Our grandparents seem to have magic powers sometimes. Give them a Chinese lunar calendar, and they will know what the weather will be like days or even months later. What's the secret? They are following the 24 Solar Terms (节气), which is an important part of Chinese culture. And on Nov. 30, 2016, the United Nations added it to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity(人类非物质文化遗产)．

In ancient times, most Chinese people made their living on farms. So, weather changes were important for them. Without satellites, the Internet or the weather broadcast's help, Chinese ancient people studied the sun's movement with a sundial(日晷仪). They also paid attention to other natural changes such as air temperature, water and crop growth. As early as the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese ancestors had already established four major solar terms. During the Zhou Dynasty, eight solar terms marking the four seasons were established. Until the Han Dynasty, the present 24 solar terms was established completely. The terms became their guide to farming work. For example, the solar term jingzhe(惊蛰) is when insects wake up from a long sleep in the cold winter. Farmers take it as a sign of warm weather and get busy working.

The 24 Solar Terms is honored as China's fifth great invention, after paper­making, printing, the compass and gunpowder. Now, people still say, “Do not show your feet after hanlu(寒露). ” Why? It's because the solar term hanlu marks the coming of cold days.

Lots of people love to keep pets, but they don’t know how to communicate with their pets. 【小题1】 If your answer is “yes”, here are some tips for you.

【小题2】 Your pet may not exactly understand your words, but it can at least pick up something in your voice. For example, if you speak with it in a cold and hard voice, it might realize that you are unhappy with it.

Use non-verbal（非语言）communication. Your non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is often used to teach your pet to do a certain activity. 【小题3】 When you teach your dog to sit, you would actually use both verbal and non-verbal communication（hand signals）to give it the “sit order”.

Don’t punish your pet. Punishing your pet is never a good idea. Punishment can make your pet afraid of you. 【小题4】 However, some pets like cats, can not make any connection between your punishment and the behavior you punish them for. 【小题5】

We often learn that many people, especially women, don’t like the sunshine. They are afraid of getting sunburnt and making their skin deep-colored. But a growing body of scientific research suggests that completely avoiding sunlight isn’t such a good idea. Researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute say that avoiding the sun can be as bad for you as smoking. Here is why you should soak up(吸收)some sunshine every day.

It promotes bone growth. “Vitamin D is a hormone(激素)that promotes calcium absorption and is necessary for bone growth,” tells Dr. Roizen. Since sunlight is a primary source of Vitamin D, the hormone is also called as “the sunshine vitamin”. “The Vitamin D found in our body needs activation. The sun helps to change inactive Vitamin D levels to active,” explains Dr. Roizen. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), getting anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight on your arms, hands, and face twice or thrice a week is enough to get the vitamin D.

It is good for your heart. People are more likely to die of heart disease in winter than in summer. According to researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital, those with the lowest levels of vitamin D are 81% more likely to die of heart disease compared with those with the highest levels of the vitamin. Sun exposure cut the risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing blood pressure, according to the research.

It makes you feel happier. “We always feel better when the sun is shining, but is not on rainy or cloudy days.” says Emma Derbyshire, public health nutritionist and spokeswoman for Health and Food Supplements Information Service. The sun works through a number of receptors in the brain to affect our mental status (精神状态). Moderate sunlight exposure helps improve your mood and focus by boosting the serotonin (血清素) levels, which known as the “happiness hormone”. “A test found that safe sun exposure can actually help treat depressive (抑郁的) symptoms,” says Emma.

In addition, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Human Resources found that students who get more sunlight every day perform better in tests. To soak up moderate sunlight every day is important for us. But if you’re going to be outside for more than 15 minutes, it’s a good idea to protect your skin. You can do that by applying sunscreen or wearing a protective hat and shirt can also help.