Rainy days don't have to get you down, a happiness expert has reported.

    Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, said that people only feel miserable in bad weather because they think about it too much. Studies have shown that people who live in warm, sunny climates are no happier than those in chilly, wet climates, he says. So the British talking about the weather may be making us gloomier（沮丧的） than the weather itself.

    He said: “A study was done that measured the happiness levels of people in California compared to the North West. “They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny, but they found that levels of happiness were exactly the same. If it is sunny every day you get used to it and the sunshine doesn't make you any happier. Most of the time the weather doesn't influence our well-being at all. But when we think about it, and think that it does, that's when we get miserable.”

    In his new book, Happiness By Design, Dolan argues that we can think ourselves happy by taking our attention away from what makes us sad.

    “Most of our anxieties come from what might be,” he argues. “If you want to be happier, pay attention to the things that make you feel good.”

    He also claimed that a problem shared was not always a problem halved(减半). He believed that humans are actually very good at being able to get over tragedy(悲剧) and loss.

    Professor Dolan also admitted for the first time that he had a stammer（口吃）, which had made his early life miserable. He added it only got better when he learned not to pay attention to his speech problem.

    “Things are never as bad as you imagine them being,” he said.

    China now has 52 sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, which was established to safeguard unique and irreplaceable cultural and natural sites around the world. Let's have a look at some of them, which may give you some clues on your next travel plan.

    Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

    The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is located in Lintong county, near Xi'an city, capital of Shaanxi province. A total of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors, chariots and horses, and hundreds of bronze weapons have been unearthed from it. Many state leaders and experts worldwide believe that the discovery of the mausoleum is a major archeological find and can be called the eighth wonder of the world, paralleling Egypt's pyramids.

    Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement

    Gulangyu Island, known in the local dialect as Kulangsu, is located on the entry of the Jiulong River, facing the city of Xiamen. The island was occupied by at least a dozen countries, including Great Britain, France and Japan. As a result, Western culture grew rapidly there in the 19th century, especially music. With such a harmonious blend of Western music and Eastern culture, Gulangyu is naturally referred to as the “island of music”. It is famous for its outstanding musicians and musical instruments.

    Qinghai Hoh Xil

    Hoh Xil, which means “beautiful girl” in Mongolian, is located in the north-eastern end of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve is China's largest and the world's third largest uninhabited area. Because of the high altitude and fierce weather, it is impossible for people to live there, and therefore, it is a paradise for wildlife and home to more than 230 species of wild animals including endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope, which is recognized as the National Class I Protected animal.

    Huangshan Mountain

    Huangshan, known as “the loveliest mountain of China”, lies in the south of Anhui province in eastern China. The scenic area covers 154 sq km, and is famous for its peaks, rocks, pines, clouds and springs. It also has a rich cultural heritage. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), visited Huangshan twice, and described it in a poem, calling it the best of all mountains in China. Today it holds the same fascination for visitors, poets, painters and photographers.

    The Independent Project at the Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is attracting huge interest in the education field. The program is a new concept that has developed a wide variety of students' abilities and excited their interest in education and self-directed learning. They are a group of students that, instead of being educated through the normal school courses, have created their own subjects and project-based interactive learning.

    The students are almost completely independent. They choose a goal that they want to accomplish and work on for the whole year. These goals have included some impressive attempts such as writing a novel, writing a play, learning the piano and more. Along with these larger attempts, the students meet every day to ask questions about other subjects like natural sciences, social sciences, etc. Although most of them say that they don't like math, they did eventually develop an interest in math through this independent learning technique.

    The education program, which has attracted a huge variety of students, allows the students to learn and develop research skills and questioning techniques and allows them to truly be interested in the subjects they are diving into. They also teach each other what they have learned, which allows them to develop different way of presenting and gathering material that they have researched.

    I wish that I could have participated in such a project during my high school career, like writing a novel. I am currently studying English as well as education to pursue a teaching degree. I would love to adapt independent driven projects into a classroom in the future.

    This project also raises some crucial questions. Do we need to rethink the structure of the education system itself? Are too many students being simply fed through a conveyor belt(传送带) that we blindly see as working toward their education? I think that the education system needs some improvements, and different learning styles need to be addressed immediately.

    Individual differences in learning are huge keys to the functioning of a classroom. This project takes the idea to a whole new level. This is an extremely important event in the development of the American education system and I think everyone needs to keep an eye out for more programs like this.

    Sheffield

    Lincoln College of English

    Classes for foreign students at all levels.

    3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year course.

    Open all year.

    Small class (at most 12 students).

    Library, language laboratory and listening center.

    Accommodation (住宿) with selected families.

    25 minutes from London.

    Course fees for English for one year are ￡ 1,380 with reduction for shorter periods of study.

    When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, and then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with him/her. We always felt better when she was around.

    One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said "bad girl", she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

    Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠叫) or tried to get away. The funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.

    Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.

    Mention the word superhero, and the images that come to mind are of fictional characters like Spiderman, Wonder Woman, or Batman. However, photographer Josh Rossi has used his camera to show the world's real superheroes — young children who are battling severe diseases and disabilities.

    The event leading to the creative project began in 2016, when Rossi fulfilled his then three­year­old daughter's dream of becoming Wonder Woman. Thanks to the handmade costume and Rossi's impressive Photoshop skills, the photoshoot instantly became a hit.

    Since it was Wonder Woman that brought about the idea, Rossi decided to focus on the superheroes that will appear alongside her in the upcoming movie, Justice League. To make the photo shoot more meaningful to the kids, he matched each child with a superhero with whom they had the most in common.

    The first member of the real­life "Justice League" was Kayden Kinckle. The five­year­old uses prosthetics (假肢) to walk because both his legs had to be cut off due to a born disorder. To Rossi, Kayden's perfect superhero was Cyborg, who was a healthy boy before a terrible accident left him injured, forcing his father to keep him alive with robotic parts.

    Teagan Pettit was born with only half a heart and has already gone through three open­heart surgeries. According to Rossi, the nine­year­old fits the bill for Superman because they both have a weak heart. The fictional superhero grows weak when near Kryptonite (氪), while Teagen's half heart is too weak to control his body temperature. The photographer says, "Superman and Teagan both have hearts of steel!"