Starting a club of some kind at school can be difficult. But with a good idea, some active friends, and the right knowledge, you can pull it off. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

Decide whether you really want to start a club. Once you have strong enough support from your friends and fellow students, you're ready to go.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Find an advisor for your club. Pick someone who will help you organize events for your club.

Find a place. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you want to do this,  talk to your headteacher to apply (申请) for a classroom.

Decide when to meet. Decide how often your club should meet, and then pick a convenient time and day when most club members will be free.

Advertise your club at school. Make bright, colorful informative posters (海报) that will attract attention. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

Plan volunteering events. You can decide on events yourself, or hold a meeting to get your club's opinion. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Have fun. What's the point of having a club if it's no fun? Don't take yourself too seriously and be sure to have a sense of humor.
 

How satisfied are you with your life ? How good do you feel every day ? Your answers to those two questions can show how happy you are. 

It's true that your happiness is partly affected by your genes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}According to experts, happiness is a choice. It's something that you can develop with continuing practice. Following these tried-and-true tips can help you find happiness.

Be kind to yourself.

Don't compare yourself to others. Everyone has different talents and abilities. It's OK that you're not like someone else. Comparison has been called " the thief of joy". In addition, forgive yourself often{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Take breaks from social media.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Yet much of what appears on social media is not real. Many people compare themselves with those images, resulting in feelings of discouragement. 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} . 

Spending time with people you love and that love you is necessary for building strong connections and developing a sense of belonging. By devoting time and attention to those who matter most to you, you can create lasting memories, deepen understanding, and strengthen bonds with each other happily. 

Get outside for exercise.

Nature helps to reduce stress. Exercise and put your health in the first place. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Just going on a walk can make a difference. 

Limit time you spend on news.

Stay aware of recent events. But don't spend hours consuming news, which usually includes negative stories and events.

Since happiness is a choice, why not choose it ? Life will look brighter filled with love and joy!

A. You are not perfect. 

B. Invest in your relationships. 

C. Determine happiness through actions. 

D. You could perhaps lead a happier life and feel more satisfied. 

E. But even if you're not usually a happy person, you can change that.

F. People who get up and move are usually happier than those who don't.

G. The Internet is full of people who look beautiful and seem to lead exciting lives. 

If you are a psychology enthusiast, you have probably heard of the famous marshmallow test （棉花糖实验）. In this task, kids are given a marshmallow, and are told that they can eat that marshmallow now, or wait a little while, and have two marshmallows instead. Some kids eat the marshmallow immediately, but most try their best to wait for two. 

When the researchers followed up with those kids later in life, children who waited longer had better life outcomes: more academic success, better social behavior, and even markers of better health. They believe those children who keep waiting are the ones with the most self-control-a key factor in success, and that's why they are so successful later. 

But what if the behavior in the marshmallow test has more to do with cultural norms than self-control?

A 2022 study tested the idea that children may decide how long to wait for rewards based on what they are accustomed to waiting for in their culture. For example, in the United States, there is no widespread mealtime custom of waiting until everyone is served. In Japan, however, there is. 

Because of this difference in norms, the researchers hypothesized that Japanese children would wait longer in the marshmallow test than the American children. This is exactly what they found later in experiments. 

But this isn't conclusive evidence; after all, maybe Japanese children actually have better self-control, or maybe they differ from American children in other ways that could explain the result. 

In the U. S. , gifts are usually given on special occasions and children usually have to wait before they can unwrap their presents. In Japan, however, gift-giving happens more often, and children usually open presents immediately. 

Given these cultural differences, scientists expected that if they ran the test with gifts instead of marshmallows, American kids would wait longer. Once again, their hypothesis was correct. 

This is a powerful result because it demonstrates the importance of culture and habit in shaping behavior. If a child waits only few minutes before giving up on two marshmallows but much longer to unwrap a gift, can we really say that child lacks self-control? I don't think so. I think it just means that they are adjusting well to their social settings. 

As summer approaches, many kids and teenagers may find that they have more time in hand. One great way to make use of the extra time is to go on an adventure and travel. Clearly, I am not a naturally adventurous person, but I have found that taking the risk and challenging myself to explore and travel to unfamiliar places can be a very rewarding experience.

