People enjoy giving to others. Generosity is a form of giving freely without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Not only does it make one feel happy and fulfilled, a recent study shows that generosity can actually lengthen one’s life.

A study from the University of California researched giving from one generation to another. Previous studies have measured giving on an individual level, but these researchers aimed to compare cultural differences around the world. They took data from 34 countries on six continents and measured the total transfers of private gifts from relatives, as well as health care and retirement benefits.

They concluded that both giving and receiving are beneficial. The researchers quoted a study on “warm-glow giving,” which shows how altruistic givers may not receive anything in return, yet their happiness and health improves 120.

People who volunteer, share and offer support benefit from their actions. They have improved mental health, physical health, sense of happiness and enjoy longevity (长寿) across all societies studied and in all ages. Another benefit of giving is the release of oxytocin, a hormone that produces feelings of love and generosity.

As for myself, in an interview for New York Times on March 20, I stated that due to our high levels of trust in Finland, people are willing to follow instructions and trust that everyone will do their part… and feeling that we are in this together.

The report suggests that since living in a trusting society benefits individuals’ health, it results in lower health care costs. A trusting social environment also promotes wellbeing, leading to an improvement in the length of life for all. Those who are generous become less isolated, less self-critical and less self-centered. They develop confidence, become more familiar and gain a sense of purpose. According to the generosity study, they tend to live longer and happier lives.

In ancient Greece, there were four major athletic meetings and the Olympian meeting played the most important part in the lives of the people. As time passed，the Olympian meeting gradually lost its local character and became first a national event and then international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic Games go but some official records date from 776 BC.

The Games took place every four years on the plain by Mount Olympus. Thousands of people came from all parts of the Greek world to watch the games. The winner of the foot race had the great honour of giving his name to the year of his history.

After a long history of almost 1, 200 years, the Games were stopped for religious (宗教的) reasons. It was then decided in 1896 to start the Olympic Games again. The meeting was held in Athens and 311 athletes from 13 countries took part in it but the idea of such an international meeting attracted the world's attention. After the 1908 London Olympics, many nations sent their best athletes. Although the Games have been time and again threatened by some unfavourable political events, the Games have taken place every four years.

Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. As the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world, athletes from different countries play games together and this provides them with good chances to learn to live together. The friendly feelings in the Olympic Village make people think of the world as one big family. The Olympic Games was hosted in Beijing in 2008, it is believed that the Games was a wonder of the world.

Known for its skyscrapers and megamalls, Singapore is perhaps not so well-known for its abundance of trees. But according to a new study, it ranks top in the world for urban tree density (密度).

According to the study, almost 30% of the city-state is covered by trees, which is nearly 4% more than joint second-place cities Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada. The study was completed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has measured the urban green canopy (天蓬似的树荫)of 17 key cities around the world using Google Street View data. Of the 17 cities, Paris has the fewest trees with only 8.8% of its urban area covered by greenery. “The green canopy is an important and integral part of urban life. Trees help mitigate extreme temperatures, provide a natural relief from traffic jam and noise, and improve the quality of life for those living in urban environments,”says Treepedia, the website which hosts the findings of the study. The project has the aim of encouraging city planners and residents to do more to promote greenery in their cities.

Nicknamed the City in a Garden, Singapore’s top place spot is no surprise. Parks such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the Botanic Gardens and the newer Gardens by the Bay super park — home to around 400,000 plants—have no doubt contributed to its winning place. The city also has a considerable number of roof gardens and “skyrise” greenery on the front wall of buildings—in fact this type of greenery alone has increased from 61 hectares in 2013 to 72 hectares in 2015. Singapore’s National Parks Board also manages around two million individual trees along streets, and in parks.