【推荐1】Four Excellent Museums for Kids to Explore

The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds is giving a huge makeover recently. It features a Victorian street full of real smells and bugs, and presents shows of the impact of some terrible infectious diseases- cholera and smallpox before vaccinations. There are talks, displays, games as well as some information about health heroes over the years.

Adults: £12; children aged 5-15: £10; children under 5: free.

A huge steam engine stands at the entrance to the small, indoor-outdoor Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum. Two 1967 Victoria Line carriages sit side by side with the cabs open to the would-be train drivers. Fireman Frank displays the fire engine featured in TV programs such as London’s Burning.

Free entrance.

The Camera Obscura and World of Illusions experience in Edinburgh presents a unique view of the city in the past. With over 100 interactive exhibits on five floors, it is completely kid-friendly with no “don’t touch“ signs. There’s a perspective room where younger children can dance with their own shadow, match their face with a monkey’s, serve their head on a plate and even lie on a shark.

Adults: £16; children aged 5 - 15: £12; children under 5: free.

Anybody who wants to see, touch and even smell what life was like in ancient times should head to the Weald and Downland Living Museum-a museum with rural buildings ranging from early medieval England to the Victorian Age, and a multisensory, living presentation. There are also farm animals to visit, a wood and playground to burn off energy, and traditional games in one big house if it rains.

Family tickel: £42.

【推荐2】The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index has just published the latest ranking of the best places to live in the world. Look at some of the top cities.

Calgary, Canada

Overall rating: 96.3

Stability:95; Healthcare: 100; Culture&-Environment : 90; Education: 100; Infrastructure（基础设施）:100 Calgary is a place where nature and urban living go hand in hand. You can see mountains from nearly anywhere within the city，and outdoor wonderlands like Lake Louise and Banff National Park are just a couple hours away. Meanwhile, there is a boost in food and cultural activities—just check out the world-famous Calgary Stampede for proof.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Overall rating :95.3

Stability: 90; Healthcare:100; Culture&-Environment97.2; Educationi:91. 7; Infrastructure: 96.4

You know Amsterdam’s oh-so-famous central canal, rightly named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Add in broad green space, storied red-brick buildings, and museums filled with Van Gogh paintings—not to mention an incredible healthcare system—and you have yourself one of Europe’s best places to live.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Overall rating :98

Stability: 100; Healthcare:95.8; Culture&-Environment;95.4; Education: 100; Infrastructure:100

Besides the cutting-edge restaurants and hotels, Copenhagen has an ageless charm that makes you want to keep going back. The dreamlike 1800s-era Tivoli Garden puts all other amusement parks to shame. The city is expensive, but you don’t necessarily need a fat wallet to enjoy it. There are many public parks and free galleries, and the infrastructure makes it one of the most bike-friendly places in the world.

Vienna, Austria

Overall rating: 99.1

Stability:100; Healthcare:100; Culture & Environment:96. 3; Education: 100; Infrastructure: 100

Vienna has earned a perfect score in nearly every category, benefiting from a prosperous（繁荣的）art and culture scene and incredible healthcare and education. Between visiting the opera and touring the gardens at Schonbrunn Palace, you’ll never get bored here. Plus, the local government puts a lot of resources behind infrastructure and housing, so the living cost is far lower than incomparable European cities.