Because I am usually quite busy during the school year, most of my travels take place during the summer. Over the past few summers, I have hiked in the Grand Canyon, explored Niagara Falls, and camped out in upstate New York. Although these experiences are varied, they are similar in that they instil （逐渐灌输 ）a sense of appreciation for nature and a more balanced view on life. When I hiked in the Grand Canyon, for example, I was in awe （敬畏） of the geological influences that shaped the canyon.

Adventures, of course, are not limited to hiking. There are many other choices, such as camping, volunteering in a foreign environment and travelling to different countries. In my opinion, adventures are more enjoyable with family or a few friends. There is a sense of bonding that one only gets through spending time together in outdoor adventures. For example, when I was in Boy Scouts, I often went on weekend camping trips with my friends. When I came back from a Boy Scouts camping trip, I often was eager to go outside more and explore the parks and nature around me.

Next fall, I will attend college. In the meantime though, I hope to make the most of my summer to explore and travel. Now, I am planning on hiking and camping out in Maine.

When I visited Maine last fall, I was amazed by how beautiful it was and the tall trees and coasts that exist, and I really hope to enjoy the beauty of nature there this summer.

Why does rain seem to make you sleepy?

This spring on the east coast of the US, it feels like we've lost touch with the sun. In Washington, DC, 14 of the first 17 days of May were rainy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It means that, for me, May has been one of the months I've felt the sleepiest. The dull weather can hit almost all of our senses in a way that gives a sign to us it is time for a sleep.

First, there's what we see—or rather, what we don't. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When it's raining and skies are cloudy, we miss out on our body's internal alarm clock. As Naomi, a scientist from Central Queensland University said, when you don't see the sunlight first thing in the morning, your body never gets the signal that it needs to shift into daytime mode.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Plants produce oils during dry periods, possibly to stop seeds from developing. When it rains, the water brings out the oils and they mix with a chemical to create a "musky" smell. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Additionally, after a thunderstorm there's a chance you may smell ozone(臭氧), which is generated when lightning interacts with the air. Some compare its smell to that of clean bed sheets.

Rain sounds are also comforting. The rhythmic pattern of rain hitting a roof, umbrella, or the ground below is called "pink noise." Pink noise is a category of background noise that has all of the frequencies that human can hear and has lower volumes at higher frequencies. According to some research, it may improve our quality of sleep by decreasing our brain activity.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

The difficulty in waking up, the fresh, earthy scents, and the peace of the rain tapping on windows are enough to make anyone want to go back to bed for the day. Sadly, none of this evidence is enough to justify doing so; but it can at least explain why you may feel a little sleepy on these cloudy days. 

A. Noises can make us feel sleepier during the daytime.

B. The others have been cloudy and dull for at least part of the day.

C. The earthy smell of rain can make you feel calm and comfortable.

D. It makes it easier for us to wake up from our sleep the night before.

E. Sunlight causes our bodies to stop producing what makes us sleepy at night.

F. And you'll also smell that when you are in your garden turning over your soil.

G. You can listen to an hour of rain on a window here, if you intend to test it out.

Gorgeous Mother's Day Gift

If you're stuck for a Mother's Day gift, why not try something that tugs at the heartstrings? A company that specialises in turning life stories into long-lasting books has developed a simple way to show your mother or grandmother how much they mean to you.

The company has created a full-colour book that captures all your family memories. And it's a gift that can be enjoyed over and over again by future generations. The company sends you a set of questions by email, and these help you make a personalised book that's unique to your parent or grandparent.

This hardbound（精装的） book is a bargain compared to a private autobiography, which can cost thousands of pounds and take ages to finish.

The company was started by two siblings. After their dad died young and they saw their grandma struggle with Alzheimer's, they wanted to find a way to save life stories before it was too late. When you buy a photo book, the company will give some money to the Alzheimer's Society charity. They help you make the book and keep your stories safe until it's printed.

The photo book costs£149, but you can pay £50 more to get an extra copy for your family and friends. If the person who gets the book doesn't like it, they can get their money back in 30 days.

As a cheaper alternative, you could get an £11.99 scrapbook from the Internet and put your own pictures in it to save money. The company also sells different kinds of photo books, like the Mini Hardback Photo Book which is now only £20.80, down from £26.