2 . Rap, a style of hip-hop music, was created in the 1980s in the United States. It first became popular among young black people in New York City. By the beginning of the 21st century, it had become a presence around the world. Its performers, called rappers, have their own fashion style. They often wear a baseball cap, large jewelry, brightly colored clothes and oversized jeans. And it’s evident that rap is no stranger to negative stereotypes (刻板印象), but this entertainment medium, is actually a means of human expression. You can find a lot of evidence.

Rapper Chen Jinnan performed her hit song Malice From the World on the reality show Rap for Youth. Chen said that she wrote the song last year after receiving a message from a fan who was battling severe depression and had been ignored by her parents and schoolmates. “I shared my own story with her in the hope of offering her encouragement,” Chen told China Daily. Another rapper who appeared on the show is a well-known rapper TangoZ, who expresses his love for his hometown of Hangzhou — his “heaven on Earth”— and raps in the dialect. “Wu dialect is disappearing at an alarming rate, so I struggle to make the situation a bit better.” he told independent media platform RADII China.

Just as Li Yuchun, a mentor (导师) on the reality show, pointed out that rapping is not defined by anger. “A lot of people think that Diss–or disrespect–is the only definition of rap. But on this show, I’m touched and proud of the fact that you can express gratitude and kindness through music writing and rapping,” she said.

Actually, rapping, for most performers, is a way to express opinions and let their voices be heard. If you dive deep into it, you’ll find that it’s charming. Just as Hannah George wrote on the website Soundigest. “It’s a diary ... someone’s life on display for the world to enjoy, grieve (悲伤) with or be inspired by.”

3 . When our Scottish puppy, Annie, reached adolescence, she suddenly stopped following my commands. Previously, if I called “come”, she would fly across our yard to my arms. Now, the 8-month-old gave me a look and ran the other way. Our dog trainer advised us to stop worrying. “She's a teenager,” she said. “She'll grow out of it.”

Now, a new study is backing that up: Dogs experience a period that makes them act out, just like human teenagers. Puppies bond with humans much as children do. “But owners often feel like they're failing when their puppies reach adolescence,” said Lucy Asher, lead author of the new study.

Asher and her team monitored 70 female dogs being raised as guide dogs. They asked caregivers to score them on their attention-seeking behaviors like sitting close to their owners and separation-related behaviors like trembling when left behind. Both types of behaviors show general anxiety and fearfulness. Dogs with high scores entered adolescence earlier — at about 5 months, compared with 8 months for those with lower scores. Further, adolescent dogs that were stressed by separation from their caregivers were also increasingly disobedient to that person, but not others.

To test obedience, the scientists assessed a separate group of 69 guide dogs, first at 5 months and later at 8 months. They asked the dog's caregiver and a stranger to give the command to “sit”. All of the preadolescent puppies quickly sat for both people, but when the same puppies reached adolescence, they refused to follow the order from their caregivers. However, they readily obeyed the stranger. Dogs that weren't securely attached to their caregivers were even more willing to follow the stranger's commands.

Because of the similarity between adolescent puppies and humans, dogs could serve as a model species for studying adolescence in humans. And on a more practical note, the temporary nature of dog disobedience might make us worry less when our puppies suddenly get minds of their own. Just ask Annie — she's now happy to come, sit, and stay a while.

4 . I stood behind the curtain, my hands shaking. As I listened to the crowd laugh at the host's jokes, I thought about why I believed I could do that. Two months earlier, I had signed up for improv（即兴表演）classes at a local theater, along with four other graduate students.

When I first heard about the improv classes, I was torn. I feared getting on stage and performing in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to improve my communication ability and gain confidence thinking on my feet.

During our first class, we learned the key concept of improv: “yes, and”. If someone says that rhinos are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We don't question the logic; we say “yes” and continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong. To do this effectively, we have to avoid second-guessing ourselves. Sometimes scenes go in unexpected directions. The best improv happens when performers stay open to different possibilities. Over time, I started to enjoy our classes. I also became better at listening and communicating clearly in the moment.

That training came in handy 6 months ago, when I was giving a seminar about my science research. An audience member surprised me with a question that didn't grow out of the information I had presented. Instead of getting perplexed, I used that approach, and it helped me find an appropriate answer.

Last year, I used that approach when dealing with confusing data. Instead of getting discouraged, I kept exploring the data and ended up identifying a new type of cell — one that wasn't behaving as expected. If I hadn't stayed open to the possibility that the results were real, I would have missed out on the most exciting finding of my Ph.D. program so far.

7 . I recently gave my adult class homework. The assignment was to "go to someone you love and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or haven't shared those words with for a longtime".

That doesn't sound like a tough assignment, but most of the men in that group were over 35 and were taught that expressing emotions is not “manly".

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. One of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.

He began by saying, "I didn't feel that I had anyone to say those words to. But as I began driving home, I knew exactly who I needed to say 'I love you' to. Five years ago, my father and I had a disagreement and never resolved it. We hardly spoke to each other."

"The next morning, I called my dad. When he answered the phone, I said, 'Dad, can I come over tonight? I have something to tell you.' I ensured him it wouldn't take long, so he finally agreed."

"At 5:30, I was at my parents' house ringing the doorbell. As luck would have it, Dad answered the door."

"I took one step in the door and said, 'Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.'"

"His face softened, his wrinkles（皱纹）disappeared and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, 'I love you too, son, but I've never been able to say it."

"Dad and I hugged for a moment longer. I hadn't felt that great in a long time."

"Two days after that visit, my dad had a heart attack and ended up unconscious in the hospital. I don't know if he'll make it."

"My message to all of you is this: Don't wait to do the things that need to be done. Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!"

For the first time in my life, I'm making a really good income, and so is my husband. We could be saving a lot more, but instead we spend it on fun vacations and nice clothing. I went from a ten-year-old Japanese car to a Tesla, and a thrift-store（二手店）handbag to a super-nice one from France. I feel like 've become a new person I don't recognize. How can I go back to being someone who's fine with thrift-store items, instead of this one with a perfect house filed with nice things that don't matter?

I understand why you miss your old life. It feels good to live simply and to work toward larger financial goals. The problem, it seems, is that you never really imagined the life you'd lead once you actually had money to spare.

I doubt you may also be feeling a little bit lonely. Studies have found that transitioning to a higher socioeconomic class can make you lonely because it moves people away from familiar social circles and into unfamiliar ones.

It's also tough to talk about-having big money isn't exactly a “problem", nor a situation that most people can relate to.

I suggest an exercise: Write down everything you spend your money on, every day, for a couple of weeks. Then look at your list and focus on the things that felt worthwhile and satisfying. In doing this exercise, you'll probably find that spending money on experiences, especially ones that strengthen your relationships, makes you happier than buying items.

It sounds like you feel sorry. That's normal. I don't mean that you should feel bad about having money. Instead, it's good to be aware that you've been lucky-plenty of people never get to see the fruits of their work in the same way that you have. Amanda Clayman, a financial adviser, recommends gratitude exercises. "When you focus more on what you have, it helps you stay focused on what's important to you, instead of what you're missing," she says.

While your new life may seem unrecognizable, that doesn't mean you've lost the goal and drive that got you there—you just need to learn to redirect them.