1 . Children think other youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those who don't wear glasses, according to a U.S. study of 80 children. In addition, the researchers found that children seldom judge peers wearing glasses in terms of appearance.

The study included 42 girls and 38 boys, aged 6 to 10.Of those, 30 wore glasses, 34 had at least one classmate with glasses, and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses. The study participants were shown 24 pairs of pictures of children. The children in each pair of pictures differed by gender and race, and each pair of pictures included one child with glasses and one child without glasses. The children were asked a series of questions about each pair of photos. About two-thirds said children wearing glasses looked smarter than those without glasses, and 57 percent said children wearing glasses looked more honest.

These findings may help comfort children as they're fitted for their first pair of glasses, lead author Jeffrey Walline, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University, suggested in a prepared statement. "If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would use that information and tell the child it is based on research. Most kids getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses, because they think they'll look ugly," Walline said.

2 . Our tiny boat was ploughing through (费力穿过) the waves across the Indian Ocean and I was absolutely freezing.The further we got from the shelter of the land, the more I thought how foolish I'd been to come along on this trip.

The pilot of the boat looked almost 60 but, perhaps because of a lifetime on the open sea in the hot sun, was very fit and strong.I was wondering how he managed to find his way.To me, it seemed difficult enough to navigate a boat without any electronic equipment even on a sunny day.

So at least we were safe.But this was not what we had come along for.A look at the other divers' faces suggested that now they were also doubtful that we'd ever get the chance to see a whale shark — these weather conditions were totally unsuitable for diving! None of us spoke.It seemed too much of an effort.Then suddenly the boatman stopped the engine.He said a few words in his own language to the diving instructor, who immediately jumped up from his seat and told us to get ready to dive.

When I jumped into the grey sea, I was sure I wouldn't see anything.But then ...there it was! An enormous whale shark, slowly swimming through the water.I couldn't believe my eyes — my first whale shark! I hardly dared breathe — I was afraid my streams of bubbles (气泡)  might scare the huge creature away.And the other divers were equally awed.Slowly we approached this huge animal.It was swimming quite slowly and we were able to swim with it, looking at the beautiful markings on its back.I was still holding my breath, telling myself that this huge fish was harmless! Then I reached out and touched it, stroking  (轻抚) its thick skin.It was amazing how this giant suddenly gained speed — we watched it as it swam away from us, and a few moments later it was gone.

3 . Besides walking the red carpet and living the glamorous life, these celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Lauren Conrad, Prince William and Kate Middleton and Matt Damon, are working hard to make the world a better place. Read up on their charities!

Angelina Jolie

It's safe to bet that the mother of six has headlined more humanitarian efforts than her acting credits. “I came into this business young and only worried about my own experiences, my own pain. And it was only when I began to travel and look at life beyond my home that I came up with an idea to start a worthwhile program,” she said when receiving the Humanitarian Award.

Lauren Conrad

After traveling to markets around the world, Lauren Conrad and her friend founded The Little Market, an organization that works with female artisans across the globe to “lessen poverty, empower communities, and create social justice”. “We have been traveling all over the world to find local female craftsmen in the communities and sell their handmade products through our online store,” Lauren wrote on her blog.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Instead of asking their wedding guests to buy them fine china or stock their wine collection, the couple requested that donations be made to the Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund. According to the Palace, approximately $1.7 million was raised through their generosity.

Matt Damon

Matt Damon and Gary White co-founded non-profit Water.org, an organization pioneering solutions to provide people across the world with access to safe water and sanitation (卫生设备). “I hope to raise global consciousness about the importance of this challenge and the solutions,” says Damon. “I have four girls of my own and I want them to be proud of the impact I'm making in the world.”

8 . Although May 24 was a working day, thousands of people wearing black went to the Mingyangshan Funeral Home in Hunan province to present flowers and bunches of rice plants to honor Yuan Longping. The top rice scientist, referred to as the “father of hybrid rice”, died of organ failure at age 91 on May 22.

Born in 1930 in Beijing, Yuan witnessed the despair of people who lost their land they lived on in an era of war. So when he applied for university, he decided to study agriculture. But his parents worried it would be tough and tiring. However, Yuan said: “Having enough food was people’s basic needs,” noted People’s Daily. Yuan set out to solve the problem. He began researching hybrid rice in 1964, succeeding in producing the world’s first high-yielding hybrid rice strain in 1973.

More importantly, he was selfless when it came to sharing his research to benefit people globally. To date, his hybrid rice strain has been planted in large areas of India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, the US and Brazil. “Professor Yuan was incredibly humble, never seeking fame or praise, instead focusing only on hard work and results that could help remove poverty and lift people out of hunger,” Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, told China Daily.

Yuan could make such achievements partly because he believed in the power of science as a harvest multiplier, noted People’s Daily.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs mourned his passing on Twitter, saying, “Yuan passed away today at 91 but his mission to end hunger lives on.”

9 . “I think kawaii, or cute feelings, can remind us of human connection that we sometimes forget,” says Hiroshi Nittono, director of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory at Osaka University.

“Viewing cute images of baby animals gives us a desire to act tenderly and responsibly to protect them,” he explains. “This idea holds that weak and defenseless but cute things set off caregiving behavior in the beholder.” Cute things make us feel protective, and when we’re protective, we might be naturally more focused.

Engineers, advertisers, and developers have taken advantage of this phenomenon, using kawaii to control user experience and consumer behavior. Researchers call it cute engineering. It’s a way to harness positive feelings and emotions to motivate (激励) and shape the user’s behavior in a positive way.

Sometimes cute engineering is subtle (微妙的), but it’s often quite obvious. Engineers use kawaii in the field of robotics, for instance—the cuter the robot, the more humans will want to engage with it. There’s also the iMac, which over the years, Apple designed to be subtly adorable (可爱的). It persuaded traditionally non-computer users to buy into the world of computing so that they could sell more units.

There’s also “cute filtering (萌物滤镜)”, a component of cute engineering that allows consumers to personalize their kawaii experience, just like the way iMac users could choose the color of their units. In this way, users can create their own kawaii experience. Using a “cute filter”, users can freely choose the cuteness parameters (参数) such as color, size, motion, smell, and taste to adjust their desired cute output.

10 . No matter how you get there, you’re sure to find a nearby adventure just a few hours from Melbourne. Here are the top trips.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a 150-mile road along Victoria’s southern coast. Along the way, there are stops for wildlife meeting, waterfalls, and surfing. If you’re doing a self-guided road trip, be sure to stop at Bells Beach to watch the surfers. This beach is where the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Competition is held each year during Easter.

Ballarat

Ballarat is a lovely town known for the 1850s Victorian gold rush. Sovereign Hill is an outdoor museum where you can take a guided tour of the gold mine and search for real gold. The best part? The whole museum is in character, including actors in costume, horse-drawn carriages, and Wild West-style buildings.

Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges are a set of mountains east of the city. It’s an excellent spot for hiking, cycling, or bush walks. The Kokoda Track Memorial is a popular path known for its challenging stairs to the top of a hill. It’s set in a wet and cool rainforest environment and offers a peaceful escape from the big city.

Mount Buller

If you’re visiting Victoria from late June to early October, consider a trip to the snow. Skiing in Australia is quite family-friendly. You can rent equipment at Mount Buller, and lift passes can be as cheap as AU$66, depending on the time of year. It is one of the largest ski villages in Victoria, with over 30 restaurants and bars, plus plenty of accommodation options.