【推荐1】Does earning a higher salary make you happier?

It’s an issue that concerns many of us: the balance between a satisfying job and a satisfying paycheck.     1     Workers are concerned about when weighing a promotion that would bring longer hours and more stress along with higher pay.

    2    , reported by The Journal of Happiness Studies, while people for whom high income was not the most important were attracted to the liberal arts and social sciences.

It all depends on priorities, Mr. Lore said. Some people are willing to make lifestyle changes because the intrinsic (内在的) rewards of following a passion or making a difference are more important than a high salary in an unenjoyable career, he said.    3    

Looking at lists of careers with the highest salaries tends to be a fool’s game. Let’s say you see that accountants are getting decent salaries out of college, but you don’t really like accounting.     4     Generally, people succeed when they’re doing something they like and what they’re good at. For his part, Mr. Lore said he was concerned that current economic troubles might force people into poor career choices.

“I would prefer that the economy was doing better and people were more adventurous because it often has an enormous effect on the quality of life,” he said. “Many people think success equals a high income, but     5     To me, that’s not success.”

【推荐2】People consistently underestimate how much others in their social circle might appreciate an unexpected phone call, text or email just to say hello, and the more surprising the connection, the greater the appreciation, according to a new study.

In the study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh conducted some experiments involving more than 5, 900 participants. In one experiment, half of the participants were asked to recall the last time they reached out to someone in their social circle after a prolonged (长期的) period of not interacting with them. The rest were asked to recall a similar situation where someone reached out to them. Participants were then asked to indicate on a 7-point scale how much either they or the person they reached out to appreciated. People who recalled reaching out thought the gesture was significantly less appreciated than those who recalled receiving a communication.

In other experiments, participants sent a short note, or a small gift, to someone in their social circle with whom they had not interacted in a while. Similar to the previous experiment, participants who initiated (发起) contact were asked to rate on a 7-point scale the extent to which they thought the recipient would appreciate or feel grateful for the contact. After the notes or gifts were sent, researchers also asked the recipients to rate their appreciation.

Across all experiments, those who initiated the communication significantly underestimated the extent to which recipients would appreciate the act of reaching out. Besides, the researchers found that people receiving the communication placed greater focus than those initiating the communication on the surprise element, and this heightened focus on surprise was associated with higher appreciation. “We also found that people underestimated others’ appreciation to a greater extent when the communication was more surprising, as opposed to part of a regular communication pattern, or the social ties between the two participants were weak,” added lead author Peggy Liu.

Initiating social contact after a prolonged period of disconnection can be daunting because people worry about how such a gesture might be received. But these findings suggest that their hesitations may be unnecessary, as others are likely to appreciate being reached out to more than people think.

【推荐1】Plastic pollution is a growing global problem. Simplistic, unhelpful labelling and low recycling rates even in the best-equipped countries are major barriers to tackling this issue.

In a new paper, experts from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland suggest a new internationally applicable labelling system that moves the focus from recyclability to sustainability.

“We need to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices,” says lead author Stephen Burrows. Instead of “yes-no” recycling labels, which are often misleading, a sustainability scale (等级) could take account of recyclability as well as other factors such as the environmental cost of production, and potential human health risks from additives.

“Requiring packaging to carry region-specific directions for disposal would shift responsibility away from consumers and towards regulators and plastic producers. This is vital because the mix of plastic products is confusing, and industry must be responsible for clear instructions on how best to dispose of plastic items. The same is true for the chemical additives found in many plastics. Requiring producers to list all additives would be a major step towards informing the public and helping them make decisions regarding environmental impact and human health,” says Burrows.

At present, about 368 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide each year. The researchers stress that their recommendations should not diminish the urgent need to use less plastic — especially single-use items.

Professor Tamara Galloway, from the University of Exeter, says: “Our recommendations for a sustainability scale are designed to reduce some of the confusion around plastic disposal. The ultimate aim is to protect the environment and human health from the harmful effects of plastic waste.”

Professor Kevin Thomas, from the University of Queensland, says: “We hope that our recommendations initiate (发起) a reassessment of plastic labelling and that carrying out a sustainability scale will allow individuals to make informed decisions on how they use plastics.”

【推荐3】A new film hit Chinese screens on Sept. 30, the eve of China’s seven-day National Day holiday. The film, Home Coming (《万里归途》), is mainly about evacuation (撤退) of Chinese people from a war in an African country. It tells how two Chinese diplomats (外交官) lead 125 Chinese people to return to China. It is based on a real evacuation event in Libya in 2011, when the Chinese embassy (大使馆) evacuated more than 30,000 Chinese people over 12 days.

Home Coming is directed by Rao Xiaozhi. The main characters include the experienced actor, Zhang Yi, and the young actor, Wang Junkai. Rao said he and the team looked through many reports and documents about the evacuation to create the story, which has both exciting and touching moments. Home Coming is an excellent work. It shows how Chinese diplomats work in hard environments. They need to face many dangers and challenges to protect oversea Chinese people.

“The real diplomats are also common people. They are fathers, husbands, and sons, but they need to get to the front line as their duty. Their bravery deeply moved me,” Rao said at the premiere (首映) of his new film in Beijing on Monday.

Rao described how he and his team traveled all over China to find proper film locations, including Qingdao, Beijing, and Yinchuan since they were unable to leave the country. The actors and team also had to put themselves in the real desert environment near Yinchuan to experience a similar environment as if they were in Africa.

Home Coming is also filmed for IMAX, which help people improve watching experience. Many people praise the film and more people want to watch it.