Many young students consider their friends as the most important people in their lives. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for young students to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.

    However, parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one.

    Have you ever thought of the following questions?

    Who chooses your friends?

    Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

    Have you got a good friend your parents don't like?

    What's your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world.So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices, and pay our money.

    We know what our vacation costs us.But do we know what it might cost someone else?It's true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income.Unfortunately,though.tourism often harms the local people more than it helps them

    It might cost their homes and lands.In Myanmar.5.200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔）in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas.

    Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood（生计）and dignity（尊严）.Local workers often find only jobs with slim salaries in the tourist industry.And most of the profits（利润）do not help the local economy. Instead,profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries,When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven（驱赶）from their lands,some moved to city slums.Others now make a little money selling souvenirs or posing(摆姿势）for photos.

    Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago.But now some non-government organizations,tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them.Tourists,too,are putting on the pressure.

    The result is responsible tourism,or ethical tourism.Ethical tourism has people at its heart.New international agreements and codes of conduct（行为准则）can help protect the people's lands homes,economies and cultures.The beginnings are small,though,and the problems are complex.

    But take heart. The good news is that everyone,including us,can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages.

    They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel restaurants and guide services.They can share profits fairly to help the local economy And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourism.

    What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citizens.We can then make our choices and tell them why. And while we're abroad, we can: Buy local foods and products, not imported ones.

    Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price.

    Avoid flaunting wealth.

    Ask before talking photographs of people.They are not just part of the landscape!

    Let's enjoy our vacation and make sure others do,too.

    A middle-aged man with a long beard was caught by the police for bad behavior and property damage. The man, Bill Wild, checked into a hotel last night, telling the clerk he would pay cash in advance and would be staying for four nights. He then asked her where the nearest store was and she told him it was John-Johns.

    Wild went to the store and bought three gallons of honey and four gallons of chocolate syrup (糖浆). The cashier asked him why he wanted these things and he replied, "I'm trying to become a sweeter person." The cashier smiled at the joke. Wild drove back to the hotel. He opened all bottles and poured them into the bathtub. He added warm water to the mix. He tuned the radio to an opera music station, took off his clothes, jumped into the tub, and started singing loudly with the music.

    Fifteen minutes later, the neighbor phoned the clerk complaining about the noise. The clerk knocked on Wild's door, but he just kept singing. She phoned his room, but he didn't answer. Then she called the police, who arrived quickly. They broke into the room. The floor was covered in water and the bathtub was full of chocolate and honey. "He seemed so nice and friendly. Who'd have thought he was a bathtub-singing nut?" said the clerk. The police said this was the third time that Wild had been arrested for this kind of behavior.

    It is interesting to see that the force of only 6 or 7 people pushing in the same direction can cause up to 1,000 pounds of force-enough to break brick walls. During a deadly stampede(逃奔), people can even die standing up. People die when pressure is put to their bodies in a front to back direction, causing them not to be able to breathe.

    If you are in a crowd, the first and most important thing is to make yourself familiar with your surroundings and find different exits. No matter where you are, make sure you always know how to get out.

    Make yourself aware of the type of the ground you are standing on, and know that in a crowd of moving people wet ground can cause you to fall.

    When in danger, a few seconds can make a difference, giving you the possibility of making use of your escaping route. Always stay closer to the escape route. If you find yourself in the middle of a moving crowd, do not fight against the pressure, do not stand still or sit down, because you can easily get trampled（踩踏）. Instead, move in the same direction of the crowd; make use of any space that may open up to move sideways to the crowd movement where the flow is weaker.

    Keep your hands up by your chest, like a boxer-it gives you movement and protects your chest. If you fall, get up quickly. If you can't get up because you are injured, get someone to pull you up. If you have kids, lift them up.

    If you fall and cannot get up, keep moving in the same direction of the crowd, or if that is not possible, then cover your head with your arms; do not lie on your stomach or back.

    Researchers in Australia have discovered an effective new method to capture the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is damaging our planet and transform it into something solid, making it much easier to store.

    Carbon capture isn't new, but previous methods call for the gas to be compressed into liquid and then injected underground. Widespread usage of that technology has been locked by economic and environmental concerns due to possible leaks. Instead, in a study published in Nature Communications, the group details their sustainable and cost-effective plan for transforming CO₂ into coal.

    This new process involves a liquid metal catalyst(催化剂)that is efficient in conducting electricity. CO₂ gas is dissolved in a container with some liquid. Once electricity charge is introduced, the CO₂ begins to turn into solid pieces of carbon, which can be collected and stored.

    What makes this particularly unique is that the entire process can occur at room temperature. Previous experiments have only shown a gas to solid conversion at extremely high temperature, which made it impossible on a large scale. Now, the researchers are hoping that their work will be used to create even further when it comes to carbon storage.

    In an interesting side benefit, the solid carbon also works as an electrode(焊条), which opens up a world of possibilities. "A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a super battery, so it could potentially be used as a part in future vehicles," explains Dr. Dorna Estrafilzadeh, a researcher. "The process also produces fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications."

    A traditional Chinese cough syrup (糖浆), called Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (念慈庵川贝枇杷膏), is flying off the shelves in New York stores this flu season, following a US news report.

    According to a report in The Wall Street Journal last week, Mr. Alex Schweder, a professor of design at Pratt Institute suffering a cough for about 10 days, felt better 15 minutes after he drank a bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa. It had been recommended by his girlfriend, who first learnt about the cough syrup 30 years ago when she was living in Hong Kong.

    Mr. Schweder was shocked by the magical effects of the cough syrup, and recommended it to many people. This, together with other factors, soon made the Chinese medicine popular in New York City.

    A 300ml bottle is now sold at US$13.29 on Walmart's website. This is more than double the former price in some pharmacies (药店) in Manhattan's Chinatown, selling at about US$6 per bottle. "The number of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa we sold over the past few days was much more than usual," said Winnie, a sales staff member of Buy-rite pharmacy in Chinatown. "More and more Westerners are accepting this medicine because it is effective," she said.

    According to the Kingworld Medicines Group's official website, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is made of "valuable Chinese herbs and honey, and has surprising effects in treating coughs." However, experts warn that taking the cough syrup can carry health risks, including when it is used with other medicines, used too much or taken instead of prescription medication (处方药).

    Dr. Keith Brenner, a specialist in pulmonary medicine at Columbia University Medical Centre New York Presbyterian Hospital, said, "I think people who use these things may not even tell the doctor about them, and it's a problem."