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, this musical celebration is about the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind. Fans of musical comedy won't want to miss this fabulous show, as the songs in the musical were produced by Grammy and Tony winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper. No children younger than 6 will be admitted. Children under 3 are tree except in reserved seating.

    King Lear, Duke of York's Theatre

    Acting legend Sir Ian McKellen starred the title character in King Lear, one of Shakespeare's famous tragedies. McKellen's performance in the play, which sees King Lear become mad as he divides his kingdom amongst his children, was highly praised by critics and audiences. You must be 12 or older to enter the theatre.

    Les Miserables, Queen's Theatre

    Adapted from the epic novel by Victor Hugo, the musical tells a powerful and moving story of love, sacrifice, passion and revolutionary spirit. In October 2015 Les Miserables celebrated its 30th Anniversary in London and is now the world's longest-running musical. It is recommended for children aged 7 or over, and children under 5 are prohibited.