Mr Sun once shared his experience online. He met a man nearly every day on the underground. The man was always watching TV shows on his mobile phone without using headphones (耳机). So he decided to teach the man a lesson by copying him. After quietly telling his plan to the man, he played a song over and over again till the man shouted at him and left.

This kind of thing will not happen on the underground in Shanghai because of a new rule (规定). The rule says all passengers (乘客) must not use speakers on their mobile phones. That is, if they want to watch TV shows or listen to music, they need to use headphones. If they don’t, workers at the underground station will stop them, or even hand them over to the police officer.

Many people in Shanghai say the rule protects the rights (权利) of other people on the underground and creates a better environment. “Playing music or videos through speakers can be disturbing to others,” they say. “Many people need to have some peace and quiet before or after work. “

People from other cities love the rule too. “It’s faster for me to go to work by underground, but I choose to get up early and drive the car,” a man in Hangzhou says. “I just can’t stand the man-made noise on it. I hope we can have the same rule soon. ”

Though the underground is open to everybody, there is still personal space for the passengers. Creating a better underground environment needs not only rules, but also everyone’s self-discipline (自律).

【推荐3】

As humans, we all have moods (情绪). Sometimes we may feel happy or excited. At other times we may feel angry or sad. Most of the time we pay attention to the moods for individuals (个人). However, can a group of people also share a common mood? Of course! A group of people can have a similar feeling about something. Then how can we understand and fit in the mood of a group of people? The answer is to “read the room”.

When you “read the room”, you use your powers of observation (观察) to learn the general mood of people in a certain environment. You may then act in a way that is similar to that mood. For example, if you are in a silly mood—laughing a lot and making jokes, you may need to read the room and change your behavior when you enter a serious work meeting.

You can also tell someone else to “read the room” if he knows nothing about the mood of a group of people. It is a way of reminding the person that he is behaving incorrectly. For example, if you are at a party and people are seated around a table, enjoying good food and conversation, your friend Jason brings up a very serious topic, like a historic war where many people lost their lives. Suddenly, the atmosphere (气氛) goes from happy to serious. You could say, “Jason, read the room! No one wants to talk about that now.”

Reading the room is a useful skill. People who can read the room understand the right mood and are able to act properly. You can train yourself to get better at it, which will make you welcome in any situation.

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After spending more than 20 years in the US, the giant panda Ya Ya finally came back to her hometown China.     1    

Ya Ya was born at the Beijing Zoo in 2000. At the age of three, she was taken to the Memphis Zoo in the US with a male giant panda, Le Le, for a research project. In 2006, Ya Ya began to lose fur.     2     Ya Ya received good medical treatment, but the situation didn’t change for the better.

The two giant pandas brought much fun for the Americans. Unluckily, the male giant panda Le Le died on February 3rd, 2023.     3     In December, 2022, the Memphis Zoo announced that it would return Ya Ya. Before Ya Ya came back, the Memphis Zoo hosted a farewell party for her on April 8th, 2023.     4    

On April 27th, Ya Ya arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in the afternoon after a 16-hour flight from Memphis. Ya Ya’s Chinese fans said they looked forward to seeing her in good health and living the rest of her life at home. “    5     I hope that Ya Ya can get well soon and wish her a long life,” one of the fans said.