In addition to seeing wonderful films, one of the joys of coming to the Quad Cinema is to hang out in the area. The Quad Cinema is located right in the heart of Greenwich Village, perhaps the most charming and interesting neighborhood in the city. Here are some attractions we recommend, all within a comfortable walk from the Quad Cinema:

Washington Square Park

    As one of the best－known of New York City's 1,900 public parks, it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. Come on a Sunday when it's most lively and festive.

New York University

    It surrounds Washington Square. See the wonderful Bobst Library and visit the amazing bookstores.  NYU is now considered one of the most powerful universities in the world.

Judson Memorial Church

    Located in the south of Washington Square between Thompson Street and Sullivan Street, opposite Washington Square Park, this beautiful church was completed in 1892. The Judson Memorial Church is most famous for its vocal participation in social events.

Washington Mews

    It is a hidden, private street in New York City between Fifth Avenue and University Place, just north of Washington Square Park. It was first developed as a mews(马厩街) that serviced horses from homes in the area. Since the 1950s the former stables have served as housing,  offices and other facilities for New York University.

Jefferson Market Courthouse

    Built in 1833 as a market, it was later changed to a courthouse, and in the 1950s it was emptied and close to being destroyed. It was saved and turned into a library. Many consider it to be the most beautiful building in the village.

    It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking, and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.

    He looked up, smiling. “I'm making you a surprise.” I thought it could be just about anything. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught up in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise.

    Until one gloomy day the next March when I glanced out of the window, I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花）throughout the front lawn — blue, yellow and my favorite pink, with little faces moving up and down in the cold wind. I remembered the things Dad secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?

    My father's crocuses bloomed (开花） each spring for the next five seasons, always bringing the same assurance： Hard times are almost over. Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon.

    Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms and the next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses, so I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family were in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith.

    On a spring afternoon four years later, I was driving back when I felt depressed. It was Dad's birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual — my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived up to his faith. Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. There on the muddy grass with small piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.

    How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years ago, one that hadn't bloomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.

    Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day, but it built my faith for a lifetime.

    Alibaba opened China's version of Amazon's cashier-less store, “Tao Cafe” at its second annual Taobao Maker Festival taking place from 8—12 July, and then showed it to the public. By scanning a QR code（二维码）on Taobao app at the entrance of the store« consumers are tracked with cameras for facial recognition. After going through the checkout doors, customers will automatically make a purchase through their smartphones without needing to head to a register and be able to leave the store with what they buy in hand.

    The company, putting its efforts in Artificial Intelligence and data technologies, caused some ripples（波动）among offline retailers （零售商）. But if you think the e-commerce giant plans to get a slice of the physical-store pie, then you might get it wrong: “It's not about Alibaba wanting to open more cafes, we are not in the restaurant business.” it's about digitalizing the footprints of the visitors to an offline store, '' said Chris Tung, chief marketing officer of Alibaba Group.

    He said, for example, in the online world, Alibaba can always personalize every web page based on users interest and preference thanks to big data, “When you open our app, every moment is different.” But on the other hand, “offline is becoming not so exciting anymore”, because many physical stores are always found to be very similar with no variation.

    Tung said offline retailers could improve by adopting online data competence to link the identity of the customers» and optimize（优化）their in-store shopping experience. So in this sense, after physical stores have an understanding of what their customers need online, then they can allocate the products in the physical offline store accordingly. He further explained the pop-up Tao Cafe is one of the ways to present this “new retail” idea and opens up people's thinking and calls for more partnership.

    Youth volunteers from Beijing University visited Song tang Hospital, a care clinic for the aged and dying patients, during the second Global Youth Service Day on April 21．

    Thirty student volunteers from the university's School of International Studies sat at the beds of the patients in their specially decorated “care huts”. They talked with them and gave massages （按摩）to patients kept in their beds.

    I felt sorry that I could not offer more to these people than talking with them and trying to cheer them up, said Deng Yetao, 20, a third - year student. “But it occurred to me that they need more care and love than babies. They are afraid of the coming death. Their loneliness is worse than physical pains.”

    “Even though they are suffering a lot, the majority of the elderly people want to talk to us. Each of them has a lot of life experiences and philosophies to share. Instead of doing them a favor, I felt I was gaining a valuable lesson. Said Mao Xiaohua, another third - year student.

    Mao talked with two elderly patients for a whole afternoon. The fact that most of the patients in the 80 - room clinic are aged people with diseases which will lead to death soon made the volunteers' hearts heavy.

    Ninety - one percent of the patients will spend the last days of their lives in the clinic, according to a survey by the hospital.

    Daily visits and services by social workers and youth volunteers are a very important part of their programmer. A total of 330, 000 Beijing students from 119 universities and colleges have visited the hospital. Many continue to offer services in their spare time. Some of them volunteer to hold the hands of dying patients during the last minutes of their lives.

    Yin Hang, a student from Beijing Medical College, said he felt“ the glory of life” as he saw the fading smile on the face of the old man who passed into a deep unconsciousness（昏迷）while he was holding his hands.

    Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there's always a temptation(诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.

    Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren't?

    To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines(学科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader's attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.

    On the whole, Brooks' story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks' attempt to translate his tale into science.

    Travelling can be a fun way to gain life experiences, especially during a week-long school vacation. But what if you're a student and don't have enough money for a trip? Don't worry.

Here are some useful tips.

    Save: This probably is the most important preparation for travelling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you'll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

    Plan ahead: Don't wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全)and savings.

    Do your homework: No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.

    Plan sensibly(明智地): Write down how much you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.

    Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.

    Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.

    Go off the beaten path: Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.

    Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes. Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you can't find a cheap restaurant.

    Use the Internet: The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www. Iravelocity.com, www.bargains-lowest fare.com and www.Economy travel.com.

    By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.